Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

v3.22.4
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Significant Accounting Policies Policies  
Nature of Operations
Nature of Operations
Capital City Bank Group, Inc. (“CCBG”) provides a full range of banking
 
and banking-related services to individual and
corporate clients through its wholly-owned subsidiary,
 
Capital City Bank (“CCB” or the “Bank” and together with CCBG, the
“Company”), with banking offices located in Florida, Georgia,
 
and Alabama.
 
The Company is subject to competition from other
financial institutions, is subject to regulation by certain government agencies
 
and undergoes periodic examinations by those
regulatory authorities.
Basis of Presentation
Basis of Presentation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of CCBG
 
and CCB.
 
CCBG also maintains an insurance subsidiary,
Capital City Strategic Wealth,
 
LLC.
 
CCB has two primary subsidiaries, which are wholly owned, Capital City Trust
 
Company
and Capital City Investments. CCB also maintains a
51
% membership interest in a consolidated subsidiary,
 
Capital City Home
Loans, LLC.
 
All material inter-company transactions and accounts have been
 
eliminated in consolidation.
The Company, which operates
 
a single reportable business segment that is comprised of commercial banking
 
within the states of
Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, follows accounting principles generally
 
accepted in the United States of America and reporting
practices applicable to the banking industry.
 
The principles which materially affect the financial position, results of
 
operations
and cash flows are summarized below.
The Company determines whether it has a controlling financial interest in an
 
entity by first evaluating whether the entity is a
voting interest entity or a variable interest entity under accounting principles
 
generally accepted in the United States of America.
Voting
 
interest entities are entities in which the total equity investment at risk is sufficient
 
to enable the entity to finance itself
independently and provide the equity holders with the obligation to absorb losses, the
 
right to receive residual returns and the
right to make decisions about the entity’s
 
activities.
 
The Company consolidates voting interest entities in which it has all, or at
least a majority of, the voting interest.
 
As defined in applicable accounting standards, variable interest entities (“VIE’s”)
 
are
entities that lack one or more of the characteristics of a voting interest entity.
 
A controlling financial interest in an entity is
present when an enterprise has a variable interest, or a combination of variable
 
interests, that will absorb a majority of the entity’s
expected losses, receive a majority of the entity’s
 
expected residual returns, or both.
 
The enterprise with a controlling financial
interest, known as the primary beneficiary,
 
consolidates the VIE.
 
Two of CCBG’s
 
wholly owned subsidiaries, CCBG Capital
Trust I (established November 1, 2004) and
 
CCBG Capital Trust II (established May 24, 2005) are VIEs for
 
which the Company
is not the primary beneficiary.
 
Accordingly, the
 
accounts of these entities are not included in the Company’s
 
consolidated
financial statements.
Certain previously reported amounts have been reclassified to conform
 
to the current year’s presentation.
 
The Company has
evaluated subsequent events for potential recognition and/or disclosure
 
through the date the consolidated financial statements
included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K were filed with the
 
United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Use of Estimates
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting
 
principles generally accepted in the United States of
America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect
 
the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of financial statements and
 
the reported amounts of revenues and
expenses during the reporting period.
 
Actual results could vary from these estimates.
 
Material estimates that are particularly
susceptible to significant changes in the near-term
 
relate to the determination of the allowance for credit losses, pension expense,
income taxes, loss contingencies, valuation of other real estate owned, and
 
valuation of goodwill and their respective analysis of
impairment.
Business Combination
Business Combination
On April 30, 2021, a newly formed subsidiary of CCBG, Capital City Strategic
 
Wealth, LLC
 
(“CCSW”) acquired substantially all
of the assets of Strategic Wealth
 
Group, LLC and certain related businesses (“SWG”), including advisory,
 
service, and insurance
carrier agreements, and the assignment of all related revenues thereof.
 
Under the terms of the purchase agreement, SWG
principles became officers of CCSW and will continue the operation
 
of their five offices in South Georgia offering
 
wealth
management services and comprehensive risk management and asset protection
 
services for individuals and businesses.
CCBG
paid $
4.5
 
million in cash consideration and recorded goodwill of $
2.8
 
million and a customer relationship intangible asset of $
1.6
million.
On March 1, 2020, CCB completed its acquisition of a
51
% membership interest in Brand Mortgage Group, LLC (“Brand”),
which is now operated as Capital City Home Loans, LLC (“CCHL”).
 
CCHL was consolidated into CCBG’s
 
financial statements
effective March 1, 2020.
 
Assets acquired totaled $
52
 
million (consisting primarily of loans held for sale) and liabilities assumed
totaled $
42
 
million (consisting primarily of warehouse line borrowings).
 
The primary reasons for the acquisition and strategic
alliance with Brand was to gain access to an expanded residential mortgage product
 
line-up and investor base (including a
mandatory delivery channel for loan sales), to hedge our net interest income
 
business and to generate other operational synergies
and cost savings.
 
CCB made a $
7.1
 
million cash payment for its
51
% membership interest and entered into a buyout agreement
for the remaining
49
% noncontrolling interest resulting in temporary equity with a fair value of $
7.4
 
million.
 
Goodwill totaling
$
4.3
 
million was recorded in connection with this acquisition.
 
