BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

This report is filed for Lakeland Financial Corporation (the "Company"), which has two wholly owned subsidiaries, Lake City Bank (the "Bank") and LCB Risk Management, a captive insurance company. Also included in this report are results for the Bank’s wholly owned subsidiary, LCB Investments II, Inc. ("LCB Investments"), which manages the Bank’s investment portfolio. LCB Investments owns LCB Funding, Inc. ("LCB Funding"), a real estate investment trust. All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Basis of Accounting Policy

The unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form 10-Q. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements and are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (all of which are normal and recurring in nature) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any subsequent reporting periods, including the year ending December 31, 2021. The Company’s 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K should be read in conjunction with these statements.

Adoption of New Accounting Standards and Newly Issued But Not Yet Effective Accounting Standards

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. This update, commonly referred to as the current expected credit losses methodology (“CECL”), will change the accounting for credit losses on loans and debt securities. Under the new guidance, the Company’s 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. For loans, 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 previously required, but still permitted, under GAAP, which delays recognition until it is probable a loss has been incurred. In addition, the guidance will modify the other-than-temporary impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities to require an allowance for credit impairment instead of a direct write-down, which will allow for reversal of credit impairments in future periods. This guidance was effective, subject to optional delay discussed below, for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods in those fiscal years.

As previously disclosed, the Company implemented the CECL methodology and ran it concurrently with the historical incurred method. Under a provision provided by the CARES Act, the Company elected to delay the adoption of FASB’s new rule covering the CECL standard. On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. This law extended relief for troubled debt restructurings and provided for further delay of the current expected credit losses adoption under the CARES Act to January 1, 2022, with early adoption permitted. The Company elected to remain on the incurred loan loss methodology for 2020.

The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 during the first quarter of 2021, effective January 1, 2021. Upon adoption, the Company recognized a $9.1 million increase in the allowance for credit losses. This resulted in a one-time cumulative effect adjustment decreasing beginning retained earnings as of January 1, 2021 by $7.0 million, net of deferred taxes of $2.1 million. The Company did not recognize an allowance for credit impairment for available-for-sale securities.

The following table illustrates the impact of adoption of the ASU:


	January 1, 2021
(dollars in thousands)	As Reported Under ASC 326		Pre-ASC 326 Adoption		Impact of ASC 326 Adoption
Loans
Commercial and industrial loans	$	32,645	$	28,333	$	4,312
Commercial real estate and multi-family residential loans	27,223		22,907		4,316
Agri-business and agricultural loans	4,103		3,043		1,060
Other commercial loans	1,357		416		941
Consumer 1-4 family loans	3,572		2,619		953
Other consumer loans	1,300		951		349
Unallocated	258		3,139		(2,881)
Allowance for credit losses	$	70,458	$	61,408	$	9,050

The Company’s loan segmentation, as disclosed in “Note 3 – Loans”, did not change as a result of adopting this ASU.

In December 2018, the OCC, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the FDIC approved a final rule to address changes to credit loss accounting under GAAP, including banking organizations’ implementation of CECL. The final rule provides banking organizations the option to phase in over a three-year period the day-one adverse effects on regulatory capital that may result from the adoption of the new accounting standard. In March 2020, the OCC, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the FDIC published an interim final rule to delay the estimated impact on regulatory capital stemming from the implementation of CECL. The interim final rule maintains the three-year transition option in the previous rule and provides banks the option to delay for two years an estimate of CECL’s effect on regulatory capital, relative to the incurred loss methodology’s effect on regulatory capital, followed by a three-year transition period (five-year transition option). The Company is not adopting the capital transition relief over the permissible three-year or five-year periods.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14 “Compensation — Retirement Benefits — Defined Benefit Plans — General (Topic 715-20): Disclosure Framework — Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans.” The ASU updated the annual disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement benefit plans by adding, clarifying and removing certain disclosures. These amendments are effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020, for public business entities, and are to be applied on a retrospective basis to all periods presented. The Company adopted this new accounting standard on January 1, 2021, and the adoption did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes.” These amendments remove specific exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 in GAAP. It eliminates the need for an organization to analyze whether the following apply in a given period: exception to the incremental approach for intraperiod tax allocation; exceptions to accounting for basis differences where there are ownership changes in foreign investments; and exception in interim period income tax accounting for year-to-date losses that exceed anticipated losses. It also improves financial statement preparers’ application of income tax-related guidance and simplifies GAAP for: franchise taxes that are partially based on income; transactions with a government that result in a step up in the tax basis of goodwill; separate financial statements of legal entities that are not subject to tax; and enacts changes in tax laws in interim periods. The guidance is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company adopted this new accounting standard on January 1, 2021, and the adoption did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-1 “Investments-Equity Securities (Topic 321), Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323), and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) - Clarifying the Interactions between Topic 321, Topic 323, and Topic 815.” These amendments, among other things, clarify that a company should consider observable transactions that require a company to either apply or discontinue the equity method of accounting under Topic 323, Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures, for the purposes of applying the measurement alternative in accordance with Topic 321 immediately before applying or upon discontinuing the equity method. The amendments also clarify that, when determining the accounting for certain forward contracts and purchased options a company should not consider, whether upon settlement or exercise, if the underlying securities would be accounted for under the equity method or fair value option. The guidance is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020. Early application is permitted, including early adoption in an interim period. An entity should apply ASU 2020-1 prospectively at the beginning of the interim period that includes the adoption date. The Company adopted ASU 2020-1 on January 1, 2021 and it did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

