Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Basis of Presentation [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

1.  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.  The words "Southside" and "Southside Bancshares" refer to Southside Bancshares, Inc.  The words "Southside Bank" and "the Bank" refer to Southside Bank (which, subsequent to the internal merger of Fort Worth National Bank ("FWNB") with and into Southside Bank, includes FWNB).  "FWBS" refers to Fort Worth Bancshares, Inc., a bank holding company acquired by Southside of which FWNB was a wholly-owned subsidiary.  "SFG" refers to Southside Financial Group, LLC, of which Southside Bank owns a 100% interest as of September 30, 2011.  On July 15, 2011, Southside Bank acquired the remaining 50% interest in SFG increasing our ownership to 100%.  The purchase price was $4.8 million and resulted in a decrease to shareholders' equity of approximately $2.8 million and the elimination of the noncontrolling interest.  SFG is consolidated in our financial statements and this purchase will not limit or change our ability to allocate capital.

The consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2011, and the related consolidated statements of income, equity and cash flows and notes to the financial statements for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 are unaudited; in the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of such financial statements have been included.  Such adjustments consisted only of normal recurring items.  All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.  The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("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, 2010.  All share data has been adjusted to give retroactive recognition to stock splits and stock dividends.

Summary of Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies

Securities Carried at Fair Value through Income.  Debt securities purchased at significant premiums that contain an embedded derivative where the embedded derivative is not readily identifiable and measurable and as such cannot be bifurcated, are classified as securities carried at fair value through income.  Fair value is determined using quoted market prices.  If quoted market prices are not available, fair values are based on quoted market prices for similar securities or estimates from independent pricing services.  Changes in fair value are reported through the income statement as fair value gain (loss) - securities.

FHLB Advance Option Fees.  Option fees paid to the FHLB giving us the option to enter into long-term advance commitments at specified interest rates in the future are capitalized and reviewed for impairment.  Once the option is exercised, the FHLB advance option fee is amortized over the term of the advance as interest expense.

For a description of our other significant accounting and reporting policies, refer to Note 1 of the Notes to Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Accounting Standards

ASU No. 2011-01, "Deferral of the Effective Date of Disclosures about Troubled Debt Restructurings in Update No. 2010-20 (Topic 310)", was issued January 2011 deferring the new disclosure requirements (paragraphs 310-10-50-31 through 50-34 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification) about troubled debt restructurings to be concurrent with the effective date of the guidance for determining what constitutes a troubled debt restructuring, as presented in proposed Accounting Standards Update, Receivables (Topic 310): Clarifications to Accounting for Troubled Debt Restructurings by Creditors.  As a result of the issuance of Update 2011-02, the provisions of Update 2011-01 became effective for us on September 30, 2011, and was applied retrospectively to the beginning of the annual period of adoption.  The adoption of the Update did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

ASU No. 2011-02, "Receivables (Topic 310) - A Creditor's Determination of Whether a Restructuring Is a Troubled Debt Restructuring."  ASU 2011-02 clarifies which loan modifications constitute troubled debt restructurings and is intended to assist creditors in determining whether a modification of the terms of a receivable meets the criteria to be considered a troubled debt restructuring, both for purposes of recording an impairment loss and for disclosure of troubled debt restructurings.  In evaluating whether a restructuring constitutes a troubled debt restructuring, a creditor must separately conclude, under the guidance clarified by ASU 2011-02, that both of the following exist: (a) the restructuring constitutes a concession; and (b) the debtor is experiencing financial difficulties. ASU 2011-02 became effective for us on July 1, 2011, and was applied retrospectively to restructurings occurring on or after January 1, 2011.  The adoption of ASU 2011-02 did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

ASU No. 2011-03, "Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860) - Reconsideration of Effective Control for Repurchase Agreements."  ASU 2011-03 is intended to improve financial reporting of repurchase agreements and other agreements that both entitle and obligate a transferor to repurchase or redeem financial assets before their maturity. ASU 2011-03 removes from the assessment of effective control (i) the criterion requiring the transferor to have the ability to repurchase or redeem the financial assets on substantially the agreed terms, even in the event of default by the transferee, and (ii) the collateral maintenance guidance related to that criterion. ASU 2011-03 will be effective for us on January 1, 2012 and is not expected to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2011-04, "Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) - Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs."  ASU 2011-04 amends Topic 820, "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures," to converge the fair value measurement guidance in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and International Financial Reporting Standards. ASU 2011-04 clarifies the application of existing fair value measurement requirements, changes certain principles in Topic 820 and requires additional fair value disclosures.  ASU 2011-04 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011, and is not expected to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2011-05, "Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) - Presentation of Comprehensive Income."  ASU 2011-05 amends Topic 220, "Comprehensive Income," to require that all nonowner changes in stockholders' equity be presented in either a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements.  Additionally, ASU 2011-05 requires entities to present, on the face of the financial statements, reclassification adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income in the statement or statements where the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented.  The option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders' equity was eliminated. ASU 2011-05 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011, and is not expected to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2011-08, "Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) - Testing Goodwill for Impairment." ASU 2011-08 amends Topic 350, "Intangibles - Goodwill and Other," to give entities the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, an entity determines it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary. However, if an entity concludes otherwise, then it is required to perform the first step of the two-step impairment test by calculating the fair value of the reporting unit and comparing the fair value with the carrying amount of the reporting unit. ASU 2011-08 is effective for annual and interim impairment tests beginning after December 15, 2011, and is not expected to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.