Capital and Regulatory Matters

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Banking and Thrift [Abstract]

Capital and Regulatory Matters

Capital and Regulatory Matters

Banks and bank holding companies are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by state and federal banking agencies. Capital adequacy guidelines and, additionally for banks, prompt corrective action regulations, involve quantitative measures of assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance-sheet items calculated under regulatory accounting practices. Capital amounts and classifications are also subject to qualitative judgments by regulators about components, risk weighting and other factors.

Cullen/Frost’s and Frost Bank’s Common Equity Tier 1 capital includes common stock and related paid-in capital, net of treasury stock, and retained earnings. In connection with the adoption of the Basel III Capital Rules, we elected to opt-out of the requirement to include most components of accumulated other comprehensive income in Common Equity Tier 1. We also elected to exclude, for a five-year transitional period, the effects of credit loss accounting under CECL from Common Equity Tier 1, as further discussed below. Common Equity Tier 1 for both Cullen/Frost and Frost Bank is reduced by goodwill and other intangible assets, net of associated deferred tax liabilities. Frost Bank's Common Equity Tier 1 is also reduced by its equity investment in its financial subsidiary, Frost Insurance Agency (“FIA”).

Tier 1 capital includes Common Equity Tier 1 capital and additional Tier 1 capital. Cullen/Frost and Frost Bank did not have any additional Tier 1 capital beyond Common Equity Tier 1 at March 31, 2020. For Cullen/Frost, additional Tier 1 capital at December 31, 2019 included $144.5 million of 5.375% non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock. This preferred stock was redeemed during the first quarter of 2020, as further discussed below. Frost Bank did not have any additional Tier 1 capital beyond Common Equity Tier 1 at December 31, 2019.

Total capital includes Tier 1 capital and Tier 2 capital. Tier 2 capital for both Cullen/Frost and Frost Bank includes a permissible portion of the allowances for credit losses on securities, loans and off-balance-sheet credit exposures. Tier 2 capital for Cullen/Frost also includes $100.0 million of qualified subordinated debt and $133.0 million of trust preferred securities at both March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

As discussed in Note 1 - Significant Accounting Policies, in connection with the adoption of ASC 326, we recognized an after-tax cumulative effect reduction to retained earnings totaling $29.3 million. In February 2019, the federal bank regulatory agencies issued a final rule (the “2019 CECL Rule”) that revised certain capital regulations to account for changes to credit loss accounting under U.S. GAAP. The 2019 CECL Rule included a transition option that allows banking organizations to phase in, over a three-year period, the day-one adverse effects of CECL on their regulatory capital ratios (three-year transition option). In March 2020, the federal bank regulatory agencies issued an interim final rule that maintains the three-year transition option of the 2019 CECL Rule and also provides banking organizations that were required under U.S. GAAP (as of January 2020) to implement CECL before the end of 2020 the option to delay for two years an estimate of the effect of CECL on regulatory capital, relative to the incurred loss methodology’s effect on regulatory capital, followed by a three-year transition period (five-year transition option). We elected to adopt the five-year transition option. Accordingly, a CECL transitional amount totaling $63.4 million has been added back to CET1 as of March 31, 2020. The CECL transitional amount includes $29.3 million related to cumulative effect of adopting CECL and $34.1 million related to the estimated incremental effect of CECL during the three months ended March 31, 2020.

The following tables present actual and required capital ratios as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 for Cullen/Frost and Frost Bank under the Basel III Capital Rules. Capital levels required to be considered well capitalized are based upon prompt corrective action regulations, as amended to reflect the changes under the Basel III Capital Rules. See the 2019 Form 10-K for a more detailed discussion of the Basel III Capital Rules. After a review of risk-weight classifications during the first quarter of 2019, risk-weightings for certain loans were reclassified. Amounts reported as of December 31, 2019 have been revised to reflect these reclassifications.

	Actual				Minimum Capital Required - Basel III				Required to be Considered Well Capitalized
	Capital Amount		Ratio		Capital Amount		Ratio		Capital Amount		Ratio
March 31, 2020
Common Equity Tier 1 to Risk-Weighted Assets
Cullen/Frost	$	2,884,385	12.02	%	$	1,679,810	7.00	%	$	1,559,824	6.50	%
Frost Bank	2,924,082		12.21		1,676,269		7.00		1,556,535		6.50
Tier 1 Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets
Cullen/Frost	2,884,385		12.02		2,039,770		8.50		1,919,783		8.00
Frost Bank	2,924,082		12.21		2,035,469		8.50		1,915,736		8.00
Total Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets
Cullen/Frost	3,352,464		13.97		2,519,715		10.50		2,399,729		10.00
Frost Bank	3,159,161		13.19		2,514,403		10.50		2,394,670		10.00
Leverage Ratio
Cullen/Frost	2,884,385		8.84		1,305,429		4.00		1,631,786		5.00
Frost Bank	2,924,082		8.97		1,304,257		4.00		1,630,322		5.00