Factors that contributed to the purchase price resulting in goodwill
include Brand’s strong management
 
team and expertise in the mortgage industry,
 
historical record of earnings, and operational
synergies created as part of the strategic alliance.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
Since 2019, the Company has adopted ASU 2016-13
Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic
 
326): Measurement of Credit
Losses on Financial Instruments,
ASU 2019-12 “
Income Taxes (Topic
 
740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes,”
 
ASU
2020-01 “
Investments – Equity Securities (Topic
 
321) and Investments – Equity Method and Joint Ventures
 
(Topic
 
323)”,
ASU
2020-04 “
Reference Rate Reform (Topic
 
848)”,
ASU 2020-08 “
Codification Improvements to Subtopic 310-20,
 
Receivables –
Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs”,
and ASU 2020-09 “
Debt (Topic
 
470): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC
Release No. 33-10762”
.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash and due from banks, interest-bearing
 
deposits in other banks, and federal funds
sold. Generally,
 
federal funds are purchased and sold for one-day periods and all other cash equivalents
 
have a maturity of 90
days or less.
 
The Company is required to maintain average reserve balances with the Federal Reserve
 
Bank based upon a
percentage of deposits.
 
On March 26, 2020, the Federal Reserve reduced the amount of the required reserve balance
 
to
zero
.
 
The Company maintains certain cash balances that are restricted under
 
warehouse lines of credit and master repurchase
agreements.
 
The restricted cash balance at December 31, 2022 was $
0.5
 
million.
Investment Securities
Investment Securities
Investment securities are classified as held-to-maturity (“HTM”) and
 
carried at amortized cost when the Company has the positive
intent and ability to hold them until maturity.
 
Investment securities not classified as held-to-maturity are classified as available-
for-sale (“AFS”) and carried at fair value.
 
The Company does not have trading investment securities. Investment securities
classified as equity securities that do not have readily determinable fair
 
values, are measured at cost and remeasured to fair value
when impaired or upon observable transaction prices.
 
The Company determines the appropriate classification of securities at the
time of purchase.
 
For reporting and risk management purposes, we further segment investment securities by
 
the issuer of the
security which correlates to its risk profile: U.S. government treasury,
 
U.S. government agency,
 
state and political subdivisions,
mortgage-backed securities,
 
and corporate debt securities.
 
Certain equity securities with limited marketability,
 
such as stock in
the Federal Reserve Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank, are classified as available
 
-for-sale and carried at cost.
 
Interest income includes amortization and accretion of purchase premiums
 
and discounts.
 
Realized gains and losses are derived
from the amortized cost of the security sold.
 
Gains and losses on the sale of securities are recorded on the trade date and are
determined using the specific identification method.
 
Securities transferred from available-for-sale to held-to-maturity
 
are
recorded at amortized cost plus or minus any unrealized gain or loss at the time
 
of transfer.
 
Any existing unrecognized gain or
loss continues to be reported in accumulated other comprehensive income
 
(net of tax) and amortized as an adjustment to interest
income over the remaining life of the security.
 
Any existing allowance for credit loss is reversed at the time of transfer.
 
Subsequent to transfer, the allowance for credit
 
losses on the transferred security is evaluated in accordance with the accounting
policy for held-to-maturity securities.
 
Additionally, any allowance
 
amounts reversed or established as part of the transfer are
presented on a gross basis in the Consolidated Statement of Income.
 
The accrual of interest is generally suspended on securities more than
 
90 days past due with respect to principal or interest.
 
When
a security is placed on nonaccrual status, all previously accrued and uncollected interest
 
is reversed against current income and
thus not included in the estimate of credit losses.
 
Credit losses and changes thereto, are established as an allowance for credit loss through
 
a provision for credit loss expense.
 
Losses are charged against the allowance when management
 
believes the uncollectability of a security is confirmed or when
either of the criteria regarding intent or requirement to sell is met.
Certain debt securities in the Company’s
 
investment portfolio were issued by a U.S. government entity or agency and are either
explicitly or implicitly guaranteed by the U.S. government.
 
The Company considers the long history of no credit losses on these
securities indicates that the expectation of nonpayment of the amortized
 
cost basis is zero, even if the U.S. government were to
technically default.
 
Further, certain municipal securities held by the Company
 
have been pre-refunded and secured by
government guaranteed treasuries.
 
Therefore, for the aforementioned securities, the Company does not
 
assess or record expected
credit losses due to the zero loss assumption.
Impairment - Available
 
-for-Sale Securities
.
Unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities are excluded from
 
earnings and reported, net of tax, in other comprehensive
income.
 
For available-for-sale securities that are in an unrealized loss position, the Company
 
first assesses whether it intends to
sell, or whether it is more likely than not it will be required to sell the security before
 
recovery of its amortized cost basis.
 
If
either of the criteria regarding intent or requirement to sell is met, the security’s
 
amortized cost basis is written down to fair value
through income.
 
For available-for-sale securities that do not meet the aforementioned criteria or have a zero loss assumption,
 
the
Company evaluates whether the decline in fair value has resulted from credit
 
losses or other factors.
 
In making this assessment,
management considers the extent to which fair value is less than amortized
 
cost, any changes to the rating of the security by a
rating agency, and adverse
 
conditions specifically related to the security,
 
among other factors.
 
If the assessment indicates that a
credit loss exists, the present value of cash flows to be collected from the security are compared
 
to the amortized cost basis of the
security.
 
