Accounting Policies - Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Schedule of Cash Flow, Supplemental Disclosures

The following table sets forth information regarding certain cash and non-cash transactions for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015:

Table 2.1



	For the Years Ended December 31,
	2017		2016		2015
	(in thousands)
Cash paid during the period for:
Interest	$	161,060	$	110,609	$	108,254
Income taxes	39,500		29,500		31,000
Non-cash activity:
Real estate owned acquired through loan liquidation	5,400		—		—
Loans acquired and securitized as Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities	519,219		609,347		336,913
Consolidation of Farm & Ranch Guaranteed Securities from off-balance sheet to loans held for investment in consolidated trusts and to debt securities of consolidated trusts held by third parties	363,475		511,393		336,913
Purchases of securities - traded not yet settled	1,400		—		20,000
Issuance costs on the retirement of Farmer Mac II LLC Preferred Stock	—		—		8,147
Unsettled common stock repurchases	—		—		197
Transfers of available-for-sale USDA Securities to held-to-maturity	—		1,980,327		—
Transfers of available-for-sale Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities to held-to-maturity	—		32,824		—

On October 1, 2016, Farmer Mac transferred $2.0 billion of USDA Securities and $32.8 million of Farmer Mac Guaranteed USDA Securities from available-for-sale to held-to-maturity to reflect Farmer Mac’s positive intent and ability to hold these securities until maturity or payoff. Farmer Mac transferred these securities at fair value as of the date of the transfer, which included a cost basis adjustment of unrealized appreciation in the amount of $73.1 million for the USDA Securities and $0.7 million for the Farmer Mac Guaranteed USDA Securities. The accumulated unrealized appreciation was retained in accumulated other comprehensive income in the amount of $73.8 million. Farmer Mac accounts for held-to-maturity securities at amortized cost. Both the cost basis adjustment and accumulated unrealized appreciation are being amortized as adjustments to the yield on the held-to-maturity USDA Securities over the remaining contractual term of the transferred securities.

Earnings Per Common Share

The following schedule reconciles basic and diluted EPS for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015:

Table 2.2



	For the Years Ended December 31,
	2017⁽¹⁾						2016						2015
	Net Income		Weighted-Average Shares	$ per Share			Net Income		Weighted-Average Shares	$ per Share			Net Income		Weighted-Average Shares	$ per Share
	(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Basic EPS
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	71,300	10,594	$	6.73		$	64,152	10,477	$	6.12		$	47,371	10,949	$	4.33
Effect of dilutive securities⁽²⁾
Stock options, SARs and restricted stock	—		209	(0.13		)	—		269	(0.15		)	—		360	(0.14		)
Diluted EPS	$	71,300	10,803	$	6.60		$	64,152	10,746	$	5.97		$	47,371	11,309	$	4.19


⁽¹⁾	For the effect of the adoption of the new Accounting Standard Update 2016-09, "Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting," on Basic and Diluted EPS, see Note 2(r) "New Accounting Standards."

⁽²⁾

For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, stock options and SARs of 28,579, 86,907, and 304,132, respectively, were outstanding but not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share of common stock because they were anti-dilutive. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, contingent shares of non-vested restricted stock of 29,647, 37,284, and 46,303 respectively, were outstanding but not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share of common stock because performance conditions had not yet been met.

Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Table Text Block]

Table 2.3



	Available-for-Sale Securities			Held-to-Maturity Securities			Cash Flow Hedges			Total
	(in thousands)
Balance as of January 1, 2015	$	9,716		$	5,973		$	(156	)	$	15,533
Other comprehensive loss before reclassifications	(6,026		)	—			(1,155		)	(7,181		)
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	(13,725		)	(6,449		)	803			(19,371		)
Net comprehensive loss	(19,751		)	(6,449		)	(352		)	(26,552		)
Balance as of December 31, 2015	$	(10,035	)	$	(476	)	$	(508	)	$	(11,019	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	5,481			47,993			1,588			55,062
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	(9,833		)	(1,765		)	1,313			(10,285		)
Net comprehensive (loss)/income	(4,352		)	46,228			2,901			44,777
Balance as of December 31, 2016	$	(14,387	)	$	45,752		$	2,393		$	33,758
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	23,925			—			152			24,077
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	(10,917		)	(6,064		)	1,178			(15,803		)
Net comprehensive income/(loss)	13,008			(6,064		)	1,330			8,274
Stranded tax effects reclassified from AOCI due to enactment of new tax legislation	(297		)	8,548			802			9,053
Balance as of December 31, 2017	$	(1,676	)	$	48,236		$	4,525		$	51,085

Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Table Text Block]

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income represents all changes in stockholders' equity except those resulting from investments by or distributions to stockholders, and is comprised of net income and unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities, certain held-to-maturity securities transferred from the available-for-sale classification, and cash flow hedges, net of related taxes.

The following table presents the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI"), net of tax, by component for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015.