December 31, 2019
Common Equity Tier 1 to Risk-Weighted Assets
Cullen/Frost	$	2,857,250	12.36	%	$	1,617,886	7.00	%	$	1,502,323	6.50	%
Frost Bank	2,958,326		12.82		1,615,206		7.00		1,499,834		6.50
Tier 1 Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets
Cullen/Frost	3,001,736		12.99		1,964,576		8.50		1,849,013		8.00
Frost Bank	2,958,326		12.82		1,961,322		8.50		1,845,950		8.00
Total Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets
Cullen/Frost	3,367,403		14.57		2,426,829		10.50		2,311,266		10.00
Frost Bank	3,090,993		13.40		2,422,809		10.50		2,307,438		10.00
Leverage Ratio
Cullen/Frost	3,001,736		9.28		1,293,188		4.00		1,616,485		5.00
Frost Bank	2,958,326		9.15		1,292,743		4.00		1,615,929		5.00

As of March 31, 2020, capital levels at Cullen/Frost and Frost Bank exceed all capital adequacy requirements under the fully phased-in Basel III Capital Rules. Based on the ratios presented above, capital levels as of March 31, 2020 at Cullen/Frost and Frost Bank exceed the minimum levels necessary to be considered “well capitalized.”

Cullen/Frost and Frost Bank are subject to the regulatory capital requirements administered by the Federal Reserve Board and, for Frost Bank, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). Regulatory authorities can initiate certain mandatory actions if Cullen/Frost or Frost Bank fail to meet the minimum capital requirements, which could have a direct material effect on our financial statements. Management believes, as of March 31, 2020, that Cullen/Frost and Frost Bank meet all capital adequacy requirements to which they are subject.

Preferred Stock. On March 16, 2020, we redeemed all 6,000,000 shares of our 5.375% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A, (“Series A Preferred Stock”) at a redemption price of $25 per share, or an aggregate redemption of $150.0 million. When issued, the net proceeds of the Series A Preferred Stock totaled $144.5 million after deducting $5.5 million of issuance costs including the underwriting discount and professional service fees, among other things. Upon redemption, these issuance costs were reclassified to retained earnings and reported as a reduction of net income available to common shareholders.

Stock Repurchase Plans. From time to time, our board of directors has authorized stock repurchase plans. In general, stock repurchase plans allow us to proactively manage our capital position and return excess capital to shareholders. Shares purchased under such plans also provide us with shares of common stock necessary to satisfy obligations related to stock compensation

awards. On July 24, 2019, our board of directors authorized a $100.0 million stock repurchase program, allowing us to repurchase shares of our common stock over a one-year period from time to time at various prices in the open market or through private transactions. Under this plan, we repurchased 177,834 shares at a total cost of $13.7 million during the first quarter of 2020 and 202,724 shares at a total cost of $17.2 million during the third quarter of 2019. Under the Basel III Capital Rules, Cullen/Frost may not repurchase or redeem any of its subordinated notes and, in some cases, its common stock without the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board.

Dividend Restrictions. In the ordinary course of business, Cullen/Frost is dependent upon dividends from Frost Bank to provide funds for the payment of dividends to shareholders and to provide for other cash requirements, including to repurchase its common stock. Banking regulations may limit the amount of dividends that may be paid. Approval by regulatory authorities is required if the effect of dividends declared would cause the regulatory capital of Frost Bank to fall below specified minimum levels. Approval is also required if dividends declared exceed the net profits for that year combined with the retained net profits for the preceding two years. Under the foregoing dividend restrictions and while maintaining its “well capitalized” status, at March 31, 2020, Frost Bank could pay aggregate dividends of up to $395.9 million to Cullen/Frost without prior regulatory approval.

Under the terms of the junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures that Cullen/Frost has issued to Cullen/Frost Capital Trust II and WNB Capital Trust I, Cullen/Frost has the right at any time during the term of the debentures to defer the payment of interest at any time or from time to time for an extension period not exceeding 20 consecutive quarterly periods with respect to each extension period. In the event that we have elected to defer interest on the debentures, we may not, with certain exceptions, declare or pay any dividends or distributions on our capital stock or purchase or acquire any of our capital stock.