If the present value of cash flows expected to be collected is less than the amortized cost basis, a credit
 
loss exists and
an allowance for credit losses is recorded through a provision for
 
credit loss expense, limited by the amount that fair value is less
than the amortized cost basis.
 
Any impairment that is not credit related is recognized in other
 
comprehensive income.
 
Allowance for Credit Losses - Held-to-Maturity Securities.
Management measures expected credit losses on each individual held-to-maturity debt security
 
that has not been deemed to have
a zero assumption.
 
Each security that is not deemed to have zero credit losses is individually measured
 
based on net realizable
value, or the difference between the discounted value of
 
the expected cash flows, based on the original effective rate, and the
recorded amortized basis of the security.
 
To the extent a shortfall is related to credit
 
loss, an allowance for credit loss is recorded
through a provision for credit loss expense.
Loans Held for Investment
Loans Held for Investment
Loans held for investment (“HFI”) are stated at amortized cost which includes the
 
principal amount outstanding, net premiums
and discounts, and net deferred loan fees and costs.
 
Accrued interest receivable on loans is reported in other assets and is not
included in the amortized cost basis of loans.
 
Interest income is accrued on the effective yield method based on outstanding
principal balances and includes loan late fees.
 
Fees charged to originate loans and direct loan origination
 
costs are deferred and
amortized over the life of the loan as a yield adjustment.
 
The Company defines loans as past due when one full payment is past due or
 
a contractual maturity is over 30 days late.
 
The
accrual of interest is generally suspended on loans more than 90 days past due
 
with respect to principal or interest.
 
When a loan is
placed on nonaccrual status, all previously accrued and uncollected interest
 
is reversed against current income and thus a policy
election has been made to not include in the estimate of credit losses.
 
Interest income on nonaccrual loans is recognized when the
ultimate collectability is no longer considered doubtful.
 
Loans are returned to accrual status when the principal and interest
amounts contractually due are brought current or when future payments
 
are reasonably assured.
 
Loan charge-offs on commercial and investor
 
real estate loans are recorded when the facts and circumstances of the individual
loan confirm the loan is not fully collectible and the loss is reasonably quantifiable.
 
Factors considered in making these
determinations are the borrower’s and any guarantor’s
 
ability and willingness to pay,
 
the status of the account in bankruptcy court
(if applicable), and collateral value.
 
Charge-off decisions for consumer loans are dictated by
 
the Federal Financial Institutions
Examination Council’s Uniform
 
Retail Credit Classification and Account Management Policy which establishes standards
 
for the
classification and treatment of consumer loans, which generally require
 
charge-off after 120 days of delinquency.
The Company has adopted comprehensive lending policies, underwriting
 
standards and loan review procedures designed to
maximize loan income within an acceptable level of risk.
 
Reporting systems are used to monitor loan originations, loan ratings,
concentrations, loan delinquencies, nonperforming and potential problem
 
loans, and other credit quality metrics.
 
The ongoing
review of loan portfolio quality and trends by Management and the Credit Risk Oversight
 
Committee support the process for
estimating the allowance for credit losses.
Allowance for Credit Losses
Allowance for Credit Losses
The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the
 
loans’ amortized cost basis to present the net
amount expected to be collected on the loans.
 
The allowance for credit losses is adjusted by a credit loss provision which is
reported in earnings, and reduced by the charge-off
 
of loan amounts, net of recoveries.
 
Loans are charged off against the
allowance when management believes the uncollectability of a loan balance
 
is confirmed.
 
Expected recoveries do not exceed the
aggregate of amounts previously charged-off
 
and expected to be charged-off.
 
Expected credit loss inherent in non-cancellable
off-balance sheet credit exposures is provided for through the credit
 
loss provision, but recorded separately in other liabilities.
Management estimates the allowance balance using relevant available information,
 
from internal and external sources, relating to
past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts.
 
Historical loan default and loss experience provides the
basis for the estimation of expected credit losses.
 
Adjustments to historical loss information incorporate management’s
 
view of
current conditions and forecasts.
 
The methodology for estimating the amount of credit losses reported in the
 
allowance for credit losses has two basic components:
first, an asset-specific component involving loans that do not share risk characteristics
 
and the measurement of expected credit
losses for such individual loans; and second, a pooled component for expected
 
credit losses for pools of loans that share similar
risk characteristics.
 
Loans That Do Not Share Risk Characteristics (Indivi
 
dually Analyzed)
Loans that do not share similar risk characteristics are evaluated on an individual
 
basis.
 
Loans deemed to be collateral dependent
have differing risk characteristics and are individually
 
analyzed to estimate the expected credit loss.
 
A loan is collateral
dependent when the borrower is experiencing financial difficulty
 
and repayment of the loan is dependent on the liquidation and
sale of the underlying collateral.
 
For collateral dependent loans where foreclosure is probable, the expected credit loss is
measured based on the difference between the fair
 
value of the collateral (less selling cost) and the amortized cost basis of the
asset.
 
For collateral dependent loans where foreclosure is not probable, the
 
Company has elected the practical expedient allowed
by Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”)
 
Accounting Standards Codification
 
(“ASC”) Topic 326-20
 
to measure the
expected credit loss under the same approach as those loans where foreclosure
 
is probable.
 
For loans with balances greater than
$250,000,
 
the fair value of the collateral is obtained through independent appraisal of the underlying
 
collateral.
 
For loans with
balances less than $250,000, the Company has made a policy election to measure expected
 
loss for these individual loans utilizing
loss rates for similar loan types.
 
