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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES [Abstract]

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Pathfinder Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Pathfinder Bank (the “Bank”). The Bank has four wholly owned operating subsidiaries, Pathfinder Commercial Bank, Pathfinder Risk Management Company, Inc. (“PRMC”), Pathfinder REIT, Inc. and Whispering Oaks Development Corp. All significant inter-company accounts and activity have been eliminated in consolidation. Although the Company owns, through its subsidiary PRMC, 51% of the membership interest in Fitzgibbons Agency, LLC (“Fitzgibbons”), the Company is required to consolidate 100% of Fitzgibbons within the consolidated financial statements. The 49% of which the Company does not own is accounted for separately as noncontrolling interests within the consolidated financial statements.

The Company has seven offices located in Oswego County and one office in Onondaga County which opened for business in the first quarter of 2012. The Company plans to open an additional location in downtown Syracuse with a target opening in the 2nd quarter of 2014. The Company is primarily engaged in the business of attracting deposits from the general public in the Company’s market area, and investing such deposits, together with other sources of funds, in loans secured by one-to-four family residential real estate, commercial real estate, business assets and in investment securities.

Pathfinder Bancorp, M.H.C., (the “Holding Company”) a mutual holding company whose activity is not included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, owns approximately 60.4% of the outstanding common stock of the Company.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Management has identified the allowance for loan losses, deferred income taxes, pension obligations, the annual evaluation of the Company’s goodwill for possible impairment and the evaluation of investment securities for other than temporary impairment and the estimation of fair values for accounting and disclosure purposes to be the accounting areas that require the most subjective and complex judgments, and as such, could be the most subject to revision as new information becomes available.

The Company is subject to the regulations of various governmental agencies. The Company also undergoes periodic examinations by the regulatory agencies which may subject it to further changes with respect to asset valuations, amounts of required loss allowances, and operating restrictions resulting from the regulators' judgments based on information available to them at the time of their examinations.

Significant Group Concentrations of Credit Risk

Most of the Company’s activities are with customers located primarily in Oswego and Onondaga counties of New York State. A large portion of the Company’s portfolio is centered in residential and commercial real estate. The Company closely monitors real estate collateral values and requires additional reviews of commercial real estate appraisals by a qualified third party for commercial real estate loans in excess of $400,000. Note 4 discusses the types of securities that the Company invests in. Note 5 discusses the types of lending that the Company engages in. The Company does not have any significant concentrations to any one industry or customer.

Advertising

The Company follows the policy of charging the costs of advertising to expense as incurred.

Noncontrolling Interest

Noncontrolling interest represents the portion of ownership and profit or loss that is attributable to the minority owners of the Fitzgibbons Agency.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, amounts due from banks and interest-bearing deposits (with original maturity of three months or less).

Investment Securities

The Company classifies investment securities as either available-for-sale or held-to-maturity. The Company does not hold any securities considered to be trading. Available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value, with net unrealized gains and losses reflected as a separate component of shareholders’ equity, net of the applicable income tax effect. Held-to-maturity securities are those that the Company has the ability and intent to hold until maturity and are reported at amortized cost. These securities include those that were transferred from available-for-sale to held-to-maturity in the third quarter of 2013, and more fully explained in Note 4 to the financial statements.

Gains or losses on investment security transactions are based on the amortized cost of the specific securities sold. Premiums and discounts on securities are amortized and accreted into income using the interest method over the period to maturity.

Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements includes additional information about the Company’s accounting policies with respect to the impairment of investment securities.

Federal Home Loan Bank Stock

Federal law requires a member institution of the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) system to hold stock of its district FHLB according to a predetermined formula. The stock is carried at cost.

Mortgage Loans Held-for-Sale

Mortgage loans held-for-sale are carried at the lower of cost or fair value. Fair value is determined in the aggregate. There were no loans held-for-sale or forward commitments outstanding as of December 31, 2013 and 2012.

Transfers of Financial Assets

Transfers of financial assets, including sales of loans and loan participations, are accounted for as sales when control over the assets has been surrendered. Control over transferred assets is deemed to be surrendered when (1) the assets have been isolated from the Company, (2) the transferee obtains the right (free of conditions that constrain it from taking advantage of that right) to pledge or exchange the transferred assets, and (3) the Company does not maintain effective control over the transferred assets through an agreement to repurchase them before their maturity.

