CORRESP 1 filename1.htm chfcsecommentlettertdrresp




235 EAST MAIN STREET | PO BOX 569 | MIDLAND, MI 48640-0569
T: 989.839.5350 | F: 989.633.0416 | W: ChemicalBankMI.com


February 4, 2014

Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporation Finance
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549-4561
Attn: John P. Nolan, Senior Assistant Chief Accountant

Re:
Responses to Comments on Chemical Financial Corporation
Form 10-K for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2012
Filed February 22, 2013
Response dated January 14, 2014
File No. 000-08185

Dear Mr. Nolan:

Chemical Financial Corporation (the “Corporation”) hereby provides the following response in reply to the Staff’s follow-up comment letter dated January 24, 2014 (the “Comment Letter”) in connection with the above-referenced Form 10-K.

For your convenience, your comment in your Comment Letter is set forth below in italicized print immediately prior to the Corporation’s response.

Comment #1:
We note your response to prior comment 1 in our letter dated December 20, 2013. We note from your response that you feel it would be duplicative to disclose nonaccrual TDRs in the TDR section of the Note 4. However, it appears your disclosures on pages 86-87 of the December 31, 2012 10-K do not satisfy the disclosure requirements under ASC 310-10-50-33 & 34 as it appears you have not included nonaccrual TDRs in these disclosures. Please revise future filings to update the tables presented on pages 86-87 in the December 31, 2012 10-K to include all TDRs - performing and accrual, nonperforming but accrual, and nonaccrual - in accordance with ASC 310-10-50-33 & 34. Please provide your proposed disclosures for the periods presented in your response.

Response:
As requested, the disclosures on pages 86-87 of the Corporation’s December 31, 2012 Form 10-K that are applicable to paragraphs 33 and 34 of ASC 310-10-50 will be revised in future filings to include all of the Corporation’s TDRs, including nonaccrual TDRs.

For your reference, attached is an excerpt from a draft of Note 4 - Loans to be included in the Corporation’s December 31, 2013 Form 10-K applicable to the above referenced disclosures. The amounts included for the twelve months ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 have been revised from the Corporation’s December 31, 2012 Form 10-K filed on February 22, 2013 to include nonaccrual TDRs.



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The Corporation also notes that the applicable TDR disclosures in the Corporation’s “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in its December 31, 2013 Form 10-K for such prior periods will be revised to conform with the presentation in the footnotes to the financial statements.

The Corporation is available to discuss any of its responses with you at your convenience. Should you have any questions or want to discuss these matters further, please feel free to contact the undersigned by phone at (989) 839-5358, by fax at (989) 633-0416, or by email at Lori.Gwizdala@ChemicalBankMI.com.

Sincerely,
Chemical Financial Corporation
/s/Lori A. Gwizdala
Lori A. Gwizdala
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer



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EXERPT FROM DRAFT OF NOTE 4 — LOANS OF 2013 FORM 10-K
Loans Modified Under Troubled Debt Restructurings (TDRs)
The following schedule presents the Corporation's TDRs at December 31, 2013 and 2012:
 
 
Performing
 
Non-performing
 
Nonaccrual
 
Total
 
 
(In thousands)
December 31, 2013
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial loan portfolio
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$

Consumer loan portfolio
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Total
 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

December 31, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial loan portfolio
 
$
15,789

 
$
13,876

 
$
42,711

 
$
72,376

Consumer loan portfolio
 
15,580

 
3,321

 
4,783

 
23,684

Total
 
$
31,369

 
$
17,197

 
$
47,494

 
$
96,060

The following schedule provides information on the Corporation's TDRs that were modified during the twelve months ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011:
 
 
Number
of Loans
 
Pre-
Modification
Recorded
Investment
 
Post-
Modification
Recorded
Investment
 
 
(Dollars in thousands)
Twelve months ended December 31, 2013
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial loan portfolio:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial real estate
 
 
 
 
 
 
Land development
 
 
 
 
 
 
Subtotal — commercial loan portfolio
 
 

 

Consumer loan portfolio (residential mortgage)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total
 
 
$

 
$

Twelve months ended December 31, 2012 (As Revised)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial loan portfolio:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial
 
91
 
$
13,720

 
$
13,720

Commercial real estate
 
77
 
17,328

 
17,328

Land development
 
11
 
5,494

 
5,494

Subtotal — commercial loan portfolio
 
179
 
36,542

 
36,542

Consumer loan portfolio (residential mortgage)
 
121
 
9,944

 
9,684

Total
 
300
 
$
46,486

 
$
46,226

Twelve months ended December 31, 2011 (As Revised)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial loan portfolio:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial
 
20
 
$
4,806

 
$
4,806

Commercial real estate
 
26
 
6,316

 
6,316

Land development
 
 

 

Subtotal — commercial loan portfolio
 
46
 
11,122

 
11,122

Consumer loan portfolio (residential mortgage)
 
139
 
11,028

 
10,575

Total
 
185
 
$
22,150

 
$
21,697



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The pre-modification and post-modification recorded investment represents amounts as of the date of loan modification. The difference between the pre-modification and post-modification recorded investment of residential mortgage TDRs represents impairment recognized by the Corporation through the provision for loan losses computed based on a loan's post-modification present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan's original effective interest rate.
The following schedule includes TDRs for which there was a payment default during the twelve months ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, whereby the borrower was past due with respect to principal and/or interest for 90 days or more, and the loan became a TDR during the twelve-month period prior to the default:
 
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
 
 
 
(As Revised)
 
(As Revised)
 
 
Number of Loans
 
Principal Balance at Year End
 
Number of Loans
 
Principal Balance at Year End
 
Number of Loans
 
Principal Balance at Year End
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(Dollars in thousands)
Commercial loan portfolio:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial
 
 
 
 
 
10
 
$
1,692

 
7
 
$
2,659

Commercial real estate
 
 
 
 
 
15
 
4,993

 
9
 
1,828

Land development
 
 
 
 
 
4
 
1,157

 
 

Subtotal — commercial loan portfolio
 
 

 
29
 
7,842

 
16
 
4,487

Consumer loan portfolio (residential mortgage)
 
 
 
 
 
13
 
1,673

 
21
 
1,964

Total
 
 
$

 
42
 
$
9,515

 
37
 
$
6,451

During 2012 and 2011, the Corporation excluded nonaccrual TDRs from the schedule of TDRs that were modified during the twelve months ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the schedule of TDRs for which there was a payment default during the twelve months ended December 31, 2012 and 2011. The Corporation has revised the amounts reported for 2012 and 2011 in these schedules to include activity related to all TDRs, including nonaccrual TDRs.



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