Note 9 - Loans |
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Loans, Notes, Trade and Other Receivables Disclosure [Text Block] |
9. Loans
Most of the Company’s business activities are with clients located in the high-density Asian-populated areas of Southern and Northern California; New York City, New York; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Seattle, Washington; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Edison, New Jersey; Rockville, Maryland; and Las Vegas, Nevada. The Company also has loan clients in Hong Kong. The Company has no specific industry concentration, and generally its loans, when secured, are secured by real property or other collateral of the borrowers. The Company generally expects loans to be paid off from the operating profits of the borrowers, from refinancing by other lenders, or through sale by the borrowers of the secured collateral.
The types of loans in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, were as follows:
As of September 30, 2023, recorded investment in non-accrual loans was $77.3 million. As of December 31, 2022, recorded investment in non-accrual loans totaled $68.9 million. For non-accrual loans, the amounts previously charged-off represent 6.2% and 14.1% of the contractual balances for non-accrual loans as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
The following tables present the average recorded investment and interest income recognized on non-accrual loans for the period indicated:
The following table presents non-accrual loans and the related allowance as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022:
The following tables present the aging of the loan portfolio by type as of September 30, 2023, and as of December 31, 2022:
The Company has adopted ASU 2022-02, "Financial Instruments – Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures" effective January 1, 2023. As part of the adoption, the Company has elected to apply the pending content prospectively and the practical expedient to exclude the accrued interest receivable balance from the disclosed amortized cost basis of loan modifications to debtors experiencing financial difficulty, consistent with our ACL approach discussed further below in this footnote.
Under the new guidance on loan modifications made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty, when a loan held for investment is modified and is considered to be a continuation of the original loan, the Company uses the post-modification contractual rate to derive the effective interest rate when using a discounted cash flow method to determine the allowance for credit loss.
The amendments in this new guidance eliminate the previous TDR recognition and measurement guidance and, instead, require that an entity evaluate whether the modification represents a new loan or a continuation of an existing loan.
Under the prior TDR guidance, a TDR is a formal modification of the terms of a loan when the lender, for economic or legal reasons related to the borrower’s financial difficulties, grants a concession to the borrower. The concessions may be granted in various forms, including a change in the stated interest rate, a reduction in the loan balance or accrued interest, or an extension of the maturity date. Although these loan modifications were considered TDRs, TDR loans that had, pursuant to the Bank’s policy, performed under the restructured terms and had demonstrated sustained performance under the modified terms for six months were returned to accrual status. The sustained performance considered by management pursuant to its policy included the periods prior to the modification if the prior performance met or exceeded the modified terms. This would include cash paid by the borrower prior to the restructuring to set up interest reserves. Loans classified as TDRs were reported as individually evaluated loans.
The allowance for credit loss on a TDR was measured using the same method as all other loans held for investment, except when the value of a concession could not be measured using a method other than the discounted cash flow method. Under the prior guidance when the value of a concession was measured using the discounted cash flow method, the allowance for credit loss was determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at the original interest rate of the loan.
Upon adoption of ASU 2022-02, the Company establishes a specific reserve for individually evaluated loans that do not share similar risk characteristics with the loans included in the quantitative baseline. These individually evaluated loans are removed from the pooling approach for the quantitative baseline, and include non-accrual loans, loan modifications made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty, and other loans as deemed appropriate by management. The Company applies the loan refinancing and restructuring guidance provided in ASU 2022-02 to determine whether a modification made to a borrower results in a new loan or a continuation of an existing loan.
If economic conditions or other factors worsen relative to the assumptions the Company utilized, the expected loan losses will increase accordingly in future periods.
As of December 31, 2022, under the prior TDR guidance, there were accruing TDRs of $15.1 million and non-accruing TDRs of $6.3 million. As of December 31, 2022, the Company allocated zero in reserves to accruing TDRs and $427 thousand to non-accruing TDRs.
The following tables set forth TDRs that were modified during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, and their specific reserves and charge-offs:
Modifications of the loan terms in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, were in the form of payment deferrals, term extensions, and interest rate reductions, or a combination thereof.
The following table presents the amortized cost of loans modified to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty disaggregated by class of financing receivable and type of concession granted and the financial effects of the modifications for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 by loan class and modification type:
The Company considers a loan to be in payment default once it is 60 to 90 days contractually past due under the modified terms. The Company tracks the performance of modified loans. A modified loan may become delinquent and may result in a payment default subsequent to modification. There were no loans that received a modification during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 that subsequently defaulted.
