Regulatory Matters

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Regulatory Capital Requirements [Abstract]

Regulatory Matters

NOTE 19 REGULATORY MATTERS:

Restrictions on Cash and Due From Banks

The Corporation’s bank subsidiary is required to maintain certain vault cash and reserve balances with the Federal Reserve Bank to meet specific reserve requirements. These requirements approximated $64 million at December 31, 2015.

Regulatory Capital Requirements

The Corporation and its subsidiary bank are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal banking agencies. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory and possible additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on the Corporation’s financial statements. Under capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, the Corporation must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of the Corporation’s assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices. The Corporation’s capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings, and other factors.

Quantitative measures established by regulation to ensure capital adequacy require the Corporation to maintain minimum amounts and ratios (set forth in the table below) of total and Common equity Tier 1 capital (as defined in the regulations) to risk-weighted assets (as defined), and of Tier 1 capital (as defined) to average assets (as defined). Management believes, as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, that the Corporation meets all capital adequacy requirements to which it is subject.

In July 2013, the Federal Reserve and the OCC, the primary federal regulators for the Corporation and the Bank, respectively, published final rules (the “Basel III Capital Rules”) establishing a new comprehensive capital framework for U.S. banking organizations. The rules implement the Basel Committee’s December 2010 framework known as “Basel III” for strengthening international capital standards as well as certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. For additional information on Basel III and the Dodd-Frank Act, see Part I, Item 1.

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the most recent notifications from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation categorized the subsidiary bank as well capitalized under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action. To be categorized as well capitalized, the subsidiary bank must maintain minimum ratios as set forth in the table. There are no conditions or events since that notification that management believes have changed the institution’s category. The actual capital amounts and ratios of the Corporation and its significant subsidiary are presented below. No deductions from capital were made for interest rate risk in 2015 or 2014.

	Actual				For Capital Adequacy Purposes					To Be Well Capitalized Under Prompt Corrective Action Provisions:(2)
($ in Thousands)	Amount		Ratio(1)		Amount		Ratio(1)			Amount		Ratio(1)
As of December 31, 2015
Associated Banc-Corp
Total capital	$	2,515,861	12.62	%	$	1,594,397	≥	8.00	%
Tier 1 capital	2,016,861		10.12		797,199		≥	4.00	%
Common equity Tier 1 capital	1,897,944		9.52		896,848		≥	4.50	%
Leverage	2,016,861		7.60		1,061,325		≥	4.00	%
Associated Bank, N.A.
Total capital	$	2,532,563	12.76	%	$	1,588,070	≥	8.00	%	$	1,985,088	≥	10.00	%
Tier 1 capital	2,283,785		11.50		794,035		≥	4.00	%	1,191,053		≥	6.00	%
Common equity Tier 1 capital	2,084,589		10.50		893,289		≥	4.50	%	1,290,307		≥	6.50	%
Leverage	2,283,785		8.64		1,057,228		≥	4.00	%	1,321,535		≥	5.00	%
As of December 31, 2014
Associated Banc-Corp
Total capital	$	2,350,898	12.66	%	$	1,485,412	≥	8.00	%
Tier 1 capital	1,868,059		10.06		742,706		≥	4.00	%
Common equity Tier 1 capital	N/A		N/A		N/A		≥	N/A
Leverage	1,868,059		7.48		998,967		≥	4.00	%
Associated Bank, N.A.
Total capital	$	2,449,514	13.26	%	$	1,477,785	≥	8.00	%	$	1,847,231	≥	10.00	%
Tier 1 capital	2,217,861		12.01		738,892		≥	4.00	%	1,108,339		≥	6.00	%
Common equity Tier 1 capital	N/A		N/A		N/A		≥	N/A		N/A		≥	N/A
Leverage	2,217,861		8.92		994,103		≥	4.00		1,242,628		≥	5.00	%

1) Total capital ratio is defined as Tier 1 capital plus Tier 2 capital divided by total risk-weighted assets. The Tier 1 Capital ratio is defined as Tier 1 capital divided by total risk-weighted assets. Common equity Tier 1 is defined as Tier 1 capital excluding qualifying perpetual preferred stock and qualifying trust preferred securities divided by total risk weighted assets. The leverage ratio is defined as Tier 1 capital divided by the most recent quarter’s average total assets.

2) Prompt corrective action provisions are not applicable at the bank holding company level.