Note 4: I nvestment Securities

The amortized costs and approximate fair values, together with gross unrealized gains and losses on securities, are as follows:



	2016
		Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses		Fair Value
Available for Sale Securities
Mortgage-backed securities	$	92,871	$	802	$	(1,156)	$	92,517
Collateralized mortgage obligations		68,621		269		(843)		68,047
Municipal obligations		77,474		1,716		(1,508)		77,682
Corporate obligations		12,822		78		(1,233)		11,667
Total investment securities	$	251,788	$	2,865	$	(4,740)	$	249,913



	2015
		Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses		Fair Value
Available for Sale Securities
Mortgage-backed securities	$	106,524	$	1,562	$	(248)	$	107,838
Collateralized mortgage obligations		84,976		537		(861)		84,652
Municipal obligations		54,427		2,781		(20)		57,188
Corporate obligations		12,805		1		(1,346)		11,460
Total investment securities	$	258,732	$	4,881	$	(2,475)	$	261,138

All mortgage-backed securities and collateralized-mortgage obligations held by the Company as of December 31, 2016 were in government-sponsored and federal agency securities.

Certain investments in debt securities are reported in the financial statements at an amount less than their historical cost. Total fair value of these investments at December 31, 2016 and 2015 was

$143.8 million and $97.6 million, which is approximately 57.6 percent and 37.4 percent of the Company’s investment portfolio at those dates.

Based on our evaluation of available evidence, including recent changes in market interest rates, management believes the declines in fair value for these securities are temporary.

Should the impairment of any of these securities become other-than-temporary, the cost basis of the investment will be reduced and the resulting loss recognized in net income in the period the other-than-temporary impairment is identified.

The following tables show the gross unrealized losses and fair value of the Company’s investments, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at December 31, 2016 and 2015:



	2016
	Less than 12 Months				12 Months or More				Total
		Fair Value		Unrealized Losses		Fair Value		Unrealized Losses		Fair Value		Unrealized Losses
Available for Sale
Mortgage-backed securities	$	58,056	$	(1,156)	$	-	$	-	$	58,056	$	(1,156)
Collateralized mortgage obligations		41,769		(683)		4,688		(160)		46,457		(843)
Municipal obligations		31,907		(1,507)		337		(1)		32,244		(1,508)
Corporate obligations		-		-		7,076		(1,233)		7,076		(1,233)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	131,732	$	(3,346)	$	12,101	$	(1,394)	$	143,833	$	(4,740)



	2015
	Less than 12 Months				12 Months or More				Total
		Fair Value		Unrealized Losses		Fair Value		Unrealized Losses		Fair Value		Unrealized Losses
Available for Sale
Mortgage-backed securities	$	38,649	$	(248)	$	-	$	-	$	38,649	$	(248)
Collateralized mortgage obligations		27,457		(281)		21,271		(580)		48,728		(861)
Municipal obligations		2,739		(17)		491		(3)		3,230		(20)
Corporate obligations		4,425		(75)		2,534		(1,271)		6,959		(1,346)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	73,270	$	(621)	$	24,296	$	(1,854)	$	97,566	$	(2,475)

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (CMO) and Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)

The unrealized losses on the Company’s investment in CMOs and MBSs were caused by interest rate changes and illiquidity. The Company expects to recover the amortized cost basis over the term of the securities. Because (1) the decline in market value is attributable to changes in interest rates and illiquidity and not credit quality, (2) the Company does not intend to sell the investments and (3) it is more likely than not the Company will not be required to sell the investments before recovery of their amortized cost bases, which may be at maturity, the Company does not consider these investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired at December 31, 2016.

Municipals

The unrealized losses on the Company’s investments in securities of state and political subdivisions were caused by changes in interest rates and illiquidity. The contractual terms of those investments do not permit the issuer to settle the securities at a price less than the amortized cost basis of the investments. The Company does not intend to sell the investment and it is not more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the investment before recovery of its new, lower amortized cost basis, which may be maturity. The Corporation does not consider the investment securities to be other-than-temporarily impaired at December 31, 2016.

Corporate Obligations

The Company’s unrealized loss on investments in corporate obligations primarily relates to investments in pooled trust preferred securities. The unrealized losses were primarily caused by (1) a decrease in performance and regulatory capital resulting from exposure to subprime mortgages and (2) a sector downgrade by several industry analysts. The Company currently expects some of the securities to settle at a price less than the amortized cost basis of the investment (that is, the Company expects to recover less than the entire amortized cost basis of the security). The Company has recognized a loss equal to the credit loss for these securities, establishing a new, lower amortized cost basis. The credit loss was calculated by comparing expected discounted cash flows based on performance indicators of the underlying assets in the security to the carrying value of the investment. Because the Company does not intend to sell these investments and it is likely that the Company will not be required to sell the investments before recovery of its new, lower amortized cost basis, which may be at maturity, it does not consider the remainder of the investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired at December 31, 2016.

