Summary of Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

In this report, the words “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to the combined entities of Southside Bancshares, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including Southside Bank.  The words “Southside” and “Southside Bancshares” refer to Southside Bancshares, Inc.  The words “Southside Bank” and “the Bank” refer to Southside Bank. “Omni” refers to OmniAmerican Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, OmniAmerican Bank, acquired by Southside on December 17, 2014. “Diboll” refers to Diboll State Bancshares, Inc., a bank holding company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, First Bank & Trust East Texas, acquired by Southside on November 30, 2017.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States (“U.S.”) generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, not all information required by GAAP for complete financial statements is included in these interim statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of such financial statements have been included.  Such adjustments consisted only of normal recurring items.  The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires the use of management’s estimates.  These estimates are subjective in nature and involve matters of judgment.  Actual amounts could differ from these estimates.

Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year.  These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Changes and Reclassifications

Certain prior period amounts may be reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

Current Expected Credit Losses

We adopted ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” on January 1, 2020, the effective date of the guidance. ASU 2016-13 replaced the incurred loss model with an expected loss methodology that is referred to as current expected credit loss (“CECL”). The CECL model is used to estimate credit losses on certain off-balance-sheet credit exposures and certain types of financial instruments measured at amortized cost including loan receivables and held to maturity (“HTM”) debt securities. ASU 2016-13 also modified the impairment model on available for sale (“AFS”) debt securities, whereby credit losses are recognized as an allowance rather than a direct write-down of the AFS debt security. In addition, ASU 2016-13 modified the accounting model for purchased financial assets with credit deterioration (“PCD”) since their origination.

We adopted ASU 2016-13 using the modified retrospective approach for all financial assets measured at amortized cost and off-balance-sheet credit exposures. Adoption of this guidance on January 1, 2020, resulted in a cumulative-effect adjustment to reduce retained earnings by $7.8 million, net of tax. Due to the implementation of the guidance under the modified retrospective approach, prior periods have not been adjusted and are reported in accordance with previously applicable GAAP. The impairment model for AFS securities will be applied using a prospective approach.

We adopted ASU 2016-13 using the prospective transition approach for financial assets purchased with credit deterioration since their origination that were previously classified as purchased credit impaired (“PCI”) and accounted for under ASC 310-30. On the date of adoption, the amortized cost basis of the PCD assets was adjusted by an allowance for credit losses of $231,000. The remaining noncredit discount based upon the adjusted amortized cost basis will be accreted into interest income at the effective interest rate as of the date of adoption.

Current Expected Credit Losses ("CECL"). Current expected credit losses is the estimated credit loss over the contractual life of a financial instrument measured upon origination or purchase of the instrument. The measurement of the credit loss is based upon the historical or expected credit loss patterns adjusted for current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecast periods adjusted for prepayments and significant reserve factors. The impact of varying economic conditions and portfolio stress factors are now a component of the credit loss models applied to each portfolio. Reserve factors are specific to the financial instrument segments that share similar risk characteristics based on the probability of default assumptions and loss given default assumptions, over the contractual term. The forecasted periods gradually mean-revert to the long-run trend based upon historical data. Management evaluates the economic data points used in the Moody’s forecasting scenarios on a quarterly basis to determine the most appropriate impact to the various portfolio characteristics based on management’s view and may apply additional scenario conditions, weights, and/or relevant qualitative factors, not previously considered, to determine the

appropriate allowance level. The use of the CECL model includes significant judgment by management and may differ from those of our peers due to different historical loss patterns and the length of time of the reasonable and supportable forecast period and reversion period.

When assessing for credit losses from period to period, the change may be indicative of changes in the estimates of timing or the amount of future cash flows, based on the probability of economic forecast scenarios applied, as well as the passage of time. We have elected to report the entire change in present value as provision for credit losses.

When using the discounted cash flow method to determine the allowance for credit losses, management does not adjust the effective interest rate used to discount expected cash flows to incorporate expected prepayments, but rather applies separate prepayment factors.

