Mortgage Loans Mortgage Loans Policy (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Abstract]

Troubled Debt Restructurings [Policy Text Block]

Restructured Loans

A modification to the contractual terms of a loan that results in granting a concession to a borrower experiencing financial difficulties is considered a troubled debt restructuring (“TDR”). Our loss mitigation programs primarily include modifications that result in the capitalization of past due amounts in combination with interest rate reductions below market and/or the extension of the loan’s maturity date. Such restructurings are granted to borrowers in financial difficulty on either a permanent or contingent basis, as in the case of modifications with a trial period. We consider these types of loan restructurings to be TDRs.

We do not include principal or past due interest forgiveness as part of our loss mitigation programs, and as a result, we do not charge off any outstanding principal or accrued interest amounts at the time of loan modification. We believe that the loan underwriting activities we perform as a part of our loan modification process coupled with the borrower’s successful performance during any required trial period provide us reasonable assurance regarding the collectibility of the principal and interest due in accordance with the loan’s modified terms, which include any past due interest amounts that are capitalized as principal at the time of modification. As such, the loan is returned to accrual status when the loan modification is completed (i.e., at the end of the trial period), and we accrue interest thereafter in accordance with our interest accrual policy. If the loan was on nonaccrual status prior to entering the trial period, it remains on nonaccrual status until the borrower demonstrates performance via the trial period and the modification is finalized.

In addition to these loan modifications, we also engage in other loss mitigation activities with troubled borrowers, which include repayment plans, forbearance arrangements, and the capitalization only of past due amounts. Repayment plans and forbearance arrangements are informal agreements with the borrower that do not result in the legal modification of the loan. For all of these activities, we consider the deferral or capitalization of three or fewer missed payments to represent only an insignificant delay, and thus not a TDR. If we defer or capitalize more than three missed payments, the delay is no longer considered insignificant, and the restructuring is accounted for as a TDR.

We measure impairment of a loan restructured in a TDR individually based on the excess of the recorded investment in the loan over the present value of the expected future cash inflows discounted at the loan’s original effective interest rate. Costs incurred to complete a TDR are expensed as incurred. However, when foreclosure is probable on an individually impaired loan, we measure impairment based on the difference between our recorded investment in the loan and the fair value of the underlying property, adjusted for the estimated costs to sell the property and estimated insurance or other proceeds we expect to receive.

A modification to the contractual terms of a loan that results in granting a concession to a borrower experiencing financial difficulties is considered a TDR. In addition to formal loan modifications, we also engage in other loss mitigation activities with troubled borrowers, which include repayment plans and forbearance arrangements, both of which represent informal agreements with the borrower that do not result in the legal modification of the loan’s contractual terms. We account for these informal restructurings as a TDR if we defer more than three missed payments. We also classify loans to certain borrowers who have received bankruptcy relief as TDRs.