SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

Citizens Bancshares Corporation (the “Company”) is a holding company that provides a full range of commercial and personal banking services to individual and corporate customers in metropolitan Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia, and in Birmingham and Eutaw, Alabama, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Citizens Trust Bank (the “Bank”).  The Bank operates under a state charter and serves its customers through seven full-service financial centers in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, one full-service financial center in Columbus, Georgia, one full-service financial center in Birmingham, Alabama, and one full-service financial center in Eutaw, Alabama.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations for reporting on Form 10-Q.  Accordingly, certain disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles are not included herein. These interim statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the year ended December 31, 2012.  The results of operations for the interim periods reported herein are not necessarily representative of the results expected for the full 2013 fiscal year.

The consolidated financial statements of the Company for the three month period ended March 31, 2013 are unaudited.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and results of operations and cash flows for the three month period have been included.  All adjustments are of a normal recurring nature.  All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Troubled Asset Relief Program

Troubled Asset Relief Program

On August 13, 2010, as part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) Troubled Asset Relief Program (“TARP”) Community Development Capital Initiative, the Company entered into a Letter Agreement, and an Exchange Agreement—Standard Terms (“Exchange Agreement”), with the Treasury, pursuant to which the Company agreed to exchange 7,462 shares of the Company’s Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A (“Series A Preferred Shares”), issued on March 6, 2009, pursuant to the Company’s participation in the TARP Capital Purchase Program, for 7,462 shares of the Company’s Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series B (“Series B Preferred Shares”), both of which have a liquidation preference of $1,000 (the “Exchange Transaction”).  No new monetary consideration was exchanged in connection with the Exchange Transaction.  The Exchange Transaction closed on August 13, 2010 (the “Closing Date”).

On September 17, 2010, the Company issued 4,379 shares of its Series C Preferred Shares to the Treasury as part of its TARP Community Development Capital Initiative for a total of 11,841 shares of Series B and C Preferred Shares issued to Treasury.  The issuance of the Series B and Series C Preferred Shares was a private placement exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

The Series B and Series C Preferred Shares qualify as Tier 1 capital and will pay cumulative dividends at a rate of 2% per annum for the first eight years after the Closing Date and 9% per annum thereafter.  The Company may, subject to consultation with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, redeem the Series B and Series C Preferred Shares at any time for its aggregate liquidation amount plus any accrued and unpaid dividends.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In July 2012, the Intangibles topic was amended to permit an entity to consider qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that indefinite-lived intangible assets are impaired. If it is determined to be more likely than not that indefinite-lived intangible assets are impaired, then the entity is required to determine the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset and perform the quantitative impairment test by comparing the fair value with the carrying amount. The amendments are effective for annual and interim impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

The Comprehensive Income topic of the ASC was amended in June 2011.  The amendment eliminated the option to present other comprehensive income as a part of the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity and required consecutive presentation of the statement of net income and other comprehensive income.  The amendments were applicable to the Company January 1, 2012 and have been applied retrospectively.  In December 2011, the topic was further amended to defer the effective date of presenting reclassification adjustments from other comprehensive income to net income on the face of the financial statements while the FASB redeliberated the presentation requirements for the reclassification adjustments.  In February 2013, the FASB further amended the Comprehensive Income topic clarifying the conclusions from such redeliberations.  Specifically, the amendments do not change the current requirements for reporting net income or other comprehensive income in financial statements.  However, the amendments do require an entity to provide information about the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by component.  In addition, in certain circumstances an entity is required to present, either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or in the notes, significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income.  The amendments are effective for the Company on a prospective basis for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2012. Early adoption is permitted.  These amendments did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

Other accounting standards that have been issued or proposed by the FASB or other standards-setting bodies are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.