Consolidated Financial Statements (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]

Nature of Operations and Principles of Consolidation

Nature of Operations and Principles of Consolidation: The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of First Citizens Banc Corp (FCBC) and its wholly-owned subsidiaries: The Citizens Banking Company (Citizens), First Citizens Insurance Agency, Inc., and Water Street Properties, Inc. (Water St.). First Citizens Capital LLC (FCC) is wholly-owned by Citizens and holds inter-company debt. The operations of FCC are located in Wilmington, Delaware. First Citizens Investments, Inc. (FCI) is wholly-owned by Citizens and holds and manages Citizens’ securities portfolio. The operations of FCI are located in Wilmington, Delaware. The above companies together are referred to as the “Corporation”. Intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Corporation without audit. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (which include only normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the Corporation’s financial position as of June 30, 2012 and its results of operations and changes in cash flows for the periods ended June 30, 2012 and 2011 have been made. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with instructions of Form 10-Q, and therefore certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America have been omitted. The results of operations for the period ended June 30, 2012 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full year. Reference is made to the accounting policies of the Corporation described in the notes to the financial statements contained in the Corporation’s 2011 annual report. The Corporation has consistently followed these policies in preparing this Form 10-Q.

The Corporation provides financial services through its offices in the Ohio counties of Erie, Crawford, Champaign, Franklin, Logan, Madison, Summit, Huron, Union, Ottawa, and Richland. Its primary deposit products are checking, savings, and term certificate accounts, and its primary lending products are residential mortgage, commercial, and installment loans. Substantially all loans are secured by specific items of collateral including business assets, consumer assets and commercial and residential real estate. Commercial loans are expected to be repaid from cash flow from operations of businesses. There are no significant concentrations of loans to any one industry or customer. However, the customers’ ability to repay their loans is dependent on the real estate and general economic conditions in the area. Other financial instruments that potentially represent concentrations of credit risk include deposit accounts in other financial institutions and Federal Funds sold. First Citizens Insurance Agency, Inc. was formed to allow the Corporation to participate in commission revenue generated through its third party insurance agreement. Insurance commission revenue was less than 1.0% of total revenue through June 30, 2012. Water St. revenue was less than 1.0% of total revenue through June 30, 2012. Management considers the Corporation to operate primarily in one reportable segment, banking.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates: To prepare financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, management makes estimates and assumptions based on available information. These estimates and assumptions affect the amounts reported in financial statements and the disclosures provided, and future results could differ. The allowance for loan losses, impairment of goodwill, fair values of financial instruments, deferred taxes and pension obligations are particularly subject to change.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes: Income tax expense is based on the effective tax rate expected to be applicable for the entire year. Income tax expense is the total of the current year income tax due or refundable and the change in deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are the expected future tax amounts for the temporary differences between carrying amounts and tax basis of assets and liabilities, computed using enacted tax rates. A valuation allowance, if needed, reduces deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

Reclassifications

Reclassifications: Some items in the prior year financial statements were reclassified to conform to the current presentation.

Compensation-Retirement Benefits-Multiemployer Plans

Adoption of New Accounting Standards:

In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-09, Compensation-Retirement Benefits-Multiemployer Plans (Subtopic 715-80): Disclosures about an Employer’s Participation in a Multiemployer Plan. The amendments in this Update will require additional disclosures about an employer’s participation in a multiemployer pension plan to enable users of financial statements to assess the potential cash flow implications relating to an employer’s participation in multiemployer pension plans. The disclosures also will indicate the financial health of all of the significant plans in which the employer participates and assist a financial statement user to access additional information that is available outside the financial statements. For public entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for annual periods for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted. The amendments should be applied retrospectively for all prior periods presented. This Update is not expected to have a significant impact on the Corporation’s financial statements.

Property, Plant, and Equipment

Effect of Newly Issued but Not Yet Effective Accounting Standards:

In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-10, Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Derecognition of in Substance Real Estate-a Scope Clarification. The amendments in this Update affect entities that cease to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary that is in substance real estate as a result of default on the subsidiary's nonrecourse debt. Under the amendments in this Update, when a parent (reporting entity) ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary that is in substance real estate as a result of default on the subsidiary's nonrecourse debt, the reporting entity should apply the guidance in Subtopic 360-20 to determine whether it should derecognize the in substance real estate. Generally, a reporting entity would not satisfy the requirements to derecognize the in substance real estate before the legal transfer of the real estate to the lender and the extinguishment of the related nonrecourse indebtedness. That is, even if the reporting entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest under Subtopic 810-10, the reporting entity would continue to include the real estate, debt, and the results of the subsidiary's operations in its consolidated financial statements until legal title to the real estate is transferred to legally satisfy the debt. The amendments in this Update should be applied on a prospective basis to deconsolidation events occurring after the effective date. Prior periods should not be adjusted even if the reporting entity has continuing involvement with previously derecognized in substance real estate entities. For public entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after June 15, 2012. Early adoption is permitted. This Update is not expected to have a significant impact on the Corporation’s financial statements.

Balance Sheet

In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-11, Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. The amendments in this Update affect all entities that have financial instruments and derivative instruments that are either (1) offset in accordance with either Section 210-20-45 or Section 815-10-45 or (2) subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement. The requirements amend the disclosure requirements on offsetting in Section 210-20-50. This information will enable users of an entity's financial statements to evaluate the effect or potential effect of netting arrangements on an entity's financial position, including the effect or potential effect of rights of setoff associated with certain financial instruments and derivative instruments in the scope of this Update. An entity is required to apply the amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. An entity should provide the disclosures required by those amendments retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of the standard will have on the Corporation’s financial position or results of operations.

Fair Value Measurement

The Corporation uses a fair value hierarchy to measure fair value. The topic describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value. Level 1: Quoted prices for identical assets in active markets that are identifiable on the measurement date; Level 2: Significant other observable inputs, such as quoted prices for similar assets, quoted prices in markets that are not active and other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data; Level 3: Significant unobservable inputs that reflect the Corporation’s own view about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset.

Securities: The fair values of securities available for sale are determined by matrix pricing, which is a mathematical technique widely used in the industry to value debt securities without relying exclusively on quoted prices for the specific securities, but rather by relying on the securities’ relationship to other benchmark quoted securities (Level 2 inputs). Management uses significant unobservable inputs to determine the fair value of one security (Level 3 inputs). These inputs include appraised values of the underlying collateral and estimated costs to sell the collateral. The value of the collateral has been discounted to represent the value in a distressed sale situation.

Equity securities: The Corporation’s equity securities are not actively traded in an open market. The fair values of these equity securities available for sale are determined by using market data inputs for similar securities that are observable. (Level 2 inputs).

Impaired loans: The fair values of impaired loans are determined using the fair values of collateral for collateral dependent loans, or discounted cash flows. The Corporation uses independent appraisals, discounted cash flow models and other available data to estimate the fair value of collateral (Level 3 inputs).

Other real estate owned: The fair value of other real estate owned is determined using the fair value of collateral. The Corporation uses appraisals and other available data to estimate the fair value of collateral (Level 3 inputs). The appraised values are discounted to represent an estimated value in a distressed sale. Additionally, estimated costs to sell the property are used to further adjust the value.

Accounting for Costs Associated with Acquiring or Renewing Insurance Contracts

Bank owned life insurance:

The carrying value of bank owned life insurance approximates the fair value based on applicable redemption provisions.