Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation (Notes)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

Note 1    Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

BankUnited, Inc. is a national bank holding company with one wholly-owned subsidiary, BankUnited, collectively, the Company. BankUnited, a national banking association headquartered in Miami Lakes, Florida, provides a full range of banking and related services to individual and corporate customers through 74 banking centers located in 14 Florida counties and 5 banking centers located in the New York metropolitan area at June 30, 2020. The Bank also offers certain commercial lending and deposit products through national platforms.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the SEC. Accordingly, these do not include all of the information and footnotes required for a fair presentation of financial position, results of operations and cash flows in conformity with GAAP and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto appearing in BKU’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the SEC. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in future periods. 

Certain amounts presented for prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.

Accounting Estimates

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ significantly from these estimates.

Significant estimates include the allowance for credit losses and the fair values of investment securities and other financial instruments.

New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted During the Six Months Ended June 30, 2020

ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326); Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The ASU, along with subsequent ASUs issued to clarify certain of its provisions, introduced new guidance which made substantive changes to the accounting for credit losses. The ASU introduced the CECL model which applies to financial assets subject to credit losses and measured at amortized cost, as well as certain off-balance sheet credit exposures. This includes loans, loan commitments, standby letters of credit, net investments in leases recognized by a lessor and HTM debt securities. The CECL model requires an entity to estimate credit losses expected over the life of an exposure, considering information about historical events, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts, and is generally expected to result in earlier recognition of credit losses. The ASU also modified certain provisions of the previous OTTI model for AFS debt securities. Credit losses on AFS debt securities are now limited to the difference between the security's amortized cost basis and its fair value, and should be recognized through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a direct reduction in amortized cost basis. The Company adopted this ASU in the first quarter of 2020 using the modified retrospective transition method for the CECL model and a prospective approach for the AFS debt security model. The Company recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings of $23.8 million, which included $4.8 million related to off -balance sheet credit exposures, on January 1, 2020. No cumulative-effect adjustment was recorded related to AFS debt securities upon adoption. The Company has elected to phase-in the initial impact of the adoption of ASC 326 for regulatory capital purposes, allowing the impact of adoption on regulatory capital to be delayed for two years, followed by a three-year transition period. 

ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. The ASU provides optional relief for a limited period of time to ease the potential accounting burden associated with transitioning away from reference rates that are expected to be discontinued. Under this ASU, companies are provided with optional expedients and exceptions for applying generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to contract modifications and hedging relationships that currently utilize LIBOR as their benchmark rate, subject to certain criteria being met. The amendments in the ASU also apply to contemporaneous modifications of other contract terms related to the replacement of LIBOR. The amendments in the ASU are effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 and will only be in effect through December 31, 2022. To date, the impact of adoption of this ASU on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows has not been material.

Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. This ASU simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions stipulated in ASC 740 and making some other targeted changes to the accounting for income taxes. This ASU is effective for the Company for interim and annual periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company has not finalized its evaluation of the impact of adoption on its consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows, but the impact is not currently expected to be material.

Updates to the Company's Significant Accounting Policies

Loans

The Company's loan portfolio contains 1-4 single family residential first mortgages, government insured residential mortgages, an insignificant amount of home equity loans and lines of credit and other consumer loans; multi-family, non-owner occupied commercial real estate, construction and land, owner-occupied commercial real estate and commercial and industrial loans, PPP loans, mortgage warehouse lines of credit and sales-type and direct financing leases. Loans are reported at amortized cost basis, net of the ACL.

Interest income is accrued based on the principal amount outstanding. Non-refundable loan origination fees, net of direct costs of originating or acquiring loans, as well as purchase premiums and discounts, are deferred and recognized as adjustments to yield over the contractual lives of the related loans using the level yield method.

Non-accrual loans

Commercial loans are placed on non-accrual status when (i) management has determined that full repayment of all contractual principal and interest is in doubt, or (ii) the loan is past due 90 days or more as to principal or interest unless the loan is well secured and in the process of collection. Residential and other consumer loans, other than government insured residential loans, are generally placed on non-accrual status when they are 90 days past due. When a loan is placed on non-accrual status, uncollected interest accrued is reversed and charged to interest income. Payments received on nonaccrual commercial loans are applied as a reduction of principal. Interest payments are recognized as income on a cash basis on nonaccrual residential loans. Commercial loans are returned to accrual status only after all past due principal and interest has been collected and full repayment of remaining contractual principal and interest is reasonably assured. Residential and consumer loans are generally returned to accrual status when less than 90 days past due. Past due status of loans is determined based on the contractual next payment due date. Loans less than 30 days past due are reported as current.

