Regulatory Capital Requirements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Regulatory Capital Requirements Abstract [Abstract]

Regulatory Capital Requirements

Regulatory Capital Requirements

Northern Trust Corporation and the Bank are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal bank regulatory authorities. Under these requirements, banks must maintain specific risk-based and leverage ratios in order to be classified as “well-capitalized.” The regulatory capital requirements impose certain restrictions upon banks that meet minimum capital requirements but are not “well-capitalized” and obligate the federal bank regulatory authorities to take “prompt corrective action” with respect to banks that do not maintain such minimum ratios. Such prompt corrective action could have a direct material effect on a bank’s financial statements.

As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Bank had capital ratios above the levels required for classification as a “well-capitalized” institution and had not received any regulatory notification of a lower classification. As a result of the stress test results published by the Federal Reserve on June 25, 2020, Northern Trust’s stress capital buffer requirement for the 2020 Capital Plan cycle was set at 2.5%. The 2020 stress capital buffer became effective October 1, 2020, and results in a common equity tier 1 capital ratio minimum requirement of 7.0%.

Additionally, Northern Trust’s subsidiary banks located outside the U.S. are subject to regulatory capital requirements in the jurisdictions in which they operate. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, Northern Trust’s non-U.S. banking subsidiaries had capital ratios above their specified minimum requirements. There were no conditions or events since December 31, 2020, that management believes have adversely affected the capital categorization of any Northern Trust subsidiary bank.

The following table provides capital ratios for the Corporation and the Bank determined by Basel III phased in requirements.

TABLE 143: RISK-BASED AND LEVERAGE CAPITAL AMOUNTS AND RATIOS

	DECEMBER 31, 2020								DECEMBER 31, 2019
($ In Millions)	STANDARDIZED APPROACH				ADVANCED APPROACH				STANDARDIZED APPROACH				ADVANCED APPROACH
	BALANCE		RATIO		BALANCE		RATIO		BALANCE		RATIO		BALANCE		RATIO
Common Equity Tier 1 Capital
Northern Trust Corporation	$	9,962.2	12.8	%	$	9,962.2	13.4	%	$	8,898.7	12.7	%	$	8,898.7	13.2	%
The Northern Trust Company	10,003.3		13.0		10,003.3		13.8		8,476.0		12.3		8,476.0		13.0
Minimum to qualify as well-capitalized:
Northern Trust Corporation	N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A
The Northern Trust Company	4,994.4		6.5		4,717.1		6.5		4,472.0		6.5		4,230.0		6.5
Tier 1 Capital
Northern Trust Corporation	10,822.2		13.9		10,822.2		14.5		10,152.0		14.5		10,152.0		15.0
The Northern Trust Company	10,003.3		13.0		10,003.3		13.8		8,476.0		12.3		8,476.0		13.0
Minimum to qualify as well-capitalized:
Northern Trust Corporation	4,659.7		6.0		4,467.6		6.0		4,205.3		6.0		4,051.6		6.0
The Northern Trust Company	6,147.0		8.0		5,805.6		8.0		5,504.0		8.0		5,206.2		8.0
Total Capital
Northern Trust Corporation	12,085.7		15.6		11,825.8		15.9		11,456.7		16.3		11,332.3		16.8
The Northern Trust Company	11,123.1		14.5		10,863.3		15.0		9,610.4		14.0		9,486.0		14.6
Minimum to qualify as well-capitalized:
Northern Trust Corporation	7,766.2		10.0		7,446.0		10.0		7,008.8		10.0		6,752.7		10.0
The Northern Trust Company	7,683.7		10.0		7,257.0		10.0		6,880.1		10.0		6,507.7		10.0
Tier 1 Leverage
Northern Trust Corporation	10,822.2		7.6		10,822.2		7.6		10,152.0		8.7		10,152.0		8.7
The Northern Trust Company	10,003.3		7.0		10,003.3		7.0		8,476.0		7.3		8,476.0		7.3
Minimum to qualify as well-capitalized:
Northern Trust Corporation	N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A
The Northern Trust Company	7,105.0		5.0		7,105.0		5.0		5,835.4		5.0		5,835.4		5.0
Supplementary Leverage(1)
Northern Trust Corporation	N/A		N/A		10,822.2		8.6		N/A		N/A		10,152.0		7.6
The Northern Trust Company	N/A		N/A		10,003.3		7.7		N/A		N/A		8,476.0		6.4
Minimum to qualify as well-capitalized:
Northern Trust Corporation	N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A
The Northern Trust Company	N/A		N/A		3,883.4		3.0		N/A		N/A		3,983.6		3.0

(1) In November 2019, the Federal Reserve and other U.S. federal banking agencies adopted a final rule that established a deduction for central bank deposits from the total leverage exposures of custodial banking organizations, including Northern Trust Corporation and The Northern Trust Company, equal to the lesser of (i) the total amount of funds the custodial banking organization and its consolidated subsidiaries have on deposit at qualifying central banks and (ii) the total amount of client funds on deposit at the custodial banking organization that are linked to fiduciary or custodial and safekeeping accounts. The rule became effective on April 1, 2020.

Further, on April 1, 2020, the Federal Reserve issued an interim final rule that requires bank holding companies, including Northern Trust Corporation, to deduct, on a temporary basis, deposits with the Federal Reserve and investments in U.S. Treasury securities from their total leverage exposure. The U.S. Treasury securities deduction is applied in addition to the central bank deposits relief referred to above. This rule became effective on April 1, 2020 and will remain in effect through the first quarter of 2021. On May 15, 2020, the U.S. federal banking agencies released an interim final rule that permits insured depository institutions of bank holding companies also to temporarily exclude deposits with the Federal Reserve and investments in U.S. Treasury securities from their total leverage exposure. The Northern Trust Company did not elect to take this deduction.

The supplementary leverage ratios at December 31, 2020 for the Northern Trust Corporation and The Northern Trust Company reflect the impact of these final rules.    

The U.S. banking agencies’ capital rules are based on the Basel III framework. Under the Basel III framework, these rules are currently being phased in, and will come into full effect by January 1, 2022. Northern Trust Corporation’s remaining elements of the rules subject to the phase in requirements are not material to regulatory capital ratios.

Under the final Basel III rules, the Corporation and the Bank are required to calculate and publicly disclose risk-based capital ratios using two methodologies: an advanced approach and a standardized approach. Under the advanced approach, credit risk weighted assets (RWA) are based on internal credit models and parameters. Additionally, the advanced approach incorporates operational risk RWA. Under the standardized approach, RWA are based on supervisory prescribed risk weights that are primarily dependent on counterparty type and asset class.

Pursuant to the Federal Reserve Board's implementation in the final Basel III rules of a provision of the Dodd-Frank Act, the capital adequacy of the Corporation and the Bank is assessed based on the lower of the advanced approach or standardized approach capital ratios.