The following table reflects the impact of ASU 2016-13 on our allowances for credit losses as of January 1, 2020, the date of adoption:

	January 1, 2020
	Pre-Adoption		Impact of Adoption		Post-Adoption
ASSETS
Allowance for loan losses
Loans:
Real estate loans:
Construction	$	3,539	$	2,953	$	6,492
1-4 family residential	3,833		(1,453)		2,380
Commercial	9,572		8,063		17,635
Commercial loans	6,351		(3,554)		2,797
Municipal loans	570		(522)		48
Loans to individuals	932		(184)		748
Allowance for loan losses	$	24,797	$	5,303	$	30,100
LIABILITIES
Allowance for off-balance-sheet credit exposures	$	1,455	$	4,840	$	6,295

Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting.” ASU 2020-04 is intended to provide relief for companies preparing for discontinuation of interest rates based on LIBOR. The ASU provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contract modifications and hedging relationships, subject to meeting certain criteria, that reference LIBOR or other reference rates expected to be discontinued. ASU 2020-04 also provides for a one-time sale and/or transfer to AFS or trading to be made for HTM debt securities that both reference an eligible reference rate and were classified as HTM before January 1, 2020. ASU 2020-04 was effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 and through December 31, 2022. Companies can apply the ASU as of the beginning of the interim period that includes March 12, 2020 or any date thereafter. The guidance requires companies to apply the guidance prospectively to contract modifications and hedging relationships while the one-time election to sell and/or transfer debt securities classified as HTM may be made any time after March 12, 2020. ASU 2020-04 is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Accrued Interest

Accrued Interest. Accrued interest for our loans and debt securities, included in interest receivable on our consolidated balance sheets, is excluded from the estimate of allowance for credit losses (“ACL”).

Nonaccrual Assets and Loan Charge-offs

Nonaccrual Assets and Loan Charge-offs. Nonaccrual assets include financial assets 90 days or more delinquent and full collection of both principal and interest is not expected.  Financial instruments that are not delinquent or that are delinquent less than 90 days may be placed on nonaccrual status if it is probable that we will not receive contractual principal or interest. When an asset is categorized as nonaccrual, the accrual of interest is discontinued and any accrued balance is reversed for financial statement purposes. Payments received on nonaccrual assets are applied to the outstanding principal balance. Payments of contractual interest are recognized as income only to the extent that full recovery of the principal balance is reasonably certain.  Assets are returned to accrual status when all payments contractually due are brought current and future payments are reasonably assured.  

Industry and our own experience indicates that a portion of our loans will become delinquent and a portion of our loans will require partial or full charge-off.  Regardless of the underwriting criteria utilized, losses may occur as a result of various factors beyond our control, including, among other things, changes in market conditions affecting the value of properties used as collateral for loans and problems affecting the credit worthiness of the borrower and the ability of the borrower to make payments on the loan. We charge-off loans when deemed uncollectible. Our policy is to charge-off or partially charge-off a retail credit after it is 120 days past due. Charge-offs on commercial credits are determined on a case-by-case basis when a credit loss has been confirmed.

Debt Securities

Debt Securities

Available for Sale (“AFS”).  Debt securities that will be held for indefinite periods of time, including securities that may be sold in response to changes in market interest or prepayment rates, needs for liquidity and changes in the availability of and the yield on alternative investments are classified as AFS.  These assets are carried at fair value with unrealized gains and losses, not related to credit losses, reported as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”), net of tax.  Fair value is determined using quoted market prices as of the close of business on the balance sheet date.  If quoted market prices are not available, fair values are based on quoted market prices for similar securities or estimates from independent pricing services.

Held to Maturity (“HTM”). Debt securities that management has the positive intent and ability to hold until maturity are classified as HTM and are carried at their amortized cost which includes the remaining unpaid principal balance, net of unamortized premiums or unaccreted discounts. Our HTM securities are presented on the consolidated balance sheet net of allowance for credit losses, if any. As of September 30, 2020, there was no allowance for credit losses on our HTM securities portfolio. Premiums and Discounts. Premiums and discounts on debt securities are generally amortized over the contractual life of the security, except for mortgage backed securities where prepayments are anticipated and for callable debt securities whose premiums are amortized to the earliest call date in accordance with ASC 310. The amortization of purchased premium or discount is included in interest income on our consolidated statements of income. Gains and losses on the sale of securities are recorded in the month of the trade date and are determined using the specific identification method. On January 1, 2019, we adopted ASU 2017-08, “Receivables - Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities,” and in conjunction with the adoption recognized a cumulative effect adjustment to reduce retained earnings by $16.5 million, before tax, related to premiums on callable debt securities. With the adoption of ASU 2017-08, premiums on debt securities will be amortized to the earliest call date.

