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Current Accounting Developments (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

East West Bancorp, Inc. (referred to herein on an unconsolidated basis as “East West” and on a consolidated basis as the “Company”) is a registered bank holding company that offers a full range of banking services to individuals and businesses through its subsidiary bank, East West Bank and its subsidiaries (“East West Bank” or the “Bank”). The unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“this Form 10-Q”) include the accounts of East West, East West Bank and East West’s subsidiaries. Intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation. As of June 30, 2021, East West also has six wholly-owned subsidiaries that are statutory business trusts (the “Trusts”). In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810, Consolidation, the Trusts are not included on the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Basis of Presentation

The unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements are presented in accordance with United States (“U.S.”) generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), applicable guidelines prescribed by regulatory authorities and general practices in the banking industry. They reflect all adjustments that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for fair presentation of the interim Consolidated Financial Statements. Certain items on the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes for the prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.

New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted


Standard	Required Date of Adoption	Description	Effect on Financial Statements
Standards Adopted in 2021
ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting and subsequent related ASU 2021-01, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Scope	Effective for all entities from the dates of issuance through December 31, 2022.	In March 2020, the FASB issued an ASU related to contracts or hedging relationships that reference London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or other reference rates that are expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform. This ASU provides temporary optional expedients and exceptions regarding the accounting requirements related to the modification of certain contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions that are affected by the reference rate reform. The guidance permits the Company to make a one-time election to sell and/or transfer qualifying held-to-maturity securities, and not to apply modification accounting or remeasure lease payments in lease contracts if the changes to the contract are related to the discontinuation of the reference rate. If certain criteria are met, the amendments also allow exceptions to the de-designation criteria of the hedging relationships and the assessment of hedge effectiveness during the transition period. This one-time election may be made at any time after March 12, 2020, but no later than December 31, 2022. In January 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-01 as subsequent amendments, which expanded the scope of Topic 848 to include all affected derivatives and clarified certain optional expedients and exceptions regarding the hedge accounting for derivative contracts affected by the discounting transition. The amendments of this guidance could be elected retrospectively or prospectively to new modifications made on or after the date of issuance of this ASU, January 7, 2021.	The Company adopted this guidance on a prospective basis in January 2021. At the time of adoption, the guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company will continue to track the exposure as of each reporting period and to assess the impact as the reference rate transition occurs through the cessation of LIBOR.


ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes	January 1, 2021 Early adoption is permitted on January 1, 2020.	This ASU simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the existing guidance. This includes removing exceptions to: 1) the incremental approach for intraperiod tax allocation, 2) the requirement to recognize a deferred tax liability for equity method investments when a foreign subsidiary becomes an equity method investment, 3) the ability not to recognize a deferred tax liability when a foreign equity method investment becomes a subsidiary, and 4) the general methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period when a year-to-date loss exceeds the anticipated loss for the year. In addition, this ASU simplifies the accounting for income taxes related to franchise taxes, the tax basis of goodwill and the method for recognizing an enacted change in tax laws. This ASU also specifies that an entity is not required to allocate the consolidated amount of tax expense to a legal entity that is not subject to tax in its separate financial statements. This ASU also makes improvements in the accounting for income taxes related to employee stock ownership plans and equity method investments in qualified affordable housing projects. This guidance should be applied on either a retrospective, modified retrospective or prospective basis depending on the amendments.	The Company adopted this guidance in January 2021 using the transition guidance prescribed by this ASU. At the time of adoption, this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

Fair Value Determination

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or the price that would be paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In determining the fair value of financial instruments, the Company uses various methods including market and income approaches. Based on these approaches, the Company utilizes certain assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or a liability. These inputs can be readily observable, market corroborated or generally unobservable. The Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The fair value hierarchy described below is based on the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair value. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices available in active markets and the lowest priority to prices derived from data lacking transparency. The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities is classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:

•Level 1 — Valuation is based on quoted prices for identical instruments traded in active markets.

•Level 2 — Valuation is based on quoted prices for similar instruments traded in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments traded in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations whose inputs are observable and can be corroborated by market data.

•Level 3 — Valuation is based on significant unobservable inputs for determining the fair value of assets or liabilities. These significant unobservable inputs reflect assumptions that market participants may use in pricing the assets or liabilities.

The classification of assets and liabilities within the hierarchy is based on whether inputs to the valuation methodology used are observable or unobservable, and the significance of those inputs in the fair value measurement. The Company’s assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to their fair value measurements.