In October 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-8, Codification Improvements to Subtopic 310-20, Receivables—Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs, to clarify that an entity should reevaluate whether a callable debt security is within the scope of ASC paragraph 310-20-35-33 for each reporting period. The ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020, and early application is not permitted. The Company adopted this new accounting standard on January 1, 2021, and the adoption did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

Newly Issued But Not Yet Effective Accounting Standards

On March 12, 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2020-4, Reference Rate Reform (“ASC 848”): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. ASC 848 contains optional expedients and exceptions for applying generally accepted accounting principles to contract modifications and hedging relationships, subject to meeting certain criteria, that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued. The Company has formed a cross-functional project team to lead the transition from LIBOR to a planned adoption of reference rates which could include Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), amongst other indexes. The Company has identified loans that renewed prior to 2021 and obtained updated reference rate language at the time of renewal. Additionally, management is utilizing the timeline guidance published by the Alternative Reference Rates Committee to develop internal milestones during this transitional period. The Company has adhered to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association 2020 IBOR Fallbacks Protocol that was released on October 23, 2020. The Company will discontinue the use of new LIBOR-based loans no later than December 31, 2021, according to regulatory guidelines. The guidance under ASC-848 will be available for a limited time, generally through December 31, 2022. The Company expects to adopt the LIBOR transition relief allowed under this standard.

Reclassifications

Certain amounts appearing in the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for prior periods have been reclassified to conform with the current presentation. The reclassifications had no effect on net income or stockholders' equity as previously reported.

Allowance for Credit Losses and Credit Quality

The Company adopted ASC 326 using the modified retrospective method for all financial assets measured at amortized cost. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2021 are presented under ASC 326 while prior period amounts continue to be reported in accordance with previously applicable GAAP.

The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses to provide for expected credit losses. Losses are charged against the allowance when management believes that the principal is uncollectable. Subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance. Allocations of the allowance are made for specific loans and for pools of similar types of loans, although the entire allowance is available for any loan that, in management’s judgment, should be charged against the allowance. A provision for credit losses is taken based on management’s ongoing evaluation of the appropriate allowance balance. A formal evaluation of the adequacy of the credit loss allowance is conducted monthly. The ultimate recovery of all loans is susceptible to future market factors beyond the Company’s control.

The level of credit loss provision is influenced by growth in the overall loan portfolio, emerging market risk, emerging concentration risk, commercial loan focus and large credit concentration, new industry lending activity, general economic conditions and historical loss analysis. In addition, management gives consideration to changes in the facts and circumstances of watch list credits, which includes the security position of the borrower, in determining the appropriate level of the credit loss provision. Furthermore, management’s overall view on credit quality is a factor in the determination of the provision.

