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Commitments, Guarantees, Contingent Liabilities, and Related Parties
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Guarantees, Commitments And Contingencies [Abstract]  
Commitments Disclosure COMMITMENTS, GUARANTEES, CONTINGENT LIABILITIES, AND RELATED PARTIES
Commitments and Guarantees
We use certain financial instruments, including derivative instruments, in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of our customers, to reduce our own exposure to fluctuations in interest rates, and to make a market in U.S. government, agency, corporate, and municipal securities. These financial instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit, liquidity, and interest rate risk in excess of the amounts recognized in the balance sheet. Derivative instruments are discussed in Notes 7 and 3.
Contractual amounts of the off-balance sheet financial instruments used to meet the financing needs of our customers are as follows:
December 31,
(In millions)20192018
Net unfunded commitments to extend credit 1
$23,099  $21,454  
Standby letters of credit:
Financial631  655  
Performance192  199  
Commercial letters of credit 18  
Total unfunded lending commitments$23,927  $22,326  
1Net of participations
Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as there is no violation of any condition established in the contract. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require the payment of a fee. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by us upon extension of credit, is based on our initial credit evaluation of the counterparty. Types of collateral vary, but may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, and income-producing properties.
While establishing commitments to extend credit creates credit risk, a significant portion of such commitments is expected to expire without being drawn upon. As of December 31, 2019, $6.3 billion of commitments expire in 2020. We use the same credit policies and procedures in making commitments to extend credit and conditional obligations as we do for on-balance sheet instruments. These policies and procedures include credit approvals, limits, and monitoring.
We issue standby and commercial letters of credit as conditional commitments generally to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. The guarantees are primarily issued to support public and private borrowing arrangements, including commercial paper, bond financing, and similar transactions. Standby letters of credit include remaining commitments of $642 million expiring in 2020 and $181 million expiring thereafter through 2026. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers. We generally hold marketable securities and cash equivalents as collateral when necessary. At December 31, 2019, the Bank recorded $4 million as a liability for these guarantees, which consisted of $1 million attributable to the RULC and $3 million of deferred commitment fees.
Certain mortgage loans sold have limited recourse provisions for periods ranging from three months to one year. The amount of losses resulting from the exercise of these provisions has not been significant.
The contractual or notional amount of financial instruments indicates a level of activity associated with a particular financial instrument class and is not a reflection of the actual level of risk. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the regulatory risk-weighted values assigned to all off-balance sheet financial instruments and derivative instruments described herein were $8.3 billion and $7.6 billion, respectively.
At December 31, 2019, we were required to maintain cash balances of $389 million with the Federal Reserve Bank to meet minimum balance requirements in accordance with FRB regulations.
Legal Matters
We are subject to litigation in court and arbitral proceedings, as well as proceedings, investigations, examinations and other actions brought or considered by governmental and self-regulatory agencies. Litigation may relate to lending, deposit and other customer relationships, vendor and contractual issues, employee matters, intellectual property matters, personal injuries and torts, regulatory and legal compliance, and other matters. While most matters relate to individual claims, we are also subject to putative class action claims and similar broader claims. Proceedings, investigations, examinations and other actions brought or considered by governmental and self-regulatory agencies may relate to our banking, investment advisory, trust, securities, and other products and services; our customers’ involvement in money laundering, fraud, securities violations and other illicit activities or our policies and practices relating to such customer activities; and our compliance with the broad range of banking, securities and other laws and regulations applicable to us. At any given time, we may be in the process of responding to subpoenas, requests for documents, data and testimony relating to such matters and engaging in discussions to resolve the matters.
As of December 31, 2019, we were subject to the following material litigation or governmental inquiries:
a civil suit, JTS Communities, Inc. et. al v. CB&T, Jun Enkoji and Dawn Satow, brought against us in the Superior Court for Sacramento County, California in June 2017. In this case four investors in our former customer, International Manufacturing Group (“IMG”) seek to hold us liable for losses arising from their investments in that company, alleging that we conspired with and knowingly assisted IMG and its principal in furtherance of an alleged Ponzi scheme. This case is in the discovery phase with dispositive motion practice underway and to be scheduled for hearing in the first quarter of 2020. Trial is scheduled for May 2020.
