BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
6 Months Ended |
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Jun. 30, 2019 | |
Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
NOTE 1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) of First BanCorp. (the “Corporation”) have been prepared in conformity with the accounting policies stated in the Corporation’s Audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 (the “2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K”). Certain information and note disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted from these statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC and, accordingly, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements of the Corporation for the year ended December 31, 2018, which are included in the 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K. All adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the statement of financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods have been reflected. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The results of operations for the quarter and six-month period ended June 30, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire year.
Adoption of New Accounting Requirements and Recently Issued but Not Yet Effective Accounting Requirements
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) has issued the following accounting pronouncements and guidance relevant to the Corporation’s operations:
Lease Accounting
In February 2016, the FASB updated the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC” or the “Codification”) to replace ASC Topic 840, “Leases (Topic 840)” (“ASC Topic 840”), with new guidance for the financial reporting about leasing transactions. Under the new guidance, a lessee is required to recognize a right-of-use asset (“ROU”) and a lease liability for leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. Similar with the practice before the adoption of this guidance, the recognition, measurement, and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee primarily depend on its classification as a finance or operating lease. However, unlike previous guidance, which required the recognition of only capital leases on the balance sheet, the guidance requires both types of leases to be recognized on the balance sheet. The guidance also requires disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. These disclosures include qualitative and quantitative information and additional information about the amounts recorded in the financial statements. The FASB issued an update in January 2018 providing an optional transition practical expedient under which an entity need not evaluate under new ASC Topic 842, “Leases” (“ASC Topic 842”), land easements that existed or expired before the entity’s adoption of ASC Topic 842 and were not previously accounted for as leases. In addition, the FASB issued an update in July 2018 that provides entities with an additional and optional transition method that allows entities to adopt the new standard prospectively as of the effective date, without adjusting comparative periods presented. Also, the amendments provide lessors with a practical expedient, by class of underlying asset, to not separate non lease components, subject to certain circumstances. Also in July 2018, the FASB issued an update that makes various technical corrections to clarify how to apply certain aspects of the new leases standard, such as reassessment of lease classification, variable lease payments that depend on an index or a rate, lease term and purchase options, and certain transition adjustments, among others. The guidance on leases took effect for public companies for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018.
The update affected the Corporation’s consolidated financial statements since the Corporation has operating and lease arrangements for which it is a lessee. The new standard provides a number of optional practical expedients in transition. The Corporation adopted this guidance in 2019, and elected the optional transition approach to not apply the new lease standard in comparative periods presented and the package of practical expedients, which allows the Corporation not to reassess prior conclusions about lease classification and initial direct costs. The adoption of this standard in January 2019 resulted in the recognition of ROU assets and lease liabilities for operating leases of $59.6 million and $62.1 million, respectively, with the most significant impact from recognition of ROU assets and liabilities related to the operating leases for the Bank’s branches and automated teller machines (“ATMs”). The Corporation elected not to recognize ROU assets and lease liabilities that arise from short-term leases, primarily related to certain month-to-month ATM operating leases. Disclosures required by the standard have been included in Note 11 - Leases.
Amortization of Premiums and Discounts on Callable Debt Securities
In March 2017, the FASB updated the Codification to shorten the amortization period for certain purchased callable debt securities held at a premium. Specifically, the amendments require the premium to be amortized to the earliest call date. With respect to securities held at a discount, the amendments do not require an accounting change; thus, the discount continues to be amortized to maturity. The amendments in this update more closely align the amortization period of premiums and discounts to expectations incorporated in market pricing on the underlying securities. In most cases, market participants price securities to the call date that produces the worst yield when the coupon is above current market rates (that is, the security is trading at a premium) and price securities to maturity when the coupon is below market rates (that is, the security is trading at a discount) in anticipation that the borrower will act in its economic best interest. As a result, the amendments more closely align interest income recorded on bonds held at a premium or a discount with the economics of the underlying instrument. For public business entities, the amendments in this update took effect for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. The adoption of this guidance during the first quarter of 2019, did not have a material effect on the Corporation’s consolidated statement of financial condition or results of operations. As of June 30, 2019, the Corporation does not have callable debt securities held at a premium.
Derivatives and Hedging
In August 2017, the FASB updated the Codification to: (i) expand hedge accounting for nonfinancial and financial risk components and amend measurement methodologies to more closely align hedge accounting with a company’s risk management activities; (ii) decrease the complexity of preparing and understanding hedge results by eliminating the separate measurement and reporting of hedge ineffectiveness; (iii) enhance transparency, comparability, and understanding of hedge results through enhanced disclosures and a change in the presentation of hedge results to align the effects of the hedging instrument and the hedged item; and (iv) reduce the cost and complexity of applying hedge accounting by simplifying the manner in which assessments of hedge effectiveness may be performed. This update took effect for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. The guidance requires companies to apply requirements to existing hedging relationships on the date of adoption, and the effect of the adoption should be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. In April 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-04, “Codification Improvements to Topic 815, Derivative and Hedging,” to provide further clarification on previously issued updates. This Update addresses the following areas of the guidance: (i) partial-term fair value hedges; (ii) fair value hedge basis adjustments; (iii) not-for-profit entities and private companies; and (v) first-payments-received cash flow hedging. As June 30, 2019, all of the derivatives held by the Corporation were considered economic undesignated hedges. The adoption of this guidance during the first quarter of 2019 did not have an effect on the Corporation’s consolidated statement of financial condition or results of operations.
Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
In February 2018, the FASB updated the Codification to provide entities with an option to reclassify to retained earnings, tax effects that were stranded in accumulated other comprehensive income, pursuant to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Act”). This guidance took effect for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. This guidance could be applied either in the period of adoption or retrospectively to each period in which the effect of the change in the corporate tax rate in the Tax Act is recognized. The adoption of this guidance during the first quarter of 2019 did not have an effect on the Corporation’s consolidated financial statements.
Accounting for Financial Instruments – Credit Losses
In June 2016, the FASB updated the Codification to introduce new guidance for the accounting for credit losses. The guidance includes an impairment model (known as the current expected credit loss (“CECL”) model) that is based on expected losses rather than incurred losses. It also modifies the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities and provides for a simplified accounting model for purchased financial assets with credit deterioration since their origination. The CECL model will apply to: (1) financial assets subject to credit losses and measured at amortized cost; and (2) certain off-balance sheet credit exposures. This includes loans, held-to-maturity debt securities, loan commitments, financial guarantees, and net investments in leases, as well as reinsurance and trade receivables. Upon initial recognition of the exposure, the CECL model requires an entity to estimate the credit losses expected over the life of an exposure (or pool of exposures). The estimate of expected credit losses (“ECL”) should consider historical information, current information, and reasonable and supportable forecasts, including estimates of prepayments. Financial instruments with similar risk characteristics should be grouped together when estimating ECL. The guidance does not prescribe a specific method to make the estimate, so its application will require significant judgment.
Generally, upon initial recognition of a financial asset, the estimate of the ECL will be recorded through an allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) with an offset to current earnings. Subsequently, the ECL will need to be reassessed each period, and both negative and positive changes to the estimate will be recognized through an adjustment to the allowance for loan and lease losses and earnings.
The guidance amends the current OTTI model for available-for-sale debt securities. The new available-for-sale debt security model will require an estimate of ECL only when the fair value is below the amortized cost of the asset. The length of time the fair value of an available-for-sale debt security has been below the amortized cost will no longer affect the determination of whether a credit loss exists. As such, the new available-for-sale debt security model is not an OTTI model. In addition, credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities will now be limited to the difference between the security’s amortized cost basis and its fair value. The available-for-sale debt security model will also require the use of an allowance to record ECL (and subsequent recoveries).
The purchased financial assets with credit deterioration (“PCD”) model will apply to purchased financial assets (measured at amortized cost or available-for-sale) that have experienced more than insignificant credit deterioration since origination. This represents a change from the scope of what are considered purchased credit-impaired assets under today’s model. In contrast to the accounting for originated or purchased assets that do not qualify as PCD, the initial estimate of ECL for a PCD will be recognized through an allowance for loan and lease losses with an offset to the cost basis of the related financial asset at acquisition (i.e., there will be no effect on net income at initial recognition). Subsequently, the accounting will follow the applicable CECL or available-for-sale debt security impairment model with all adjustments of the allowance for loan and lease losses recognized through earnings. Beneficial interests classified as held-to-maturity or available-for-sale will need to apply the PCD model if the beneficial interest meets the definition of PCD or if there is a significant difference between contractual and expected cash flows at initial recognition.
In general, the new guidance will require modified retrospective application to all outstanding instruments, with a cumulative effect adjustment recorded to opening retained earnings as of the beginning of the first period in which the guidance becomes effective. However, prospective application is required for PCD assets previously accounted for under ASC Topic 310-30, “Receivables,” and for debt securities for which an OTTI was recognized prior to the date of adoption.
This guidance also expands the disclosure requirements regarding an entity’s assumptions, models, and methods for estimating the allowance for loan and lease losses. In addition, public business entities will need to disclose, among other things, the amortized cost balance for each class of financial asset by credit quality indicator, disaggregated by the year of origination (i.e., by vintage year).
In April 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-04, “Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments- Credit Losses, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments,” in part to clarify the accounting treatment for the measurement of credit losses under ASC 326, “Financial Instruments.” This update provides clarification on the following areas of the guidance: (i) accrued interest; (ii) recoveries; (iii) projections of the interest rate environment; (iv) consideration of prepayments; and (v) other topics.
In May 2019, the FASB issued an update that allows entities to irrevocably elect, upon adoption of ASU 2016-13, the fair value option on financial instruments that: (i) were previously recorded at amortized cost and (ii) are within the scope of ASC Topic 326-20, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses Measured at Amortized Cost,” if the instruments are eligible for the fair value option under ASC Topic 825-10, “Financial Instruments-Overall.”
The guidance will be effective for public business entities that are SEC filers in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption of the guidance is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years.
