INVESTMENT SECURITIES (Note 4)

As of December 31, 2014, Valley had approximately $1.8 billion, $887.0 million, and $14.2 million in held to maturity, available for sale, and trading investment securities, respectively. Valley records impairment charges on its investment securities when the decline in fair value is considered other-than-temporary. Numerous factors, including lack of liquidity for re-sales of certain investment securities; decline in the creditworthiness of the issuer; absence of reliable pricing information for investment securities; adverse changes in business climate; adverse actions by regulators; prolonged decline in value of equity investments; or unanticipated changes in the competitive environment could have a negative effect on Valley’s investment portfolio and may result in other-than-temporary impairment on certain investment securities in future periods. Valley’s investment portfolios include private label mortgage-backed securities, trust preferred securities principally issued by bank holding companies (including three pooled trust preferred securities), corporate bonds primarily issued by banks, and perpetual preferred and common equity securities issued by banks. These investments may pose a higher risk of future impairment charges by Valley as a result of the unpredictable nature of the U.S. economy and its potential negative effect on the future performance of the security issuers and, if applicable, the underlying mortgage loan collateral of the security. See the “Other-Than-Temporary Impairment Analysis” section below for further discussion.

Held to Maturity

The amortized cost, gross unrealized gains and losses and fair value of investment securities held to maturity at December 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:



	Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair Value
	(in thousands)
December 31, 2014
U.S. Treasury securities	$	139,121	$	12,179	$	—		$	151,300
U.S. government agency securities	14,081		304		—			14,385
Obligations of states and political subdivisions:
Obligations of states and state agencies	197,440		9,410		(412		)	206,438
Municipal bonds	302,578		10,955		(278		)	313,255
Total obligations of states and political subdivisions	500,018		20,365		(690		)	519,693
Residential mortgage-backed securities	986,992		18,233		(6,244		)	998,981
Trust preferred securities	98,456		167		(12,380		)	86,243
Corporate and other debt securities	39,648		5,726		—			45,374
Total investment securities held to maturity	$	1,778,316	$	56,974	$	(19,314	)	$	1,815,976
December 31, 2013
U.S. Treasury securities	$	139,255	$	5,567	$	(515	)	$	144,307
U.S. government agency securities	4,427		—		(62		)	4,365
Obligations of states and political subdivisions:
Obligations of states and state agencies	192,653		1,944		(5,473		)	189,124
Municipal bonds	353,233		6,053		(5,259		)	354,027
Total obligations of states and political subdivisions	545,886		7,997		(10,732		)	543,151
Residential mortgage-backed securities	886,043		12,609		(27,631		)	871,021
Trust preferred securities	103,458		363		(12,332		)	91,489
Corporate and other debt securities	52,668		4,426		—			57,094
Total investment securities held to maturity	$	1,731,737	$	30,962	$	(51,272	)	$	1,711,427

The age of unrealized losses and fair value of related securities held to maturity at December 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:



	Less than Twelve Months					More than Twelve Months					Total
	Fair Value		Unrealized Losses			Fair Value		Unrealized Losses			Fair Value		Unrealized Losses
	(in thousands)
December 31, 2014
Obligations of states and political subdivisions:
Obligations of states and state agencies	$	4,927	$	(50	)	$	19,050	$	(362	)	$	23,977	$	(412	)
Municipal bonds	—		—			28,815		(278		)	28,815		(278		)
Total obligations of states and political subdivisions	4,927		(50		)	47,865		(640		)	52,792		(690		)
Residential mortgage-backed securities	107,357		(563		)	276,580		(5,681		)	383,937		(6,244		)
Trust preferred securities	—		—			66,194		(12,380		)	66,194		(12,380		)
Total	$	112,284	$	(613	)	$	390,639	$	(18,701	)	$	502,923	$	(19,314	)
December 31, 2013
U.S. Treasury securities	$	64,537	$	(515	)	$	—	$	—		$	64,537	$	(515	)
U.S. government agency securities	4,365		(62		)	—		—			4,365		(62		)
Obligations of states and political subdivisions:
Obligations of states and state agencies	80,612		(5,473		)	—		—			80,612		(5,473		)
Municipal bonds	85,988		(5,154		)	1,326		(105		)	87,314		(5,259		)
Total obligations of states and political subdivisions	166,600		(10,627		)	1,326		(105		)	167,926		(10,732		)
Residential mortgage-backed securities	465,400		(27,631		)	—		—			465,400		(27,631		)
Trust preferred securities	9,750		(250		)	56,480		(12,082		)	66,230		(12,332		)
Total	$	710,652	$	(39,085	)	$	57,806	$	(12,187	)	$	768,458	$	(51,272	)

