Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2022

Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Northern Trust Corporation (Corporation) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Northern Trust Company (Bank), and various other wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Corporation and Bank. Throughout the notes to the consolidated financial statements, the term “Northern Trust” refers to the Corporation and its subsidiaries. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The consolidated financial statements, as of and for the periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, have not been audited by the Corporation’s independent registered public accounting firm. In the opinion of management, all accounting entries and adjustments, including normal recurring accruals, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and the results of operations for the interim periods have been made. The accounting and financial reporting policies of Northern Trust conform to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and reporting practices prescribed for the banking industry. The consolidated statements of income include results of acquired subsidiaries from the dates of acquisition. Certain prior-period balances have been reclassified to conform with the current year’s presentation.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

On January 1, 2022, Northern Trust adopted Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contract in Entity's Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity” (ASU 2020-06). ASU 2020-06 simplifies the convertible instrument accounting framework through the elimination of the beneficial conversion and cash conversion accounting models used to account for convertible debt and convertible preferred stock. ASU 2020-06 also amends the accounting for certain contracts in an entity’s own equity that are currently accounted for as derivatives because of specific settlement provisions in Accounting Standards Codification 815—Derivatives and Hedging. In addition, ASU 2020-06 modifies how particular convertible instruments and certain contracts that may be settled in cash or shares impact the diluted earnings per share computation. Upon adoption of ASU 2020-06, there was no significant impact to Northern Trust’s consolidated balance sheets or consolidated statements of income.

On January 1, 2022, Northern Trust adopted ASU No. 2021-10, “Government Assistance (Topic 832): Disclosures by Business Entities about Government Assistance” (ASU 2021-10). ASU 2021-10 requires annual disclosures about transactions with a government that are accounted for by applying a grant or contribution accounting model by analogy to other accounting guidance within Topic 958, Not-for-Profit Entities, or International Accounting Standards 20, Accounting for Government Grants and Disclosure of Government Assistance. Upon adoption of ASU 2021-10, there was no significant impact to Northern Trust’s consolidated balance sheets or consolidated statements of income.

On March 31, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 (SAB 121) which expresses the SEC staff’s view regarding the accounting for entities that have obligations to safeguard “crypto-assets” held for their platform users. SAB 121 requires that entities that perform custodial activities for crypto-assets, whether directly or through an agent acting on its behalf, should recognize a liability and a corresponding asset in respect of the crypto-assets safeguarded for their platform users, with the liability and asset measured at the fair value of the crypto-assets. SAB 121 further requires an entity to provide certain disclosures related to safeguarding obligations for crypto-assets. The guidance is effective for interim and annual periods ending after June 15, 2022, with retrospective application as of the beginning of the fiscal year to which the interim or annual period relates. Upon adoption of SAB 121, there was no impact to Northern Trust’s consolidated balance sheets or consolidated statements of income.