Other-Than-Temporary Impairment

Upon acquisition of a security, the Company decides whether it is within the scope of the accounting guidance for beneficial interests in securitized financial assets or whether it will be evaluated for impairment under the accounting guidance for investments in debt and equity securities.

The accounting guidance for beneficial interests in securitized financial assets provides incremental impairment guidance for a subset of the debt securities within the scope of the guidance for investments in debt and equity securities. For securities that are a beneficial interest in securitized financial assets, the Company uses the beneficial interests in securitized financial asset impairment model. For securities where the security is not a beneficial interest in securitized financial assets, the Company uses debt and equity securities impairment model.

The Company conducts periodic reviews to identify and evaluate each investment security to determine whether an other-than-temporary impairment has occurred. Economic models are used to determine whether an other-than-temporary impairment has occurred on these securities. While all securities are considered, the securities primarily impacted by other-than-temporary impairment testing are private-label mortgage-backed securities and trust preferred securities.

The Bank’s trust preferred securities valuation was prepared by an independent third party. Their approach to determining fair value involved several steps including:

Detailed credit and structural evaluation of each piece of collateral in the trust preferred securities;

Collateral performance projections for each piece of collateral in the trust preferred security;

Terms of the trust preferred structure, as laid out in the indenture; and

Discounted cash flow modeling.

MutualFirst Financial uses market-based yield indicators as a baseline for determining appropriate discount rates, and then adjusts the resulting discount rates on the basis of its credit and structural analysis of specific trust preferred securities. The primary focus is on the returns a fixed income investor would require in order to allocate capital on a risk adjusted basis. There is currently no active market for pooled trust preferred securities; however, the Company looks principally to market yields for stand-alone trust preferred securities issued by banks, thrifts and insurance companies for which there is an active and liquid market. The next step is to make a series of adjustments to reflect the differences that exist between these products (both credit and structural) and, most importantly, to reflect idiosyncratic credit performance differences (both actual and projected) between these products and the underlying collateral in the specific trust preferred security. Importantly, as part of the analysis described above, MutualFirst considers the fact that structured instruments frequently exhibit leverage not present in stand-alone instruments, and make adjustments as necessary to reflect this additional risk.

The default and recovery probabilities for each piece of collateral were formed based on the evaluation of the collateral credit and a review of historical industry default data and current/near-term operating conditions. For collateral that has already defaulted, the Company assumed no recovery. For collateral that was in deferral, the Company assumed a recovery of 10% of par for banks, thrifts or other depository institutions and 15% of par for insurance companies. Although the Company conservatively assumed that the majority of the deferring collateral continues to defer and eventually defaults, we also recognize there is a possibility that some deferring collateral may become current at some point in the future.

Credit Losses Recognized on Investments

Certain debt securities have experienced fair value deterioration due to credit losses, as well as due to other market factors, but are not otherwise other-than-temporarily impaired.

The following table provides information about debt securities for which only a credit loss was recognized in income and other losses are recorded in other comprehensive income.


	Accumulated Credit Losses
	2016		2015		2014
Credit losses on debt securities held
Beginning of period	$	109	$	109	$	1,205
Reductions related to actual losses incurred		-		-		-
Reductions for previous credit losses realized on securities sold during the year		-		-		(1,096)
As of December 31,	$	109	$	109	$	109

The amortized cost and fair value of securities available for sale at December 31, 2016, by contractual maturity, are shown below. Expected maturities will differ from contractual maturities because issuers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.



	Available for Sale
Description Securities	Amortized Cost		Fair Value
Security obligations due
One to five years	$	5,345	$	5,353
Five to ten years		14,386		14,861
After ten years		70,565		69,135
		90,296		89,349
Mortgage-backed securities		92,871		92,517
Collateralized mortgage obligations		68,621		68,047
Totals	$	251,788	$	249,913

The Company did not have securities pledged as collateral, to secure public deposits or for other purposes as of December 31, 2016 or 2015.

Proceeds from sales of securities available for sale during 2016, 2015 and 2014 were $57,037,000, $23,109,000 and $28,317,000, respectively. Gross gains of $1,094,000, $436,000 and $1,176,000 in 2016, 2015 and 2014 were recognized on those sales. Gross losses of $71,000, $0 and $863,000 in 2016, 2015 and 2014 were recognized on those sales.