New Accounting Standards

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]


NOTE 15. NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

Standards effective in 2020

Financial Instruments – Credit Losses

In June 2016, the FASB amended its standards with respect to certain aspects of measurement, recognition and disclosure of credit losses on loans and other financial instruments carried at amortized cost, as well as available-for-sale debt securities and purchased financial assets with credit deterioration (“PCD assets”). The amendment is to be applied through a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective (that is, a modified-retrospective approach). For certain assets (such as debt securities for which other-than-temporary impairment has been recognized before the effective date and PCD assets), a prospective transition approach is required. For existing purchased credit impaired assets, upon adoption, the amortized cost basis is adjusted to reflect the addition of the ACL. This transition relief avoids the need for a reporting entity to reassess its purchased financial assets that exist as of the date of adoption in order to determine whether they would have met, at acquisition, the new criteria of 'more-than insignificant' credit deterioration since origination. The transition relief also allows an entity to accrete the remaining noncredit discount (based on the revised amortized cost basis) into interest income over the life of the related asset using the interest method.

Under the standard, the Company will determine the ACL based upon a consideration of its historical loss experience, current borrower-specific risk characteristics, forecasts of future economic conditions and other relevant factors. In doing so, the method for determining estimated credit losses will move from an “incurred loss” model to a “life of loan” model.

For public business entities, this new amendment is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company’s adoption of this guidance as of January 1, 2020, which was based upon forecasted economic conditions and portfolio balances existing as of December 31, 2019, resulted in the following:

•an increase in the ACL on funded loans of $72 million:

◦amount includes a $28 million adjustment to the amortized cost basis of PCD loans;

•an increase in the ACL on off-balance-sheet commitments of $15 million;

•the establishment of an ACL on held-to-maturity debt securities of $2 million; and

•a decrease in retained earnings of $46 million, net of tax.

The increase in aggregate loan allowance levels was driven, primarily, by higher reserve requirements associated with the Company’s retail portfolios (i.e. residential mortgage and home equity) due to the difference between the loss emergence periods of these portfolios under the prior incurred loss model and the expected remaining life of such loans as required by the standard, partially offset by lower reserve requirements associated with certain of the Company’s commercial portfolios, which generally have shorter contractual maturities. The liability for off-balance sheet commitments reflects the inclusion of lifetime losses for expected funding over the remaining life of such exposures. The Company’s held-to-maturity debt securities portfolio consists primarily of agency-backed securities and highly-rated municipal and corporate bonds, all of which inherently have minimal non-payment risk.

In accordance with the amended guidance, the Company elected the practical expedients related to (i) the presentation of accrued interest receivable, net of the ACL, in other assets within the Consolidated Statements of Condition and (ii) the exclusion, for disclosure purposes, of accrued interest balances from the amortized cost basis of the loan portfolio.

The adjustments noted above serve to reduce regulatory capital ratios for both the Holding Company and the Bank by approximately 10 basis points. In December 2018, the Federal banking agencies approved a final rule allowing an option to phase-in, over three years, the day one regulatory capital effects of the standard. In March 2020, the Federal banking agencies issued an interim final rule providing an alternative option to delay, for two years, an estimate of the standard’s effect on regulatory capital (relative to incurred loss methodology's effect on regulatory capital), followed by a three-year transition period. The Company has elected the alternative option provided in the March 2020 interim final rule.

The amended guidance also requires expanded disclosures. See Note 2, "Securities", Note 3, "Loans" and Note 4, "Allowance for Credit Losses" for the new disclosures required by the standard, including further discussion of the Company’s accounting policies and methodologies used to estimate expected credit losses beginning in 2020.

Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment

In January 2017, the FASB amended its standards with respect to goodwill, simplifying how an entity is required to conduct the impairment assessment by eliminating Step 2, which required a hypothetical purchase price allocation, from the goodwill impairment test. Instead, goodwill impairment will now be measured as the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying amount exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. An entity will still have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary. For public business entities, this new guidance is effective in fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019 (January 1, 2020 for People’s United) and is to be applied prospectively. Early adoption is permitted for any impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. This amendment, which the Company elected to early adopt effective January 1, 2018, did not impact the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the period ended March 31, 2020.

Disclosure Requirements – Fair Value Measurement

In August 2018, the FASB issued targeted amendments that serve to eliminate, add and modify certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. Among the changes, entities are no longer required to disclose the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, but are required to disclose the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements. These amendments are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 (January 1, 2020 for People’s United) and early adoption is permitted. Entities may also elect to (i) early adopt the eliminated and/or modified disclosure requirements and (ii) delay adoption of the new disclosure requirements until their effective date. The provisions set forth in this guidance, which the Company elected to early adopt in 2018, have been reflected in Note 12 (as applicable) and did not have a significant impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

Reference Rate Reform

In March 2020, the FASB issued a new standard providing temporary optional expedients and exceptions to existing  U.S. GAAP on contract modifications and hedge accounting in order to ease the financial reporting burdens associated with transitioning away from LIBOR and other interbank offered rates to acceptable alternative rates. Under the new guidance, an entity can elect, by accounting topic or industry subtopic, to account for the modification of a contract affected by reference rate reform as a continuation of the existing contract, if certain conditions are met. In addition, the new guidance allows an entity to elect, on a hedge-by-hedge basis, to continue to apply hedge accounting for hedging relationships in which the critical terms change due to reference rate reform, if certain conditions are met. A one-time election to sell and/or transfer held-to-maturity debt securities that reference a rate affected by reference rate reform is also permitted under the new guidance. While the standard is effective upon issuance, the Company continues to evaluate the impact and which optional expedients and exceptions might be elected. These optional elections will generally cease to apply to contract modifications or existing hedging relationships after December 31, 2022.

Standards effective in 2021

Disclosure Requirements – Defined Benefit Plans

In August 2018, the FASB issued targeted amendments that serve to make minor changes to the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension and/or other postretirement benefit plans. More specifically, the amendments (i) remove disclosures that are no longer considered cost beneficial; (ii) clarify the specific requirements of selected disclosures; and (iii) add disclosure requirements identified as relevant. These amendments are effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020 (January 1, 2021 for People’s United) and early adoption is permitted. The provisions set forth in this guidance, which the Company elected to early adopt in 2018, have been reflected in Note 9 (as applicable) and did not have a significant impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes

In December 2019, the FASB amended its standards with respect to income taxes, simplifying the accounting in several areas, including intra-period tax allocation, deferred tax liabilities related to outside basis differences, and year-to-date losses in interim periods, among others. For public business entities, this new guidance is effective in fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020 (January 1, 2021 for People’s United) and early adoption is permitted. If an entity elects to early adopt, it must adopt all changes as a result of the guidance. Adoption of this standard is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.