REGULATORY MATTERS:

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Banking and Thrift [Abstract]

REGULATORY MATTERS

REGULATORY MATTERS:

The Corporation and its bank affiliates are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal banking agencies. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory—and possibly additional discretionary—actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on the Corporation's financial statements.

Further, the Corporation's primary source of funds to pay dividends to shareholders is dividends from its subsidiary banks and compliance with these capital requirements can affect the ability of the Corporation and its banking affiliates to pay dividends. At December 31, 2019, approximately $26.7 million of undistributed earnings of the subsidiary banks, included in consolidated retained earnings, were available for distribution to the Corporation without regulatory approval. Under capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, the Corporation and Banks must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of the Corporation's assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance-sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices. The Corporation's and Banks' capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors.

Quantitative measures established by regulation to ensure capital adequacy require the Corporation and Banks to maintain minimum amounts and ratios of Total, Common equity tier I capital and Tier I Capital to risk-weighted assets, and of Tier I Capital to average assets.

The final rules implementing Basel Committee on Banking Supervision's capital guidelines for U.S. banks (Basel lll rules) became effective for the Corporation on January 1, 2015 with full compliance with all of the requirements being phased in over a multi-year schedule, and fully phased in by January 1, 2019. Under the Basel lll rules, the Corporation must hold a capital conservation buffer above the adequately capitalized risk-based capital ratios. The capital conservation buffer is being phased in from 0.0% for 2015 to 2.50% by 2019. The capital conservation buffer for 2018 and 2017 is 1.875% and 1.25%, respectively. The net unrealized gain or loss on available for sale securities is not included in computing regulatory capital.

Management believes, as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, that the Corporation meets all capital adequacy requirements to which it is subject.

As of December 31, 2019, the most recent notification from the respective regulatory agencies categorized the subsidiary banks as well capitalized under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action. To be categorized as well capitalized, the banks must maintain minimum total risk-based, Common equity tier I capital, Tier I risk-based and Tier I leverage ratios as set forth in the table. There are no conditions or events since that notification that management believes have changed the banks' category.

The following table presents the actual and required capital amounts and related ratios for the Corporation and First Financial Bank, N.A., at year-end 2019 and 2018. 

									To Be Well Capitalized
					For Capital				Under Prompt Corrective
	Actual				Adequacy Purposes				Action Provisions
(Dollar amounts in thousands)	Amount		Ratio		Amount		Ratio		Amount	Ratio
Total risk-based capital
Corporation – 2019	$	495,817	16.16	%	$	322,091	10.500	%	N/A	N/A
Corporation – 2018	$	451,036	19.36	%	$	230,091	9.875	%	N/A	N/A
First Financial Bank – 2019	472,995		15.91	%	312,111		10.500	%	297,249	10.00	%
First Financial Bank – 2018	421,553		18.71	%	222,453		9.875	%	225,268	10.00	%
Common equity tier I capital
Corporation – 2019	$	475,874	15.51	%	$	214,728	7.000	%	N/A	N/A
Corporation – 2018	$	430,600	18.48	%	$	148,540	6.375	%	N/A	N/A
First Financial Bank – 2019	457,649		15.40	%	208,074		7.000	%	193,212	6.50	%
First Financial Bank – 2018	405,181		17.99	%	143,609		6.375	%	146,424	6.50	%
Tier I risk-based capital
Corporation – 2019	$	475,874	15.51	%	$	260,741	8.500	%	N/A	N/A
Corporation – 2018	$	430,600	18.48	%	$	183,490	7.875	%	N/A	N/A
First Financial Bank – 2019	457,649		15.40	%	252,661		8.500	%	237,799	8.00	%
First Financial Bank – 2018	405,181		17.99	%	177,399		7.875	%	180,215	8.00	%
Tier I leverage capital
Corporation – 2019	$	475,874	12.04	%	$	158,081	4.00	%	N/A	N/A
Corporation – 2018	$	430,600	14.59	%	$	118,072	4.00	%	N/A	N/A
First Financial Bank – 2019	457,649		11.93	%	153,453		4.00	%	191,816	5.00	%
First Financial Bank – 2018	405,181		14.19	%	114,213		4.00	%	142,767	5.00	%