Loans

The Company grants mortgage, commercial, municipal, and consumer loans to customers. Loans that management has the intent and ability to hold for the foreseeable future or until maturity or pay-off are stated at their outstanding unpaid principal balances, less the allowance for loan losses plus net deferred loan origination costs. The ability of the Company’s debtors to honor their contracts is dependent upon the real estate and general economic conditions in the market area. Interest income is generally recognized when income is earned using the interest method. Nonrefundable loan fees received and related direct origination costs incurred are deferred and amortized over the life of the loan using the interest method, resulting in a constant effective yield over the loan term. Deferred fees are recognized into income and deferred costs are charged to income immediately upon prepayment of the related loan.

The loans receivable portfolio is segmented into residential mortgage, commercial and consumer loans. The residential mortgage segment consists of one-to-four family first-lien residential mortgages and construction loans. Commercial loans consist of the following classes: real estate, lines of credit, other commercial and industrial, and municipal loans. Consumer loans include both home equity lines of credit and loans with junior liens and other consumer loans.

Allowance for Loan Losses

The allowance for loan losses represents management’s estimate of losses inherent in the loan portfolio as of the date of the statement of condition and it is recorded as a reduction of loans. The allowance is increased by the provision for loan losses, and decreased by charge-offs, net of recoveries. Loans deemed to be uncollectible are charged against the allowance for loan losses, and subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance. All, or part, of the principal balance of loans receivable are charged off to the allowance as soon as it is determined that the repayment of all, or part, of the principal balance is highly unlikely. Non-residential consumer loans are generally charged off no later than 120 days past due on a contractual basis, unless productive collection efforts are providing results. Consumer loans may be charged off earlier in the event of bankruptcy, or if there is an amount that is deemed uncollectible. No portion of the allowance for loan losses is restricted to any individual loan product and the entire allowance is available to absorb any and all loan losses.

The allowance for loan losses is maintained at a level considered adequate to provide for losses that can be reasonably anticipated. Management performs a quarterly evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance. The allowance is based on three major components which are; specific components for larger loans, recent historical losses and several qualitative factors applied to a general pool of loans, and an unallocated component.

The first component is the specific component that relates to loans that are classified as impaired. For these loans, an allowance is established when the discounted cash flows or collateral value of the impaired loan is lower than the carrying value of that loan.

The second or general component covers pools of loans, by loan class, not considered impaired, smaller balance homogeneous loans, such as residential real estate, home equity and other consumer loans. These pools of loans are evaluated for loss exposure first based on historical loss rates for each of these categories of loans. The ratio of net charge-offs to loan outstandings within each product class, over the most recent eight quarters, lagged by one quarter, is used to generate the historical loss rates. In addition, qualitative factors are added to the historical loss rates in arriving at the total allowance for loan loss need for this general pool of loans. The qualitative factors include changes in national and local economic trends, the rate of growth in the portfolio, trends of delinquencies and nonaccrual balances, changes in loan policy, and changes in lending management experience and related staffing. Each factor is assigned a value to reflect improving, stable or declining conditions based on management’s best judgment using relevant information available at the time of the evaluation. These qualitative factors, applied to each product class, make the evaluation inherently subjective, as it requires material estimates that may be susceptible to significant revision as more information becomes available. Adjustments to the factors are supported through documentation of changes in conditions in a narrative accompanying the allowance for loan loss analysis and calculation.

The third or 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 and generally comprises less than 10% of the total allowance for loan loss.

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 shortfalls on a case-by case basis, taking into consideration all of the circumstances surrounding the loan and the borrower, including the length and reason for the delay, the borrower’s prior payment record and the amount of shortfall in relation to what is owed. Impairment is measured by either the present value of the expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate or the fair value of the underlying collateral if the loan is collateral dependent. The majority of the Company’s loans utilize the fair value of the underlying collateral.

An allowance for loan loss is established for an impaired loan if its carrying value exceeds its estimated fair value. The estimated fair values of substantially all of the Company’s impaired loans are measured based on the estimated fair value of the loan’s collateral. For loans secured by real estate, estimated fair values are determined primarily through third-party appraisals, less costs to sell. Appraised values are discounted to arrive at the estimated selling price of the collateral, which is considered to be the estimated fair value. The discounts also include estimated costs to sell the property.

For commercial and industrial loans secured by non-real estate collateral, such as accounts receivable, inventory and equipment, estimated fair values are determined based on the borrower’s financial statements, inventory reports, accounts receivable agings or equipment appraisals or invoices. Indications of value from these sources are generally discounted based on the age of the financial information or the quality of the assets.

Large groups of homogeneous loans are collectively evaluated for impairment. Accordingly, the Company does not separately identify individual residential mortgage loans less than $300,000, home equity and other consumer loans for impairment disclosures, unless such loans are related to borrowers with impaired commercial loans or they are the subject to a troubled debt restructuring agreement for those with a carrying value in excess of $300,000.

