Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Accounting Policy for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

Accounting Policy for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

FASB ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”), provides the disclosure requirements for derivatives and hedging activities with the intent to provide users of financial statements with an enhanced understanding of: (a) how and why an entity uses derivative instruments, (b) how the entity accounts for derivative instruments and related hedged items, and (c) how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect an entity’s financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. Further, qualitative disclosures are required that explain the Company’s objectives and strategies for using derivatives, as well as quantitative disclosures about the fair value of and gains and losses on derivative instruments, and disclosures about credit-risk-related contingent features in derivative instruments.

As required by ASC 815, the Company records all derivatives on the balance sheet at fair value. The accounting for changes in the fair value of derivatives depends on the intended use of the derivative, whether the Company has elected to designate a derivative in a hedging relationship and apply hedge accounting and whether the hedging relationship has satisfied the criteria necessary to apply hedge accounting. Derivatives designated and qualifying as a hedge of the exposure to changes in the fair value of an asset, liability, or firm commitment attributable to a particular risk, such as interest rate risk, are considered fair value hedges. Derivatives designated and qualifying as a hedge of the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows, or other types of forecasted transactions, are considered cash flow hedges. Hedge accounting generally provides for the matching of the timing of gain or loss recognition on the hedging instrument with the recognition of the changes in the fair value of the hedged asset or liability that are attributable to the hedged risk in a fair value hedge or the earnings effect of the hedged forecasted transactions in a cash flow hedge. The Company may enter into derivative contracts that are intended to economically hedge certain of its risk, even though hedge accounting does not apply, or the Company elects not to apply hedge accounting. For a fair value hedge, the gain or loss on the derivative, as well as the offsetting loss or gain on the hedged item attributable to the hedged risk, are recognized in current earnings as fair values change. For a cash flow hedge, the gain or loss on the derivative is reported in other comprehensive income and is reclassified into earnings in the same period during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. Changes in fair value of derivatives not designated are reported currently in earnings, as non-interest income.

The Company discontinues hedge accounting when it determines that the derivative is no longer effective in offsetting changes in the fair value or cash flows of the hedged item, the derivative is settled or terminates, a hedged

forecasted transaction is no longer probable, a hedged firm commitment is no longer firm, or treatment of the derivative as a hedge is no longer appropriate or intended. When hedge accounting is discontinued, subsequent changes in fair value of the derivative are recorded as non-interest income. When a fair value hedge is discontinued, the hedged asset or liability is no longer adjusted for changes in fair value and the existing basis adjustment is amortized or accreted over the remaining life of the asset or liability. When a cash flow hedge is discontinued but the hedged cash flows or forecasted transactions are still expected to occur, gains or losses that were accumulated in other comprehensive income are amortized into earnings over the same periods which the hedged transactions will affect earnings.

In accordance with the FASB’s fair value measurement guidance in Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2011-04, the Company made an accounting policy election to measure the credit risk of its derivative financial instruments that are subject to master netting agreements on a net basis by counterparty portfolio.

New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted and Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements under Evaluation

New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted

FASB ASU No. 2023-02, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323): Accounting for Investments in Tax Credit Structures Using the Proportional Amortization Method. This ASU permits reporting entities to elect to account for tax equity investments, regardless of the tax credit program for which the income tax credits are received, using the proportional amortization method if certain conditions are met. Under the proportional amortization method, an entity amortizes the initial cost of the investment in proportion to the income tax credits and other income tax benefits received and recognizes the net amortization and income tax credits and other income tax benefits in the Statement of Income as a component of income tax expense. A reporting entity makes an accounting policy election to apply the proportional amortization method on a tax-credit-program-by-tax-credit-program basis rather than electing to apply the proportional amortization method at the reporting entity level or to individual investments. The Company adopted ASU No. 2023-02 on January 1, 2024, and the adoption did not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncement under Evaluation

