SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Subordinated Borrowings [Abstract]

SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES

SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES

As of December 31, 2014, the Company had 13 affiliated Delaware or Connecticut statutory and business trusts (collectively, the Trusts) that were created for the sole purpose of issuing trust preferred securities. The trust preferred securities were issued in private placements, with the exception of First Preferred Capital Trust IV, which was issued in a publicly underwritten offering. The Company owns all of the common securities of the Trusts. The sole assets of the statutory and business trusts are the Company's junior subordinated debentures. The gross proceeds of the offerings were used by the Trusts to purchase variable rate or fixed rate junior subordinated debentures from the Company. In connection with the issuance of the trust preferred securities, the Company made certain guarantees and commitments that, in the aggregate, constitute a full and unconditional guarantee by the Company of the obligations of the Trusts under the trust preferred securities.

The following is a summary of the junior subordinated debentures issued to the Trusts in conjunction with the trust preferred securities offerings at December 31, 2014 and 2013:

Name of Trust	Issuance Date	Maturity Date	Call Date (1)	Interest Rate (2)	Trust Preferred Securities		Subordinated Debentures
					(dollars expressed in thousands)
Variable Rate
First Bank Statutory Trust II	September 2004	September 20, 2034	September 20, 2009	205.0 bp	$	20,000	$	20,619
Royal Oaks Capital Trust I	October 2004	January 7, 2035	January 7, 2010	240.0 bp	4,000		4,124
First Bank Statutory Trust III	November 2004	December 15, 2034	December 15, 2009	218.0 bp	40,000		41,238
First Bank Statutory Trust IV	March 2006	March 15, 2036	March 15, 2011	142.0 bp	40,000		41,238
First Bank Statutory Trust V	April 2006	June 15, 2036	June 15, 2011	145.0 bp	20,000		20,619
First Bank Statutory Trust VI	June 2006	July 7, 2036	July 7, 2011	165.0 bp	25,000		25,774
First Bank Statutory Trust VII	December 2006	December 15, 2036	December 15, 2011	185.0 bp	50,000		51,547
First Bank Statutory Trust VIII	February 2007	March 30, 2037	March 30, 2012	161.0 bp	25,000		25,774
First Bank Statutory Trust X	August 2007	September 15, 2037	September 15, 2012	230.0 bp	15,000		15,464
First Bank Statutory Trust IX	September 2007	December 15, 2037	December 15, 2012	225.0 bp	25,000		25,774
First Bank Statutory Trust XI	September 2007	December 15, 2037	December 15, 2012	285.0 bp	10,000		10,310
Fixed Rate
First Bank Statutory Trust	March 2003	March 20, 2033	March 20, 2008	8.10%	25,000		25,774
First Preferred Capital Trust IV	April 2003	June 30, 2033	June 30, 2008	8.15%	46,000		47,423

(1) The junior subordinated debentures are callable at the option of the Company on the call date shown at 100% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest.

(2) The interest rates paid on the trust preferred securities are based on either a variable rate or a fixed rate. The variable rate is based on the three-month LIBOR plus the basis point spread shown.

The Company’s distributions accrued on the junior subordinated debentures were $12.9 million, $15.0 million and $14.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and are included in interest expense in the consolidated statements of income. Deferred issuance costs associated with the Company’s junior subordinated debentures are included as a reduction of junior subordinated debentures in the consolidated balance sheets and are amortized using a method which approximates the level-yield method to the maturity date of the respective junior subordinated debentures. The structure of the trust preferred securities currently satisfies the regulatory requirements for inclusion, subject to certain limitations, in the Company’s capital base, as further discussed in Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2009, the Company announced the deferral of its regularly scheduled interest payments on its outstanding junior subordinated debentures relating to its $345.0 million of trust preferred securities beginning with the regularly scheduled quarterly interest payments that would otherwise have been made in September and October, 2009. The terms of the junior subordinated debentures and the related trust indentures allow the Company to defer such payments of interest for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods without triggering a payment default or penalty. The Company had deferred such payments for 18 quarterly periods as of December 31, 2013. The Company had deferred $56.0 million of its regularly scheduled interest payments as of December 31, 2013. In addition, the Company had accrued additional interest expense of $6.7 million as of December 31, 2013 on the regularly scheduled deferred interest payments based on the interest rate in effect for each junior subordinated note issuance in accordance with the respective terms of the underlying agreements. During a deferral period, the respective trusts suspend the declaration and payment of dividends on the trust preferred securities. During a deferral period, the Company may not, among other things and with limited exceptions, pay cash dividends on or repurchase its common stock or preferred stock nor make any payment on outstanding debt obligations that rank equally with or junior to the junior subordinated debentures. Accordingly, the Company also suspended the payment of cash dividends on its outstanding common stock and preferred stock beginning with the regularly scheduled quarterly dividend payments on the preferred stock that would otherwise have been made in August and September, 2009, as further described in Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements.

Under its previous Written Agreement (as defined in Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements) with the FRB, which was terminated on May 19, 2014, the Company agreed, among other things, to provide certain information to the FRB, including, but not limited to, prior notice regarding the issuance of additional trust preferred securities. The Company also agreed not to make any distributions of interest or other sums on its outstanding trust preferred securities without the prior approval of the FRB, as further described in Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements.

On January 31, 2014, the Company received regulatory approval from the FRB under the then-existing Written Agreement, subject to certain conditions, which granted First Bank the authority to pay a dividend to the Company, and the authority to the Company to utilize such funds, for the sole purpose of paying the accumulated deferred interest payments on the Company's outstanding junior subordinated debentures issued in connection with the Company's trust preferred securities. In February 2014, First Bank paid a dividend of $70.0 million to the Company. The aggregate amount owed on all of the junior subordinated debentures relating to the trust preferred securities at the respective March and April, 2014 payments totaled $66.4 million. On March 14, 2014, the Company paid interest on the junior subordinated debentures of $66.4 million to the respective trustees, which was subsequently distributed to the trust preferred securities holders on the respective interest payment dates in March and April, 2014. Since that time, the Company has continued to pay interest on its junior subordinated debentures to the respective trustees on the regularly scheduled quarterly payment dates. Such interest payments have been funded through additional dividends from First Bank.

Under its MOU with the FRB, First Bank has agreed not to declare or pay any dividends, without the prior consent of the FRB, that would cause First Bank to pay dividends in excess of its earnings or make a capital distribution that would cause First Bank's Tier 1 Leverage Ratio to fall below 9.0%. Furthermore, pursuant to Missouri Revised Statutes, First Bank is required to obtain approval from the MDOF prior to paying any dividends to the Company, as further described in Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements. The Company is unable to predict whether or when the FRB and/or the MDOF will grant such consent in the future.

Without the payment of dividends from First Bank, the Company currently lacks the source of income and the liquidity to make future interest payments on the junior subordinated debentures associated with its trust preferred securities. Given restrictions placed upon First Bank, including regulatory restrictions, it may not be able to provide the Company with dividends in an amount sufficient to pay the future interest on the trust preferred securities. In such case, the Company would have to pursue alternative funding sources, but there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to identify and obtain alternative funding due to the uncertainty that such alternative funding sources would be available to the Company on terms and conditions that are acceptable to the Company. The Company has the ability to enter into future deferral periods of up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods without triggering a payment default or penalty.