Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

Note 1 - Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

General

The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of Synovus Financial Corp. include the accounts of the Parent Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. Synovus Financial Corp. is a financial services company based in Columbus, Georgia. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Synovus Bank, a Georgia state-chartered bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve System, the Company provides commercial and consumer banking in addition to a full suite of specialized products and services, including private banking, treasury management, wealth management, mortgage services, premium finance, asset-based lending, structured lending, capital markets, and international banking. Synovus also provides financial planning and investment advisory services through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Synovus Trust and Synovus Securities, as well as its GLOBALT and Creative Financial Group divisions. Synovus Bank is positioned in markets in the Southeast, with 257 branches and 367 ATMs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to the SEC Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X; therefore, they do not include all information and footnotes necessary for a fair presentation of financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows in conformity with GAAP. All adjustments consisting of normally recurring accruals that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial position and results of operations for the periods covered by this Report have been included. The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing in Synovus' 2021 Form 10-K.

Reclassifications

Prior periods' consolidated financial statements are reclassified whenever necessary to conform to the current periods' presentation.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

In preparing the consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the respective consolidated balance sheets and the reported amounts of revenue and expense for the periods presented. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to change relate to the determination of the ACL, estimates of fair value, income taxes, and contingent liabilities.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The following table provides a brief description of accounting standards adopted or issued in 2022 and the estimated effect on the Company’s financial statements.


Standard	Description	Required date of adoption	Effect on Company's financial statements or other significant matters
Standards Adopted (or partially adopted )
ASU 2021-01, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)	In January 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-01 which provides optional expedients and exceptions in Topic 848 for derivative instruments and hedge accounting modifications resulting from the discounting transition of reference rate reform.	This ASU is effective upon issuance and can be applied through December 31, 2022.	The Company is in the process of evaluating and applying, as applicable, the optional expedients and exceptions in accounting for eligible contract modifications, eligible existing hedging relationships and new hedging relationships. The application of this guidance has not had and is not expected to have a material impact to the consolidated financial statements.
SAB 121, Accounting for Obligations to Safeguard Crypto-Assets an Entity Holds for its Platform Users	In March 2022, the SEC released SAB 121 to add interpretive guidance for entities to consider when they have obligations to safeguard crypto-assets held for clients. The new guidance requires reporting entities who allow clients to transact in crypto-assets and act as a custodian to record a liability with a corresponding asset regardless of whether they control the crypto-asset. The crypto-asset will need to be marked at fair value for each reporting period. The new guidance requires disclosures in the footnotes to address the amount of crypto-assets reported, and the safeguarding and recordkeeping of the assets.	June 30, 2022, with retrospective application back to the beginning of the fiscal year.	The adoption of this standard on June 30, 2022 had no impact to the consolidated financial statements.
ASU 2022-01, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Fair Value Hedging - Portfolio Layer Method	In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-01 to improve fair value hedge accounting for interest rate risk hedges for prepayable financial assets. The update allows non-prepayable financial assets to be included in a closed portfolio hedge using the portfolio layer method. The expanded scope allows entities to apply the same portfolio hedging method to both prepayable and non-prepayable financial assets.	January 1, 2023. Early adoption is permitted on any date on or after the issuance date.	The Company early adopted this standard during the third quarter of 2022 on a prospective basis. The adoption of this standard has not had and is not expected to have a material impact to the consolidated financial statements.

Standard	Description	Required date of adoption	Effect on Company's financial statements or other significant matters
Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted
ASU 2022-02, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosure	In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-02 to eliminate TDR accounting guidance while enhancing disclosure requirements for certain loan refinancings and restructurings by creditors when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty. The ASU also provides guidance for vintage table disclosures and gross write-offs. The ASU requires an entity to disclose current-period gross write-offs by year of origination for financing receivables within the scope of Subtopic 326-20.	January 1, 2023. Early adoption is permitted as of an interim period with retrospective application back to the beginning of the fiscal year.	The Company plans to adopt this standard on January 1, 2023 on a prospective basis. The Company is currently evaluating the potential financial statement impact from the implementation of this standard and does not expect it to be material.