Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Accounting Policies
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]	1. Accounting Policies In the opinion of the management of Arrow Financial Corporation (Arrow), the accompanying unaudited consolidated interim financial statements contain all of the adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position as of June 30, 2011, December 31, 2010 and June 30, 2010; the results of operations for three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010; the changes in stockholders’ equity for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010; and the cash flows for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. The preparation of financial statements requires the use of management estimates. The unaudited consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited annual consolidated financial statements of Arrow for the year ended December 31, 2010, included in Arrow’s 2010 Form 10-K. Recent Accounting Pronouncements: ASU 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) – Presentation of Comprehensive Income. ASU 2011-05 eliminates the option of presenting the components of comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity and provides an entity the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two but separate consecutive statements. The update is effective, retrospectively, for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The changes are limited to matters of presentation and will not have an impact on our financial condition or results of operation. ASU 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) - Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs. In 2006, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) published a Memorandum of Understanding, which has served as the foundation of the Boards’ efforts to create a common set of high quality global accounting standards. Consistent with the Memorandum of Understanding and the Boards’ commitment to achieving that goal, the amendments in ASU 2011-04 are the result of the work by the FASB and the IASB to develop common requirements for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).The Boards worked together to ensure that fair value has the same meaning in U.S. GAAP and in IFRSs and that their respective fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are the same (except for minor differences in wording and style). The amendments in ASU 2011-04 explain how to measure fair value. They do not require additional fair value measurements and are not intended to establish valuation standards or affect valuation practices outside of financial reporting. We have determined that this pronouncement will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. ASU 2011-03, Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860) - Reconsideration of Effective Control for Repurchase Agreements. The amendments in ASU 2011-03 remove from the assessment of effective control (1) 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 (2) the collateral maintenance implementation guidance related to that criterion. Other criteria applicable to the assessment of effective control are not changed by the amendments in this Update. Those criteria indicate that the transferor is deemed to have maintained effective control over the financial assets transferred (and thus must account for the transaction as a secured borrowing) for agreements that both entitle and obligate the transferor to repurchase or redeem the financial assets before their maturity if all of the following conditions are met: 1. The financial assets to be repurchased or redeemed are the same or substantially the same as those transferred. 2. The agreement is to repurchase or redeem them before maturity, at a fixed or determinable price. 3. The agreement is entered into contemporaneously with, or in contemplation of, the transfer. The update is effective, retrospectively, for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. Currently, we report all of our repurchase agreements as secured borrowings and accordingly, we have determined that this pronouncement will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. ASU 2011-02, Receivables (Topic 310) – A Creditor’s determination of whether a Restructuring Is a Trouble Debt Restructuring. ASU 2011-02 provides additional guidance in evaluating whether a restructuring constitutes a troubled debt restructuring. Under this guidance, a creditor must separately conclude that both of the following exist: 1. The restructuring constitutes a concession. 2. The debtor is experiencing financial difficulties. The amendments in this Update are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning on or after June 15, 2011, and should be applied retrospectively to the beginning of the annual period of adoption. We have determined that this pronouncement will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. 1. Accounting Policies, continued ASU 2010-20, Receivables (Topic 310) - Disclosures about the Credit Quality of Financing Receivables and the Allowance for Credit Losses & ASU 2011-01, Receivables (Topic 310) – Deferral of the Effective Date of Disclosures about Trouble Debt Restructurings in Update No. 2010-20: The main objective of this guidance is to provide financial statement users with greater transparency about an entity’s allowance for credit losses and the credit quality of its financing receivables. This pronouncement requires additional disclosures to assist financial statement users in assessing an entity’s credit risk exposures and evaluating the adequacy of its allowance for credit losses. These new disclosures are required for interim and annual reporting periods ending on or after December 15, 2010, except for disclosures relating to loan modifications, which were subsequently extended to interim and annual filings after June 15, 2011. We have determined that this pronouncement will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

1. Accounting Policies

In the opinion of the management of Arrow Financial Corporation (Arrow), the accompanying unaudited consolidated interim financial statements contain all of the adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position as of June 30, 2011, December 31, 2010 and June 30, 2010; the results of operations for three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010; the changes in stockholders’ equity for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010; and the cash flows for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. The preparation of financial statements requires the use of management estimates. The unaudited consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited annual consolidated financial statements of Arrow for the year ended December 31, 2010, included in Arrow’s 2010 Form 10-K.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements:

ASU 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) – Presentation of Comprehensive Income. ASU 2011-05 eliminates the option of presenting the components of comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity and provides an entity the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two but separate consecutive statements. The update is effective, retrospectively, for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The changes are limited to matters of presentation and will not have an impact on our financial condition or results of operation.

ASU 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) - Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs. In 2006, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) published a Memorandum of Understanding, which has served as the foundation of the Boards’ efforts to create a common set of high quality global accounting standards. Consistent with the Memorandum of Understanding and the Boards’ commitment to achieving that goal, the amendments in ASU 2011-04 are the result of the work by the FASB and the IASB to develop common requirements for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).The Boards worked together to ensure that fair value has the same meaning in U.S. GAAP and in IFRSs and that their respective fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are the same (except for minor differences in wording and style). The amendments in ASU 2011-04 explain how to measure fair value. They do not require additional fair value measurements and are not intended to establish valuation standards or affect valuation practices outside of financial reporting. We have determined that this pronouncement will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

ASU 2011-03, Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860) - Reconsideration of Effective Control for Repurchase Agreements. The amendments in ASU 2011-03 remove from the assessment of effective control (1) 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 (2) the collateral maintenance implementation guidance related to that criterion. Other criteria applicable to the assessment of effective control are not changed by the amendments in this Update. Those criteria indicate that the transferor is deemed to have maintained effective control over the financial assets transferred (and thus must account for the transaction as a secured borrowing) for agreements that both entitle and obligate the transferor to repurchase or redeem the financial assets before their maturity if all of the following conditions are met: 1. The financial assets to be repurchased or redeemed are the same or substantially the same as those transferred. 2. The agreement is to repurchase or redeem them before maturity, at a fixed or determinable price. 3. The agreement is entered into contemporaneously with, or in contemplation of, the transfer. The update is effective, retrospectively, for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. Currently, we report all of our repurchase agreements as secured borrowings and accordingly, we have determined that this pronouncement will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

ASU 2011-02, Receivables (Topic 310) – A Creditor’s determination of whether a Restructuring Is a Trouble Debt Restructuring. ASU 2011-02 provides additional guidance in evaluating whether a restructuring constitutes a troubled debt restructuring. Under this guidance, a creditor must separately conclude that both of the following exist: 1. The restructuring constitutes a concession. 2. The debtor is experiencing financial difficulties. The amendments in this Update are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning on or after June 15, 2011, and should be applied retrospectively to the beginning of the annual period of adoption. We have determined that this pronouncement will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

1. Accounting Policies, continued

ASU 2010-20, Receivables (Topic 310) - Disclosures about the Credit Quality of Financing Receivables and the Allowance for Credit Losses & ASU 2011-01, Receivables (Topic 310) – Deferral of the Effective Date of Disclosures about Trouble Debt Restructurings in Update No. 2010-20: The main objective of this guidance is to provide financial statement users with greater transparency about an entity’s allowance for credit losses and the credit quality of its financing receivables. This pronouncement requires additional disclosures to assist financial statement users in assessing an entity’s credit risk exposures and evaluating the adequacy of its allowance for credit losses. These new disclosures are required for interim and annual reporting periods ending on or after December 15, 2010, except for disclosures relating to loan modifications, which were subsequently extended to interim and annual filings after June 15, 2011. We have determined that this pronouncement will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity.

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