The aforementioned measurement criteria are applied for collateral dependent
 
troubled debt
restructurings.
 
Loans That Share Similar Risk Characteristics (Pooled
 
Loans)
The general steps in determining expected credit losses for the pooled loan component
 
of the allowance are as follows:
Segment loans into pools according to similar risk characteristics
Develop historical loss rates for each loan pool segment
Incorporate the impact of forecasts
Incorporate the impact of other qualitative factors
 
Calculate and review pool specific allowance for credit loss estimate
A discounted cash flow methodology is utilized to calculate expected
 
cash flows for the life of each individual loan.
 
The
discounted present value of expected cash flow is then compared to
 
the loan’s amortized cost basis to determine
 
the credit loss
estimate.
 
Individual loan results are aggregated at the pool level in determining total reserves for
 
each loan pool.
 
The primary inputs used to calculate expected cash flows include historical
 
loss rates which reflect probability of default (“PD”)
and loss given default (“LGD”), and prepayment rates.
 
The historical look-back period is a key factor in the calculation of the PD
rate and is based on management’s assessment
 
of current and forecasted conditions and may vary by loan pool.
 
Loans subject to
the Company’s risk rating process are
 
further sub-segmented by risk rating in the calculation of PD rates.
 
LGD rates generally
reflect the historical average net loss rate by loan pool.
 
Expected cash flows are further adjusted to incorporate the impact of loan
prepayments which will vary by loan segment and interest rate conditions.
 
In general, prepayment rates are based on observed
prepayment rates occurring in the loan portfolio and consideration of forecasted
 
interest rates.
In developing loss rates, adjustments are made to incorporate the impact of forecasted
 
conditions.
 
Certain assumptions are also
applied, including the length of the forecast and reversion periods.
 
The forecast period is the period within which management is
able to make a reasonable and supportable assessment of future conditions.
 
The reversion period is the period beyond which
management believes it can develop a reasonable and supportable forecast,
 
and bridges the gap between the forecast period and
the use of historical default and loss rates.
 
The remainder period reflects the remaining life of the loan.
 
The length of the forecast
and reversion periods are periodically evaluated and based on management’s
 
assessment of current and forecasted conditions and
may vary by loan pool.
 
For purposes of developing a reasonable and supportable assessment
 
of future conditions, management
utilizes established industry and economic data points and sources,
 
including the Federal Open Market Committee forecast, with
the forecasted unemployment rate being a significant factor.
 
PD rates for the forecast period will be adjusted accordingly based
on management’s assessment of
 
future conditions.
 
PD rates for the remainder period will reflect the historical mean PD rate.
 
Reversion period PD rates reflect the difference between forecast
 
and remainder period PD rates calculated using a straight-line
adjustment over the reversion period.
 
Loss rates are further adjusted to account for other risk factors that impact loan defaults
 
and losses.
 
These adjustments are based
on management’s assessment of
 
trends and conditions that impact credit risk and resulting credit losses, more
 
specifically internal
and external factors that are independent of and not reflected in the quantitative
 
loss rate calculations.
 
Risk factors management
considers in this assessment include trends in underwriting standards,
 
nature/volume/terms of loan originations, past due loans,
loan review systems, collateral valuations, concentrations, legal/regulatory/political
 
conditions, and the unforeseen impact of
natural disasters.
Allowance for Credit Losses on Off-Balance
 
Sheet Credit Exposures
The Company estimates expected credit losses over the contractual period
 
in which it is exposed to credit risk through a
contractual obligation to extend credit, unless that obligation is unconditionally
 
cancellable by the Company.
 
The allowance for
credit losses on off-balance sheet credit exposures is adjusted as a provision
 
for credit loss expense and is recorded in other
liabilities.
 
The estimate includes consideration of the likelihood that funding will occur
 
and an estimate of expected credit losses
on commitments expected to be funded over its estimated life and applies the same
 
estimated loss rate as determined for current
outstanding loan balances by segment.
 
Off-balance sheet credit exposures are identified and classified in the same categories as
the allowance for credit losses with similar risk characteristics that have been previously
 
mentioned.
Mortgage Banking Activities
Mortgage Banking Activities
Mortgage Loans Held for Sale and Revenue Recognition
Mortgage loans held for sale (“HFS”) are carried at fair value under the fair value
 
option with changes in fair value recorded in
mortgage banking revenues on the Consolidated Statements of
 
Income. The fair value of mortgage loans held for sale committed
to investors is calculated using observable market information such
 
as the investor commitment, assignment of trade or other
mandatory delivery commitment prices. The Company bases loans committed
 
to Federal National Mortgage Association
(“FNMA”), Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), and
 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
(“FHLMC”) (“Agency”) investors based on the Agency’s
 
quoted mortgage backed security (“MBS”) prices. The fair value of
mortgage loans held for sale not committed to investors is based on quoted best execution
 
secondary market prices. If no such
quoted price exists, the fair value is determined using quoted prices for
 
a similar asset or assets, such as MBS prices, adjusted for
the specific attributes of that loan, which would be used by other market
 
participants.
Gains and losses from the sale of mortgage loans held for sale are recognized based upon
 
the difference between the sales
proceeds and carrying value of the related loans upon sale and are recorded
 
in mortgage banking revenues on the Consolidated
Statements of Income. Sales proceeds reflect the cash received from investors
 
through the sale of the loan and servicing release
premium. If the related mortgage loan is sold with servicing retained, the
 
MSR addition is recorded in mortgage banking revenues
on the Consolidated Statements of Income.
 
