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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Summary of Signficant Accounting Policies  
Nature of Business Policy
General
Auburn National Bancorporation, Inc. (the “Company”) provides a full range of banking services
 
to individuals and
commercial customers in Lee County,
 
Alabama and surrounding areas through its wholly owned subsidiary,
 
AuburnBank
(the “Bank”). The Company does not have any segments other than banking that are considered
 
material.
Basis of Presentation Policy
Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates
The unaudited consolidated financial statements in this report have been prepared
 
in accordance with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information.
 
Accordingly, these financial statements
 
do not
include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial
 
statements.
 
The unaudited
consolidated financial statements include, in the opinion of management, all adjustments
 
necessary to present a fair
statement of the financial position and the results of operations for all periods
 
presented. All such adjustments are of a
normal recurring nature. The results of operations in the interim statements are not necessarily
 
indicative of the results of
operations that the Company and its subsidiaries may achieve for future interim periods
 
or the entire year. For further
information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes included in the Company's
 
Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Consolidation Policy
The unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the
 
Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries.
 
Significant intercompany transactions and accounts are eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates Policy
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires
 
management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures
 
of contingent assets and liabilities as of
the balance sheet date and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.
 
Actual results could
differ from those estimates.
 
Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change in the near term
include the determination of allowance for credit losses on investment securities
 
and loans, fair value of financial
instruments, and the valuation of deferred tax assets and other real estate owned (“OREO”).
Reclassification Policy
Reclassifications
Certain amounts reported in prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current
 
-period presentation. These
reclassifications had no material effect on the Company’s
 
previously reported net earnings or total stockholders’ equity.
Revenue Recognition Policy
Revenue Recognition
On January 1, 2018, the Company implemented Accounting Standards Update
 
(“ASU”
 
or “updates”) 2014-09,
 
Revenue
from Contracts with Customers
, codified at
 
Accounting Standards Codification
 
(“ASC”)
606. The Company adopted ASC
606 using the modified retrospective transition method.
 
The majority of the Company’s revenue stream
 
is generated from
interest income on loans and securities which are outside the scope of ASC 606.
 
The Company’s sources of income that
 
fall within the scope of ASC 606 include service charges on deposits, interchange
fees and gains and losses on sales of other real estate, all of which are presented as components of
 
noninterest income. The
following is a summary of the revenue streams that fall within the scope of ASC 606:
 
Service charges on deposits, investment services, ATM
 
and interchange fees – Fees from these services are either
(i) transaction-based, for which the performance obligations are satisfied
 
when the individual transaction is
processed, or (ii) set periodic service charges, for which the performance
 
obligations are satisfied over the period
the service is provided. Transaction-based
 
fees are recognized at the time the transaction is processed, and periodic
service charges are recognized over the service period.
 
Gains on sales of OREO
 
A gain on sale should be recognized when a contract for sale exists and control of the
asset has been transferred to the buyer.
 
ASC 606 lists several criteria required to conclude that a contract for sale
exists, including a determination that the institution will collect substantially all of the consideration
 
to which it is
entitled.
 
In addition to the loan-to-value ratio, where the seller provides
 
the purchaser with financing, the analysis
is based on various other factors,
 
including the credit quality of the purchaser,
 
the structure of the loan, and any
other factors that we believe may affect collectability.
Subsequent Events Policy
Subsequent Events
 
The Company has evaluated the effects of events and transactions through
 
the date of this filing that have occurred
subsequent to September 30, 2023.
 
The Company does not believe there were any material subsequent events during
 
this
period that would have required further recognition or disclosure in the unaudited
 
consolidated financial statements
included in this report.
Accounting Developments
Accounting Standards Adopted in 2023
On January 1, 2023, the Company adopted ASU 2016-13 Financial Instruments – Credit
 
Losses (Topic 326):
 
Measurement
of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (ASC 326). This standard replaced
 
the incurred loss methodology with an
expected loss methodology that is referred to as the current expected credit loss (“CECL”)
 
methodology. CECL requires
 
an
estimate of credit losses for the remaining estimated life of the financial asset using
 
historical experience, current
conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts and generally applies to
 
financial assets measured at amortized cost,
including loan receivables and held-to-maturity debt securities, and some off
 
-balance sheet credit exposures such as
unfunded commitments to extend credit. Financial assets measured at amortized
 
cost will be presented at the net amount
expected to be collected by using an allowance for credit losses.
 