The following table presents the performance of loans that were modified during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.
A summary of TDRs by type of concession and by type of loan, as of December 31, 2022, is set forth in the table below:
Under the Company’s internal underwriting policy, an evaluation is performed of the probability that the borrower will be in payment default on any of its debt in the foreseeable future without the modification in order to determine whether a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty.
As of September 30, 2023, there were no commitments to lend additional funds to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty and whose loans were modified.
As part of the on-going monitoring of the credit quality of our loan portfolio, the Company utilizes a risk grading matrix to assign a risk grade to each loan. Loans are risk rated based on analysis of the current state of the borrower’s credit quality. The analysis of credit quality includes a review of sources of repayment, the borrower’s current financial and liquidity status and other relevant information. The risk rating categories can be generally described by the following grouping for non-homogeneous loans:
The following table summarizes the Company’s loans held for investment as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, presented by loan portfolio segments, internal risk ratings and vintage year. The vintage year is the year of origination, renewal or major modification:
Revolving loans that are converted to term loans presented in the table above are excluded from the term loans by vintage year columns.
Allowance for Credit Losses
The Company has an allowance framework under ASC Topic 326 for all financial assets measured at amortized cost and certain off-balance sheet credit exposures. The measurement of the allowance for credit losses is based on management’s best estimate of lifetime expected credit losses inherent in the Company’s relevant financial assets. The forward-looking concept of current expected credit loss (“CECL”) approach requires loss estimates to consider historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable economic forecasts of future events and circumstances.
The ACL is the combination of the allowance for loan losses and the reserve for unfunded loan commitments. The allowance for loan losses is reported as a reduction of the amortized cost basis of loans, while the reserve for unfunded loan commitments is included within "other liabilities" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited). The amortized cost basis of loans does not include accrued interest receivable, which is included in "accrued interest receivable" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The "Provision for credit losses" on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Unaudited) is a combination of the provision for loan losses and the provision for unfunded loan commitments.
Under the Company’s CECL approach, management estimates the ACL using relevant available information from internal and external sources, relating to past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable economic forecasts that vary by loan portfolio. We use economic forecasts from Moody’s Analytics in this process. The economic forecast is updated monthly; therefore, the one used for each quarter-end calculation is generally based on a one-month lag based on the timing of when the forecast is released. The Company does not consider a one-month lag to create a material difference but considers any subsequent material changes to our estimated loss forecasts as deemed appropriate. Historical credit loss experience provides the basis for the estimation of expected credit losses. Adjustments to historical loss information are made for differences in current loan-specific risk characteristics such as differences in underwriting standards, portfolio mix, delinquency level, or term as well as for changes in environmental conditions, such as changes in gross domestic product (or “GDP”), unemployment rates, property values, or other relevant factors.
Under the CECL methodology, quantitative and qualitative loss factors are applied to our population of loans on a collective pool basis when similar risk characteristics exist. The Company evaluates loans for expected credit losses on an individual basis if, based on current information and events, the loan does not share similar credit risk characteristics with other loans. The Company may choose to measure expected credit losses on an individual loan basis by using one of the following methods: (1) the present value of the expected future cash flows of the loan discounted at the loan’s original effective interest rate, or (2) if the loan is collateral dependent, the fair value of the collateral less costs to sell. For loans that are not collateral-dependent, the Company uses the present value of future cash flows.
Quantitative Factors
Under the Company’s CECL methodology, nine portfolio segments with similar risk characteristics are evaluated for expected loss. Six portfolios are modeled using econometric models and three smaller portfolios are evaluated using a simplified loss-rate method that calculates lifetime expected credit losses for the respective pools (simplified approach). The six portfolios subject to econometric modeling include residential mortgages; commercial and industrial loans (“C&I”); construction loans; commercial real estate (“CRE”) for multifamily loans; CRE for owner-occupied loans; and other CRE loans. We estimate the probability of default during the reasonable and supportable forecast period using separate econometric regression models developed to correlate macroeconomic variables, (GDP, unemployment, CRE prices and residential mortgage prices) to historical credit performance for each of the six loan portfolios from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2022. Loss given default rates are computed based on the charge-offs recognized divided by the exposure at default of defaulted loans starting with the fourth quarter of 2007 through the fourth quarter of 2022. The probability of default and the loss given default rates are applied to the expected amount at default at the loan level based on contractual scheduled payments and estimated prepayments. The amounts so calculated comprise the quantitative portion of the allowance for credit losses.