The Corporation developed a project plan in order to comply on a timely basis with the implementation of this new CECL impairment model and expects to adopt the guidance in the first quarter of 2020. The implementation process is being conducted by a working group composed of members from multiple areas across the Corporation and includes the selection and development of loss forecasting models, evaluation of technical accounting topics, updates to the Corporation’s allowance documentation, reporting processes and related internal controls, and evaluation of the overall operational readiness for the adoption. This process is expected to continue for the reminder of 2019. Currently, the Corporation is in the process of conducting and validating the results of parallel runs pursuant to the provisions of the CECL standard alongside the Corporation’s current processes for estimation of the allowance for loan and leases losses.
The Corporation’s approach for estimating ECL for applicable loans and debt securities includes the following key components:
An initial forecast period (“reasonable and supportable period”) between 2 and 4 years, varying by portfolio geographies, for all portfolio segments and classes of financing receivables and off-balance-sheet credit exposures. This period reflects management’s expectations of losses based on forward-looking economic scenarios over that time.
A historical loss forecast period covering the remaining contractual life, adjusted for prepayments, by portfolio segments and classes of financing receivables based on the change in key historic economic variables during representative historical expansionary and recessionary periods.
A reversion period connecting the initial loss estimate covered by the reasonable and supportable period to historical loss forecast based on economic conditions at measurement date.
The Corporation will utilize discounted cash flow (“DCF”) methods to measure credit impairment for loans modified in a TDR, unless they are collateral dependent and measured based on the fair value of the collateral. The DCF methods would provide the estimated life-time credit losses.
For available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities, the Corporation will utilize the DCF methods to measure the allowance for credit losses. The Corporation expects an overall increase in the ACL, with a higher increase for longer duration residential mortgage loan portfolios. We will recognize an ACL for available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities. The ACL on available-for-sale securities will be subject to a limitation based on the fair value of the security. We continue to evaluate the results of modeled loss estimates and continue to conduct refinements to the approach, including considerations around imprecision and uncertainty, based on management’s judgment on the inherent risks around processes and assumptions in estimating the ACL. The amount of the change in the ACL will be impacted by the Corporation’s loan portfolio and debt securities mix, credit quality, economic conditions and forecasts at the adoption date. The Corporation expects to have a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings for the change in the ACL, which will impact capital. An increase in the ACL will result in a reduction to the Corporation’s and banking subsidiary regulatory capital ratios, however, as of this date, we are not able to provide a precise estimate of the impact. Banking regulatory agencies have permitted institutions to limit the initial regulatory capital day-one impact by allowing a three-year phase in period for this impact, on a straight-line basis.
The working group provides periodic updates to the Corporation’s CECL Management Committee, which has oversight responsibilities for the implementation efforts. The CECL Management Committee also reports to the Corporation’s Board of Directors Audit Committee progress of the implementation plan.
Subsequent Measurement of Goodwill
In January 2017, the FASB updated the Codification to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the current two-step goodwill impairment test. This guidance provides that a goodwill impairment test shall be conducted by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. Entities must recognize an impairment charge for goodwill equal to the excess of the carrying amount over the reporting unit’s fair value. Entities have the option to perform a qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is necessary. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. The effect of this guidance will depend upon the performance of the reporting units that have goodwill and the market conditions affecting the fair value of each reporting unit going forward.
Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement
In August 2018, the FASB updated the Codification and amended ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement and Disclosures,” to add, remove, and modify fair value measurement disclosure requirements. The disclosure requirements that are removed for public entities include: (i) transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy; (ii) the policy for determining when transfers between any of the three levels have occurred; and (iii) the valuation processes used for Level 3 measurements. The disclosure requirements that are modified for public entities include: (i) for certain investments in entities that calculate the net asset value, revisions to require disclosures about the timing of liquidation and lapses of redemption restrictions, if the latter has been communicated to the reporting entity; and (ii) revisions to clarify that the disclosure of Level 3 measurement uncertainty should communicate information about the uncertainty as of the balance sheet date. The additional or new disclosure requirements include: (i) the changes in unrealized gains and losses for the period must be included in other comprehensive income for recurring Level 3 instruments held as of the balance sheet date; and (ii) the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used for Level 3 measurements must be disclosed, but an entity has the option to disclose other quantitative information in place of the weighted average to the extent that it would be a more reasonable and rational method to reflect the distribution of certain unobservable inputs.
This update is effective for all entities in fiscal years, including interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for any of the removed or modified disclosures immediately even if adoption of the new disclosures is delayed until the effective date. In the third quarter of 2018, the Corporation early adopted the disclosure requirements that were removed or modified by this guidance.
Collaborative Arrangements
In November 2018, the FASB issued new guidance to clarify the interaction between Collaborative Arrangements (“ASC Topic 808”) and Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC Topic 606”) standards. The guidance (i) clarifies that certain transactions between collaborative arrangement participants should be accounted for under the ASC Topic 606 guidance; (ii) adds unit of account guidance to ASC Topic 808 to align with ASC Topic 606; and (iii) clarifies presentation guidance for transactions with a collaborative arrangement participant that is not accounted for under ASC Topic 606. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 1, 2019, including interim reporting periods within these annual reporting periods, with early adoption permitted. The Corporation does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.
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