The unrealized losses on investment securities held to maturity are primarily due to changes in interest rates (including, in certain cases, changes in credit spreads) and, in some cases, lack of liquidity in the marketplace. The total number of security positions in the securities held to maturity portfolio in an unrealized loss position at December 31, 2014 was 57 as compared to 133 at December 31, 2013.

The unrealized losses for the residential mortgage-backed securities category of the held to maturity portfolio at December 31, 2014 are almost entirely within the more than twelve months category in the table above, and mostly relate to investment grade mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by a government sponsored enterprise.

The unrealized losses for trust preferred securities at December 31, 2014 are all within the more than twelve months category and primarily relate to four non-rated single-issuer securities, issued by bank holding companies. All single-issuer trust preferred securities classified as held to maturity are paying in accordance with their terms, have no deferrals of interest or defaults and, if applicable, the issuers meet the regulatory capital requirements to be considered “well-capitalized institutions” at December 31, 2014.

Management does not believe that any individual unrealized loss as of December 31, 2014 included in the table above represents other-than-temporary impairment as management mainly attributes the declines in fair value to changes in interest rates, widening credit spreads, and lack of liquidity in the market place, not credit quality or other factors. Based on a comparison of the present value of expected cash flows to the amortized cost, management believes there are no credit losses on these securities. Valley does not have the intent to sell, nor is it more likely than not that Valley will be required to sell, the securities contained in the table above before the recovery of their amortized cost basis or maturity.

As of December 31, 2014, the fair value of investments held to maturity that were pledged to secure public deposits, repurchase agreements, lines of credit, and for other purposes required by law was $854.9 million.

The contractual maturities of investments in debt securities held to maturity at December 31, 2014 are set forth in the table below. Maturities may differ from contractual maturities in residential mortgage-backed securities because the mortgages underlying the securities may be prepaid without any penalties. Therefore, residential mortgage-backed securities are not included in the maturity categories in the following summary.



	December 31, 2014
	Amortized Cost		Fair Value
	(in thousands)
Due in one year	$	71,839	$	72,059
Due after one year through five years	54,200		58,318
Due after five years through ten years	334,907		354,802
Due after ten years	330,378		331,816
Residential mortgage-backed securities	986,992		998,981
Total investment securities held to maturity	$	1,778,316	$	1,815,976

Actual maturities of debt securities may differ from those presented above since certain obligations provide the issuer the right to call or prepay the obligation prior to scheduled maturity without penalty.

The weighted-average remaining expected life for residential mortgage-backed securities held to maturity was 7.3 years at December 31, 2014.

Available for Sale

The amortized cost, gross unrealized gains and losses and fair value of investment securities available for sale at December 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:



	Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair Value
	(in thousands)
December 31, 2014
U.S. Treasury securities	$	51,063	$	2	$	(1,622	)	$	49,443
U.S. government agency securities	33,163		748		(86		)	33,825
Obligations of states and political subdivisions:
Obligations of states and state agencies	11,160		—		(24		)	11,136
Municipal bonds	33,340		127		(552		)	32,915
Total obligations of states and political subdivisions	44,500		127		(576		)	44,051
Residential mortgage-backed securities	643,382		5,854		(4,960		)	644,276
Trust preferred securities*	23,194		296		(2,953		)	20,537
Corporate and other debt securities	73,585		1,645		(1,218		)	74,012
Equity securities	21,071		671		(916		)	20,826
Total investment securities available for sale	$	889,958	$	9,343	$	(12,331	)	$	886,970
December 31, 2013
U.S. Treasury securities	$	99,835	$	—	$	(15,170	)	$	84,665
U.S. government agency securities	48,407		923		(703		)	48,627
Obligations of states and political subdivisions:
Obligations of states and state agencies	11,441		—		(798		)	10,643
Municipal bonds	27,671		751		(1,365		)	27,057
Total obligations of states and political subdivisions	39,112		751		(2,163		)	37,700
Residential mortgage-backed securities	524,781		3,967		(20,719		)	508,029
Trust preferred securities*	23,333		113		(4,231		)	19,215
Corporate and other debt securities	83,819		1,682		(2,103		)	83,398
Equity securities	47,617		1,614		(1,173		)	48,058
Total investment securities available for sale	$	866,904	$	9,050	$	(46,262	)	$	829,692


*	Includes three pooled trust preferred securities, principally collateralized by securities issued by banks and insurance companies.