Balance Sheet Offsetting

The Company’s resale and repurchase agreements are transacted under legally enforceable master repurchase agreements that, in the event of default by the counterparty, provide the Company the right to liquidate securities held and to offset receivables and payables with the same counterparty. The Company nets resale and repurchase transactions with the same counterparty on the Consolidated Balance Sheet when it has a legally enforceable master netting agreement and the transactions are eligible for netting under ASC 210-20-45-11, Balance Sheet Offsetting: Repurchase and Reverse Repurchase Agreements.

Cash Flow Hedges

For cash flow hedges, the entire change in the fair value of the hedging instruments is recognized in AOCI and reclassified to earnings in the same period when the hedged cash flows impact earnings. Reclassified gains and losses on interest rate swaps are recorded in the same line item as the interest payments of the hedged long-term borrowings within Interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Credit Quality Indicators

All loans are subject to the Company’s credit review and monitoring process. For the commercial portfolio, loans are risk rated based on an analysis of the borrower’s current payment performance or delinquency, repayment sources, financial and liquidity factors, including industry and geographic considerations. For the majority of the consumer portfolio, payment performance or delinquency is the driving indicator for the risk ratings. The Company utilizes internal credit risk ratings to assign each individual loan a risk rating of one through 10. Loans risk rated one through five are assigned an internal risk rating of “Pass.” Loans risk rated one are typically loans fully secured by cash. Pass loans have sufficient sources of repayment to repay the loan in full, in accordance with all terms and conditions. Loans assigned a risk rating of six have potential weaknesses that warrant closer attention by management; these are assigned an internal risk rating of “Special Mention.” Loans assigned a risk rating of seven or eight have well-defined weaknesses that may jeopardize the full and timely repayment of the loan; these are assigned an internal risk rating of “Substandard.” Loans assigned a risk rating of nine have insufficient sources of repayment and a high probability of loss; these are assigned an internal risk rating of “Doubtful.” Loans assigned a risk rating of 10 are uncollectible and of such little value that they are no longer considered bankable assets; these are assigned an internal risk rating of “Loss.” Exposures categorized as criticized consist of special mention, substandard, doubtful and loss categories. The Company reviews the internal risk ratings of its loan portfolio on a regular basis, and adjusts the ratings based on changes in the borrowers’ financial status and the collectability of the loans.

Allowance for Credit Losses

The Company has an allowance framework under ASU 2016-13 for all financial assets measured at amortized cost and certain off-balance sheet credit exposures. The measurement of the allowance for credit losses is based on management’s best estimate of lifetime expected credit losses inherent in the Company’s relevant financial assets.

The allowance for credit losses is deducted from the amortized cost basis of a financial asset or a group of financial assets so that the balance sheet reflects the net amount the Company expects to collect. Amortized cost is the principal balance outstanding, net of purchase premiums and discounts, deferred fees and costs, and escrow advances. Subsequent changes in expected credit losses are recognized in net income as a provision for, or a reversal of, credit loss expense.

The process of the allowance for credit losses involves procedures to consider the unique risk characteristics of the portfolio segments. The majority of the Company’s credit exposures share risk characteristics with other similar exposures, and as a result are collectively evaluated. The collectively evaluated loans cover performing risk-rated loans and unfunded credit commitments. If an exposure does not share risk characteristics with other exposures, the Company generally estimates expected credit losses on an individual basis. The individually assessed loans cover loans modified in a TDR and collateral-dependent loans, as well as, risk-rated loans that have been placed on nonaccrual status.

Allowance for Collectively Evaluated Loans

The allowance for collectively evaluated loans consists of a quantitative component that assesses many different risk factors that we consider in our models and a qualitative component that considers risk factors external to the models. Each of these components are described below.

Quantitative Component — The allowance for loan losses is estimated using quantitative methods that consider a variety of factors such as historical loss experience, the current credit quality of the portfolio, and an economic outlook over the life of the loan. The Company incorporates forward-looking information using macroeconomic scenarios applied over the forecasted life of the loans. The forward-looking information is limited to the reasonable and supportable period. These macroeconomic scenarios include variables that are considered key drivers of increases and decreases in credit losses. The Company utilizes a probability-weighted multiple scenario forecast approach. These scenarios may consist of a base forecast representing management's view of the most likely outcome, and downside or upside scenarios reflecting possible worsening or improving economic conditions. The quantitative models incorporate a probability-weighted calculation of these macroeconomic scenarios over a reasonable and supportable forecast period. If the loans’ lives extend beyond the reasonable and supportable forecast period, then historical experience, or long-run macroeconomic trends, are considered over the remaining lives of the loans to estimate allowance for loan losses.