Mortgage banking revenues also includes the unrealized gains and losses associated
with the changes in the fair value of mortgage loans held for sale, and the realized and
 
unrealized gains and losses from derivative
instruments.
Mortgage loans held for sale are considered sold when the Company surrenders
 
control over the financial assets. Control is
considered to have been surrendered when the transferred assets have been
 
isolated from the Company, beyond
 
the reach of the
Company and its creditors; the purchaser obtains the right (free of conditions
 
that constrain it from taking advantage of that right)
to pledge or exchange the transferred assets; and the Company does not
 
maintain effective control over the transferred assets
through either an agreement that both entitles and obligates the Company
 
to repurchase or redeem the transferred assets before
their maturity or the ability to unilaterally cause the holder to return specific
 
assets. The Company typically considers the above
criteria to have been met upon acceptance and receipt of sales proceeds
 
from the purchaser.
Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) optional
 
repurchase programs allow financial institutions to buy back
individual delinquent mortgage loans that meet certain criteria from
 
the securitized loan pool for which the institution provides
servicing.
 
At the servicer’s option and without GNMA’s
 
prior authorization, the servicer may repurchase such a delinquent loan
for an amount equal to 100 percent of the remaining principal balance of
 
the loan.
 
Under FASB ASC Topic
 
860, “Transfers and
Servicing,” this buy-back option is considered a conditional option until
 
the delinquency criteria are met, at which time the option
becomes unconditional.
 
When the Company is deemed to have regained effective control over
 
these loans under the
unconditional buy-back option, the loans can no longer be reported
 
as sold and must be brought back onto the Consolidated
Statement of Financial Condition, regardless of whether there is intent to exercise
 
the buy-back option.
 
These loans are reported
in other assets with the offsetting liability being reported
 
in other liabilities.
 
Derivative Instruments (IRLC/Forward Commitments)
The Company holds and issues derivative financial instruments such as interest rate
 
lock commitments (“IRLCs”) and other
forward sale commitments. IRLCs are subject to price risk primarily
 
related to fluctuations in market interest rates. To
 
hedge the
interest rate risk on certain IRLCs, the Company uses forward sale commitments,
 
such as to-be-announced securities (“TBAs”) or
mandatory delivery commitments with investors. Management expects
 
these forward sale commitments to experience changes in
fair value opposite to the changes in fair value of the IRLCs thereby reducing
 
earnings volatility. Forward
 
sale commitments are
also used to hedge the interest rate risk on mortgage loans held for sale that are not
 
committed to investors and still subject to
price risk. If the mandatory delivery commitments are not fulfilled, the Company
 
pays a pair-off fee. Best effort
 
forward sale
commitments are also executed with investors, whereby certain loans
 
are locked with a borrower and simultaneously committed
to an investor at a fixed price. If the best effort IRLC does not fund,
 
there is no obligation to fulfill the investor commitment.
The Company considers various factors and strategies in determining
 
what portion of the IRLCs and uncommitted mortgage loans
held for sale to economically hedge.
 
All derivative instruments are recognized as other assets or other liabilities
 
on the
Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition at their fair value.
 
Changes in the fair value of the derivative instruments are
recognized in mortgage banking revenues on the Consolidated Statements
 
of Income in the period in which they occur.
 
Gains and
losses resulting from the pairing-out of forward sale commitments are recognized
 
in mortgage banking revenues on the
Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company accounts for
 
all derivative instruments as free-standing derivative instruments
and does not designate any for hedge accounting.
Mortgage Servicing Rights (“MSRs”) and Revenue Recognition
 
The Company sells residential mortgage loans in the secondary market and may
 
retain the right to service the loans sold. Upon
sale, an MSR asset is capitalized, which represents the then current fair value of
 
future net cash flows expected to be realized for
performing servicing activities.
 
As the Company has not elected to subsequently measure any class of servicing
 
assets under the
fair value measurement method, the Company follows the amortization method.
 
MSRs are amortized to noninterest income
(other income) in proportion to and over the period of estimated net servicing
 
income, and are assessed for impairment at each
reporting date.
 
MSRs are carried at the lower of the initial capitalized amount, net of accumulated amortization,
 
or estimated fair
value, and included in other assets, net, on the Consolidated Statements of
 
Financial Condition.
 
The Company periodically evaluates its MSRs asset for impairment.
 
Impairment is assessed based on fair value at each reporting
date using estimated prepayment speeds of the underlying mortgage
 
loans serviced and stratifications based on the risk
characteristics of the underlying loans (predominantly loan type and note
 
interest rate).
 
As mortgage interest rates fall,
prepayment speeds are usually faster and the value of the MSRs asset generally
 
decreases, requiring additional valuation reserve.
 
Conversely, as mortgage
 
interest rates rise, prepayment speeds are usually slower and the value of
 
the MSRs asset generally
increases, requiring less valuation reserve.
 
A valuation allowance is established, through a charge to earnings, to
 
the extent the
amortized cost of the MSRs exceeds the estimated fair value by stratification.
 
If it is later determined that all or a portion of the
temporary impairment no longer exists for a stratification, the valuation
 
is reduced through a recovery to earnings.
 