The age of unrealized losses and fair value of related securities available for sale at December 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:



	Less than Twelve Months					More than Twelve Months					Total
	Fair Value		Unrealized Losses			Fair Value		Unrealized Losses			Fair Value		Unrealized Losses
	(in thousands)
December 31, 2014
U.S. Treasury securities	$	—	$	—		$	48,504	$	(1,622	)	$	48,504	$	(1,622	)
U.S. government agency securities	—		—			5,442		(86		)	5,442		(86		)
Obligations of states and political subdivisions:
Obligations of states and state agencies	—		—			11,136		(24		)	11,136		(24		)
Municipal bonds	13,337		(426		)	14,637		(126		)	27,974		(552		)
Total obligations of states and political subdivisions	13,337		(426		)	25,773		(150		)	39,110		(576		)
Residential mortgage-backed securities	57,543		(121		)	244,910		(4,839		)	302,453		(4,960		)
Trust preferred securities	2,210		(117		)	12,085		(2,836		)	14,295		(2,953		)
Corporate and other debt securities	27,500		(294		)	28,269		(924		)	55,769		(1,218		)
Equity securities	158		(41		)	14,769		(875		)	14,927		(916		)
Total	$	100,748	$	(999	)	$	379,752	$	(11,332	)	$	480,500	$	(12,331	)
December 31, 2013
U.S. Treasury securities	$	84,665	$	(15,170	)	$	—	$	—		$	84,665	$	(15,170	)
U.S. government agency securities	26,402		(703		)	—		—			26,402		(703		)
Obligations of states and political subdivisions:
Obligations of states and state agencies	10,598		(798		)	—		—			10,598		(798		)
Municipal bonds	13,461		(1,365		)	—		—			13,461		(1,365		)
Total obligations of states and political subdivisions	24,059		(2,163		)	—		—			24,059		(2,163		)
Residential mortgage-backed securities	368,306		(18,434		)	24,734		(2,285		)	393,040		(20,719		)
Trust preferred securities	2,024		(25		)	15,022		(4,206		)	17,046		(4,231		)
Corporate and other debt securities	53,654		(2,073		)	2,471		(30		)	56,125		(2,103		)
Equity securities	223		(6		)	14,248		(1,167		)	14,471		(1,173		)
Total	$	559,333	$	(38,574	)	$	56,475	$	(7,688	)	$	615,808	$	(46,262	)

The unrealized losses on investment securities available for sale are primarily due to changes in interest rates (including, in certain cases, changes in credit spreads) and, in some cases, lack of liquidity in the marketplace. The total number of security positions in the securities available for sale portfolio in an unrealized loss position at December 31, 2014 was 96 as compared to 99 at December 31, 2013.

The unrealized losses within the residential mortgage-backed securities category of the available for sale portfolio at December 31, 2014 largely related to several investment grade residential mortgage-backed securities mainly issued by Ginnie Mae.

The unrealized losses for trust preferred securities at December 31, 2014 in the more than twelve months category in the table above largely relate to 2 pooled trust preferred securities with a combined amortized cost of $10.8 million and a fair value of $8.7 million. One of the two pooled trust preferred securities had a unrealized loss of $1.4 million and an investment grade rating at December 31, 2014. The second pooled trust preferred security had a unrealized loss of $698 thousand, a non-investment grade rating and was initially other-than-temporarily impaired in 2008 with additional estimated credit losses recognized in 2009 and 2011. All of the single-issuer trust preferred securities are all paying in accordance with their terms and have no deferrals of interest or defaults and, if applicable, meet the regulatory capital requirements to be considered “well-capitalized institutions” at December 31, 2014.

Management does not believe that any individual unrealized loss as of December 31, 2014 represents an other-than-temporary impairment, except for the previously impaired securities discussed above, as management mainly attributes the declines in value to changes in interest rates and recent market volatility, not credit quality or other factors. Based on a comparison of the present value of expected cash flows to the amortized cost, management believes there are no credit losses on these securities. Valley has no intent to sell, nor is it more likely than not that Valley will be required to sell, the securities contained in the table above before the recovery of their amortized cost basis or, if necessary, maturity.