Contractually delinquent government insured residential loans are not classified as non-accrual due to the nature of the guarantee. Contractually delinquent PCD loans are not classified as non-accrual as long as the Company has a reasonable expectation about amounts expected to be collected.

Troubled Debt Restructurings

In certain situations, due to economic or legal reasons related to a borrower's financial difficulties, the Company may grant a concession to the borrower for other than an insignificant period of time that it would not otherwise consider. At that time, the related loan is classified as a TDR. The concessions granted may include rate reductions, principal forgiveness, payment forbearance, extensions of maturity at rates of interest below that commensurate with the risk profile of the loans, modification of payment terms and other actions intended to minimize economic loss. A TDR is generally placed on non-accrual status at the time of the modification unless the borrower was performing prior to the restructuring.

Under recently issued inter-agency and authoritative guidance and consistent with the CARES Act, short-term (generally periods of six months or less) deferrals or modifications related to COVID-19 will typically not be categorized as TDRs.

Purchased Credit Deteriorated ("PCD") assets

PCD assets are acquired financial assets that, as of the date of acquisition, have experienced a more than insignificant deterioration in credit quality since origination. An assessment is conducted at acquisition to determine whether acquired financial assets meet the criteria to be classified as PCD assets. That assessment may be conducted at the individual asset level, or for a group of assets acquired together that have similar risk characteristics. At acquisition, the ACL related to PCD assets, representing the estimated amount of the UPB of the assets not expected to be collected, is added to the purchase price to determine the amortized cost basis and any non-credit related discount or premium is allocated to the individual assets acquired. The non-credit related discount or premium is accreted or amortized to interest income over the life of the related assets using the level yield method, as long as there is a reasonable expectation about amounts expected to be collected. Subsequent changes in the amount of expected credit losses are recognized immediately by adjusting the ACL and reflecting the periodic changes as credit loss expense or reversal of credit loss expense.

Loans previously categorized as ACI loans were categorized as PCD loans on initial adoption of ASC 326. At adoption, an ACL was recognized and a corresponding adjustment was made to the assets' amortized cost basis. Prior to the adoption of ASC 326, ACI loans were accounted for on a pool basis. These pools were not maintained on adoption. The Company did not re-assess whether modifications to individual PCD loans previously accounted for in pools were TDRs at adoption.

Allowance for Credit Losses ("ACL")

AFS Debt Securities

The Company reviews its AFS debt securities for credit loss impairment at the individual security level on at least a quarterly basis. A security is impaired if its fair value is less than its amortized cost basis. A decline in fair value below amortized cost basis represents a credit loss impairment to the extent the Company does not expect to recover the amortized cost basis of the security. Impairment related to credit losses is recorded through the ACL to the extent fair value is less than the amortized cost basis. Declines in fair value that have not been recorded through the ACL are recorded through other comprehensive income, net of applicable taxes.

In assessing whether an impairment is credit loss related, the Company compares the present value of cash flows expected to be collected to the security's amortized cost basis. If the present value of cash flows expected to be collected is less than the amortized cost basis of the security, a credit loss exists and an ACL is recorded. The Company discounts expected cash flows at the effective interest rate implicit in the security at the purchase date, adjusted for expected prepayments. For floating rate securities, the Company uses the floating rate as it changes over the life of the security. In developing estimates about cash flows expected to be collected and determining whether a credit loss exists, the Company considers information about past events, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Factors and information that the Company uses in making its assessments include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

• The extent to which fair value is less than amortized cost;

• Adverse conditions specifically related to the security, an industry or geographic area;

• Changes in the financial condition of the issuer or underlying loan obligors;

• The payment structure and remaining payment terms of the security, including levels of subordination or over-collateralization;

• Failure of the issuer to make scheduled payments;

• Changes in credit ratings;

• Relevant market data;

• Estimated prepayments, defaults, and the value and performance of underlying collateral at the individual security level.