An other-than-
temporary impairment (i.e., recoverability is considered remote when
 
considering interest rates and loan pay off activity) is
recognized as a write-down of the MSRs asset and the related valuation allowance
 
(to the extent a valuation allowance is
available) and then against earnings.
 
A direct write-down permanently reduces the carrying value of the
 
MSRs asset and
valuation allowance, precluding subsequent recoveries.
Derivative/Hedging Activities
Derivative/Hedging Activities
At the inception of a derivative contract, the Company designates the derivative
 
as one of three types based on the Company’s
intentions and belief as to the likely effectiveness as a hedge. These three
 
types are (1) a hedge of the fair value of a recognized
asset or liability or of an unrecognized firm commitment (“fair value
 
hedge”), (2) a hedge of a forecasted transaction or the
variability of cash flows to be received or paid related to a recognized
 
asset or liability (“cash flow hedge”), or (3) an instrument
with no hedging designation (“standalone derivative”). For a fair value hedge,
 
the gain or loss on the derivative, as well as the
offsetting loss or gain on the hedged item, are recognized
 
in current earnings as fair values change. For a cash flow hedge, the
gain or loss on the derivative is reported in other comprehensive income and is reclassified
 
into earnings in the same periods
during which the hedged transaction affects earnings.
 
For both types of hedges, changes in the fair value of derivatives that are
not highly effective in hedging the changes in fair value or expected
 
cash flows of the hedged item are recognized immediately in
current earnings. Net cash settlements on derivatives that qualify for
 
hedge accounting are recorded in interest income or interest
expense, based on the item being hedged. Net cash settlements on derivatives
 
that do not qualify for hedge accounting are
reported in non-interest income. Cash flows on hedges are classified in the cash flow
 
statement the same as the cash flows of the
items being hedged.
The Company formally documents the relationship between derivatives
 
and hedged items, as well as the risk-management
objective and the strategy for undertaking hedge transactions at the inception
 
of the hedging relationship. This documentation
includes linking fair value or cash flow hedges to specific assets and liabilities on the
 
Consolidated Statement of Financial
Condition or to specific firm commitments or forecasted transactions. The Company
 
also formally assesses, both at the hedge’s
inception and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivative instruments that are used
 
are highly effective in offsetting changes in
fair values or cash flows of the hedged items. The Company discontinues
 
hedge accounting when it determines that the derivative
is no longer effective in offsetting changes in the
 
fair value or cash flows of the hedged item, the derivative is settled or
terminates, a hedged forecasted transaction is no longer probable, a hedged
 
firm commitment is no longer firm, or treatment of the
derivative as a hedge is no longer appropriate or intended. When hedge accounting
 
is discontinued, subsequent changes in fair
value of the derivative are recorded as non-interest income. When a fair
 
value hedge is discontinued, the hedged asset or liability
is no longer adjusted for changes in fair value and the existing basis adjustment is amortized
 
or accreted over the remaining life of
the asset or liability. When
 
a cash flow hedge is discontinued but the hedged cash flows or forecasted transactions
 
are still
expected to occur, gains or losses that were accumulated
 
in other comprehensive income are amortized into earnings over the
same periods, in which the hedged transactions will affect
 
earnings.
Long-Lived Assets
Long-Lived Assets
Premises and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation,
 
computed on the straight-line method over the estimated
useful lives for each type of asset with premises being depreciated over
 
a range of
10
 
to
40
 
years, and equipment being
depreciated over a range of
3
 
to
10
 
years.
 
Additions, renovations and leasehold improvements to premises are capitalized and
depreciated over the lesser of the useful life or the remaining lease term.
 
Repairs and maintenance are charged to noninterest
expense as incurred.
Long-lived assets are evaluated for impairment if circumstances suggest that their
 
carrying value may not be recoverable, by
comparing the carrying value to estimated undiscounted cash flows.
 
If the asset is deemed impaired, an impairment charge is
recorded equal to the carrying value less the fair value. See Note 6 – Premises and
 
Equipment for additional information.
Leases
Leases
The Company has entered into various operating leases, primarily for
 
banking offices.
 
Generally, these leases have initial
 
lease
terms from one to ten years.
 
Many of the leases have one or more lease renewal options.
 
The exercise of lease renewal options is
at the Company’s sole discretion.
 
The Company does not consider exercise of any lease renewal options reasonably
 
certain.
 
Certain of the lease contain early termination options.
 
No renewal options or early termination options have been included in the
calculation of the operating right-of-use assets or operating lease liabilities.
 
Certain of the lease agreements provide for periodic
adjustments to rental payments for inflation.
 
At the commencement date of the lease, the Company recognizes a lease liability at
the present value of the lease payments not yet paid, discounted using
 
the discount rate for the lease or the Company’s
incremental borrowing rate.
 
As the majority of the Company’s
 
leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its
incremental borrowing rate at the commencement date in determining
 
the present value of lease payments.
 
The incremental
borrowing rate is based on the term of the lease.
 
At the commencement date, the Company also recognizes a right-of-use asset
measured at (i) the initial measurement of the lease liability; (ii) any lease payments made
 
to the lessor at or before the
commencement date less any lease incentives received; and (iii) any initial direct
 
costs incurred by the lessee.
 
Leases with an
initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the Statement of Financial
 
Condition.
 
For these short-term leases, lease
expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
 
The Company has no leases classified as finance leases.
 
