Consolidated Financial Statements (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2014

Accounting Policies [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., Water Street Properties, Inc. (Water St.) and FC Refund Solutions, Inc (FCRS). FCRS was formed to facilitate payment of individual state and federal income tax refunds. First Citizens Capital LLC (FCC) is wholly-owned by Citizens and holds intercompany debt. The operations of FCC are located in Wilmington, Delaware. First Citizens Investments, Inc. (FCI) is wholly-owned by Citizens and holds and manages its securities portfolio. The operations of FCI are located in Wilmington, Delaware. The above companies together are referred to as the “Company.” Intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company without audit. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (which include only normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position as of June 30, 2014 and its results of operations and changes in cash flows for the periods ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 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, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full year. Reference is made to the accounting policies of the Company described in the notes to the financial statements contained in the Company’s 2013 annual report. The Company has consistently followed these policies in preparing this Form 10-Q.

The Company provides financial services through its offices in the Ohio counties of Erie, Crawford, Champaign, Franklin, Logan, Madison, Summit, Huron, 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. Citizens has one concentration to lessors of residential buildings and dwellings totaling $100,376 million or 11.6 percent of total loans as of June 30, 2014. This portfolio predominantly consists of commercial loans financing multi-family real estate. This segment of the portfolio is stable and has been conservatively underwritten, monitored and managed by experienced commercial lenders. 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 Company 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, 2014. Water St. revenue was less than 1.0% of total revenue through June 30, 2014. Management considers the Company 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.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities: The Company enters into swap agreements to facilitate the risk management strategies of a small number of commercial banking customers. All derivatives are accounted for in accordance with ASC-815, Derivatives and Hedging. The Company mitigates the risk of entering into these agreements by entering into equal and offsetting swap agreements with highly rated third party financial institutions. The swap agreements are free-standing derivatives and are recorded at fair value in the Company’s consolidated statements of condition. The Company is party to master netting arrangements with its financial institution counterparties; however, the Company does not offset assets and liabilities under these arrangements for financial statement presentation purposes. The master netting arrangements provide for a single net settlement of all swap agreements, as well as collateral, in the event of default on, or termination of, any one contract. Collateral, usually in the form of marketable securities, is posted by the counterparty with net liability positions in accordance with contract thresholds.

Effect of Newly Issued but Not Yet Effective Accounting Standards

Effect of Newly Issued but Not Yet Effective Accounting Standards:

In January 2014, FASB issued ASU 2014-01, Investments – Equity Method and Join Ventures (Topic 323): Accounting for Investments in Qualified Affordable Housing Projects. The amendments in this Update permit reporting entities to make an accounting policy election to account for their investments in qualified affordable housing projects using the proportional amortization method if certain conditions are met. Under the proportional amortization method, an entity amortizes the initial cost of the investment in proportion to the tax credits and other tax benefits received and recognizes the net investment performance in the income statement as a component of income tax expense (benefit). The amendments in this Update should be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. A reporting entity that uses the effective yield method to account for its investments in qualified affordable housing projects before the date of adoption may continue to apply the effective yield method for those preexisting investments. The amendments in this Update are effective for public business entities for annual periods and interim reporting periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2014. Early adoption is permitted. Adoption of this Update is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.

In January 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-04, Receivables – Troubled Debt Restructurings by Creditors (Subtopic 310-40): Reclassification of Residential Real Estate Collateralized Consumer Mortgage Loans upon Foreclosure. The amendments in this Update clarify that an in substance repossession or foreclosure occurs, and a creditor is considered to have received physical possession of residential real estate property collateralizing a consumer mortgage loan, upon either (1) the creditor obtaining legal title to the residential real estate property upon completion of a foreclosure or (2) the borrower conveying all interest in the residential real estate property to the creditor to satisfy that loan through completion of a deed in lieu of foreclosure or through a similar legal agreement. Additionally, the amendments require interim and annual disclosure of both (1) the amount of foreclosed residential real estate property held by the creditor and (2) the recorded investment in consumer mortgage loans collateralized by residential real estate property that are in the process of foreclosure according to local requirements of the applicable jurisdiction. The amendments in this Update are effective for public business entities for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2014. An entity can elect to adopt the amendments in this Update using either a modified retrospective transition method or a prospective transition method. This ASU is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (a new revenue recognition standard). The Update’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In addition, this update specifies the accounting for certain costs to obtain or fulfill a contract with a customer and expands disclosure requirements for revenue recognition. This Update is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. The Company is evaluating the effect of adopting this new accounting Update.

In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-10, Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860): Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financings, and Disclosures. The amendments in this Update change the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions to secured borrowing accounting. For repurchase financing arrangements, the amendments require separate accounting for a transfer of a financial asset executed contemporaneously with a repurchase agreement with the same counterparty, which will result in secured borrowing accounting for the repurchase agreement. The amendments also require enhanced disclosures. The accounting changes in this Update are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. An entity is required to present changes in accounting for transactions outstanding on the effective date as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. Earlier application is prohibited. The disclosure for certain transactions accounted for as a sale is required to be presented for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2014, and the disclosure for repurchase agreements, securities lending transactions, and repurchase-to-maturity transactions accounted for as secured borrowings is required to be presented for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2014, and for interim periods beginning after March 15, 2015. The disclosures are not required to be presented for comparative periods before the effective date. This Update is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.

In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-12, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Accounting for Share-Based Payments when the Terms of an Award Provide that a Performance Target Could Be Achieved After the Requisite Service Period. The amendments require that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition. The amendments in this Update are effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Earlier adoption is permitted. Entities may apply the amendments in this Update either (a) prospectively to all awards granted or modified after the effective date or (b) retrospectively to all awards with performance targets that are outstanding as of the beginning of the earliest annual period presented in the financial statements and to all new or modified awards thereafter. If retrospective transition is adopted, the cumulative effect of applying this Update as of the beginning of the earliest annual period presented in the financial statements should be recognized as an adjustment to the opening retained earnings balance at that date. Additionally, if retrospective transition is adopted, an entity may use hindsight in measuring and recognizing the compensation cost. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of the standard will have on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.