ACCOUNTING MATTERS

FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment

Summary - The FASB has issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment.

To simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill, the amendments eliminate Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. The annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test is performed by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An impairment charge should be recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. In addition, income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit should be considered when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable.

The amendments also eliminate the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment and, if it fails that qualitative test, to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. An entity still has the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is necessary.

The amendments should be applied on a prospective basis. The nature of and reason for the change in accounting principle should be disclosed upon transition. A public business entity that is a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filer should adopt the amendments for its annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. A public business entity that is not an SEC filer should adopt the amendments for its annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. All other entities, including not-for-profit entities, which adopt the amendments should do so for their annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. Adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a significant effect on the Corporation’s consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business

Summary - The FASB has issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, clarifying the definition of a business. The amendments affect all companies and other reporting organizations that must determine whether they have acquired or sold a business.

The definition of a business affects many areas of accounting including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill, and consolidation. The amendments are intended to help companies and other organizations evaluate whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The amendments provide a more robust framework to use in determining when a set of assets and activities is a business. They also provide more consistency in applying the guidance, reduce the costs of application, and make the definition of a business more operable.

For public companies, the amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. For all other companies and organizations, the amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a significant effect on the Corporation’s consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments

Summary - The FASB has issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. This new guidance was issued to address concerns that current generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) restricts the ability to record credit losses that are expected, but do not yet meet the “probable” threshold by replacing the current “incurred loss” model for recognizing credit losses with an “expected life of loan loss” model referred to as the Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) model.

Under the CECL model, certain financial assets carried at amortized cost, such as loans held for investment and held-to-maturity debt securities, are required to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is to be based on information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. This measurement will take place at the time the financial asset is first added to the balance sheet and periodically thereafter. This differs significantly from the “incurred loss” model required under current GAAP, which delays recognition until it is probable a loss has been incurred. The change could materially affect how the allowance for loan losses is determined and cause a charge to earnings through the provision for loan losses. Such would adversely affect the financial condition of the Corporation.

The ASU is effective for SEC filers for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019 (i.e., January 1, 2020, for calendar year entities). Early application will be permitted for all organizations for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018.

The impact of CECL model implementation is being evaluated, but it’s expected a one-time cumulative-effect adjustment to the allowance for loan losses will be recognized in retained earnings on the consolidated balance sheet as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the new standard is effective, as is consistent with regulatory expectations set forth in interagency guidance issued at the end of 2016. The magnitude of any such adjustment or the overall impact of the new standard on financial condition or results of operations cannot yet be determined.

FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting

Summary - The amendments in ASU 2016-09 simplify several aspects of accounting for employee share-based payments including income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. Some areas of the simplification apply only to nonpublic entities. The new guidance will require all income tax effects of awards to be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement when the awards vest or are settled and additional paid in capital pools will be eliminated. The guidance requires companies to present excess tax benefits as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows rather than as a financing activity. Companies will be required to account for forfeitures of share-based payments by recognizing forfeitures of awards as they occur or estimating the number of awards expected to be forfeited and adjusting the estimate when it is likely to change, as currently required, through an accounting policy election. The guidance will increase the amount an employer can withhold to cover income taxes on awards and still qualify for the exception to liability classification for shares used to satisfy the employer's income tax withholding obligation. The guidance requires an employer to classify the cash paid to a tax authority when shares are withheld to satisfy its statutory income tax withholding obligation as a financing activity on the statement of cash flows.

For public business entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption will be permitted in any interim or annual period for which financial statements have not yet been issued or have not been made available for issuance, however all of the guidance must be adopted in the same period. If early adoption is elected in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the annual period that includes that interim period. Adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a significant effect on the Corporation’s consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02 - Leases (Topic 842)

Summary - The FASB has issued its new lease accounting guidance in Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842).

Under the new guidance, lessees will be required to recognize the following for all leases (with the exception of short-term leases) at the commencement date:


•	A lease liability, which is a lessee‘s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis; and


•	A right-of-use asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term.

Under the new guidance, lessor accounting is largely unchanged. Certain targeted improvements were made to align, where necessary, lessor accounting with the lessee accounting model and Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The new lease guidance simplified the accounting for sale and leaseback transactions primarily because lessees must recognize lease assets and lease liabilities. Lessees will no longer be provided with a source of off-balance sheet financing.

Public business entities should apply the amendments in ASU 2016-02 for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years (i.e., January 1, 2019, for a calendar year entity). Nonpublic business entities should apply the amendments for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 (i.e., January 1, 2020, for a calendar year entity), and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. Early application is permitted for all public business entities and all nonpublic business entities upon issuance.

Lessees (for capital and operating leases) and lessors (for sales-type, direct financing, and operating leases) must apply a modified retrospective transition approach for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. The modified retrospective approach would not require any transition accounting for leases that expired before the earliest comparative period presented. Lessees and lessors may not apply a full retrospective transition approach. The impact of this ASU is being evaluated, but it’s expected a one-time adjustment to the Corporation’s other assets and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet will occur as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the new standard is effective. The magnitude of any such adjustment or the overall impact of the new standard on financial condition, results of operations and regulatory capital cannot yet be determined.

FASB Accounting Standards Updates No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities

Summary - The FASB has issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The new guidance is intended to improve the recognition and measurement of financial instruments. The ASU affects public and private companies, not-for-profit organizations, and employee benefit plans that hold financial assets or owe financial liabilities.

The new guidance makes targeted improvements to existing U.S. GAAP by:


•	Requiring equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting, or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income;


•	Requiring public business entities to use the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes;


•	Requiring separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset (i.e., securities or loans and receivables) on the balance sheet or the accompanying notes to the financial statements;


•	Eliminating the requirement to disclose the fair value of financial instruments measured at amortized cost for organizations that are not public business entities;


•	Eliminating the requirement for public business entities to disclose the method(s) 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; and


•	Requiring a reporting organization 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 (also referred to as “own credit”) when the organization has elected to measure the liability at fair value in accordance with the fair value option for financial instruments.

The new guidance is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For private companies, not-for-profit organizations, and employee benefit plans, the new guidance becomes effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and for interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The new guidance permits early adoption of the own credit provision. In addition, the new guidance permits early adoption of the provision that exempts private companies and not-for-profit organizations from having to disclose fair value information about financial instruments measured at amortized cost. Adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a significant effect on the Corporation’s consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standards Updates No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606):

Summary - The FASB has issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The amendments in this update supersede virtually all existing GAAP revenue recognition guidance, including most industry-specific revenue recognition guidance. ASU 2014-09 creates a single, principle-based revenue recognition framework and will require entities to apply significantly more judgment and expanded disclosures surrounding revenue recognition. The core principle requires and entity to recognize revenue in a manner that depicts the transfer of goods or services to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those good or services. ASU 2014-09 applies to contracts with customers to provide goods and services, with certain exclusion such as lease contracts, financing arrangements and financial instruments. The amendments in ASU 2014-09 are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016.

The Corporation’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. ASU 2014-09 could require the Corporation to change how certain recurring revenue streams are recognized; however, these changes are not expected to have a significant impact on the Corporation’s financial statements. The impact of ASU 2014-09 on components of non-interest income is still being evaluated. Adoption of the standard is required in the first quarter of 2018 with a cumulative effect adjustment to opening retained earnings if such adjustment is deemed to be significant.