The Company’s CECL methodology utilizes an eight-quarter reasonable and supportable (“R&S”) forecast period, and a four-quarter reversion period. Management relies on multiple forecasts, blending them into a single loss estimate. Generally speaking, the blended scenario approach would include the Baseline, the Alternative Scenario 1 – Upside – 10th Percentile and the Alternative Scenario 3 – Downside – 90th Percentile forecasts. After the R&S period, the Company reverts linearly for the four-quarter reversion period to the long-term loss rates for each of the six portfolios of loans.
The Company’s CECL methodology estimates expected credit losses over the contractual term of the loans, adjusted for expected prepayments when appropriate. The contractual term excludes expected extensions, renewals, and modifications unless the extension or renewal options are included in the original or modified contract at the reporting date and are not unconditionally cancellable by the Company.
The simplified approach portfolios include Small Business Administration (“SBA”) loans, Home Equity Lines of Credit (“HELOCs”) and cash-secured loans, which are not modelled econometrically due to the low loss history for these three pools of loans. The forecasted loss rate is based on the forecasted GDP and unemployment rates during the first eight quarters of the portfolio’s contractual life, reversion loss rates for the next four quarters of the portfolio’s contractual life on a linear declining rate, and the long-term loss rate projected over the remainder of the portfolio’s contractual life.
Qualitative Factors
Under the Company’s CECL methodology, the qualitative portion of the reserve on pooled loans represents management’s judgment of additional considerations to account for internal and external risk factors that are not adequately measured in the quantitative reserve. The qualitative loss factors consider idiosyncratic risk factors, conditions that may not be reflected in quantitatively derived results, or other relevant factors to seek to ensure the allowance for credit losses reflects our best estimate of current expected credit losses. The qualitative reserves include reserves for policy exceptions, experience of management and staff, level of competition in the lending environment, weak risk identification, lack of historical experience with residential mortgage loans made to non-U.S. residents, oil & gas, included as part of the C&I loan portfolio, and the higher risk characteristics of purchased syndicated loans, and model uncertainty. Current and forecasted economic trends and underlying market values for collateral dependent loans also are considered within the econometric models described above.
The Company’s CECL methodology requires a significant amount of management judgment in determining the appropriate allowance for credit losses. Several of the steps in the methodology involve judgment and are subjective in nature including, among other things:
In addition, the CECL methodology is dependent on economic forecasts that are inherently imprecise and will change from period to period. Although the allowance for credit losses is considered by management to be appropriate, there can be no assurance that it will be sufficient to absorb future losses.
Management believes the allowance for credit losses is appropriate for the CECL in our loan portfolio and associated unfunded commitments, and the credit risk ratings and inherent loss rates currently assigned are reasonable and appropriate as of the reporting date.
Individually Evaluated Loans
When a loan no longer shares similar risk characteristics with other loans, such as in the case of certain nonaccrual loans, the Company estimates the allowance for loan losses on an individual loan basis. Generally, the allowance for loan losses for individually evaluated loans is measured as the difference between the recorded value of the loans and the fair value of the collateral. For loans evaluated individually, the Company uses one of two different asset valuation measurement methods: (1) the fair value of collateral less costs to sell; or (2) the present value of expected future cash flows. If an individually evaluated loan is determined to be collateral dependent, the Company applies the fair value of the collateral less costs to sell method. If an individually evaluated loan is determined not to be collateral dependent, the Company uses the present value of future cash flows.
Unfunded Loan Commitments
Unfunded loan commitments are generally related to providing credit facilities to clients of the Bank and are not actively traded financial instruments. These unfunded commitments are disclosed as off-balance sheet financial instruments in Note 10 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited).
The Company estimates expected credit losses over the contractual period in which the Company is exposed to credit risk via a contractual obligation to extend credit, unless that obligation is unconditionally cancellable by the Company, using the same loss factors as used for the allowance for loan losses. The reserve for unfunded loan commitments uses a one-year historical usage rate of the unfunded commitments during the contractual life of the commitments. The allowance for unfunded commitments is included in “other liabilities” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Changes in the allowance for unfunded commitments are included in the provision for credit losses.
The following tables set forth activity in the allowance for loan losses by portfolio segment for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2023, and June 30, 2022.
Three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022
Nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022
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