BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	3 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES The Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) of First BanCorp. (“the Corporation”) have been prepared in conformity with the accounting policies stated in the Corporation's Audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted from these statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC and, accordingly, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements of the Corporation for the year ended December 31, 2013, which are included in the Corporation's 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. All adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the statement of financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods have been reflected. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The results of operations for the quarter and nine-month period ended September 30, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire year. Adoption of new accounting requirements and recently issued but not yet effective accounting requirements The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) has issued the following accounting pronouncements and guidance relevant to the Corporation's operations: In July 2013, the FASB updated the Codification to provide explicit guidelines on how to present an unrecognized tax benefit in financial statements when a net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. An unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit, should be presented in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward, except as follows. To the extent a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward is not available at the reporting date under the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction to settle any additional income taxes that would result from the disallowance of a tax position or the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction does not require the entity to use, and the entity does not intend to use, the deferred tax asset for such purpose, the unrecognized tax benefit should be presented in the financial statements as a liability and should not be combined with deferred tax assets. The assessment of whether a deferred tax asset is available is based on the unrecognized tax benefit and deferred tax asset that exist at the reporting date and should be made presuming disallowance of the tax position at the reporting date. The amendments are effective for public entities with fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2013. The adoption of this guidance in 2014 did not have an effect on the Corporation's financial statements as the Corporation's NOLs and tax credit carryfowards are not available to settle any additional income taxes that would result from the disallowance of the Corporation's unrecognized tax benefits. Refer to Note 18 for additional information about the Corporation's unrecognized tax benefits, including the settlement reached with the United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) in the third quarter of 2014. In January 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to clarify when a creditor should be considered to have received physical possession of residential real estate property collateralizing a consumer mortgage loan so that the loan should be derecognized and the real estate property recognized in the financial statements. The Update clarifies 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: (i) the creditor obtaining legal title to the residential real estate property upon completion of a foreclosure, or (ii) the borrower conveying all interest in the residential real estate property to the creditor to satisfy the loan through completion of a deed in lieu of foreclosure or through a similar legal agreement. In addition, creditors are required to disclose on an annual and interim basis both (i) the amount of the foreclosed residential real estate property held and (ii) 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 are effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 31, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The guidance can be implemented using either a modified retrospective transition method or a prospective transition method. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this guidance on its financial statements. In April 2014, the FASB issued an update to current accounting standards which will change the criteria for reporting discontinued operations. The amendments will also require new disclosures about discontinued operations and disposals of components of an entity that do not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The amendments are effective for the Corporation for new disposals (or classifications as held for sale) of components of the Corporation, should they occur, beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2016. Early adoption is permitted for disposals (or classifications as held for sale) that have not been previously reported. In May 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to create a new, principle-based revenue recognition framework. The Update is the culmination of efforts by the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board to develop a common revenue standard for U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. The core principal of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised 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. This guidance describes a 5-step process entities can apply to achieve the core principle of revenue recognition and requires disclosures sufficient to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers and the significant judgments used in determining that information. The amendments are effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is not permitted. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the presentation and disclosures in its financial statements. In June 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to respond to stakeholders' concerns about current accounting and disclosures for repurchase agreements and similar transactions. This Update requires two accounting changes. First, the Update changes the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions to secured borrowing accounting. Second, for repurchase financing arrangements, the Update requires 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. Additionally, the Update introduces new disclosures to (i) increase transparency about the types of collateral pledged in secured borrowing transactions and (ii) enable users to better understand transactions in which the transferor retains substantially all of the exposure to the economic return on the transferred financial asset throughout the term of the transaction. For public business entities, 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. All other accounting and disclosure amendments in the Update are effective for public business entities for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the presentation and disclosures in its financial statements, if any. In June 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to provide guidance for determining compensation cost under specific circumstances when an employee's compensation award is eligible to vest regardless of whether the employee is rendering service on the date the performance target is achieved. This Update becomes effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015 with early adoption permitted. The Update is effective for all business entities for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the presentation and disclosures in its financial statements, if any. In August 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to reduce the diversity found in the classification of certain foreclosed mortgage loans held by creditors that are either fully or partially guaranteed under government programs. Consistency in classification upon foreclosure is expected in order to provide more decision-useful information. The amendments in this Update require that a mortgage loan be derecognized and that a separate other receivable be recognized upon foreclosure if: (i) the loan has a government guarantee that is not separable from the loan before foreclosure; (ii) at the time of foreclosure, the creditor has the intent to convey the real estate property to the guarantor and make a claim on the guarantee, and the creditor has the ability to recover under the claim, and (iii) at the time of foreclosure, any amount of the claim that is determined on the basis of the fair value of the real estate is fixed. Upon foreclosure, the separate other receivable should be measured based on the amount of the loan balance (principal and interest) expected to be recovered from the guarantor. The Update is effective for public business entities for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2014. The guidance can be implemented using either a prospective transition method or a modified retrospective transition method. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the presentation and disclosures in its financial statements. In August 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to provide guidance in GAAP about management's responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures. Management's evaluation should be based on relevant conditions and events that are known and reasonably knowable at the date that the financial statements are issued. If conditions or events raise substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern, but the substantial doubt is alleviated as a result of consideration of management's plans, the entity should disclose information that enables users of the financial statements to understand. The Update is effective for all business entities for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual periods and interim periods thereafter. Early application is permitted. The Corporation expects the adoption of this guidance will have no impact on the Corporation's financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows and disclosures.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

3 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) of First BanCorp. (“the Corporation”) have been prepared in conformity with the accounting policies stated in the Corporation's Audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted from these statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC and, accordingly, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements of the Corporation for the year ended December 31, 2013, which are included in the Corporation's 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. All adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the statement of financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods have been reflected. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The results of operations for the quarter and nine-month period ended September 30, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire year.

