Note 2 - Accounting Policies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

Notes to Financial Statements

Accounting Standards Update and Change in Accounting Principle [Text Block]

Note 2.     Accounting Policies

Please refer to the summary of Significant Accounting Policies included in the Company’s 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K for a list of all policies in effect as of December 31, 2020. The below summary is intended to provide updates or new policies required as a result of a new accounting standard or a change to the Company’s operations or assets that require a new or amended policy.

Employee Retention Credit

The CARES Act also provided for an employee retention credit (“Employee Retention Credit”), which is a refundable tax credit against certain employment taxes of up to $5,000 per employee for eligible employers for 2020. In 2021, the tax credit is up to $7,000 for each quarter, equal to 70% of qualified wages paid to employees during a quarter, capped at $10,000 of qualified wages per employee per quarter. The Company adopted a policy to recognize the employee retention credit when earned and to recognize the credit as a reduction to compensation and benefits expense on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Accordingly, the Company recorded an employee retention credit of $1.1 million and $2.0 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively. The Company is currently in the process of filing for this credit.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

Derivatives are recognized at fair value and included in other assets and other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The value of exchange-traded contracts is based on quoted market prices while non-exchange traded contracts are valued based on dealer quotes, pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques for which the determination of fair value may require management judgment or estimation, relating to future rates and credit activities. Cash flows from derivative financial instruments are included in net cash provided by operating activities in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows.

Derivatives Designated in Hedge Relationships. The Company uses derivatives to hedge exposures, or to modify interest rate characteristics, for certain balance sheet accounts under its interest rate risk management strategy. The Company designates derivatives in qualifying hedge relationships as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes. Derivative financial instruments receive hedge accounting treatment if they are qualified and properly designated as a hedge and remain highly effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows attributable to the risk being hedged both at hedge inception and on an ongoing basis throughout the life of the hedge. Quarterly prospective and retrospective assessments are performed to ensure hedging relationships continue to be highly effective. If a hedge relationship were no longer highly effective, hedge accounting would be discontinued. The gain or loss on a derivative designated and qualifying as a cash flow hedge is initially recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income or loss, net of tax and subsequently reclassified to interest income as hedged interest payments are received or to interest expense as hedged interest payments are made in the same period during which the hedged transaction affects earnings.

Further discussion of the derivatives is set forth in Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements.

Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Standards

Accounting Standards Adopted During 2021

Effective January 1, 2021, the following new Accounting Standards Updates (ASU) were adopted by the Company:

ASU 2019-12

ASU 2019-12, “Income Taxes (Topic 740) - Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes.” The guidance issued in this update simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating certain exceptions to the guidance in ASC 740 related to the approach for intra-period tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period and the recognition for deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. ASU 2019-12 also simplifies aspects of the accounting for franchise taxes and enacted changes in tax laws or rates and clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. The ASU is effective for the Company on January 1, 2021. The adoption of ASU 2019-12 did not have any impact on our consolidated financial statements.

ASU Update 2020-04

ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): "Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting." This ASU provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The amendments in this update apply only to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform. The amendments in this update are effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. Optional expedients include that modifications of contracts should be accounted for by prospectively adjusting the effective interest rate and modifications of leases should be accounted for as a continuation of the existing contract with no reassessments of lease classification and discount rate or remeasurements of lease payments. This ASU also provides many practical expedients for derivative accounting. In addition, an entity may elect to sell and/or transfer held to maturity securities that reference a rate affected by the reference rate reform classified as held to maturity prior to January 1, 2020. In particular, the Company made the following elections as it relates to hedging relationships, to continue the method of assessing effectiveness as documented in the original hedge documentation and apply the expedient in ASC 848-50-35-17 so that the reference rate on the hypothetical derivative matches the reference rate on the hedging instrument. The application of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2021-01

In January 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-01, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)”. This ASU clarifies certain optional expedients and exceptions in Topic 848 when accounting for derivative contracts and certain hedging relationships affected by changes in interest rates. The amendments are elective and apply to all entities that have derivative instruments that use an interest rate for margining, discounting, or contract price alignment that is modified as a result of reference rate reform. The Update was effective upon issuance for application on either a retrospective basis as of any date from the beginning of an interim period that includes or is subsequent to March 22, 2020, or on a prospective basis beginning on January 7, 2021. The Company adopted the Update on a prospective basis. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted

ASU 2016-13

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The ASU changes the methodology for measuring credit losses on financial instruments measured at amortized cost to a current expected loss (“CECL”) model. Under the CECL model, entities will estimate credit losses over the entire contractual term of a financial instrument from the date of initial recognition of the instrument. The ASU also changes the existing impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities. In cases where there is neither the intent nor a more-likely-than-not requirement to sell the debt security, an entity will record credit losses as an allowance rather than a direct write-down of the amortized cost basis. Additionally, ASU 2016-13 notes that credit losses related to available-for-sale debt securities and purchased credit impaired loans should be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. ASU 2016-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. In November 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-10, which amends the effective date of ASC 326 for smaller reporting companies, as defined by the SEC, and other non-SEC reporting entities, and delays the effective date to fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal periods. As the Company is a small reporting company, the delay will be applicable to the Company. Management is currently evaluating the impact that the standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.

ASU Update 2020-02

In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-02, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326) and Leases (Topic 842): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 119 and Update to SEC Section on Effective Date Related to Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842).” This ASU adds and amends SEC paragraphs in the Accounting Standards Codification to reflect the issuance of SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 119, related to the new credit losses standard, and comments by the SEC staff related to the revised effective date of the new leases standard. This ASU is effective upon issuance. See the discussion regarding the adoption of ASU 2016-13 above.

ASU Update 2020-03

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-3, “Codification Improvements to Financial Instruments.” This ASU clarifies various financial instruments topics, including the CECL standard issued in 2016. Amendments related to ASU 2016-13 for entities that have not yet adopted that guidance are effective upon adoption of the amendments in ASU 2016-13. Early adoption is not permitted before an entity’s adoption of ASU 2016-13. Other amendments are effective upon issuance of this ASU. See the discussion regarding the adoption of ASU 2016-13 above.