Basis of Presentation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

1. Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Hancock Whitney Corporation and all other entities in which it has a controlling interest (the “Company”). The financial statements include all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary to fairly state the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the interim periods presented. The Company has also evaluated all subsequent events for potential recognition and disclosure through the date of the filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Some financial information and disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q pursuant to Securities and Exchange Commission rules and regulations. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. Financial information reported in these financial statements is not necessarily indicative of the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows for any other interim or annual period.

Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Such changes include expanding the presentation of the credit quality metrics by vintage to portfolio class from portfolio segment in Note 3 – Loans. These changes in presentation did not have a material impact on the Company's financial condition or operating results.

Use of Estimates

The accounting principles the Company follows and the methods for applying these principles conform to GAAP and general practices followed by the banking industry. These accounting principles require management to make estimates and assumptions about future events that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Accounting Policies

There were no material changes or developments during the reporting period with respect to methodologies that the Company uses when applying what management believes are critical accounting policies and developing critical accounting estimates as disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

On January 1, 2023, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2022-02 "Financial Instruments: Credit Losses (Topic 326) - Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures." The amendments in this update eliminated the recognition and measurement guidance as prescribed by Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 310-40 for troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”) and introduced new requirements for certain modifications of loans to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty (“MEFDs”). Qualifying modifications are interest rate reductions, other-than-insignificant payment delays, term extensions, or any combination of these terms. Our MEFD policy generally considers six months or less to be the time frame that is considered insignificant for payment delays and/or term extensions. Multiple payment delays and/or term extensions to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty within a twelve month period are evaluated collectively. Qualifying modified loans are subject to reporting requirements for the twelve month period following the modification. This standard was adopted on a prospective basis and therefore, only modifications on or after January 1, 2023 are evaluated and reported under the new requirements.

Like TDRs, MEFDs can remain on nonaccrual, move to nonaccrual, return to accrual, or continue to accrue interest, depending on the individual facts and circumstances of the borrower. As allowed by the standard, the Company has elected to evaluate these modified loans for credit loss consistent with policies for the non-modified portfolio, which includes individually evaluating for specific reserves all nonaccrual MEFDs over our existing materiality threshold and collectively evaluating credit loss for all other MEFDs, including those that continue to accrue interest. The credit loss methodology for MEFDs is the same as described in the Allowance for Credit Losses section in the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies disclosed in the Note 1 of the 2022 Form 10-K.

Refer to Note 3 – Loans for disclosures related to reportable MEFDs entered into since adoption, as well as gross charge-offs by class in our vintage disclosures, also required by this standard.

Refer to Note 14 – Recent Accounting Pronouncements for further discussion of accounting standards adopted and issued but not yet adopted at March 31, 2023 and the anticipated impact to the Company’s financial statements.