As of December 31, 2014, the fair value of securities available for sale that were pledged to secure public deposits, repurchase agreements, lines of credit, and for other purposes required by law, was $414.0 million.

The contractual maturities of investments securities available for sale at December 31, 2014 are set forth in the following table. Maturities may differ from contractual maturities in residential mortgage-backed securities because the mortgages underlying the securities may be prepaid without any penalties. Therefore, residential mortgage-backed securities are not included in the maturity categories in the following summary.



	December 31, 2014
	Amortized Cost		Fair Value
	(in thousands)
Due after one year through five years	$	65,662	$	66,725
Due after five years through ten years	84,594		82,278
Due after ten years	75,249		72,865
Residential mortgage-backed securities	643,382		644,276
Equity securities	21,071		20,826
Total investment securities available for sale	$	889,958	$	886,970

The weighted-average remaining expected life for residential mortgage-backed securities available for sale at December 31, 2014 was 5.4 years.

Other-Than-Temporary Impairment Analysis

To determine whether a security’s impairment is other-than-temporary, Valley considers several factors that include, but are not limited to the following:


•	The severity and duration of the decline, including the causes of the decline in fair value, such as an issuer’s credit problems, interest rate fluctuations, or market volatility;


•	Adverse conditions specifically related to the issuer of the security, an industry, or geographic area;


•	Failure of the issuer of the security to make scheduled interest or principal payments;


•	Any changes to the rating of the security by a rating agency or, if applicable, any regulatory actions impacting the security issuer;


•	Recoveries or additional declines in fair value after the balance sheet date;


•	Our ability and intent to hold equity security investments until they recover in value, as well as the likelihood of such a recovery in the near term; and


•	Our intent to sell debt security investments, or if it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell such securities before recovery of their individual amortized cost basis.

For debt securities, the primary consideration in determining whether impairment is other-than-temporary is whether or not Valley expects to collect all contractual cash flows. Valley also evaluated its investment securities held as of December 31, 2014 to identify those that meet the definition of a Covered Fund as set forth in the final rules issued on December 10, 2013 to implement section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (commonly referred to as the “Volcker Rule”). In that regard, Valley considered the impact of the related interim final rule issued by its primary banking regulators on January 14, 2014 to address the treatment of certain collateralized debt obligations backed primarily by trust preferred securities (TruPS CDOs), including the non-exclusive list of TruPS CDOs that are exempt from the Covered Fund provisions under the interim final rule. Valley identified no investments held as of December 31, 2014 that meet the definition of a Covered Fund and that are required to be divested by July 21, 2015 (or before recovery of their individual amortized cost basis) under the foregoing rules.

In assessing the level of other-than-temporary impairment attributable to credit loss for debt securities, Valley compares the present value of cash flows expected to be collected with the amortized cost basis of the security. The portion of the total other-than-temporary impairment related to credit loss is recognized in earnings, while the amount related to other factors is recognized in other comprehensive income or loss. The total other-than-temporary impairment loss is presented in the consolidated statements of income, less the portion recognized in other comprehensive income or loss. Subsequent assessments may result in additional estimated credit losses on previously impaired securities. These additional estimated credit losses are recorded as reclassifications from the portion of other-than-temporary impairment previously recognized in other comprehensive income or loss to earnings in the period of such assessments. The amortized cost basis of an impaired debt security is reduced by the portion of the total impairment related to credit loss.