The determination of the appropriate allowance is inherently subjective, as it requires significant estimates by management. The Company has an established process to determine the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses that generally includes consideration of changes in the nature and volume of the loan portfolio, overall portfolio quality, along with current and forecasted economic conditions that may affect borrowers’ ability to repay. Consideration is not limited to these factors although they represent the most commonly cited factors. To determine the specific allocation levels for individual credits, management considers the current valuation of collateral and the amounts and timing of expected future cash flows as the primary measures. Management also considers trends in adversely classified loans based upon an ongoing review of those credits. With respect to pools of similar loans, an appropriate level of general allowance is determined by portfolio segment using a probability of default-loss given default (“PD/LGD”) model, subject to a floor. A default can be triggered by one of several different asset quality factors, including past due status, nonaccrual status, TDR status or if the loan has had a charge-off. This PD is then combined with a LGD derived from historical charge-off data to construct a default rate. This loss rate is then supplemented with adjustments for reasonable and supportable forecasts of relevant economic indicators, particularly the unemployment rate forecast from the Federal Open Market Committee’s Summary of Economic Projections, and other environmental factors based on the risks present for each portfolio segment. These environmental factors include consideration of the following: levels of, and trends in, delinquencies and nonperforming loans; trends in volume and terms of loans; effects of any changes in risk selection and underwriting standards; other changes in lending policies, procedure, and practices; experience, ability, and depth of lending management and other relevant staff; national and local economic trends and conditions; industry conditions; and effects of changes in credit concentrations. It is also possible that these factors could include social, political, economic, and terrorist events or activities. All of these factors are susceptible to change, which may be significant. As a result of this detailed process, the allowance results in two forms of allocations, specific and general. These two components represent the total allowance for credit losses deemed adequate to cover probable losses inherent in the loan portfolio.

Commercial loans are subject to a dual standardized grading process administered by the credit administration function. These grade assignments are performed independent of each other and a consensus is reached by credit administration and the loan review officer. Specific allowances are established in cases where management has identified significant conditions or circumstances related to an individual credit that indicate it should be evaluated on an individual basis. Considerations with respect to specific allocations for these individual credits include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) the sufficiency of the customer’s cash flow or net worth to repay the loan; (b) the adequacy of the discounted value of collateral relative to the loan balance; (c) whether the loan has been criticized in a regulatory examination; (d) whether the loan is nonperforming; (e) any other reasons the ultimate collectability of the loan may be in question; or (f) any unique loan characteristics that require special monitoring.

Allocations are also applied to categories of loans considered not to be individually analyzed, but for which the rate of loss is expected to be consistent with or greater than historical averages. Such allocations are based on past loss experience and information about specific borrower situations and estimated collateral values. These general pooled loan allocations are performed for portfolio segments of commercial and industrial; commercial real estate, multi-family, and construction; agri-business and agricultural; other commercial loans; and consumer 1-4 family mortgage and other consumer loans. General allocations of the allowance are determined by a historical loss rate based on the calculation of each pool’s probability of

default-loss given default, subject to a floor. The length of the historical period for each pool is based on the average life of the pool. The historical loss rates are supplemented with consideration of economic conditions and portfolio trends.

Due to the imprecise nature of estimating the allowance for credit losses, the Company’s allowance for credit losses includes an unallocated component. The unallocated component of the allowance for credit losses incorporates the Company’s judgmental determination of potential expected losses that may not be fully reflected in other allocations, including factors such as the level of classified credits, economic uncertainties, industry trends impacting specific portfolio segments, broad portfolio quality trends, and trends in the composition of the Company’s large commercial loan portfolio and related large dollar exposures to individual borrowers. As a practical expedient, the Company has elected to treat accrued interest the same way it is treated in the incurred loss model, wherein it is stated separately from loan principal balances on the consolidated balance sheet. Additionally, when a loan is placed on non-accrual, interest payments will be reversed through interest income, which is consistent with current practice.

For off balance sheet credit exposures outlined in the ASU at 326-20-30-11, it is the Company’s position that nearly all of the unfunded amounts on lines of credit are unconditionally cancellable, and therefore not subject to having a liability set up, which matches the current accounting conclusion in the incurred loss environment.

Leases

The Company leases certain office facilities under long-term operating lease agreements. The leases expire at various dates through 2029 and some include renewal options. Many of these leases require the payment of property taxes, insurance premiums, maintenance, utilities and other costs. In many cases, rentals are subject to increase in relation to a cost-of-living index. The Company accounts for lease and non-lease components together as a single lease component. The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating leases are recorded as a right-of-use ("ROU") lease assets and are included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheet. The Company's corresponding lease obligations are included in other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. ROU lease assets represent the Company's right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease obligations represent the Company's obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating ROU lease assets and obligations are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As most of the Company's leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The ROU lease asset also includes any lease payments made and excludes lease incentives. The Company's lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option.

Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Short-term leases are leases having a term of twelve months or less. The Company recognizes short-term leases on a straight-line basis and does not record a related lease asset or liability for such leases, as allowed as practical expedient of the standard.