Allowance for Credit Losses - Debt Securities

Allowance for Credit Losses - Available for Sale Securities. For AFS debt securities in an unrealized loss position where management (i) has the intent to sell or (ii) where it will more-likely-than-not be required to sell the security before the recovery of its amortized cost basis, we write the security down to fair value through income. For those AFS debt securities that do not meet either of these criteria, management assesses whether the decline in fair value has resulted from credit losses or other factors. Management assesses the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer, industry and/or geographic conditions, credit ratings as well as other indicators at the individual security level. If a credit loss is determined to exist, the present value of discounted cash flows expected to be collected from the security are compared to the amortized cost basis of the security. If the present value of discounted cash flows expected to be collected is less than the amortized cost basis, a credit loss exists and an allowance for credit loss is recorded, limited by the amount that the fair value is less than the amortized cost. Any impairment that is not recorded through an allowance for credit losses is recognized in comprehensive income. Any future changes in the allowance for credit losses is recorded as provision for (reversal of) credit losses. Prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-13, the credit related portion of an other-than-temporary impairment was recognized as a direct write-down of the AFS debt security.

Allowance for Credit Losses - Held to Maturity Securities. Expected credit losses on HTM securities are measured on a collective basis by major security type, when similar risk characteristics exist. Risk characteristics for segmenting HTM debt securities include issuer, maturity, coupon rate, yield, payment frequency, source of repayment, bond payment structure, and embedded options. Upon assignment of the risk characteristics to the major security types, management may further evaluate the qualitative factors associated with these securities to determine the expectation of credit losses, if any.

The major security types within our HTM portfolio include residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) and state and political subdivisions.

Our state and political subdivisions include highly-rated municipal securities with a long history of no credit losses. Our investment policy prohibits bond purchases with a rating less than BAA and limits our entity concentration. We utilize term structures and due to no prior loss exposure on our state and political subdivision securities, we apply third party average data to model our securities to represent the portion of the asset that would be lost if the issuer were to default. These third party estimates of recoveries and defaults, adjusted for constant probability over the securities expected life, are used to evaluate the expected loss of the securities. Due to the limited number and the nature of the HTM state and political subdivisions we hold, we do not model these securities as a pool, but on the specific identification method in conjunction with the application of our third-party fair value measurement.

Our residential and commercial MBS are issued and/or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or U.S. government-sponsored enterprises (“GSEs”) and are collateralized by pools of single- or multi-family mortgages. Our MBS are highly rated securities with a long history of no credit losses which are either explicitly or implicitly backed by the U.S. government agencies, primarily the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”) and GSEs, primarily Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) and Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) which guarantee the payment of principal and interest to investors. Management has collectively evaluated the characteristics of these securities and has assumed an expectation of zero credit loss. Prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-13, the credit related portion of an other-than-temporary impairment was recognized as a direct write-down of the HTM debt security.

We reevaluate the characteristics of our major security types at every reporting period and reassess the considerations to continue to support our expectation of credit loss.

Loans

Loans. Loans that management has the intent and ability to hold for the foreseeable future or until maturity or pay-off are reported at amortized cost. Amortized cost consists of the outstanding principal balance adjusted for any charge-offs and any unamortized origination fees and unamortized premiums or discounts on purchased loans. Loan origination fees, net of certain direct origination costs, are deferred and recognized in interest income over the life of the loan.

Allowance for Credit Losses - Loans

Allowance for Credit Losses - Loans. With the adoption of ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2020, the allowance for credit losses on loans is estimated and recognized upon origination of the loan based on expected credit losses. ASU 2016-13 replaced the previous incurred loss model which incorporated only known information as of the balance sheet date. The CECL model uses historical experience and current conditions for homogeneous pools of loans, and reasonable and supportable forecasts about future events. We utilize Moody’s Analytics economic forecast scenarios and assign probability weighting to those scenarios which best reflect management’s views on the economic forecast. The probability weighting and scenarios utilized for the third quarter 2020 estimate of the allowance, were generally reflective of an improved economic forecast as compared to prior quarters.