At December 31, 2014, approximately 55 percent of the $544.1 million carrying value of obligations of states and political subdivisions were issued by the states of (or municipalities within) New Jersey, New York and Maryland. The obligations of states and political subdivisions mainly consist of general obligation bonds and, to much lesser extent, special revenue bonds which had an aggregated amortized cost and fair value of $18.4 million and $19.2 million, respectively, at December 31, 2014. The special revenue bonds were mainly issued by the Port Authorities of New York and New Jersey, as well as various school districts. The gross unrealized losses associated with the obligations of states and political subdivisions totaling $1.3 million as of December 31, 2014 were primarily driven by changes in interest rates. Substantially all of these investments are investment grade. The securities were generally underwritten in accordance with Valley’s investment standards prior to the decision to purchase. As part of Valley’s pre-purchase analysis and on-going quarterly assessment of impairment of the obligations of states and political subdivisions, our Credit Risk Management (CRM) Department conducts an independent financial analysis and risk rating assessment of each security issuer based on the issuer’s most recently issued financial statements and other publicly available information. The internal risk rating was developed by CRM using a risk acceptance criteria (RAC) score which considers a multitude of credit factors, including the issuer’s operating results, debt levels, liquidity and debt service capacity. The analysis of debt levels includes unfunded liabilities and assesses these obligations relative to the economy and aggregate debt burden on a per capita basis, if applicable. The RAC score is used as a guideline by CRM for determining the final internal risk rating assigned to the issuer. CRM also obtains the external credit rating agencies’ debt ratings for the issuer and incorporates the lowest external debt rating in the RAC score. Specifically, the external debt rating is one of eight credit factors assessed in the development of the RAC score and represents, along with the rating agency outlook for the issuer, 25 percent of the final composite RAC score. As a result, Valley does not solely rely on external credit ratings in determining our final internal risk rating. For many securities, Valley believes the external credit ratings may not accurately reflect the actual credit quality of the security and therefore should not be viewed in isolation as a measure of the quality of our investments. Additionally, CRM does not consider potential credit support offered by insurance guarantees on certain bond securities in determining the internal risk rating, either at the date of the pre-purchase investment analysis or in subsequent assessments of impairment. Obligations of states and political subdivisions will continue to be monitored as part of our ongoing impairment analysis, and as of December 31, 2014 are expected to perform in accordance with their contractual terms. As a result, Valley expects to recover the entire amortized cost basis of these securities.

For residential mortgage-backed securities, Valley estimates loss projections for each security by stressing the cash flows from the individual loans collateralizing the security using expected default rates, loss severities, and prepayment speeds, in conjunction with the underlying credit enhancement (if applicable) for each security. Based on collateral and origination vintage specific assumptions, a range of possible cash flows is identified to determine whether other-than-temporary impairment exists. See the “Other-Than-Temporarily Impaired Securities” section below for further details regarding the impairment of these securities.

For the single-issuer trust preferred securities and corporate and other debt securities, Valley reviews each portfolio to determine if all the securities are paying in accordance with their terms and have no deferrals of interest or defaults. Over the past several years, an increasing number of banking institutions have been required to defer trust preferred payments and various banking institutions have been put in receivership by the FDIC. A deferral event by a bank holding company for which Valley holds trust preferred securities may require the recognition of an other-than-temporary impairment charge if Valley determines that it is more likely than not that all contractual interest and principal cash flows may not be collected. Among other factors, the probability of the collection of all interest and principal determined by Valley in its impairment analysis declines if there is an increase in the estimated deferral period of the issuer. Additionally, a FDIC receivership for any single-issuer would result in an impairment and significant loss. Including the other factors outlined above, Valley analyzes the performance of the issuers on a quarterly basis, including a review of performance data from the issuers’ most recent bank regulatory report, if applicable, to assess their credit risk and the probability of impairment of the contractual cash flows of the applicable security. All of the issuers had capital ratios at December 31, 2014 that were at or above the minimum amounts to be considered a “well-capitalized” financial institution, if applicable, and/or have maintained performance levels adequate to support the contractual cash flows of the trust preferred securities.

For the three pooled trust preferred securities, Valley evaluates the projected cash flows from each of its tranches in the three securities to determine if they are adequate to support their future contractual principal and interest payments. Valley assesses the credit risk and probability of impairment of the contractual cash flows by projecting the default rates over the life of the security. Higher projected default rates will decrease the expected future cash flows from each security. If the projected decrease in cash flows affects the cash flows projected for the tranche held by Valley, the security would be considered to be other-than-temporarily impaired. Two of the pooled trust preferred securities were initially impaired in 2008 with additional estimated credit losses recognized during 2009 and 2011, and are not accruing interest. See the "Other-Than-Temporarily Impaired Securities" section below for additional information.

The perpetual preferred securities, reported in equity securities, are hybrid investments that are assessed for impairment by Valley as if they were debt securities. Therefore, Valley assessed the creditworthiness of each security issuer, as well as any potential change in the anticipated cash flows of the securities as of December 31, 2014. Based on this analysis, management believes the declines in fair value of these securities are attributable to a lack of liquidity in the marketplace and are not reflective of any deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuers.

