Loan Securitization

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Loan Securitization [Abstract]

Loan Securitization

(8) Loan Securitization

During the third quarter of 2009, the Company entered into a revolving period securitization transaction sponsored by FIFC. In connection with the securitization, premium finance receivables – commercial were transferred to FIFC Premium Funding, LLC (the "securitization entity"). Principal collections on loans in the securitization entity were used to acquire and transfer additional loans into the securitization entity during the stated revolving period. As of December 31, 2011, the stated revolving period ended and the majority of collections are now being accumulated to pay off the issued instruments as scheduled. Additionally, upon the occurrence of certain events established in the representations and warranties, FIFC may be required to repurchase ineligible loans that were transferred to the entity. The Company's primary continuing involvement includes servicing the loans, retaining an undivided interest (the "seller's interest") in the loans, and holding certain retained interests.

Instruments issued by the securitization entity included $600 million Class A notes that bear an annual interest rate of one-month LIBOR plus 1.45% (the "Notes") and have an expected average term of 2.93 years with any unpaid balance due and payable in full on February 17, 2014. At the time of issuance, the Notes were eligible collateral under the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility ("TALF"). Class B and Class C notes ("Subordinated securities"), which are recorded in the form of zero coupon bonds, were also issued and were retained by the Company.

This securitization transaction is accounted for as a secured borrowing and the securitization entity is treated as a consolidated subsidiary of the Company under ASC 810, "Consolidation". The securitization entity's receivables underlying third-party investors' interests are recorded in loans, net of unearned income, excluding covered loans, an allowance for loan losses was established and the related debt issued is reported in secured borrowings—owed to securitization investors. Additionally, the Company's retained interests in the transaction, principally consisting of subordinated securities, cash collateral, and overcollateralization of loans, constitute intercompany positions, which are eliminated in the preparation of the Company's Consolidated Statements of Condition.

Upon transfer of premium finance receivables – commercial to the securitization entity, the receivables and certain cash flows derived from them become restricted for use in meeting obligations to the securitization entity's creditors. The securitization entity has ownership of interest-bearing deposit balances that also have restrictions, the amounts of which are reported in interest-bearing deposits with other banks. Investment of the interest-bearing deposit balances is limited to investments that are permitted under the governing documents of the transaction. With the exception of the seller's interest in the transferred receivables, the Company's interests in the securitization entity's assets are generally subordinate to the interests of third-party investors and, as such, may not be realized by the Company if needed to absorb deficiencies in cash flows that are allocated to the investors in the securitization entity's debt.

The carrying values and classification of the restricted assets and liabilities relating to the securitization activities are shown in the table below.

(Dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			March 31, 2011
Cash collateral accounts	$	2,017		$	4,427		$	1,759
Collections and interest funding accounts		527,401			268,165			33,871
Interest-bearing deposits with banks - restricted for securitization investors	$	529,418		$	272,592		$	35,630
Loans, net of unearned income - restricted for securitization investors	$	156,793		$	412,988		$	649,958
Allowance for loan losses		(661	)		(1,456	)		(2,165	)
Net loans - restricted for securitization investors	$	156,132		$	411,532		$	647,793
Other assets		2,045			2,319			2,457
Total assets	$	687,595		$	686,443		$	685,880
Secured borrowings - owed to securitization investors	$	600,000		$	600,000		$	600,000
Other liabilities		1,187			2,821			4,445
Total liabilities	$	601,187		$	602,821		$	604,445

During the first quarter of 2012, the Company purchased $172.0 million of the $600 million Notes in the open market and incurred $848,000 in debt defeasance costs. This defeasance of debt effectively reduced the outstanding Notes, on a consolidated basis, to $428.0 million as reflected on the Company's Consolidated Statements of Condition as secured borrowings owed to securitization investors. The table above details the securitization entity's assets and liabilities on a stand-alone basis.

The assets of the consolidated securitization entity are subject to credit, payment and interest rate risks on the transferred premium finance receivables - commercial. To protect investors, the securitization structure includes certain features that could result in earlier-than-expected repayment of the securities. Investors are allocated cash flows derived from activities related to the accounts comprising the securitized pool of receivables, the amounts of which reflect finance charges collected net of agent fees, certain fee assessments, and recoveries on charged-off accounts. From these cash flows, investors are reimbursed for charge-offs occurring within the securitized pool of receivables and receive the contractual rate of return and FIFC is paid a servicing fee as servicer. Any cash flows remaining in excess of these requirements are reported to investors as net yield and remitted to the Company. A net yield rate of less than 0% for a three month period would trigger an economic early amortization event. In addition to this performance measurement associated with the transferred loans, there are additional performance measurements and other events or conditions which could trigger an early amortization event. As of March 31, 2012, no economic or other early amortization events have occurred. Apart from the restricted assets related to securitization activities, the investors and the securitization entity have no recourse to the Company's other assets or credit for a shortage in cash flows.

The Company continues to service the loan receivables held by the securitization entity. FIFC receives a monthly servicing fee from the securitization entity based on a percentage of the monthly investor principal balance outstanding. Although the fee income to FIFC offsets the fee expense to the securitization entity and thus is eliminated in consolidation, failure to service the transferred loan receivables in accordance with contractual requirements could lead to a termination of the servicing rights and the loss of future servicing income.