Derivative Financial Instruments

The fair value of derivative positions outstanding is included in accrued interest receivable and other assets and accrued interest payable and other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and in the net change in each of these financial statement line items in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows.

Interest Rate Derivatives. The Corporation utilizes interest rate swaps, caps and floors to mitigate exposure to interest rate risk and to facilitate the needs of its customers. The Corporation’s objectives for utilizing these derivative instruments are described below:

The Corporation has entered into certain interest rate swap contracts that are matched to specific fixed-rate commercial loans or leases that the Corporation has entered into with its customers. These contracts have been designated as hedging instruments to hedge the risk of changes in the fair value of the underlying commercial loan/lease due to changes in interest rates. The related contracts are structured so that the notional amounts reduce over time to generally match the expected amortization of the underlying loan/lease.

During 2007, the Corporation entered into three interest rate swap contracts on variable-rate loans with a total notional amount of $1.2 billion. The interest rate swap contracts were designated as hedging instruments in cash flow hedges with the objective of protecting the overall cash flows from the Corporation’s monthly interest receipts on a rolling portfolio of $1.2 billion of variable-rate loans outstanding throughout the 84-month period beginning in October 2007 and ending in October 2014 from the risk of variability of those cash flows such that the yield on the underlying loans would remain constant. The Corporation terminated portions of the hedges and settled portions of the interest rate swap contracts during November 2009 and terminated the remaining portions of the hedges and settled the remaining portions of the interest rate swap contracts during November 2010. The accumulated gain on the interest rate swaps upon settlement was deferred and amortized over the original lives of the underlying swap contracts. The amortization of the deferred accumulated gain ended in October 2014. As of December 31, 2013, the deferred accumulated gain applicable to the settled interest rate swap contracts included in accumulated other comprehensive income totaled $30.6 million ($19.9 million on an after-tax basis), all of which was recognized in interest income during 2014.

In October 2008, the Corporation entered into an interest rate swap contract on junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures with a total notional amount of $120.0 million. The interest rate swap contract was designated as a hedging instrument in a cash flow hedge with the objective of protecting the quarterly interest payments on the Corporation’s $120.0 million of junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures issued to Cullen/Frost Capital Trust II throughout the five-year period beginning in December 2008 and ending in December 2013 from the risk of variability of those payments resulting from changes in the three-month LIBOR interest rate. Under the swap, the Corporation paid a fixed interest rate of 5.47% and received a variable interest rate of three-month LIBOR plus a margin of 1.55% on a total notional amount of $120.0 million, with quarterly settlements. The swap terminated in December 2013.

The Corporation has entered into certain interest rate swap, cap and floor contracts that are not designated as hedging instruments. These derivative contracts relate to transactions in which the Corporation enters into an interest rate swap, cap and/or floor with a customer while at the same time entering into an offsetting interest rate swap, cap and/or floor with another financial institution. In connection with each swap transaction, the Corporation agrees to pay interest to the customer on a notional amount at a variable interest rate and receive interest from the customer on a similar notional amount at a fixed interest rate. At the same time, the Corporation agrees to pay another financial institution the same fixed interest rate on the same notional amount and receive the same variable interest rate on the same notional amount. The transaction allows the Corporation’s customer to effectively convert a variable rate loan to a fixed rate. Because the Corporation acts as an intermediary for its customer, changes in the fair value of the underlying derivative contracts for the most part offset each other and do not significantly impact the Corporation’s results of operations.

The notional amounts and estimated fair values of interest rate derivative contracts outstanding at December 31, 2014 and 2013 are presented in the following table. The Corporation obtains dealer quotations to value its interest rate derivative contracts designated as hedges of cash flows, while the fair values of other interest rate derivative contracts are estimated utilizing internal valuation models with observable market data inputs.



	December 31, 2014					December 31, 2013
	Notional Amount		Estimated Fair Value			Notional Amount		Estimated Fair Value
Derivatives designated as hedges of fair value:
Financial institution counterparties:
Loan/lease interest rate swaps - assets	$	31,614	$	469		$	50,965	$	1,386
Loan/lease interest rate swaps - liabilities	37,672		(3,179		)	43,631		(4,191		)
Non-hedging interest rate derivatives:
Financial institution counterparties:
Loan/lease interest rate swaps - assets	69,842		719			195,234		9,573
Loan/lease interest rate swaps - liabilities	765,979		(38,952		)	626,980		(32,469		)
Loan/lease interest rate caps - assets	73,058		1,003			53,058		1,309
Customer counterparties:
Loan/lease interest rate swaps - assets	765,979		38,910			626,980		32,426
Loan/lease interest rate swaps - liabilities	69,842		(719		)	195,234		(9,573		)
Loan/lease interest rate caps - liabilities	73,058		(1,003		)	53,058		(1,309		)