Table 2.3



	Available-for-Sale Securities			Held-to-Maturity Securities			Cash Flow Hedges			Total
	(in thousands)
Balance as of January 1, 2015	$	9,716		$	5,973		$	(156	)	$	15,533
Other comprehensive loss before reclassifications	(6,026		)	—			(1,155		)	(7,181		)
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	(13,725		)	(6,449		)	803			(19,371		)
Net comprehensive loss	(19,751		)	(6,449		)	(352		)	(26,552		)
Balance as of December 31, 2015	$	(10,035	)	$	(476	)	$	(508	)	$	(11,019	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	5,481			47,993			1,588			55,062
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	(9,833		)	(1,765		)	1,313			(10,285		)
Net comprehensive (loss)/income	(4,352		)	46,228			2,901			44,777
Balance as of December 31, 2016	$	(14,387	)	$	45,752		$	2,393		$	33,758
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	23,925			—			152			24,077
Amounts reclassified from AOCI	(10,917		)	(6,064		)	1,178			(15,803		)
Net comprehensive income/(loss)	13,008			(6,064		)	1,330			8,274
Stranded tax effects reclassified from AOCI due to enactment of new tax legislation	(297		)	8,548			802			9,053
Balance as of December 31, 2017	$	(1,676	)	$	48,236		$	4,525		$	51,085

The following table presents other comprehensive income activity, the impact on net income of amounts reclassified from each component of AOCI, and the related tax impact for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015:

Table 2.4



	For the Years Ended December 31,
	2017									2016									2015
	Before Tax			Provision (Benefit)			After Tax			Before Tax			Provision (Benefit)			After Tax			Before Tax			Provision (Benefit)			After Tax
	(in thousands)
Other comprehensive income:
Available-for-sale-securities:
Unrealized holding gains/(losses) on available-for-sale-securities	$	36,809		$	12,884		$	23,925		$	8,433		$	2,952		$	5,481		$	(9,270	)	$	(3,244	)	$	(6,026	)
Less reclassification adjustments included in:
Gains/(losses) on financial derivatives and hedging activities⁽¹⁾	(16,845		)	(5,897		)	(10,948		)	(15,375		)	(5,381		)	(9,994		)	(20,125		)	(7,044		)	(13,081		)
Gains/(losses) on sale of available-for-sale investment securities⁽²⁾	(89		)	(31		)	(58		)	9			3			6			(10		)	(4		)	(6		)
Other income⁽³⁾	137			48			89			239			84			155			(982		)	(344		)	(638		)
Total	$	20,012		$	7,004		$	13,008		$	(6,694	)	$	(2,342	)	$	(4,352	)	$	(30,387	)	$	(10,636	)	$	(19,751	)
Held-to-maturity securities:
Change in fair value⁽⁴⁾	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	73,835		$	25,842		$	47,993		$	—		$	—		$	—
Less reclassification adjustments included in:
Net interest income⁽⁵⁾	(9,329		)	(3,265		)	(6,064		)	(2,715		)	(950		)	(1,765		)	(9,922		)	(3,473		)	(6,449		)
Total	$	(9,329	)	$	(3,265	)	$	(6,064	)	$	71,120		$	24,892		$	46,228		$	(9,922	)	$	(3,473	)	$	(6,449	)
Cash flow hedges
Unrealized gains/(losses) on cash flow hedges	$	233		$	81		$	152		$	2,443		$	855		$	1,588		$	(1,776	)	$	(621	)	$	(1,155	)
Less reclassification adjustments included in:
Net interest income⁽⁶⁾	1,813			635			1,178			2,020			707			1,313			1,235			432			803
Total	$	2,046		$	716		$	1,330		$	4,463		$	1,562		$	2,901		$	(541	)	$	(189	)	$	(352	)
Other comprehensive income/(loss)	$	12,729		$	4,455		$	8,274		$	68,889		$	24,112		$	44,777		$	(40,850	)	$	(14,298	)	$	(26,552	)


⁽¹⁾	Relates to the amortization of unrealized gains on hedged items prior to the application of fair value hedge accounting.


⁽²⁾	Represents unrealized gains and losses on sales of available-for-sale investment securities.


⁽³⁾	Represents amortization of deferred gains related to certain available-for-sale USDA Securities and Farmer Mac Guaranteed USDA Securities.


⁽⁴⁾	Represents the accumulated unrealized gain on the USDA Securities and the Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities transferred from available-for-sale to held-to-maturity.

⁽⁵⁾

Relates to the amortization of unrealized gains or losses prior to the reclassification of these securities from available-for-sale to held-to-maturity. The amortization of unrealized gains or losses reported in AOCI for held-to-maturity securities will be offset by the amortization of the premium or discount created from the transfer into held-to-maturity securities, which occurred at fair value. These unrealized gains or losses will be recorded over the remaining life of the security with no impact on future net income.


⁽⁶⁾	Relates to the recognition of unrealized gains and losses on cash flow hedges recorded in AOCI.