Qualitative Component — The Company also considers the following qualitative factors in the determination of the collectively evaluated allowance, if these factors have not already been captured by the quantitative model. Such qualitative factors may include, but are not limited to:

•Loan growth trends;

•The volume and severity of past due financial assets, and the volume and severity of adversely classified financial assets;

•The Company’s lending policies and procedures, including changes in lending strategies, underwriting standards, collection, write-off and recovery practices;

•Knowledge of a borrower’s operations;

•The quality of the Company’s credit review system;

•The experience, ability and depth of the Company’s management, lending associates and other relevant associates;

•The effect of other external factors such as the regulatory and legal environments and changes in technology;

•Actual and expected changes in international, national, regional, and local economic and business conditions in which the Company operates; and

•Risk factors in certain industry sectors not captured by the quantitative models.

The magnitude of the impact of these factors on the Company’s qualitative assessment of the allowance for credit losses changes from period to period according to changes made by management in its assessment of these factors. The extent to which these factors change may be dependent on whether they are already reflected in quantitative loss estimates during the current period and the extent to which changes in these factors diverge from period to period. For both the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, there were no changes to the reasonable and supportable forecast period and reversion to historical loss experience method.

The following table provides key credit risk characteristics and macroeconomic variables that the Company uses to estimate the expected credit losses by portfolio segment:

Portfolio Segment

Risk Characteristics

Macroeconomic Variables

C&I

Internal risk rating, size and credit spread at origination, and time to maturity

Unemployment rate, and two- and ten-year U.S. Treasury spread

CRE, Multifamily residential, and Construction and land

Delinquency status, maturity date, collateral value, property type, and geographic location

Unemployment rate, GDP, and U.S. Treasury rates

Single-family residential and HELOCs

FICO score, delinquency status, maturity date, collateral value, and geographic location

Unemployment rate, GDP, and home price index

Other consumer

Historical loss experience

Immaterial (1)

(1)Macroeconomic variables are included in the qualitative estimate.

Allowance for Loan Losses for the Commercial Loan Portfolio — The Company’s C&I loan lifetime loss rate model estimates credit losses by estimating a loss rate expected over the life of a loan. This loss rate is applied to the amortized cost basis, excluding accrued interest receivable, to determine expected credit losses. The lifetime loss rate model’s reasonable and supportable period spans eight quarters, thereafter immediately reverting to the historical average loss rate, expressed through the loan-level lifetime loss rate.

For CRE, multifamily residential, and construction and land loans, projected probability of defaults (“PDs”) and loss given defaults (“LGDs”) are applied to the estimated exposure at default, considering the term and payment structure of the loan, to generate estimates of expected loss at the loan level. After the reasonable and supportable period, the forecast of future economic conditions returns to long-run historical economic trends.

In order to estimate the life of a loan under both models, the contractual term of the loan is adjusted for estimated prepayments based on historical prepayment experience.

Allowance for Loan Losses for the Consumer Loan Portfolio — For single-family residential and HELOC loans, projected PDs and LGDs are applied to the estimated exposure at default, considering the term and payment structure of the loan, to generate estimates of expected loss at the loan level. After the reasonable and supportable period, the forecast of future economic conditions returns to long-run historical economic trends. For other consumer loans, the Company uses a loss rate approach.

In order to estimate the life of a loan for the consumer portfolio, the contractual term of the loan is adjusted for estimated prepayments based on historical prepayment experience.

Qualitative Allowance for Collectively Evaluated Loans — While the Company’s allowance methodologies strive to reflect all relevant credit risk factors, there continues to be uncertainty associated with, but not limited to, potential imprecision in the estimation process due to the inherent time lag of obtaining information and normal variations between expected and actual outcomes. The Company may hold additional qualitative reserves that are designed to provide coverage for losses attributable to such risk.

Allowance for Individually Evaluated Loans

When a loan no longer shares similar risk characteristics with other loans, such as in the case of certain nonaccrual or TDR loans, the Company estimates the allowance for loan losses on an individual loan basis. The allowance for loan losses for individually evaluated loans is measured as the difference between the recorded value of the loans and their fair value. For loans evaluated individually, the Company uses one of three different asset valuation measurement methods: (1) the fair value of collateral less costs to sell; (2) the present value of expected future cash flows; and (3) the loan's observable market price. If an individually evaluated loan is determined to be collateral dependent, the Company applies the fair value of the collateral less costs to sell method. If an individually evaluated loan is determined not to be collateral dependent, the Company uses the present value of future cash flows or the observable market value of the loan.

