Business Combinations

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Business Combinations

Note 3. Business Combinations

Acquisition of State Bancorp, Inc.

On January 1, 2012, Valley acquired State Bancorp, the holding company for State Bank of Long Island, a commercial bank with approximately $1.7 billion in assets, after purchase accounting adjustments, and 16 branches in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Manhattan. The shareholders of State Bancorp received a fixed one- for- one exchange ratio for Valley National Bancorp common stock. The total consideration for the acquisition was $208.4 million (approximately 17.7 million shares of Valley common stock). As a condition to the closing of the merger, State Bancorp redeemed $36.8 million of its outstanding Fixed Rate Cumulative Series A Preferred Stock from the U.S. Treasury. This stock redemption was funded by a $37.0 million short-term loan from Valley to State Bancorp. The outstanding loan, included in Valley’s consolidated statement of financial condition at December 31, 2011, was subsequently eliminated as of the acquisition date and is no longer outstanding.

In connection with the acquisition, Valley acquired all of the voting and common shares of State Capital Trust I and State Capital Trust II, which are wholly-owned subsidiaries established for the sole purpose of issuing trust preferred securities and related trust common securities. Valley also assumed junior subordinated debentures issued to capital trusts with combined contractual principal balances totaling $20.6 million. Valley has the right to optionally redeem the debentures and related trust preferred securities at par prior to the maturity dates of November 7, 2032 and January 23, 2034 for each respective capital trust. These capital trusts, similar to our other capital trust subsidiaries, are not consolidated for financial statement purposes.

Additionally, a warrant issued by State Bancorp (in connection with its preferred stock issuance) to the U.S. Treasury in December 2008 was assumed by Valley as of the acquisition date. The ten-year warrant to purchase up to 489 thousand of Valley common shares has an exercise price of $11.30 per share, and is exercisable on a net exercise basis. Valley has calculated an internal value for the warrants, and may negotiate their redemption with the U.S. Treasury. However, if Valley elects not to negotiate or an agreement cannot be reached with the U.S. Treasury, the warrants will likely be sold at public auction and remain outstanding.

Merger expenses totaled $40 thousand and $1.1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, respectively, which were largely related to data processing conversion charges that are included in other non-interest expense on the consolidated statements of income.

The following table sets forth assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the State Bancorp acquisition at their estimated fair values as of the closing date of the transaction:

	January 1, 2012
	(in thousands)
Assets acquired:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	117,587
Investment securities available for sale		275,650
Loans		1,098,948
Premises and equipment		9,457
Accrued interest receivable		5,294
Goodwill		101,967
Other intangible assets		8,050
Other assets		67,715
Total assets acquired	$	1,684,668
Liabilities assumed:
Deposits:
Non-interest bearing	$	371,151
Savings, NOW and money market		596,599
Time		412,543
Total deposits		1,380,293
Short-term borrowings		29,000
Junior subordinated debentures issued to capital trusts		15,645
Other liabilities		51,312
Total liabilities assumed	$	1,476,250
Common stock issued in acquisition	$	208,418

The fair value estimates are subject to change for up to one year after the closing date of the transaction if additional information relative to closing date fair values becomes available. As Valley continues to analyze the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, there may be adjustments to the recorded carrying values.

Fair Value Measurement of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed

Described below are the methods used to determine the fair values of the significant assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the State Bancorp acquisition.

Cash and cash equivalents. The estimated fair values of cash and cash equivalents approximate their stated face amounts, as these financial instruments are either due on demand or have short-term maturities.

Investment securities available for sale. The estimated fair values of the investment securities available for sale were calculated utilizing Level 2 inputs. The prices for these instruments are obtained through an independent pricing service and are derived from market quotations and matrix pricing. The fair value measurements consider observable data that may include dealer quotes, market spreads, cash flows, the U.S. Treasury yield curve, live trading levels, trade execution data, market consensus prepayment speeds, credit information and the bond’s terms and conditions, among other things. Management reviewed the data and assumptions used in pricing the securities by its third party provider to ensure the highest level of significant inputs are derived from market observable data.

Loans. The acquired loan portfolio was segregated into categories for valuation purposes primarily based on loan type (commercial, mortgage, or consumer) and credit risk rating. The estimated fair values were computed by discounting the expected cash flows from the respective portfolios. Management estimated the cash flows expected to be collected at the acquisition date by using valuation models that incorporated estimates of current key assumptions, such as prepayment speeds, default rates, and loss severity rates. Prepayment assumptions were developed by reference to recent or historical prepayment speeds observed for loans with similar underlying characteristics. Prepayment assumptions were influenced by many factors including, but not limited to, forward interest rates, loan and collateral types, payment status, and current loan-to-value ratios. Default and loss severity rates were developed by reference to recent or historical default and loss rates observed for loans with similar underlying characteristics. Default and loss severity assumptions were influenced by many factors including, but not limited to, underwriting processes and documentation, vintages, collateral types, collateral locations, estimated collateral values, loan-to-value ratios, and debt-to-income ratios.

The expected cash flows from the acquired loan portfolios were discounted at estimated market rates. The market rates were estimated using a buildup approach which included assumptions with respect to funding cost and funding mix, estimated servicing cost, liquidity premium, and additional spreads, if warranted, to compensate for the uncertainty inherent in the acquired loans. The methods used to estimate the Level 3 fair values of loans are extremely sensitive to the assumptions and estimates used. While management attempted to use assumptions and estimates that best reflected the acquired loan portfolios and current market conditions, a greater degree of subjectivity is inherent in these values than in those determined in active markets.

The difference between the fair value and the expected cash flows from the acquired loans will be accreted to interest income over the remaining term of the loans in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Subtopic 310-30, “Loans and Debt Securities Acquired with Deteriorated Credit Quality.” See Note 7 for further details.

Other intangible assets. Other intangible assets consisting of core deposit intangibles (“CDI”) are measures of the value of non-maturity checking, savings, NOW and money market deposits that are acquired in a business combination excluding any large relationships, for which Valley believes there is no customer related intangible asset. The fair value of the CDI stemming from any given business combination is based on the present value of the expected cost savings attributable to the core deposit funding, relative to an alternative source of funding. The CDI are being amortized over an estimated useful life of eleven years to approximate the existing deposit relationships acquired.

Deposits. The fair values of deposit liabilities with no stated maturity (i.e., NOW and money market accounts, savings accounts, and non-interest-bearing accounts) are equal to the carrying amounts payable on demand. The fair values of certificates of deposit represent contractual cash flows, discounted to present value using interest rates currently offered on deposits with similar characteristics and remaining maturities.

Short-term borrowings. The fair value of short-term borrowings approximates their contractual principal balances, as these borrowings matured in March 2012.

Junior subordinated debentures issued to capital trusts. There is no active market for the trust preferred securities issued by State Bancorp Capital Trust I and State Bancorp Capital Trust II; therefore, the fair value of junior subordinated debentures was estimated utilizing the income approach. Under the income approach, the expected cash flows over the remaining estimated life of the debentures were discounted using Valley’s credit spread plus the three- month LIBOR (the contractual base index rate for these instruments). Valley’s credit spread was calculated based on Valley’s trust preferred securities issued by VNB Capital Trust I, which are publicly traded in an active market.