Adoption of new accounting requirements and recently issued but not yet effective accounting requirements

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) has issued the following accounting pronouncements and guidance relevant to the Corporation's operations:

In July 2013, the FASB updated the Codification to provide explicit guidelines on how to present an unrecognized tax benefit in financial statements when a net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. An unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit, should be presented in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward, except as follows. To the extent a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward is not available at the reporting date under the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction to settle any additional income taxes that would result from the disallowance of a tax position or the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction does not require the entity to use, and the entity does not intend to use, the deferred tax asset for such purpose, the unrecognized tax benefit should be presented in the financial statements as a liability and should not be combined with deferred tax assets. The assessment of whether a deferred tax asset is available is based on the unrecognized tax benefit and deferred tax asset that exist at the reporting date and should be made presuming disallowance of the tax position at the reporting date. The amendments are effective for public entities with fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2013. The adoption of this guidance in 2014 did not have an effect on the Corporation's financial statements as the Corporation's NOLs and tax credit carryfowards are not available to settle any additional income taxes that would result from the disallowance of the Corporation's unrecognized tax benefits. Refer to Note 18 for additional information about the Corporation's unrecognized tax benefits, including the settlement reached with the United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) in the third quarter of 2014.

In January 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to clarify when a creditor should be considered to have received physical possession of residential real estate property collateralizing a consumer mortgage loan so that the loan should be derecognized and the real estate property recognized in the financial statements. The Update clarifies 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: (i) the creditor obtaining legal title to the residential real estate property upon completion of a foreclosure, or (ii) the borrower conveying all interest in the residential real estate property to the creditor to satisfy the loan through completion of a deed in lieu of foreclosure or through a similar legal agreement. In addition, creditors are required to disclose on an annual and interim basis both (i) the amount of the foreclosed residential real estate property held and (ii) 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 are effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 31, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The guidance can be implemented using either a modified retrospective transition method or a prospective transition method. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this guidance on its financial statements.

In April 2014, the FASB issued an update to current accounting standards which will change the criteria for reporting discontinued operations. The amendments will also require new disclosures about discontinued operations and disposals of components of an entity that do not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The amendments are effective for the Corporation for new disposals (or classifications as held for sale) of components of the Corporation, should they occur, beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2016. Early adoption is permitted for disposals (or classifications as held for sale) that have not been previously reported.

In May 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to create a new, principle-based revenue recognition framework. The Update is the culmination of efforts by the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board to develop a common revenue standard for U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. The core principal of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised 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. This guidance describes a 5-step process entities can apply to achieve the core principle of revenue recognition and requires disclosures sufficient to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers and the significant judgments used in determining that information. The amendments are effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is not permitted. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the presentation and disclosures in its financial statements.

In June 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to respond to stakeholders' concerns about current accounting and disclosures for repurchase agreements and similar transactions. This Update requires two accounting changes. First, the Update changes the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions to secured borrowing accounting. Second, for repurchase financing arrangements, the Update requires 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. Additionally, the Update introduces new disclosures to (i) increase transparency about the types of collateral pledged in secured borrowing transactions and (ii) enable users to better understand transactions in which the transferor retains substantially all of the exposure to the economic return on the transferred financial asset throughout the term of the transaction. For public business entities, 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. All other accounting and disclosure amendments in the Update are effective for public business entities for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the presentation and disclosures in its financial statements, if any.

In June 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to provide guidance for determining compensation cost under specific circumstances when an employee's compensation award is eligible to vest regardless of whether the employee is rendering service on the date the performance target is achieved. This Update becomes effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015 with early adoption permitted. The Update is effective for all business entities for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the presentation and disclosures in its financial statements, if any.

In August 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to reduce the diversity found in the classification of certain foreclosed mortgage loans held by creditors that are either fully or partially guaranteed under government programs. Consistency in classification upon foreclosure is expected in order to provide more decision-useful information. The amendments in this Update require that a mortgage loan be derecognized and that a separate other receivable be recognized upon foreclosure if: (i) the loan has a government guarantee that is not separable from the loan before foreclosure; (ii) at the time of foreclosure, the creditor has the intent to convey the real estate property to the guarantor and make a claim on the guarantee, and the creditor has the ability to recover under the claim, and (iii) at the time of foreclosure, any amount of the claim that is determined on the basis of the fair value of the real estate is fixed. Upon foreclosure, the separate other receivable should be measured based on the amount of the loan balance (principal and interest) expected to be recovered from the guarantor. The Update is effective for public business entities for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2014. The guidance can be implemented using either a prospective transition method or a modified retrospective transition method. The Corporation is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the presentation and disclosures in its financial statements.

In August 2014, the FASB updated the Codification to provide guidance in GAAP about management's responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures. Management's evaluation should be based on relevant conditions and events that are known and reasonably knowable at the date that the financial statements are issued. If conditions or events raise substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern, but the substantial doubt is alleviated as a result of consideration of management's plans, the entity should disclose information that enables users of the financial statements to understand. The Update is effective for all business entities for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual periods and interim periods thereafter. Early application is permitted. The Corporation expects the adoption of this guidance will have no impact on the Corporation's financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows and disclosures.