RECENT ACCOUNTING DEVELOPMENTS

In May 2014, FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The ASU implements a common revenue standard that clarifies the principles for recognizing revenue. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. To achieve that core principle, an entity should apply the following steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer, (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determine the transaction price, (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. ASU 2014-09 was originally going to be effective on January 1, 2017; however, the FASB recently issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) – Deferral of the Effective Date which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year to January 1, 2018. United Community’s revenue is comprised of net interest income on financial assets and financial liabilities, which is explicitly excluded from the scope of ASU 2014-09, and non-interest income. We expect that ASU 2014-09 will require us to change how we recognize certain insurance commissions and fees; however, we do not expect these changes to have a significant impact on our financial statements. We continue to evaluate the impact of ASU 2014-09 on other components of non-interest income.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. ASU 2016-01, among other things, (i) requires equity investments, with certain exceptions, to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income, (ii) simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment, (iii) eliminates the requirement for public business entities to disclose the methods and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the balance sheet, (iv) requires public business entities to use the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes, (v) requires an entity to present separately in other comprehensive income the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk when the entity has elected to measure the liability at fair value in accordance with the fair value option for financial instruments, (vi) requires separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset on the balance sheet or the accompanying notes to the financial statements and (viii) clarifies that an entity should evaluate the need for a valuation allowance on a deferred tax asset related to available-for-sale securities. The new guidance is effective for annual reporting periods and interim reporting periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and expects revisions to disclosures included in the consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 - Leases (Topic 842). The ASU will require all organizations that lease assets to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases. Additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures will be required so that users can understand more about the nature of an entity’s leasing activities. The new guidance is effective for annual reporting periods and interim reporting periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and expects to recognize an increase in other assets and other liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leasing of branches. Management also expects minimal impact in the income statement with respect to occupancy expense related to leases.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which amends ASC Topic 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation. The ASU includes provisions intended to simplify various aspects related to how share-based payments are accounted for and presented in the financial statements. Key provisions include the elimination of “windfall pools” and removes the requirement to delay recognition of a windfall tax benefit until it reduces current taxes payable. Additionally, the simplification permits entities to withhold an amount up to the employees’ maximum individual tax rate in the relevant jurisdiction without resulting in a liability classification of the award. Entities are now permitted to make accounting policy elections for the impact of forfeitures on the recognition of expense for share-based payment awards. This ASU was adopted on January 1, 2017. The Company recognized a tax benefit of $60,000 in income tax expense during the three months ended March 31, 2017 as a result of adoption related to vesting of restricted stock awards and exercised stock options.

In June 2016, FASB Issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. This ASU adds a new Topic 326 to the Codification and removes the thresholds that companies apply to measure credit losses on financial instruments measured at amortized cost, such as loans, receivables, and held-to-maturity debt securities. Under current U.S. GAAP, companies generally recognize credit losses when it is probable that the loss has been incurred. The revised guidance will remove all recognition thresholds and will require companies to recognize an allowance for credit losses for the difference between the amortized cost basis of a financial instrument and the amount of amortized cost that the company expects to collect over the instrument’s contractual life. ASU 2016-13 also amends the credit loss measurement guidance for available-for-sale debt securities and beneficial interests in securitized financial assets. The guidance in ASU 2016-13 is effective for “public business entities,” as defined, that are SEC filers for fiscal years, and for interim periods with those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption of the guidance is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Management is aggregating the necessary data requirements and addressing any data-archiving improvements necessary for the implementation of this ASU.

In August 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which amends the guidance in ASC 230 on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows. The primary purpose of the ASU is to reduce the diversity in practice that has resulted from the lack of consistent principles on this topic. The ASU’s amendments add or clarify guidance on eight cash flow issues:

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Debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs.

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Settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments or other debt instruments with coupon interest rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing.

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Contingent consideration payments made after a business combination.

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Proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims.

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Proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies, including bank-owned life insurance policies.

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Distributions received from equity method investees.

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Beneficial interests in securitization transactions.

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Separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle.

For public business entities, the guidance in the ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for all entities. Entities must apply the guidance retrospectively to all periods presented but may apply it prospectively from the earliest date practicable if retrospective application would be impracticable. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. This ASU eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Instead, under the new guidance, an entity is to perform its annual goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An impairment charge would be recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit's fair value. The new guidance is effective for annual reporting periods, and interim reporting periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-08 - Receivables - Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities. This ASU amends the amortization period for certain purchased callable debt securities held at a premium. It shortens the amortization period for the premium to the earliest call date. Under current U.S. GAAP, premiums on callable debt securities generally are amortized to the maturity date. The new guidance is effective for annual reporting periods, and interim reporting periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual periods. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.