Other-Than-Temporarily Impaired Securities

Impaired Trust Preferred Securities. In 2012, Valley recognized additional estimated credit losses of $4.5 million on two pooled trust preferred securities classified as available for sale due to further credit deterioration in the financial condition of the issuer. These securities were initially found to be other-than-temporarily impaired in 2008, as each of Valley’s tranches in the securities had projected cash flows below their future contractual principal and interest payments. Additional estimated credit losses were recognized on one or both of these securities during 2009 through 2011, as higher default rates decreased the expected cash flows from the securities. At December 31, 2014, the two previously impaired pooled trust preferred securities had a combined amortized cost of $5.4 million and fair value of $4.7 million, respectively.

The previously impaired trust preferred securities discussed above were not accruing interest as of December 31, 2014 2013, and 2012. As disclosed in Note 1, Valley discontinues the recognition of interest on debt securities if the securities meet both of the following criteria: (i) regularly scheduled interest payments have not been paid or have been deferred by the issuer, and (ii) full collection of all contractual principal and interest payments is not deemed to be the most likely outcome, resulting in the recognition of other-than-temporary impairment of the security.

Impaired Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities. During 2012, Valley recognized net impairment losses of $722 thousand on residential mortgage-backed securities in earnings due to additional estimated credit losses on one of six previously impaired private label mortgage-backed securities. At December 31, 2014, the previously impaired private label mortgage-backed securities had a combined amortized cost of $13.7 million and fair value of $14.6 million, respectively.

There was no other-than-temporarily impairment recognized in earnings as a result of Valley's impairment analysis of its securities during 2014 and 2013. See the “Other-Than-Temporary Impairment Analysis” section above for further details.

Realized Gains and Losses

Gross gains (losses) realized on sales, maturities and other securities transactions included in earnings for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 were as follows:



	2014			2013			2012
	(in thousands)
Sales transactions:
Gross gains	$	746		$	14,098		$	6,621
Gross losses	(2		)	(44		)	(1,050		)
	$	744		$	14,054		$	5,571
Maturities and other securities transactions:
Gross gains	$	10		$	662		$	2,327
Gross losses	(9		)	(38		)	(5,311		)
	$	1		$	624		$	(2,984	)
Gains on securities transactions, net	$	745		$	14,678		$	2,587

The gross gains totaling $14.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, included a $10.7 million gain on sale of the previously impaired trust preferred securities issued by one deferring bank holding company.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, Valley recognized gross losses totaling $5.3 million due to the early redemption of trust preferred securities issued by one bank holding company.

The following table presents the changes in the credit loss component of cumulative other-than-temporary impairment losses on debt securities classified as either held to maturity or available for sale that Valley has recognized in earnings, for which a portion of the impairment loss (non-credit factors) was recognized in other comprehensive income or loss for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012:



	2014			2013			2012
	(in thousands)
Balance, beginning of period	$	9,990		$	33,290		$	29,070
Additions:
Subsequent credit impairments	—			—			5,247
Reductions:
Sales	(382		)	(22,839		)	—
Accretion of credit loss impairment due to an increase in expected cash flows	(661		)	(461		)	(1,027		)
Balance, end of period	$	8,947		$	9,990		$	33,290

The credit loss component of the impairment loss represents the difference between the present value of expected future cash flows and the amortized cost basis of the security prior to considering credit losses. The beginning balance represents the credit loss component for debt securities for which other-than-temporary impairment occurred prior to each period presented. Other-than-temporary impairments recognized in earnings for credit impaired debt securities are presented as additions in two components based upon whether the current period is the first time the debt security was credit impaired (initial credit impairment) or is not the first time the debt security was credit impaired (subsequent credit impairment). The credit loss component is reduced if Valley sells, intends to sell or believes it will be required to sell previously credit impaired debt securities. Additionally, the credit loss component is reduced if (i) Valley receives cash flows in excess of what it expected to receive over the remaining life of the credit impaired debt security, (ii) the security matures or (iii) the security is fully written down.

Trading Securities

The fair value of trading securities (consisting of 2 single-issuer bank trust preferred securities) was $14.2 million and $14.3 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Interest income on trading securities totaled $1.2 million, $1.4 million, and $1.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.