The weighted-average rates paid and received for interest rate swaps outstanding at December 31, 2014 were as follows:



	Weighted-Average
	Interest Rate Paid		Interest Rate Received
Interest rate swaps:
Fair value hedge loan/lease interest rate swaps	2.80	%	0.16	%
Non-hedging interest rate swaps - financial institution counterparties	4.05		1.67
Non-hedging interest rate swap - customer counterparties	1.67		4.05

The weighted-average strike rate for outstanding interest rate caps was 2.99% at December 31, 2014.

Commodity Derivatives. The Corporation enters into commodity swaps and option contracts that are not designated as hedging instruments primarily to accommodate the business needs of its customers. Upon the origination of a commodity swap or option contract with a customer, the Corporation simultaneously enters into an offsetting contract with a third party financial institution to mitigate the exposure to fluctuations in commodity prices.

The notional amounts and estimated fair values of non-hedging commodity swap and option derivative positions outstanding are presented in the following table. The Corporation obtains dealer quotations and uses internal valuation models with observable market data inputs to value its commodity derivative positions.



		December 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
	Notional Units	Notional Amount	Estimated Fair Value			Notional Amount	Estimated Fair Value
Financial institution counterparties:
Oil - assets	Barrels	470	$	14,357		356	$	1,004
Oil - liabilities	Barrels	197	(1,670		)	1,574	(2,704		)
Natural gas - assets	MMBTUs	12,235	12,707			14,240	2,903
Natural gas - liabilities	MMBTUs	16,755	(4,095		)	22,510	(3,212		)
Customer counterparties:
Oil - assets	Barrels	197	1,670			1,574	2,818
Oil - liabilities	Barrels	470	(14,318		)	356	(991		)
Natural gas - assets	MMBTUs	16,755	4,095			22,850	3,301
Natural gas - liabilities	MMBTUs	12,235	(12,646		)	13,900	(2,805		)

Foreign Currency Derivatives. The Corporation enters into foreign currency forward contracts that are not designated as hedging instruments primarily to accommodate the business needs of its customers. Upon the origination of a foreign currency denominated transaction with a customer, the Corporation simultaneously enters into an offsetting contract with a third party to negate the exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The Corporation also utilizes foreign currency forward contracts that are not designated as hedging instruments to mitigate the economic effect of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates on foreign currency holdings and certain short-term, non-U.S. dollar denominated loans. The notional amounts and fair values of open foreign currency forward contracts were as follows:



		December 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
	Notional Currency	Notional Amount	Estimated Fair Value			Notional Amount	Estimated Fair Value
Financial institution counterparties:
Forward contracts – assets	EUR	936	$	7		1,175	$	5
Forward contracts - assets	CAD	24,724	659			18,886	85
Forward contracts – liabilities	GBP	544	(2		)	—	—
Forward contracts - liabilities	EUR	—	—			494	(4		)
Forward contracts - liabilities	CAD	—	—			14,078	(23		)

Customer counterparties:
Forward contracts – assets	CAD	—	—			14,055	45
Forward contracts – liabilities	CAD	24,680	(615		)	18,859	(58		)

Gains, Losses and Derivative Cash Flows. For fair value hedges, the changes in the fair value of both the derivative hedging instrument and the hedged item are included in other non-interest income or other non-interest expense. The extent that such changes in fair value do not offset represents hedge ineffectiveness. Net cash flows from interest rate swaps on commercial loans/leases designated as hedging instruments in effective hedges of fair value are included in interest income on loans. For cash flow hedges, the effective portion of the gain or loss due to changes in the fair value of the derivative hedging instrument is included in other comprehensive income, while the ineffective portion (indicated by the excess of the cumulative change in the fair value of the derivative over that which is necessary to offset the cumulative change in expected future cash flows on the hedge transaction) is included in other non-interest income or other non-interest expense. Net cash flows from interest rate swaps on variable-rate loans designated as hedging instruments in effective hedges of cash flows and the reclassification from other comprehensive income of deferred gains associated with the termination of those hedges are included in interest income on loans. Net cash flows from the interest rate swap on junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures designated as a hedging instrument in an effective hedge of cash flows were included in interest expense on junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures during 2013 and 2012. For non-hedging derivative instruments, gains and losses due to changes in fair value and all cash flows are included in other non-interest income and other non-interest expense.