In addition, CECL made changes to the accounting for available for sale debt
 
securities. One such change is to require
credit losses to be presented as an allowance rather than as a write-down on available for sale debt
 
securities if management
does not intend to sell and does not believe that it is more likely than not, they will be required
 
to sell.
The Company adopted ASC 326 and all related subsequent amendments thereto
 
effective January 1, 2023 using the
modified retrospective approach for all financial assets measured at amortized
 
cost and off-balance sheet credit exposures.
The transition adjustment upon the adoption of CECL on January 1, 2023 included
 
an increase in the allowance for credit
losses on loans of $
1.0
 
million, which is presented as a reduction to net loans outstanding, and an increase in the allowance
for credit losses on unfunded loan commitments of $
0.1
 
million, which is recorded within other liabilities. The Company
recorded a net decrease to retained earnings of $
0.8
 
million as of January 1, 2023 for the cumulative effect of adopting
CECL, which reflects the transition adjustments noted above, net of the applicable deferred
 
tax assets recorded. Results for
reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2023 are presented under CECL while prior
 
period amounts continue to be
reported in accordance with previously applicable accounting standards.
The Company adopted ASC 326 using the prospective transition approach for debt
 
securities for which other-than-
temporary impairment had been recognized prior to January 1, 2023.
 
As of December 31, 2022, the Company did not have
any other-than-temporarily impaired investment securities. Therefore,
 
upon adoption of ASC 326, the Company determined
that an allowance for credit losses on available for sale securities was not deemed
 
material.
 
The Company elected not to measure an allowance for credit losses for accrued interest receivable
 
and instead elected to
reverse interest income on loans or securities that are placed on nonaccrual status,
 
which is generally when the instrument is
90 days past due, or earlier if the Company believes the collection of interest is doubtful. The Company
 
has concluded that
this policy results in the timely reversal of uncollectible interest.
The Company also adopted ASU 2022-02, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic
 
326): Troubled Debt
Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures”
 
on January 1, 2023, the effective date of the guidance, on a prospective basis.
ASU 2022-02 eliminated the accounting guidance for TDRs, while enhancing disclosure requirements
 
for certain loan
refinancings and restructurings by creditors when a borrower is experiencing
 
financial difficulty.
 
Specifically, rather than
applying the recognition and measurement guidance for TDRs, an entity
 
must apply the loan refinancing and restructuring
guidance to determine whether a modification results in a new loan or a
 
continuation of an existing loan. Additionally,
 
ASU
2022-02 requires an entity to disclose current-period gross write-offs
 
by year of origination for financing receivables within
the scope of Subtopic 326-20, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses—Measured at
 
Amortized Cost. ASU 2022-02 did not
have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated
 
financial statements.
Loans
Loans that management has the intent and ability to hold for the foreseeable
 
future or until maturity or payoff are reported
at amortized cost. Amortized cost is the principal balance outstanding, net of purchase premiums
 
and discounts and
deferred fees and costs. Accrued interest receivable related to loans is recorded
 
in other assets on the consolidated balance
sheets. Interest income is accrued on the unpaid principal balance. Loan origination fees,
 
net of certain direct origination
costs, are deferred and recognized in interest income using methods that approximate a
 
level yield without anticipating
prepayments.
The accrual of interest is generally discontinued when a loan becomes 90 days past due and
 
is not well collateralized and in
the process of collection, or when management believes, after considering economic and
 
business conditions and collection
efforts, that the principal or interest will not be collectible in the normal
 
course of business. Past due status is based on
contractual terms of the loan. A loan is considered to be past due when a scheduled payment has
 
not been received 30 days
after the contractual due date.
All accrued interest is reversed against interest income when a loan is placed on nonaccrual
 
status. Interest received on such
loans is accounted for using the cost-recovery method, until qualifying for return to accrual.
 
Under the cost-recovery
method, interest income is not recognized until the loan balance is reduced to zero.
 
Loans are returned to accrual status
when all the principal and interest amounts contractually due are brought current, there is a
 
sustained period of repayment
performance, and future payments are reasonably assured.
Allowance for Credit Losses – Loans
The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the loans' amortized
 
cost basis to present the net
amount expected to be collected on the loans. Loans are charged off
 
against the allowance when management believes the
uncollectibility of a loan balance is confirmed. Expected recoveries do not exceed the aggregate
 
of amounts previously
charged-off and expected to be charged-off.
 
Accrued interest receivable is excluded from the estimate of credit losses.
The allowance for credit losses represents management’s
 
estimate of lifetime credit losses inherent in loans as of the
balance sheet date. The allowance for credit losses is estimated by management using relevant
 
available information, from
both internal and external sources, relating to past events, current conditions, and reasonable and
 
supportable forecasts.
 