When determining the appropriate allowance for credit losses on our loan portfolio, our commercial construction and real estate loans, commercial loans and municipal loans utilize the probability of default/loss given default discounted cash flow approach. These loans are assigned to pools based upon risk factors including the loan type and structure, collateral type, leverage ratio, refinancing risk and origination quality, among others. Our consumer construction real estate loans, 1-4 family residential loans and our loans to individuals use a loss rate approach and are assigned to pools based upon risk factors including loan types, origination year and credit scores.

Loans evaluated collectively in a pool are monitored to ensure they continue to exhibit similar risk characteristics with other loans in a pool. If a loan does not share similar risk characteristics with other loans, expected credit losses for that loan are evaluated individually.

Purchased Credit Deteriorated Loans

Purchased Credit Deteriorated (“PCD”) Loans. We have purchased certain loans that as of the date of purchase have experienced more-than-insignificant deterioration in credit quality since origination. Management evaluates these loans against a probability threshold to determine if substantially all of the contractually required payments will be received. With the adoption of ASU 2016-13, PCD loans are recorded at the purchase price plus an allowance for credit losses which becomes the PCD loan's initial amortized cost. The non-credit related discount or premium, the difference between the initial amortized cost and the par value, will be amortized into interest income over the life of the loan. Any further changes to the allowance for credit losses are recorded through provision expense. Prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-13, acquired loans considered purchase credit impaired (“PCI”) were measured at fair value at acquisition date. The difference in expected cash flows at the acquisition date in excess of the fair value was recorded as interest income over the life of the loan. In accordance with the adoption of ASU 2016-13, management did not reassess whether PCI assets met the criteria of PCD assets and elected to not maintain pools of loans as of the date of adoption. All PCD loans are evaluated based upon product type within the underlying segment.

Troubled Debt Restructuring

Troubled Debt Restructurings (“TDRs”). A loan is considered a TDR if the original terms of a loan are modified, or concessions are made to accommodate a borrower experiencing financial duress. The modification or concession may include reduction of interest rates, reduced payment amounts, and/or extension of terms, among others. The likelihood of initiating a TDR is evaluated at each reporting date for each loan. This evaluation is based on qualitative judgments made by management on a case-by-case basis. If a reasonable expectation of a TDR exists, the expected credit loss is adjusted for any potential delays and/or modifications.

In response to the novel strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, in March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was signed into law. Under the CARES Act, banks may elect to deem that loan modifications do not result in TDRs if they are (1) related to COVID-19; (2) executed on a loan that was not more than 30 days past due as of December 31, 2019; and (3) executed between March 1, 2020, and the earlier of (A) 60 days after the date of termination of the national emergency declaration or (B) December 31, 2020. Additionally, in accordance with the Interagency Statement on Loan Modifications and Reporting for Financial Institutions Working with Customers Affected by the Coronavirus (Revised), other short-term modifications made on a good faith basis in response to COVID-19 to borrowers who were current prior to any relief are not TDRs under ASC Subtopic 310-40. This includes short-term (e.g., up to six months) modifications such as payment deferrals, fee waivers, extensions of repayment terms, or delays in payments that are insignificant. Borrowers considered current are those that are less than 30 days past due on their contractual payments at the time a modification program is implemented.

Allowance for Credit Losses - Off-Balance-Sheet Credit Exposures

Allowance for Credit Losses - Off-Balance-Sheet Credit Exposures. Our off-balance-sheet credit exposures include contractual commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit. For these credit exposures we evaluate the expected credit losses using usage given defaults and credit conversion factors depending on the type of commitment and based upon historical usage rates. These assumptions are reevaluated on an annual basis and adjusted if necessary.  In accordance with Topic 326, credit losses are not recognized for those credit exposures that are unconditionally cancellable by the Company.

The allowance for credit losses for these off-balance-sheet credit exposures is included in other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets and is adjusted with a corresponding adjustment to provision for credit losses on our consolidated statements of income. Prior to the adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020, the provision for off-balance-sheet credit exposures was included in other noninterest expense.