The relative importance assigned to each of these factors varies depending on the facts and circumstances pertinent to the individual security being evaluated.

Timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by the U.S. Government, U.S. government agencies and U.S. government sponsored entities is explicitly or implicitly guaranteed by the U. S. government. Therefore, the Company expects to recover the amortized cost basis of these securities.

If the Company intends to sell a security in an unrealized loss position, or it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis, any allowance for credit losses will be written off and the amortized cost basis will be written down to the debt security’s fair value at the reporting date with any incremental impairment reported in earnings.

Historically, the Company has not experienced credit losses related to AFS securities or uncollectible interest on its AFS securities. However, AFS securities would be charged off to the extent that there was no reasonable expectation of recovery of amortized cost basis. AFS securities would be placed on non-accrual status if the Company did not reasonably expect to receive interest payments in the future and interest accrued would be reversed against interest income. Securities would be returned to accrual status only when collection of interest was reasonably assured.

Loans

The ACL is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of loans to present the net amount expected to be collected. The ACL is adjusted through the provision for credit losses to the amount of amortized cost basis not expected to be collected, or in the case of PCD loans, the amount of UPB not expected to be collected, at the balance sheet date. Amortized cost basis includes UPB, unamortized premiums or discounts and deferred fees and costs, net of amounts previously charged off.

The measurement of expected credit losses encompasses information about historical events, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Determining the amount of the ACL is complex and requires extensive judgment by management about matters that are inherently uncertain. Re-evaluation of the ACL estimate in future periods, in light of changes in composition and characteristics of the loan portfolio, changes in the reasonable and supportable forecast and other factors then prevailing may result in material changes in the amount of the ACL and credit loss expense in those future periods.

Loans are charged off against the ACL in the period in which they are deemed uncollectible and recoveries are credited to the ACL when received. Expected recoveries on loans previously charged off, not to exceed the aggregate of amounts previously charged-off and expected to be charged-off, are included in the ACL estimate. For loans secured by residential real estate, an assessment of collateral value is made at no later than 120 days delinquency; any outstanding loan balance in excess of fair value less cost to sell is charged off at no later than 180 days delinquency. Additionally, any outstanding balance in excess of fair value of collateral less cost to sell is charged off (i) within 60 days of receipt of notification of filing from the bankruptcy court, (ii) within 60 days of determination of loss if all borrowers are deceased or (iii) within 90 days of discovery of fraudulent activity. Other consumer loans are typically charged off at 120 days delinquency. Commercial loans are charged off when, in management's judgment, they are considered to be uncollectible.

Expected credit losses are estimated on a collective basis for groups of loans that share similar risk characteristics. Factors that may be considered in aggregating loans for this purpose include but are not necessarily limited to, product or collateral type, industry, geography, internal risk rating, credit characteristics such as credit scores or collateral values, and historical or expected credit loss patterns. For loans that do not share similar risk characteristics with other loans such as collateral dependent loans and TDRs, expected credit losses are estimated on an individual basis.

Expected credit losses are estimated over the contractual terms of the loans, adjusted for expected prepayments. Expected prepayments for commercial loans are generally estimated based on the Company's historical experience. For residential loans, expected prepayments are estimated using a model that incorporates industry prepayment data, calibrated to reflect the Company's experience. The contractual term excludes expected extensions, renewals, and modifications unless either of the following applies: management has a reasonable expectation at the reporting date that a TDR will be executed with an individual borrower or the extension or renewal options are included in the original or modified contract at the reporting date and are not unconditionally cancellable by the Company.

The length of the reasonable and supportable forecast is evaluated at each reporting period and adjusted if deemed necessary. At June 30, 2020, the Company changed from a 5-year to a 2-year reasonable and supportable forecast period in estimating the ACL.

