Basis of Presentaion Organization and Presentation (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Zions Bancorporation (“the Parent”) and its majority-owned subsidiaries (collectively “the Company,” “Zions,” “we,” “our,” “us”) have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. References to GAAP, including standards promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), are made according to sections of the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) and to Accounting Standards Updates (“ASU”), which include consensus issues of the Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”). In certain cases, ASUs are issued jointly with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform with the current period presentation. These reclassifications did not affect net income.

Operating results for the three and nine months endedSeptember 30, 2015 and 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in future periods. The consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2014 is from the audited financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Company provides a full range of banking and related services through subsidiary banks in 11 Western and Southwestern states as follows: Zions First National Bank (“Zions Bank”), in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming; Amegy Corporation (“Amegy”) and its subsidiary, Amegy Bank, in Texas; California Bank & Trust (“CB&T”); National Bank of Arizona (“NBAZ”); Nevada State Bank (“NSB”); Vectra Bank Colorado (“Vectra”), in Colorado and New Mexico; and The Commerce Bank of Washington (“TCBW”), in Washington and Oregon. Effective April 1, 2015, The Commerce Bank of Oregon (“TCBO”) was merged into TCBW. The Parent and its subsidiary banks also own and operate certain nonbank subsidiaries that engage in financial services. On June 1, 2015, the Company announced certain efficiency and restructuring initiatives that included, among other things, the mergers of its seven subsidiary banks into Zions Bank, whose name will be changed to ZB, N.A. Regional brand names according to geographic location will continue to be used. The Company has received approvals from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and expects to complete the mergers following the close of business on December 31, 2015.