Amounts included in the consolidated statements of income related to interest rate derivatives designated as hedges of fair value were as follows:



	2014			2013			2012
Commercial loan/lease interest rate swaps:
Amount of gain (loss) included in interest income on loans	$	(2,014	)	$	(2,437	)	$	(2,587	)
Amount of (gain) loss included in other non-interest expense	3			4			46

Amounts included in the consolidated statements of income and in other comprehensive income for the period related to interest rate derivatives designated as hedges of cash flows were as follows:



	2014		2013			2012
Interest rate swaps/caps/floors on variable-rate loans:
Amount reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to interest income on loans	$	30,604	$	37,380		$	37,380
Interest rate swaps on junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures:
Amount reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense on junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures	—		4,064			4,224
Amount of gain (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income	—		(49		)	(783		)

No ineffectiveness related to interest rate derivatives designated as hedges of cash flows was recognized in the consolidated statements of income during the reported periods. The amortization of the deferred accumulated gain applicable to the settled interest rate swap contracts ended in October 2014. As of December 31, 2013, the deferred accumulated gain applicable to the settled interest rate swap contracts included in accumulated other comprehensive income totaled $30.6 million ($19.9 million on an after-tax basis), all of which was recognized in interest income during 2014.

As stated above, the Corporation enters into non-hedge related derivative positions primarily to accommodate the business needs of its customers. Upon the origination of a derivative contract with a customer, the Corporation simultaneously enters into an offsetting derivative contract with a third party. The Corporation recognizes immediate income based upon the difference in the bid/ask spread of the underlying transactions with its customers and the third party. Because the Corporation acts only as an intermediary for its customer, subsequent changes in the fair value of the underlying derivative contracts for the most part offset each other and do not significantly impact the Corporation’s results of operations.

Amounts included in the consolidated statements of income related to non-hedging interest rate, commodity and foreign currency derivative instruments are presented in the table below.



	2014			2013			2012
Non-hedging interest rate derivatives:
Other non-interest income	$	1,786		$	1,441		$	4,722
Other non-interest expense	(2		)	(96		)	(116		)
Non-hedging commodity derivatives:
Other non-interest income	118			496			124
Non-hedging foreign currency derivatives:
Other non-interest income	162			175			—

Counterparty Credit Risk. Derivative contracts involve the risk of dealing with both bank customers and institutional derivative counterparties and their ability to meet contractual terms. Institutional counterparties must have an investment grade credit rating and be approved by the Corporation’s Asset/Liability Management Committee. The Corporation’s credit exposure on interest rate swaps is limited to the net favorable value and interest payments of all swaps by each counterparty, while the Corporation’s credit exposure on commodity swaps/options and foreign currency forward contracts is limited to the net favorable value of all contracts by each counterparty. Credit exposure may be reduced by the amount of collateral pledged by the counterparty. There are no credit-risk-related contingent features associated with any of the Corporation’s derivative contracts. Certain derivative contracts with upstream financial institution counterparties may be terminated with respect to a party in the transaction, if such party does not have at least a minimum level rating assigned to either its senior unsecured long-term debt or its deposit obligations by certain third-party rating agencies.

The Corporation’s credit exposure relating to interest rate swaps, commodity swaps/options and foreign currency forward contracts with bank customers was approximately $39.0 million at December 31, 2014. This credit exposure is partly mitigated as transactions with customers are generally secured by the collateral, if any, securing the underlying transaction being hedged. The Corporation’s credit exposure, net of collateral pledged, relating to interest rate swaps, commodity swaps/options and foreign currency forward contracts with upstream financial institution counterparties was approximately $8.5 million at December 31, 2014. This amount was primarily related to excess collateral posted by the Corporation to counterparties and under-collateralized derivative assets held by the Corporation. Collateral levels for upstream financial institution counterparties are monitored and adjusted as necessary. See Note 17 – Balance Sheet Offsetting for additional information regarding the Corporation’s credit exposure with upstream financial institution counterparties.

The aggregate fair value of securities posted as collateral by the Corporation related to derivative contracts totaled $19.3 million at December 31, 2014. At such date, the Corporation also had $12.1 million in cash collateral on deposit with other financial institution counterparties.