See
Note 7 – Leases for additional information.
Bank Owned Life Insurance
Bank Owned Life Insurance
 
The Company, through
 
its subsidiary bank, has purchased life insurance policies on certain key
 
officers.
 
Bank owned life
insurance is recorded at the amount that can be realized under the insurance contract
 
at the statement of financial condition date,
which is the cash surrender value adjusted for other charges or
 
other amounts due that are probable at settlement.
Goodwill and Intangibles
Goodwill and Other Intangibles
Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of businesses acquired over the
 
fair value of the net assets acquired.
 
In accordance
with FASB ASC Topic
 
350, the Company determined it has one goodwill reporting unit.
 
Goodwill is tested for impairment
annually during the fourth quarter or on an interim basis if an event occurs
 
or circumstances change that would more likely than
not reduce the fair value of the reporting unit below its carrying value.
 
Other intangible assets relate to customer intangibles
purchased as part of a business acquisition.
 
Intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually or whenever changes in
circumstances indicate the carrying amount of the assets may not
 
be recoverable from future undiscounted cash flows.
 
See Note 8
– Goodwill and Other Intangibles for additional information
Other Real Estate Owned
Other Real Estate Owned
Assets acquired through, or in lieu of, loan foreclosure are held for sale and
 
are initially recorded at the lower of cost or fair value
less estimated selling costs, establishing a new cost basis.
 
Subsequent to foreclosure, valuations are periodically performed by
management and the assets are carried at the lower of carrying amount or fair value
 
less cost to sell.
 
The valuation of foreclosed
assets is subjective in nature and may be adjusted in the future because of changes in economic
 
conditions.
 
Revenue and
expenses from operations and changes in value are included in
 
noninterest expense.
Loss Contingencies
Loss Contingencies
Loss contingencies, including claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary
 
course of business are recorded as liabilities when
the likelihood of loss is probable and an amount or range of loss can be reasonably estimated.
 
See Note 21 – Commitments and
Contingencies for additional information.
Noncontrolling Interest
Noncontrolling Interest
To the extent
 
the Company’s interest in a consolidated
 
entity represents less than 100% of the entity’s
 
equity, the Company
recognizes noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries.
 
In the case of the CCHL acquisition (previously noted under Business
Combination), the noncontrolling interest represents equity which is redeemable
 
or convertible for cash at the option of the equity
holder and is classified within temporary equity in the mezzanine
 
section of the Consolidated Statements of Financial
 
Condition.
 
The call/put option is redeemable at the option of either CCBG (call) or the
 
noncontrolling interest holder (put) on or after
January 1, 2025, and therefore, not entirely within CCBG’s
 
control.
 
The subsidiary’s net income or
 
loss and related dividends are
allocated to CCBG and the noncontrolling interest holder based on their relative
 
ownership percentages.
 
The noncontrolling
interest carrying value is adjusted on a quarterly basis to the higher of the
 
carrying value or current redemption value,
 
at the
Statement of Financial Condition date, through a corresponding adjustment
 
to retained earnings.
 
The redemption value is
calculated quarterly and is based on the higher of a predetermined book value
 
or pre-tax earnings multiple.
 
To the extent the
redemption value exceeds the fair value of the noncontrolling interest,
 
the Company’s earnings per share
 
attributable to common
shareowners is adjusted by that amount.
 
The Company uses an independent valuation expert to assist in estimating the fair value
of the noncontrolling interest using: 1) the discounted cash flow methodology
 
under the income approach,
 
and (2) the guideline
public company methodology under the market approach.
 
The estimated fair value is derived from equally weighting the result of
each of the two methodologies.
 
The estimation of the fair value includes significant assumptions concerning:
 
(1) projected loan
volumes; (2) projected pre-tax profit margins; (3) tax rates
 
and (4) discount rates.
Income Taxes
Income Taxes
Income tax expense is the total of the current year income tax due or refundable
 
and the change in deferred tax assets and
liabilities (excluding deferred tax assets and liabilities related to business
 
combinations or components of other comprehensive
income).
 
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are the expected future tax amounts for the temporary differences
 
between carrying
amounts and tax bases of assets and liabilities, computed using enacted tax
 
rates.
 
A valuation allowance, if needed, reduces
deferred tax assets to the expected amount most likely to be realized.
 
Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the
generation of a sufficient level of future taxable income and recoverable
 
taxes paid in prior years.
 
The income tax effects related
to settlements of share-based payment awards are reported in earnings as an
 
increase or decrease in income tax expense.
 
The Company files a consolidated federal income tax return and a separate
 
federal tax return for CCHL. Each subsidiary files a
separate state income tax return.
Earnings Per Common Share
Earnings Per Common Share
Basic earnings per common share is based on net income divided by the weighted
 
-average number of common shares outstanding
during the period excluding non-vested stock.
 
Diluted earnings per common share include the dilutive effect of
 
stock options and
non-vested stock awards granted using the treasury stock method.
 
A reconciliation of the weighted-average shares used in
calculating basic earnings per common share and the weighted average
 
common shares used in calculating diluted earnings per
common share for the reported periods is provided in Note 16 — Earnings
 
Per Share.
Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive income includes all changes in shareowners’ equity
 
during a period, except those resulting from transactions with
shareowners.
 
Besides net income, other components of the Company’s
 
comprehensive income include the after tax effect of
changes in the net unrealized gain/loss on securities available-for-sale,
 
unrealized gain/loss on cash flow derivatives, and changes
in the funded status of defined benefit and supplemental executive retirement plans.
 