a civil class action lawsuit, Evans v. CB&T, brought against us in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California in May 2017. This case was filed on behalf of a class of up to 50 investors in IMG and seeks to hold us liable for losses of class members arising from their investments in IMG, alleging that we conspired with and knowingly assisted IMG and its principal in furtherance of an alleged Ponzi scheme. In December 2017, the District Court dismissed all claims against the Bank. In January 2018, the plaintiff filed an appeal with the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The appeal was heard in early April 2019 with the Court of Appeals reversing the trial court’s dismissal. This case is in the pleadings phase and as a result, trial will not occur for a substantial period of time.
two civil cases, Lifescan Inc. and Johnson & Johnson Health Care Services v. Jeffrey Smith, et. al., brought against us in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in December 2017, and Roche Diagnostics and Roche Diabetes Care Inc. v. Jeffrey C. Smith, et. al., brought against us in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in March 2019. In these cases, certain manufacturers and distributors of medical products seek to hold us liable for allegedly fraudulent practices of a borrower of the Bank who filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017. The cases are in early phases, with initial motion practice and discovery underway in the Lifescan case. Trial has not been scheduled in either case.
a civil class action lawsuit, Gregory, et. al. v. Zions Bancorporation, brought against us in the United States District Court in Utah in January 2019. This case was filed on behalf of investors in Rust Rare Coin, Inc., alleging that we aided and abetted a Ponzi scheme fraud perpetrated by Rust Rare Coin, a Zions Bank customer. The case follows civil actions and the establishment of a receivership for Rust Rare Coin by The Commodities Futures Trading Commission and the Utah Division of Securities in November 2018, as well as a separate suit brought by the SEC against Rust Rare Coin and its principal, Gaylen Rust. The matter is in the early motion practice state and initial phase discovery has commenced. During the second quarter of 2019, we filed a motion to dismiss. Trial has not been scheduled.
At least quarterly, we review outstanding and new legal matters, utilizing then available information. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, if we determine that a loss from a matter is probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated, we establish an accrual for the loss. In the absence of such a determination, no accrual is made. Once established, accruals are adjusted to reflect developments relating to the matters.
In our review, we also assess whether we can determine the range of reasonably possible losses for significant matters in which we are unable to determine that the likelihood of a loss is remote. Because of the difficulty of predicting the outcome of legal matters, discussed subsequently, we are able to meaningfully estimate such a range only for a limited number of matters. Based on information available as of December 31, 2019, we estimated that the aggregate range of reasonably possible losses for those matters to be from $0 million to approximately $35 million in excess of amounts accrued. The matters underlying the estimated range will change from time to time, and actual results may vary significantly from this estimate. Those matters for which a meaningful estimate is not possible are not included within this estimated range and, therefore, this estimated range does not represent our maximum loss exposure.
Based on our current knowledge, we believe that our current estimated liability for litigation and other legal actions and claims, reflected in our accruals and determined in accordance with applicable accounting guidance, is adequate and that liabilities in excess of the amounts currently accrued, if any, arising from litigation and other legal actions and claims for which an estimate as previously described is possible, will not have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. However, in light of the significant uncertainties involved in these matters, and the very large or indeterminate damages sought in some of these matters, an adverse outcome in one or more of these matters could be material to our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows for any given reporting period.
Any estimate or determination relating to the future resolution of litigation, arbitration, governmental or self-regulatory examinations, investigations or actions or similar matters is inherently uncertain and involves significant judgment. This is particularly true in the early stages of a legal matter, when legal issues and facts have not been well articulated, reviewed, analyzed, and vetted through discovery, preparation for trial or hearings, substantive and
productive mediation or settlement discussions, or other actions. It is also particularly true with respect to class action and similar claims involving multiple defendants, matters with complex procedural requirements or substantive issues or novel legal theories, and examinations, investigations and other actions conducted or brought by governmental and self-regulatory agencies, in which the normal adjudicative process is not applicable. Accordingly, we usually are unable to determine whether a favorable or unfavorable outcome is remote, reasonably likely, or probable, or to estimate the amount or range of a probable or reasonably likely loss, until relatively late in the course of a legal matter, sometimes not until a number of years have elapsed. Accordingly, our judgments and estimates relating to claims will change from time to time in light of developments and actual outcomes will differ from our estimates. These differences may be material.
Related Party Transactions
We have no material related party transactions requiring disclosure. In the ordinary course of business, the Bank extends credit to related parties, including executive officers, directors, principal shareholders, and their associates and related interests. These related party loans are made in compliance with applicable banking regulations.