Commercial loans whose terms are modified are classified as troubled debt restructurings if the Company grants such borrowers concessions and it is deemed that those borrowers are experiencing financial difficulty. Concessions granted under a troubled debt restructuring generally include but are not limited to a temporary reduction in the interest rate or an extension of a loan’s stated maturity date. Commercial loans classified as troubled debt restructurings with a carrying value in excess of $100,000 are designated as impaired and evaluated as discussed above.

The allowance calculation methodology includes further segregation of loan classes into risk rating categories. The borrower’s overall financial condition, repayment sources, guarantors and value of the collateral, if appropriate, are evaluated not less than annually for commercial loans or when credit deficiencies arise on all loans. Credit quality risk ratings include regulatory classifications of special mention, substandard, doubtful and loss. See Note 5 for a description of these regulatory classifications.

In addition, Federal regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the Company’s allowance for loan losses and may require the Company to recognize additions to the allowance based on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their examination, which may not be currently available to management. Based on management’s comprehensive analysis of the loan portfolio, management believes the current level of the allowance for loan losses is adequate.

Income Recognition on Impaired and Non-accrual Loans

Income Recognition on Impaired and Nonaccrual Loans

For all classes of loans receivable, the accrual of interest is discontinued when the contractual payment of principal or interest has become 90 days past due or management has serious doubts about further collectability of principal or interest, even though the loan may be currently performing. A loan may remain on accrual status if it is in the process of collection and is either guaranteed or well secured. When a loan is placed on nonaccrual status, unpaid interest is reversed and charged to interest income. Interest received on nonaccrual loans, including impaired loans, generally is either applied against principal or reported as interest income, according to management’s judgment as to the collectability of principal. Generally, loans are restored to accrual status when the obligation is brought current, has performed in accordance with the contractual terms for a reasonable period of time, generally six months, and the ultimate collectability of the total contractual principal and interest is no longer in doubt. Nonaccrual troubled debt restructurings are restored to accrual status if principal and interest payments, under the modified terms, are current for six consecutive months after modification.

For nonaccrual loans, when future collectability of the recorded loan balance is expected, interest income may be recognized on a cash basis. In the case where a nonaccrual loan had been partially charged off, recognition of interest on a cash basis is limited to that which would have been recognized on the recorded loan balance at the contractual interest rate. Cash interest receipts in excess of that amount are recorded as recoveries to the allowance for loan losses until prior charge-offs have been fully recovered.

Off-Balance Sheet Credit Related Financial Instruments

In the ordinary course of business, the Company has entered into commitments to extend credit, including commitments under standby letters of credit. Such financial instruments are recorded when they are funded.

Premises and Equipment

Premises and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, ranging up to 40 years for premises and 10 years for equipment. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operating expenses as incurred. The asset cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts for assets sold or retired and any resulting gain or loss is included in the determination of income.

Foreclosed Real Estate

Properties acquired through foreclosure, or by deed in lieu of foreclosure, are recorded at their fair value less estimated costs to sell. Fair value is typically determined based on evaluations by third parties. Costs incurred in connection with preparing the foreclosed real estate for disposition are capitalized to the extent that they enhance the overall fair value of the property. Any write-downs on the asset’s fair value less costs to sell at the date of acquisition are charged to the allowance for loan losses. Subsequent write downs and expenses of foreclosed real estate are included as a valuation allowance and recorded in noninterest expense.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess cost of an acquisition over the fair value of the net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized, but is evaluated annually for impairment. Intangible assets, such as customer relationships, are amortized over their useful lives, generally over 15 years.

Mortgage Servicing Rights

Originated mortgage servicing rights are recorded at their fair value at the time of transfer of the related loans and are amortized in proportion to and over the period of estimated net servicing income or loss. The carrying value of the originated mortgage servicing rights is periodically evaluated for impairment or between annual evaluations under certain circumstances.

Stock-Based Compensation

Compensation costs related to share-based payment transactions are recognized based on the grant-date fair value of the stock-based compensation issued. Compensation costs are recognized over the period that an employee provides service in exchange for the award. Compensation costs related to the Employee Stock Ownership Plan are dependent upon the average stock price and the shares committed to be released to plan participants through the period in which income is reported.