The Company’s loan loss estimation process
 
includes procedures to appropriately consider the unique characteristics of
 
its
respective loan segments (commercial and industrial, construction and land development,
 
commercial real estate,
residential real estate, and consumer loans).
 
These segments are further disaggregated into loan classes, the level at
 
which
credit quality is monitored.
 
See Note 5, Loans and Allowance for Credit Losses, for additional information about our
 
loan
portfolio.
Credit loss assumptions are estimated using a discounted cash flow ("DCF") model
 
for each loan segment,
 
except consumer
loans.
 
The weighted average remaining life method is used to estimate credit loss assumptions
 
for consumer loans.
 
The DCF model calculates an expected life-of-loan loss percentage by considering the
 
forecasted probability that a
borrower will default (the “PD”), adjusted for relevant forecasted macroeconomic
 
factors, and LGD, which is the estimate
of the amount of net loss in the event of default.
 
This model utilizes historical correlations between default experience and
certain macroeconomic factors as determined through a statistical regression analysis.
 
The forecasted Alabama
unemployment rate is considered in the model for commercial and industrial, construction
 
and land development,
commercial real estate,
 
and residential real estate loans.
 
In addition, forecasted changes in the Alabama home price index
is considered in the model for construction and land development and residential real
 
estate loans; forecasted changes in the
national commercial real estate (“CRE”) price index is considered
 
in the model for commercial real estate and multifamily
loans; and forecasted changes in the Alabama gross state product is considered
 
in the model for multifamily loans.
 
Projections of these macroeconomic factors, obtained from an independent third
 
party, are utilized to predict
 
quarterly rates
of default based on the statistical PD models.
 
Expected credit losses are estimated over the contractual term of the loan, adjusted
 
for expected prepayments and principal
payments (“curtailments”) when appropriate. Management's
 
determination of the contract term excludes expected
extensions, renewals, and modifications unless the extension or
 
renewal option is included in the contract at the reporting
date and is not unconditionally cancellable by the Company.
 
To the extent the lives of the
 
loans in the portfolio extend
beyond the period for which a reasonable and supportable forecast can be
 
made (which is 4 quarters for the Company), the
Company reverts, on a straight-line basis back to the historical rates over an 8 quarter reversion
 
period.
The weighted average remaining life method was deemed most appropriate
 
for the consumer loan segment because
consumer loans contain many different payment structures,
 
payment streams and collateral.
 
The weighted average
remaining life method uses an annual charge-off rate over several vintages
 
to estimate credit losses.
 
The average annual
charge-off rate is applied to the contractual term adjusted for
 
prepayments.
Additionally, the allowance
 
for credit losses calculation includes subjective adjustments for qualitative risk
 
factors that are
believed likely to cause estimated credit losses to differ from
 
historical experience. These qualitative adjustments may
increase reserve levels and include adjustments for lending management experience and
 
risk tolerance, loan review and
audit results, asset quality and portfolio trends, loan portfolio growth, industry concentrations,
 
trends in underlying
collateral, external factors and economic conditions not already captured.
Loans secured by real estate with balances equal to or greater than $500 thousand and loans not secured
 
by real estate with
balances equal to or greater than $250 thousand that do not share risk characteristics
 
are evaluated on an individual basis.
When management determines that foreclosure is probable and the borrower
 
is experiencing financial difficulty,
 
the
expected credit losses are based on the estimated fair value of collateral held at the reporting
 
date, adjusted for selling costs
as appropriate.
 
Allowance for Credit Losses – Unfunded Commitments
Financial instruments include off-balance sheet credit instruments,
 
such as commitments to make loans and commercial
letters of credit issued to meet customer financing needs. The Company’s
 
exposure to credit loss in the event of
nonperformance by the other party to the financial instrument for off-balance sheet
 
loan commitments is represented by the
contractual amount of those instruments. Such financial instruments are
 
recorded when they are funded.
The Company records an allowance for credit losses on off-balance
 
sheet credit exposures, unless the commitments to
extend credit are unconditionally cancelable, through a charge to provision
 
for credit losses in the Company’s consolidated
statements of earnings.
 
The allowance for credit losses on off-balance sheet credit exposures
 
is estimated by loan segment
at each balance sheet date under the current expected credit loss model using the same
 
methodologies as portfolio loans,
taking into consideration the likelihood that funding will occur as well as any third-party
 
guarantees. The allowance for
unfunded commitments is included in other liabilities on the Company’s
 
consolidated balance sheets.
On January 1, 2023, the Company recorded an adjustment for unfunded commitments of
 
$77 thousand upon the adoption of
ASC 326.
 
At September 30, 2023,
 
the liability for credit losses on off-balance-sheet credit exposures included in other
liabilities was $
0.2
 
million.