Comprehensive income is reported in the
accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
 
and Changes in Shareowners’ Equity.
Stock Based Compensation
Stock Based Compensation
Compensation cost is recognized for share-based awards issued to employees,
 
based on the fair value of these awards at the date
of grant.
 
Compensation cost is recognized over the requisite service period, generally
 
defined as the vesting period.
 
The market
price of the Company’s common
 
stock at the date of the grant is used for restricted stock awards.
 
For stock purchase plan awards,
a Black-Scholes model is utilized to estimate the fair value of the award.
 
The impact of forfeitures of share-based awards on
compensation expense is recognized as forfeitures occur.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue Recognition
FASB ASC Topic
 
606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), establishes principles
 
for reporting information
about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows
 
arising from the entity’s contracts to
 
provide goods or
services to customers. The core principle requires an entity to recognize revenue
 
to depict the transfer of goods or services to
customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that it expects to be entitled
 
to receive in exchange for those goods or
services recognized as performance obligations are satisfied.
The majority of the Company’s revenue
 
-generating transactions are not subject to ASC 606, including revenue generated
 
from
financial instruments, such as our loans, letters of credit, and investment securities,
 
and revenue related to the sale of residential
mortgages in the secondary market, as these activities are subject to other
 
GAAP discussed elsewhere within our disclosures.
 
The
Company recognizes revenue from these activities as it is earned based on
 
contractual terms, as transactions occur, or as services
are provided and collectability is reasonably assured.
 
Descriptions of the major revenue-generating activities that are within the
scope of ASC 606, which are presented in the accompanying Consolidated
 
Statements of Income as components of non-interest
income are as follows:
Deposit Fees - these represent general service fees for monthly account maintenance
 
and activity- or transaction-based fees and
consist of transaction-based revenue, time-based revenue (service period),
 
item-based revenue or some other individual attribute-
based revenue.
 
Revenue is recognized when the Company’s performance
 
obligation is completed which is generally monthly for
account maintenance services or when a transaction has been completed.
 
Payment for such performance obligations are generally
received at the time the performance obligations are satisfied.
Wealth Management
 
- trust fees and retail brokerage fees – trust fees represent monthly fees due from wealth
 
management clients
as consideration for managing the client’s
 
assets. Trust services include custody of assets, investment
 
management, fees for trust
services and similar fiduciary activities. Revenue is recognized when the Company’s
 
performance obligation is completed each
month or quarter, which is the time that payment is received.
 
Also, retail brokerage fees are received from a third-party broker-
dealer, for which the Company acts as an agent,
 
as part of a revenue-sharing agreement for fees earned from
 
customers that are
referred to the third party.
 
These fees are for transactional and advisory services and are paid by the third party on a monthly
basis and recognized ratably throughout the quarter as the Company’s
 
performance obligation is satisfied.
Bank Card Fees – bank card related fees primarily includes interchange
 
income from client use of consumer and business debit
cards.
 
Interchange income is a fee paid by a merchant bank to the card-issuing bank through
 
the interchange network.
 
Interchange fees are set by the credit card associations and are based on cardholder purchase volumes.
 
The Company records
interchange income as transactions occur.
Gains and Losses from the Sale of Bank Owned Property – the performance
 
obligation in the sale of other real estate owned
typically will be the delivery of control over the property to the buyer.
 
If the Company is not providing the financing of the sale,
the transaction price is typically identified in the purchase and sale agreement.
 
However, if the Company provides seller
financing, the Company must determine a transaction price, depending
 
on if the sale contract is at market terms and taking into
account the credit risk inherent in the arrangement.
 
Insurance Commissions – insurance commissions recorded by the
 
Company are received from various insurance carriers based on
contractual agreements to sell policies to customers on behalf of the carriers.
 
The performance obligation for the Company is to
sell life and health insurance policies to customers.
 
This performance obligation is met when a new policy is sold (effective
 
date)
or when an existing policy renews. New policies and renewals generally have
 
a one-year term. In the agreements with the
insurance carriers, a commission rate is agreed upon. The commission is recognized
 
at the time of the sale of the policy (effective
date) or when a policy renews.
 
Insurance commissions are recorded within other noninterest income.
 
Other non-interest income primarily includes items such as mortgage
 
banking fees (gains from the sale of residential mortgage
loans held for sale), bank-owned life insurance, and safe deposit box fees,
 
none of which are subject to the requirements of ASC
606.
The Company has made no significant judgments in applying the revenue guidance
 
prescribed in ASC 606 that affects the
determination of the amount and timing of revenue from the above-described
 
contracts with clients.
Accounting standard updates
ASU 2022-02, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses
 
(Topic
 
326): Troubled
 
Debt Restructurings and Vintage
 
Disclosures”.
The
amendments eliminate the accounting guidance for troubled debt
 
restructurings by creditors that have adopted the CECL model
and enhance the disclosure requirements for loan modifications and
 
restructurings made with borrowers experiencing financial
difficulty.
 
In addition, the amendments require disclosure of current-period gross write-offs
 
for financing receivables and net
investment in leases by year of origination in the vintage disclosures.
 
The amendments in this update are for fiscal years
beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those
 
fiscal years.
 
The Company believes the adoption of
this guidance will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial
 
statements.