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. This ASU amends the disclosure requirements for income taxes, including the requirement for further disaggregation of the income tax rate reconciliation and income taxes paid disclosures. The amendments in this guidance must be applied prospectively, with the option to apply retrospectively. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and the adoption is not expected to have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. This ASU updates reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses and information used to assess segment performance. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and the adoption is not expected to have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Loan Modifications to Borrowers Experiencing Financial Difficult: On January 1, 2023, the Company adopted ASU No. 2022-02, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures”, which eliminated the accounting guidance for troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”) while enhancing disclosure requirements for certain loan refinancing and restructurings by creditors when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty. This guidance was applied on a prospective basis. Upon adoption of this guidance, the Company no longer establishes a specific reserve for modifications to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty, unless those loans do not share the same risk characteristics with other loans in the portfolio. Provided that is not the case, these modifications are included in their respective cohort and the allowance for credit losses is estimated on a pooled basis consistent with the other loans with similar risk characteristics.

Modifications to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty may include interest rate reductions, principal or interest forgiveness, other than insignificant payment deferrals, other than insignificant term extensions, and other actions intended to minimize economic loss and to avoid foreclosure or repossession of collateral.

Allowance for Credit Losses

Allowance for Credit Losses

The Company employs a modeled approach that takes into account current and future economic conditions to estimate lifetime expected losses on a collective basis. With the adoption of Current Expected Credit Losses ("CECL"), the Company elected not to consider accrued interest receivable in its estimated credit losses because the Company writes off uncollectible accrued interest receivable in a timely manner. The Company considers writing off accrued interest amounts once the amounts become 90 days past due to be considered within a timely manner. The Company has elected to write off accrued interest receivable by reversing interest income. The Company uses transition matrices to develop the Probability of Default ("PD") and Loss Given Default ("LGD") approach, incorporating quantitative factors and qualitative considerations in the calculation of the allowance for credit losses for collectively assessed loans. The model provides forecasts of PD and LGD based on national unemployment rates using regression analysis. The Company incorporates future economic conditions using a weighted multiple scenario approach: baseline and adverse. The Company applies a reasonable and supportable period of one year for the baseline scenario and two years for the adverse scenario, after which loss assumptions revert to historical loss information through a one-year reversion period for the baseline scenario and a two-year reversion period for the adverse scenario. Additionally, the Company aggregated loan portfolio based on similar risk characteristics. The Company elected to use the Call Report codes and loan risk ratings for loan segmentation in allowance for credit losses.

In order to quantify the credit risk impact of other trends and changes within the loan portfolio, the Company utilizes qualitative adjustments to the modeled estimated loss approaches. Included in the qualitative portion of our analysis of the allowance for credit losses are key inputs including GDP, unemployment rates, interest rates, asset quality ratios, loan portfolio concentration, California house price index and commercial real estate price index. The parameters for making adjustments are established under a Credit Risk Matrix that provides different possible scenarios for each of the factors listed below. The Credit Risk Matrix and the possible scenarios enable the Bank to qualitatively adjust the loss rates. This matrix considers the following nine factors, which are patterned after the guidelines provided under the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Interagency Policy Statement on the Allowance for Credit Losses, updated to reflect the adoption of CECL:

•    Changes in lending policies and procedures, including changes in underwriting standards and practices for collection, charge-offs, and recoveries;

•    Actual and expected changes in national and local economic and business conditions and developments in which the institution operates that affect the collectivity of loans;

•    Changes in the nature and volume of the loan portfolio;

•    Changes in the experience, ability, and depth of lending management and staff;

•    Changes in the volume and severity of past due loans, the volume of nonaccrual loans, and the volume and severity of adversely classified loans;

•    Changes in the quality of the credit review function;

•    Changes in the value of the underlying collateral for loans that are not collateral-dependent;

•    The existence, growth, and effect of any concentrations of credit, and

•    The effect of other external factors, such as the regulatory, legal and technological environments; competition; and events such as natural disasters.