For the substantial majority of portfolio segments and subsegments, including residential loans other than government insured loans, and most commercial and commercial real estate loans, expected losses are estimated using econometric models. The models employ a factor based methodology, leveraging data sets containing extensive historical loss and recovery information by industry, geography, product type, collateral type and obligor characteristics, to estimate PD and LGD. Measures of PD for commercial loans incorporate current conditions through market cycle or credit cycle adjustments. For residential loans, the models consider FICO and adjusted LTVs. PDs and LGDs are then conditioned on the reasonable and supportable economic forecast. Projected PDs and LGDs are applied to estimated exposure at default, considering the term and payment structure of the loan, to generate estimates of expected loss at the loan level. For criticized or classified loans, PDs may be adjusted to benchmark PDs appropriate to the current risk rating if the most current financial information available is deemed not to be reflective of the borrowers' current financial condition. These loan level estimates are aggregated to generate a collective estimate for groups of loans that share common risk characteristics.

For certain less material portfolios including loans and leases to state and local government entities originated by Pinnacle, small balance commercial loans and consumer loans, the WARM method is used to estimate expected credit losses. For the Pinnacle portfolio, historical loss information is based on municipal historical default and recovery data, segmented by credit rating. For small balance commercial loans, historical loss information is based on the Company's historical loss experience over a five year period. For consumer loans, historical loss information is based on peer data; this portfolio subsegment is not significant. All loss estimates are conditioned as applicable on changes in current conditions and the reasonable and supportable economic forecast. Expected credit losses for mortgage warehouse lines of credit are estimated based primarily on the Company's historical loss experience, conditioned as applicable on changes in current conditions and the reasonable and supportable economic forecast. Generally, given the nature of these loans, losses would be expected to manifest within a very short time period after origination.

The Company expects to collect the amortized cost basis of government insured residential loans and PPP loans due to the nature of the government guarantee, so the quantitative ACL is zero for these loans.

Qualitative factors

Qualitative adjustments are made to the ACL when, based on management’s judgment, there are factors impacting expected credit losses not taken into account by the quantitative calculations. Potential qualitative adjustments are categorized as follows:

• Economic factors, including material trends and developments that, in management's judgment, may not have been considered in the reasonable and supportable economic forecast;

• Credit policy and staffing, including the nature and level of policy and procedural exceptions or changes in credit policy not reflected in quantitative results, changes in the quality of underwriting and portfolio management and staff and issues identified by credit review, internal audit or regulators that may not be reflected in quantitative results;

• Concentrations, considering whether the quantitative estimate adequately accounts for concentration risk in the portfolio;

• Model imprecision and model validation findings; and

• Other factors not adequately considered in the quantitative estimate or other qualitative categories identified by management that may materially impact the amount of expected credit losses.

Collateral dependent loans

Collateral dependent loans are those for which the borrower is experiencing financial difficulty and repayment is expected to be provided substantially through the operation or sale of the collateral. These loans do not typically share similar risk characteristics with other loans and expected credit losses are evaluated on an individual basis. Loans evaluated individually are not included in the collective evaluation. Estimates of expected credit losses for collateral dependent loans, whether or not foreclosure is probable, are based on the fair value of the collateral adjusted for selling costs when repayment depends on sale of the collateral.

Troubled debt restructurings

For TDRs, or loans for which there is a reasonable expectation that a TDR will be executed, that are not collateral dependent, the credit loss estimate is determined by comparing the net present value of expected cash flows, discounted at the loan’s original effective interest rate, to the amortized cost basis of the loan.

Off-balance sheet credit exposures

Expected credit losses related to off-balance sheet credit exposures are estimated over the contractual period for which the Company is exposed to credit risk via a contractual obligation to extend credit, unless that obligation is unconditionally cancellable by the Company. Expected credit losses are estimated using essentially the same methodologies employed to estimate expected credit losses on the amortized cost basis of loans, taking into consideration the likelihood and amount of additional amounts expected to be funded over the terms of the commitments. The liability for credit losses on off-balance sheet credit exposures is presented within other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets, distinct from the ACL. Adjustments to the liability are included in the provision for credit losses.

Accrued Interest Receivable

The Company has elected to present accrued interest receivable separate from the amortized cost basis of financial assets carried at amortized cost. The Company is applying the practical expedient provided in ASC 326 to exclude accrued interest receivable balances from tabular disclosures about financial assets carried at amortized cost. The Company has elected not to estimate an ACL on accrued interest receivable balances since uncollectible accrued interest is timely written off in accordance with the Company's accounting policies for non-accrual loans.