Schedule of Variable Interest Entities [Table Text Block]

The following tables present, by line of business, details about the consolidation of VIEs:

Table 2.5



	Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities
	As of December 31, 2017
	Farm & Ranch		USDA Guarantees		Rural Utilities		Institutional Credit		Corporate		Total
	(in thousands)
On-Balance Sheet:
Consolidated VIEs:
Loans held for investment in consolidated trusts, at amortized cost	$	1,399,827	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	1,399,827
Debt securities of consolidated trusts held by third parties ⁽¹⁾	1,404,945		—		—		—		—		1,404,945
Unconsolidated VIEs:
Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities:
Carrying value ⁽²⁾	—		30,300		—		—		—		30,300
Maximum exposure to loss ⁽³⁾	—		29,980		—		—		—		29,980
Investment securities:
Carrying value ⁽⁴⁾	—		—		—		—		783,964		783,964
Maximum exposure to loss ^{(3) (4)}	—		—		—		—		783,916		783,916
Off-Balance Sheet:
Unconsolidated VIEs:
Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities:
Maximum exposure to loss ^{(3) (5)}	333,511		254,217		—		—		—		587,728


⁽¹⁾	Includes borrower remittances of $5.1 million. The borrower remittances had not been passed through to third party investors as of December 31, 2017.


⁽²⁾	Includes $0.3 million of unamortized premiums and discounts and fair value adjustments related to the USDA Guarantees line of business.


⁽³⁾	Farmer Mac uses unpaid principal balance and outstanding face amount of investment securities to represent maximum exposure to loss.


⁽⁴⁾	Includes auction-rate certificates, asset-backed securities, and government-sponsored enterprise ("GSE")-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities.


⁽⁵⁾	The amount under the Farm & Ranch line of business relates to unconsolidated trusts where Farmer Mac determined it was not the primary beneficiary due to shared power with an unrelated party.



	Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities
	As of December 31, 2016
	Farm & Ranch		USDA Guarantees		Rural Utilities		Institutional Credit		Corporate		Total
	(in thousands)
On-Balance Sheet:
Consolidated VIEs:
Loans held for investment in consolidated trusts, at amortized cost	$	1,132,966	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	1,132,966
Debt securities of consolidated trusts held by third parties ⁽¹⁾	1,142,704		—		—		—		—		1,142,704
Unconsolidated VIEs:
Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities:
Carrying value ⁽²⁾	—		36,042		—		30,347		—		66,389
Maximum exposure to loss ⁽³⁾	—		35,599		—		30,000		—		65,599
Investment securities:
Carrying value ⁽⁴⁾	—		—		—		—		827,874		827,874
Maximum exposure to loss ^{(3) (4)}	—		—		—		—		825,909		825,909
Off-Balance Sheet:
Unconsolidated VIEs:
Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities:
Maximum exposure to loss ^{(3) (5)}	415,441		103,976		—		970,000		—		1,489,417


⁽¹⁾	Includes borrower remittances of $9.7 million, which have not been passed through to third party investors as of December 31, 2016.


⁽²⁾	Includes $0.4 million of unamortized premiums and discounts and fair value adjustments related to the USDA Guarantees line of business. Includes fair value adjustments related to the Institutional Credit line of business of $0.3 million.


⁽³⁾	Farmer Mac uses unpaid principal balance and the outstanding face amount of investment securities to represent maximum exposure to loss.


⁽⁴⁾	Includes auction-rate certificates, asset-backed securities, and GSE-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities.


⁽⁵⁾	The amount under the Farm & Ranch line of business relates to unconsolidated trusts where Farmer Mac determined it was not the primary beneficiary due to shared power with an unrelated party.

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the significant judgments and assumptions made in determining whether a variable interest (as defined) held by the entity requires the variable interest entity (VIE) (as defined) to be consolidated and (or) disclose information about its involvement with the VIE, individually or in aggregate (as applicable); the nature of restrictions, if any, on the consolidated VIE's assets and on the settlement of its liabilities reported by an entity in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets and liabilities; the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with involvement in the VIE; how involvement with the VIE affects the entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows; the lack of recourse if creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of the consolidated VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary (if applicable); the terms of arrangements, giving consideration to both explicit arrangements and implicit variable interests, if any, that could require the entity to provide financial support to the VIE, including events or circumstances that could expose the entity to a loss; the methodology used by the entity for determining whether or not it is the primary beneficiary of the variable interest entity; the significant factors considered and judgments made in determining that the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance are shared (as defined); the carrying amounts and classification of assets and liabilities of the VIE included in the statement of financial position; the entity's maximum exposure to loss, if any, as a result of its involvement with the VIE, including how the maximum exposure is determined and significant sources of the entity's exposure to the VIE; a comparison of the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities and the entity's maximum exposure to loss; information about any liquidity arrangements, guarantees, and (or) other commitments by third parties that may affect the fair value or risk of the entity's variable interest in the VIE; whether or not the entity has provided financial support or other support (explicitly or implicitly) to the VIE that it was not previously contractually required to provide or whether the entity intends to provide that support, including the type and amount of the support and the primary reasons for providing the support; and supplemental information the entity determines necessary to provide.

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