Retirement Benefits

The Company has a non-contributory defined benefit pension plan that covered substantially all employees. On May 14, 2012, the Company informed its employees of its decision to freeze participation and benefit accruals under the plan, primarily to reduce some of the volatility in earnings that can accompany the maintenance of a defined benefit plan. The freeze became effective June 30, 2012. Compensation earned by employees up to June 30, 2012 is used for purposes of calculating benefits under the plan but there will be no future benefit accruals after this date. Participants as of June 30, 2012 will continue to earn vesting credit with respect to their frozen accrued benefits as they continue to work. Pension expense under these plans is charged to current operations and consists of several components of net pension cost based on various actuarial assumptions regarding future experience under the plans.

Gains and losses, prior service costs and credits, and any remaining transition amounts that have not yet been recognized through net periodic benefit cost are recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax effects, until they are amortized as a component of net periodic cost. Plan assets and obligations are measured as of the Company’s statement of condition date.

The Company has unfunded deferred compensation and supplemental executive retirement plans for selected current and former employees and officers that provide benefits that cannot be paid from a qualified retirement plan due to Internal Revenue Code restrictions. These plans are nonqualified under the Internal Revenue Code, and assets used to fund benefit payments are not segregated from other assets of the Company, therefore, in general, a participant's or beneficiary's claim to benefits under these plans is as a general creditor.

The Company sponsors an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”) covering substantially all full time employees. The cost of shares issued to the ESOP but not committed to be released to the participants is presented in the consolidated statement of condition as a reduction of shareholders’ equity. ESOP shares are released to the participants proportionately as the loan is repaid. The Company records ESOP compensation expense based on the shares committed to be released and allocated to the participant’s accounts multiplied by the average share price of the Company’s stock over the period. Dividends related to unallocated shares are recorded as compensation expense.

Derivative Financial Instruments

Derivatives are recorded on the statement of condition as assets and liabilities measured at their fair value. The accounting for increases and decreases in the value of derivatives depends upon the use of derivatives and whether the derivatives qualify for hedge accounting. The Company currently has one interest rate swap, which has been determined to be a cash flow hedge. The fair value of cash-flow hedging instruments (“Cash Flow Hedge”) is recorded in either other assets or other liabilities. On an ongoing basis, the statement of condition is adjusted to reflect the then current fair value of the Cash Flow Hedge. The related gains or losses are reported in other comprehensive income (loss) and are subsequently reclassified into earnings, as a yield adjustment in the same period in which the related interest on the hedged item (primarily a variable-rate debt obligation) affect earnings. To the extent that the Cash Flow Hedge is not effective, the ineffective portion of the Cash Flow Hedge is immediately recognized as interest expense.

Income Taxes

Provisions for income taxes are based on taxes currently payable or refundable and deferred income taxes on temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are reported in the consolidated financial statements at currently enacted income tax rates applicable to the period in which the deferred tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled.

Earning Per Share

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per common share are computed by dividing net income, after preferred stock dividends and preferred stock discount accretion, by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding throughout each year. Diluted earnings per share gives effect to weighted average shares that would be outstanding assuming the exercise of issued stock options and warrants using the treasury stock method. Unallocated shares of the Company’s ESOP plan are not included when computing earnings per share until they are committed to be released.

Segment Reporting

The Company has evaluated the activities relating to its strategic business units. The controlling interest in the Fitzgibbons Agency is dissimilar in nature and management when compared to the Company’s other strategic business units which are judged to be similar in nature and management. The Company has determined that the Fitzgibbons Agency is below the reporting threshold in size in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 280. Accordingly, the Company has determined it has no reportable segments.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Accounting principles generally require that recognized revenue, expenses, gains and losses be included in net income. Although certain changes in assets and liabilities are reported as a separate component of the equity section of the statement of condition, such items, along with net income, are components of comprehensive income.

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) represents the sum of these items, with the exception of net income, as of the balance sheet date and is represented in the table below.

	As of December 31,
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss By Component:	2013			2012
Unrealized loss for pension and other postretirement obligations	$	(1,637	)	$	(4,608	)
Tax effect		655			1,843
Net unrealized loss for pension and other postretirement obligations		(982	)		(2,765	)
Unrealized loss on financial derivative instruments used in cash flow hedging relationships		(135	)		(195	)
Tax effect		54			78
Net unrealized loss on financial derivative instruments used in cash flow hedging relationships		(81	)		(117	)
Unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities		166			2,606
Tax effect		(67	)		(1,042	)
Net unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities		99			1,564
Unrealized loss on securities transferred to held-to-maturity		(1,302	)		-
Tax effect		521			-
Net unrealized loss on securities transferred to held-to-maturity		(781	)		-
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	$	(1,745	)	$	(1,318	)

Reclassifications

Certain amounts in the 2012 consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on net income as previously reported.