Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

NOTE 11. COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES AND GUARANTEES

COMMERCIAL COMMITMENTS

Regions issues off-balance sheet financial instruments in connection with lending activities. The credit risk associated with these instruments is essentially the same as that involved in extending loans to customers and is subject to Regions’ normal credit approval policies and procedures. Regions measures inherent risk associated with these instruments by recording a reserve for unfunded commitments based on an assessment of the likelihood that the guarantee will be funded and the creditworthiness of the customer or counterparty. Collateral is obtained based on management’s assessment of the creditworthiness of the customer. Credit risk is represented in unused commitments to extend credit, standby letters of credit and commercial letters of credit. Refer to Note 24 "Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees" in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 for more information regarding these instruments.

Credit risk associated with these instruments is represented by the contractual amounts indicated in the following table:


	June 30, 2021		December 31, 2020
	(In millions)
Unused commitments to extend credit	$	60,626	$	56,644
Standby letters of credit	1,773		1,742
Commercial letters of credit	42		132
Liabilities associated with standby letters of credit	31		25
Assets associated with standby letters of credit	31		25
Reserve for unfunded credit commitments	87		126

LEGAL CONTINGENCIES

Regions and its subsidiaries are subject to loss contingencies related to litigation, claims, investigations and legal and administrative cases and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Regions evaluates these contingencies based on information currently available, including advice of counsel. Regions establishes accruals for those matters when a loss contingency is considered probable and the related amount is reasonably estimable. Any accruals are periodically reviewed and may be adjusted as circumstances change. Some of Regions' exposure with respect to loss contingencies may be offset by applicable insurance coverage. In determining the amounts of any accruals or estimates of possible loss contingencies however, Regions does not take into account the availability of insurance coverage. To the extent that Regions has an insurance recovery, the proceeds are recorded in the period the recovery is received.

When it is practicable, Regions estimates possible loss contingencies, whether or not there is an accrued probable loss. When Regions is able to estimate such possible losses, and when it is reasonably possible Regions could incur losses in excess of amounts accrued, Regions discloses the aggregate estimation of such possible losses. Regions currently estimates that it is reasonably possible that it may experience losses in excess of what Regions has accrued in an aggregate amount of up to approximately $20 million as of June 30, 2021, with it also being reasonably possible that Regions could incur no losses in excess of amounts accrued. However, as available information changes, the matters for which Regions is able to estimate, as well as the estimates themselves will be adjusted accordingly.

Assessments of litigation and claims exposure are difficult because they involve inherently unpredictable factors including, but not limited to, the following: whether the proceeding is in the early stages; whether damages are unspecified, unsupported, or uncertain; whether there is a potential for punitive or other pecuniary damages; whether the matter involves legal uncertainties, including novel issues of law; whether the matter involves multiple parties and/or jurisdictions; whether

discovery has begun or is not complete; whether meaningful settlement discussions have commenced; and whether the lawsuit involves class allegations. Assessments of class action litigation, which is generally more complex than other types of litigation, are particularly difficult, especially in the early stages of the proceeding when it is not known whether a class will be certified or how a potential class, if certified, will be defined. As a result, Regions may be unable to estimate reasonably possible losses with respect to some of the matters disclosed below, and the aggregated estimated amount discussed above may not include an estimate for every matter disclosed below.

Regions is involved in formal and informal information-gathering requests, investigations, reviews, examinations and proceedings by various governmental regulatory agencies, law enforcement authorities and self-regulatory bodies regarding Regions’ business, Regions' business practices and policies, and the conduct of persons with whom Regions does business. As previously disclosed, Regions is cooperating with an investigation by the CFPB into certain of Regions' overdraft practices and policies. Additional inquiries will arise from time to time. In connection with those inquiries, Regions receives document requests, subpoenas and other requests for information. The inquiries could develop into administrative, civil or criminal proceedings or enforcement actions that could result in consequences that have a material effect on Regions' consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows as a whole. Such consequences could include adverse judgments, findings, settlements, penalties, fines, orders, injunctions, restitution, or alterations in our business practices, and could result in additional expenses and collateral costs, including reputational damage.

While the final outcome of litigation and claims exposures or of any inquiries is inherently unpredictable, management is currently of the opinion that the outcome of pending and threatened litigation and inquiries will not have a material effect on Regions’ business, consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows as a whole. However, in the event of unexpected future developments, it is reasonably possible that an adverse outcome in any of the matters discussed above could be material to Regions’ business, consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows for any particular reporting period of occurrence.

GUARANTEES

FANNIE MAE DUS LOSS SHARE GUARANTEE

Regions is a DUS lender. The DUS program provides liquidity to the multi-family housing market. Regions services loans sold to Fannie Mae and is required to provide a loss share guarantee equal to one-third for the majority of its DUS servicing portfolio. At June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company's DUS servicing portfolio totaled approximately $4.8 billion and $4.5 billion, respectively. Regions' maximum quantifiable contingent liability related to its loss share guarantee was approximately $1.6 billion and $1.5 billion at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. The Company would be liable for this amount only if all of the loans it services for Fannie Mae, for which the Company retains some risk of loss, were to default and all of the collateral underlying these loans was determined to be without value at the time of settlement. Therefore, the maximum quantifiable contingent liability is not representative of the actual loss the Company would be expected to incur. The estimated fair value of the associated loss share guarantee recorded as a liability on the Company's consolidated balance sheets was approximately $5 million at both June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020. Refer to Note 1 "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, for additional information.