Basis of Presentation (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

The accompanying unaudited interim financial statements of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (Bank) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). To prepare the financial statements in conformity with GAAP, management must make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could be different from these estimates. The foregoing interim financial statements are unaudited; however, in the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods, have been included. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2019, or for other interim periods. The unaudited interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018, which are contained in the Bank’s 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 7, 2019 (Form 10-K).

The Bank has certain financial instruments, including derivative instruments and securities purchased under agreements to resell, that are subject to offset under master netting arrangements or by operation of law. Additional information regarding derivative instruments is provided in Note 13—Derivatives and Hedging Activities to the Bank’s interim financial statements. The Bank does not have any offsetting liabilities related to its securities purchased under agreements to resell for the periods presented. Based on the fair value of the related securities held as collateral, the securities purchased under agreements to resell were fully collateralized for the periods presented.

Refer to Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the Bank’s 2018 audited financial statements for a description of all the Bank’s significant accounting policies. There have been no changes to these policies as of June 30, 2019, except for policy updates related to new accounting guidance for derivatives and hedging activities, which is described in Note 13—Derivatives and Hedging Activities to the Bank’s interim financial statements, and leases which is described below.

Beginning on January 1, 2019, as a result of adopting new accounting guidance for leases, the Bank recognized right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on its existing leases. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Bank’s financial condition or results of operations.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

The following tables provide a summary of accounting guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board that was adopted, and recently issued guidance not yet adopted, which may impact the Bank’s financial statements.

Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance



Accounting Standard Update (ASU)	Description	Effective Date	Effect on Financial Statements or Other Significant Matters
Inclusion of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) Overnight Index Swap (OIS) Rate as a Benchmark Interest Rate for Hedging Purposes (ASU 2018-16)	This guidance permits the use of the OIS rate based on SOFR as a U.S. benchmark interest rate for hedge accounting purposes.	January 1, 2019	The adoption of this guidance did not have an impact on the Bank’s financial condition or results of operations.
Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities (ASU 2017-12)	This guidance amends the accounting for derivatives and hedging activities to better portray the economics of the transactions.	January 1, 2019	The adoption of this guidance did not have an impact on the Bank’s financial condition or results of operations.
Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities (ASU 2017-08)	This guidance shortens the amortization period for certain callable debt securities held at a premium by requiring that the premium be amortized to the earliest call date, rather than contractual maturity.	January 1, 2019	The adoption of this guidance did not have an impact on the Bank’s financial condition or results of operations.
Leases (ASU 2016-02)	The guidance amends the accounting for leases. It will require lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and lease liability for virtually all leases.	January 1, 2019	The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Bank’s financial condition or results of operations.

Recently Issued Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted



Accounting Standard Update (ASU)	Description	Effective Date	Effect on Financial Statements or Other Significant Matters
Disclosure Framework–Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans (ASU 2018-14)	This guidance amends the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans.	December 31, 2020 Early adoption is permitted	The Bank does not intend to adopt this guidance early. This guidance is not expected to have any impact on the Bank’s financial condition or results of operations.
Disclosure Framework–Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (ASU 2018-13)	This guidance amends the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements.	January 1, 2020 Early adoption is permitted	The Bank does not intend to adopt this guidance early. This guidance is not expected to have any impact on the Bank’s financial condition or results of operations.
Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (ASU 2016-13)	This guidance replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects lifetime expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates.	January 1, 2020 Early adoption is permitted	The Bank does not intend to adopt this guidance early. The Bank has completed its preliminary assessment of the impact of this guidance on all its financial assets, including advances, investments, and other financial assets, and does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on its financial condition or results of operations. However, the Bank will continue to evaluate this guidance, as well as the economic conditions and forecasts at the time of adoption. The ultimate impact on the Bank’s financial condition and results of operations will depend upon the composition of the financial assets held by the Bank at the adoption date, as well as the economic conditions and forecasts at that time.