Note 1 - Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Disclosure Text Block [Abstract]

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

NOTE 1: BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Simmons First National Corporation (the “Company”) and its subsidiaries.  Significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

All adjustments made to the unaudited financial statements were of a normal recurring nature.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results of interim periods have been made.  Certain prior year amounts are reclassified to conform to current year classification.  The consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of December 31, 2012, has been derived from the audited consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of that date.  The results of operations for the period are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

Certain information and note disclosures normally included in the Company’s annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted.  These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Form 10-K Annual Report for 2012 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In July 2012, the FASB issued ASU 2012-02, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) – Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment.  ASU 2012-02 amends the guidance related to testing indefinite-lived intangible assets, other than goodwill, for impairment.  The provisions of ASU 2012-02 allow for a qualitative assessment in testing an indefinite-lived intangible asset for impairment before calculating the fair value of the asset.  If the qualitative assessment determines that it is more likely than not that the asset is impaired, then a quantitative assessment of the fair value of the asset is required; otherwise, the quantitative calculation is not necessary.  The provisions of ASU 2012-02 became effective for the Company on January 1, 2013, and did not have a significant impact on the Company’s ongoing financial position or results of operations.

In October, 2012, the FASB issued ASU 2012-06, Business Combinations (Topic 805) – Subsequent Accounting for an Indemnification Asset Recognized at the Acquisition Date as a Result of a Government-Assisted Acquisition of a Financial Institution.  ASU 2012-06 amends guidance on the subsequent accounting for an indemnification asset recognized at the acquisition date as a result of a government assisted acquisition of a financial institution.  ASU 2012-06 requires that a subsequent adjustment to the indemnification asset be measured on the same basis as the underlying indemnified assets.  Any amortization of changes in value of the indemnification asset should be limited to the lesser of the term of the indemnification agreement and the remaining life of the indemnified assets.  ASU 2012-06 became effective for the Company on January 1, 2013.  Because the Company has historically accounted for its indemnification assets in accordance with ASU 2012-06, its adoption did not have a significant impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

In February, 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-02, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) – Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.  ASU 2013-02 requires disclosure of amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income in their entirety, by component, on the face of the statement of comprehensive income or in the notes to the financial statements.  Amounts that are not required to be classified in their entirety to net income must be cross-referenced to other disclosures that provide additional detail.  ASU 2013-02 became effective prospectively for the Company on January 1, 2013, and did not have a significant impact on the Company's financial position or results of operations.

There have been no other significant changes to the Company’s accounting policies from the 2012 Form 10-K.  Presently, the Company is not aware of any other changes to the Accounting Standards Codification that will have a material impact on the Company’s present or future financial position or results of operations.

Acquisition Accounting, Covered Loans and Related Indemnification Asset

The Company accounts for its acquisitions under ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations, which requires the use of the purchase method of accounting.  All identifiable assets acquired, including loans, are recorded at fair value.  No allowance for loan losses related to the acquired loans is recorded on the acquisition date as the fair value of the loans acquired incorporates assumptions regarding credit risk.  Loans acquired are recorded at fair value in accordance with the fair value methodology prescribed in ASC Topic 820, exclusive of the shared loss agreements with the FDIC, if any.  The fair value estimates associated with the loans include estimates related to expected prepayments and the amount and timing of undiscounted expected principal, interest and other cash flows.

Over the life of the acquired loans, the Company continues to estimate cash flows expected to be collected on individual loans or on pools of loans sharing common risk characteristics and were treated in the aggregate when applying various valuation techniques.  The Company evaluates at each balance sheet date whether the present value of its loans determined using the effective interest rates has decreased and if so, recognizes a provision for loan loss in its consolidated statement of income.  For any increases in cash flows expected to be collected, the Company adjusts the amount of accretable yield recognized on a prospective basis over the loan’s or pool’s remaining life.

Because the FDIC will reimburse the Company for losses incurred on certain acquired loans, an indemnification asset is recorded at fair value at the acquisition date.  The indemnification asset is recognized at the same time as the indemnified loans, and measured on the same basis, subject to collectability or contractual limitations.  The shared-loss agreements on the acquisition date reflect the reimbursements expected to be received from the FDIC, using an appropriate discount rate, which reflects counterparty credit risk and other uncertainties.

The shared-loss agreements continue to be measured on the same basis as the related indemnified loans.  Because the acquired loans are subject to the accounting prescribed by ASC Topic 310, subsequent changes to the basis of the shared-loss agreements also follow that model.  Deterioration in the credit quality of the loans (immediately recorded as an adjustment to the allowance for loan losses) would immediately increase the basis of the shared-loss agreements, with the offset recorded through the consolidated statement of income.  Increases in the credit quality or cash flows of loans (reflected as an adjustment to yield and accreted into income over the remaining life of the loans) decrease the basis of the shared-loss agreements, with such decrease being accreted into income over 1) the same period or 2) the life of the shared-loss agreements, whichever is shorter.  Loss assumptions used in the basis of the indemnified loans are consistent with the loss assumptions used to measure the indemnification asset.  Fair value accounting incorporates into the fair value of the indemnification asset an element of the time value of money, which is accreted back into income over the life of the shared-loss agreements.

Upon the determination of an incurred loss the indemnification asset will be reduced by the amount owed by the FDIC.  A corresponding, claim receivable is recorded until cash is received from the FDIC.  For further discussion of the Company’s acquisition and loan accounting, see Note 5, Loans Acquired.

Earnings Per Share (“EPS)

Basic EPS is computed by dividing reported net income by weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each period.  Diluted EPS is computed by dividing reported net income by the weighted average common shares and all potential dilutive common shares outstanding during the period.

Following is the computation of per share earnings for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012:

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
(In thousands, except per share data)	2013		2012		2013		2012
Net income	$	6,932	$	6,760	$	19,445	$	19,651
Average common shares outstanding		16,220		16,757		16,383		17,005
Average potential dilutive common shares		5		3		5		3
Average diluted common shares		16,225		16,760		16,388		17,008
Basic earnings per share	$	0.43	$	0.41	$	1.19	$	1.16
Diluted earnings per share	$	0.43	$	0.41	$	1.19	$	1.16

Stock options to purchase 138,528 and 177,870 shares for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, were not included in the diluted EPS calculation because the exercise price of those options exceeded the average market price.