Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingent Liabilities [Text Block]

Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

Litigation Contingencies

As a member of Visa, BOK Financial is obligated for a proportionate share of certain covered litigation losses incurred by Visa under a retrospective responsibility plan. A contingent liability was recognized for the Company’s share of Visa’s covered litigation liabilities. Visa funded an escrow account to cover litigation claims, including covered litigation losses under the retrospective responsibility plan, with proceeds from its initial public offering in 2008 and from available cash.

BOK Financial currently owns 252,533 Visa Class B shares which are convertible into 408,624 shares of Visa Class A shares after the final settlement of all covered litigation. Class B shares may be diluted in the future if the escrow fund is not adequate to cover future covered litigation costs. No value has been currently assigned to the Class B shares.

On June 24, 2015, BOKF, NA received a complaint that an employee had colluded with a bond issuer and an individual in misusing revenues pledged to municipal bonds for which BOKF, NA served as trustee under the bond indenture. The Company conducted an investigation and concluded that employees in one of its Corporate Trust offices had, with respect to a single group of affiliated bond issuances, violated Company policies and procedures. The relationship manager was terminated. The Company reported the circumstances to, and cooperated with an investigation by, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). On September 7, 2016, BOKF, NA agreed, and the SEC entered, a consent order finding that BOKF, NA had violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act and requiring BOKF, NA to disgorge $1,067,721 of fees and pay a civil penalty of $600,000. BOKF, NA disgorged the fees and paid the penalty. On August 26, 2016, BOKF, NA was sued in the United States District Court for New Jersey by two bondholders in a putative class action alleging BOKF, NA participated in the fraudulent sale of securities by the principals. The action remains stayed with no current deadlines pending. On September 14, 2016, BOKF, NA was sued in the District Court of Tulsa County, Oklahoma by 19 bondholders also alleging BOKF, NA participated in the fraudulent sale of securities by the principals. The Tulsa County District Court action is pending on BOKF, NA’s motion to dismiss the plaintiff's Third Amended Petition.

On December 28, 2015, in an action brought by the SEC, the New Jersey District Court entered a judgment against the principals involved in issuing the bonds. On January 8, 2020, the Court entered judgment against the principal individual and his wife for $36,805,051 in principal amount and $10,937,831 in pre-judgment interest. The SEC continues to aggressively pursue collection of the judgment. If the individual principal and his wife cannot pay the bonds, a bondholder loss could become probable. Management has been advised by counsel that BOKF, NA has valid defenses to claims of bondholders and that no loss to the Company is probable. No provision for losses has been made at this time. BOKF, NA estimates that, upon sale of all remaining collateral securing payment of the bonds, approximately $20 million will remain outstanding. A reasonable estimate cannot be made of the amount of any bondholder loss, though the amount of bondholder loss could be material to the Company in the event a loss to the Company becomes probable.

On September 29, 2021, The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the previously reported putative class action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas alleging an extended overdraft fee charged by BOKF, NA was interest. The dismissal by the United States District Court for New Mexico of a second putative class action in which the plaintiff made the same allegations as were made in the Texas action remains on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Management is advised by counsel that a loss is not probable and that the loss, if any, cannot be reasonably estimated.

On March 7, 2020, three former employees sued BOKF, NA, the Plan Committee of the BOKF, NA 401k Plan, and Cavanal Hill Investment Management, Inc., a subsidiary of BOKF, NA, alleging that the defendants included proprietary investment products as investment options in the BOKF, NA 401k Plan, whose fees were too high and performance too low, for the purpose of earning fees. The action is brought as a putative class action on behalf of all Plan Participants. The action is pending on the defendants' motion to dismiss. Management is advised by counsel that a loss is not probable and that the loss, if any, cannot be reasonably estimated.

In 2019, a limited liability partnership sued BOKF, NA in Colorado District Court alleging that the Bank breached various fiduciary duties as trustee of a trust that was a co-general partner of the partnership and claiming in excess of $60 million in damages. From 2000 to 2009, BOKF was serving as personal representative of the estate of the creator of the trust. In 2009, BOKF moved to close the probate of the estate in the Colorado Probate Court. The members of the partnership who now sue BOKF objected to the closing of the estate and made the same allegations in the 2009 probate hearing as they now make in the 2019 Colorado District Court action. In 2009, the Colorado Probate Court entered summary judgment against the beneficiaries and the estate was closed. In the 2019 action, the Colorado District Court denied BOKF’s motions for summary judgment and the matter is proceeding to trial. Management is advised by counsel that a loss is not probable and that the loss, if any, cannot be reasonably estimated.

In the ordinary course of business, BOK Financial and its subsidiaries are subject to legal actions and complaints. Management believes, based upon the opinion of counsel, that the actions and liability or loss, if any, resulting from the final outcomes of the proceedings, will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Alternative Investment Commitments

The Company sponsors a private equity fund and invests in several tax credit entities and other funds as permitted by banking regulations. Consolidation of these investments is based on the variable interest model.

At December 31, 2021, the Company has $352 million in interests in various alternative investments generally consisting of unconsolidated limited partnership interests in entities for which investment return is in the form of low income housing tax credits or other investments in merchant banking activities. The investment balance also includes $106 million in unfunded commitments included in Other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. At December 31, 2020, the Company had $290 million in interests in various alternative investments and included $94 million in unfunded commitments in Other liabilities.

Other Commitments and Contingencies

Cavanal Hill Funds’ assets include U.S. Treasury and government securities money market funds. Assets of these funds consist of highly-rated, short-term obligations of the U.S. Treasury and Agencies. The net asset value of units in these funds was $1.00 at December 31, 2021. An investment in these funds is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or guaranteed by BOK Financial or any of its subsidiaries. BOK Financial may, but is not obligated to purchase assets from these funds to maintain the net asset value at $1.00. No assets were purchased from the funds in 2021 or 2020.

The Federal Reserve Bank requires member banks to maintain certain minimum average cash balances. Member banks may satisfy reserve balance requirements through holdings of vault cash and balances maintained directly with a Federal Reserve Bank. The combined average balance of vault cash and balances held at the Federal Reserve Bank was $905 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and $727 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.