Collateral-Dependent Loans — When a loan is collateral-dependent, the allowance is measured on an individual loan basis and is limited to the difference between the recorded value and fair value of the collateral less cost of disposal or sale.

Investments in Qualified Affordable Housing Partnerships, Net and Investments in Tax Credit and Other Investments, Net

The Company records its investments in qualified affordable housing partnerships, net, using the proportional amortization method. Under the proportional amortization method, the Company amortizes the initial cost of the investment in proportion to the tax credits and other tax benefits received, and recognizes the amortization in Income tax expense on the Consolidated Statement of Income.Depending on the ownership percentage and the influence the Company has on the investments in tax credit and other investments, net, the Company applies the equity or cost method of accounting, or the measurement alternative as elected under ASU 2016-01 for equity investments without readily determinable fair value.Tax credit investments are evaluated for possible OTTI on an annual basis or when events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount of the tax credit investments may not be realizable. OTTI charges and impairment recoveries are recorded within Amortization of tax credit and other investments on the Consolidated Statement of Income. Refer to Note 3 — Fair Value Measurement and Fair Value of Financial Instruments to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Form 10-Q for a discussion on the Company’s impairment evaluation and monitoring process of tax credit investments.

Variable Interest Entities

The Company invests in unconsolidated limited partnerships and similar entities that construct, own and operate affordable housing, historic rehabilitation, and wind and solar energy projects, of which the majority of such investments are variable interest entities (“VIEs”). As a limited partner in these partnerships, these investments are designed to generate a return primarily through the realization of federal tax credits and tax benefits. An unrelated third party is typically the general partner or managing member who has control over the significant activities of such investments. While the Company’s interest in some of the investments may exceed 50% of the outstanding equity interests, the Company does not consolidate these structures due to the general partner’s or managing member’s ability to manage the entity, which is indicative of the general partner’s or managing member’s power over the entity. The Company’s maximum exposure to loss in connection with these partnerships consists of the unamortized investment balance and any tax credits claimed that may become subject to recapture.

Special purpose entities formed in connection with securitization transactions are generally considered VIEs. A CLO is a VIE that purchases a pool of assets consisting primarily of non-investment grade corporate loans, and issues multiple tranches of notes to investors to fund the asset purchases and pay upfront expenses associated with forming the CLO. The Company served as the collateral manager of a CLO that closed in 2019 and subsequently reassigned its portfolio manager responsibilities in 2020.

Goodwill and Core Deposit Intangibles

The Company’s annual goodwill impairment testing is performed as of December 31 of each year, or more frequently as events occur or circumstances change that would more-likely-than-not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. Additional information pertaining to the Company’s accounting policy for goodwill is summarized in Note 1 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company’s 2020 Form 10-K.

Amortization Expense of Core Deposit Intangibles

The Company amortizes the core deposit intangibles based on the projected useful lives of the related deposits.

Litigation

Litigation — The Company is a party to various legal actions arising in the ordinary course of its business. In accordance with ASC 450, Contingencies, the Company accrues reserves for outstanding lawsuits, claims and proceedings when a loss contingency is probable and can be reasonably estimated. The Company estimates the amount of loss contingencies using current available information from legal proceedings, advice from legal counsel and available insurance coverage. Due to the inherent subjectivity of the assessments and unpredictability of the outcomes of the legal proceedings, any amounts accrued or included in this aggregate amount may not represent the ultimate loss to the Company from the legal proceedings in question. Thus, the Company’s exposure and ultimate losses may be higher, and possibly significantly more, than the amounts accrued.

Share-based Compensation

Compensation costs are calculated using the quoted market price of the Company’s common stock at the grant date. Compensation costs for certain time-based awards that will be settled in cash are adjusted to fair value based on changes in the share price of the Company’s common stock up to the settlement date. For performance-based RSUs, the compensation costs are based on grant date fair value which considers both performance and market conditions, and is subject to subsequent adjustments based on the Company’s outcome in meeting the performance criteria at the end of the performance period. Compensation costs of both time-based and performance-based awards are estimated based on awards ultimately expected to vest, and are recognized net of estimated forfeitures on a straight-line basis from the grant date until the vesting date of each grant. For accounting on stock-based compensation plans, see Note 1 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Stock-Based Compensation to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company’s 2020 Form 10-K for additional information.