XML 18 R9.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.23.3
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Nature of Operations: Banc of California, Inc., a Maryland corporation, was incorporated in March 2002 and serves as the holding company for its wholly owned subsidiary, Banc of California, National Association (the “Bank”), a California-based bank. When we refer to the “parent” or the “holding company", we are referring to Banc of California, Inc., the parent company, on a stand-alone basis. When we refer to “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”, we are referring to Banc of California, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries including the Bank, collectively. We are regulated as a bank holding company by the FRB and the Bank operates under a national bank charter issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”), the Bank’s primary regulator. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) system, and maintains insurance on deposit accounts with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”).
The Bank offers a variety of financial services to meet the banking and financial needs of the communities it serves, with operations conducted through 32 offices including 26 full-service branches located throughout Southern California as of September 30, 2023.
Update on Proposed Merger with PacWest: On July 25, 2023, the Company and PacWest announced the execution of an Agreement and Plan of Merger, pursuant to which (a) a newly formed merger subsidiary of the Company will merge with and into PacWest, with PacWest as the surviving entity (the “first-step merger”), (b) immediately following the first-step merger, PacWest will merge with and into the Company, with the Company surviving (the “second-step merger”), (c) promptly following the second-step merger, Pacific Western Bank, a California-chartered non-member bank and, as of immediately prior to the second-step merger, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PacWest (“PacWest Bank”), will become a member of the Federal Reserve System (the “FRS Membership”) and (d) promptly following the effectiveness of the FRS Membership, the Bank will merge with and into PacWest Bank, with PacWest Bank surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (the “bank merger” and together with the first-step merger and the second-step merger, the “merger”). Upon closing of the merger, the combined holding company and bank will operate under the Banc of California name and brand. At the closing of the merger, PacWest stockholders will be entitled to receive 0.6569 of a share of the Company’s common stock for each share held of PacWest common stock. In the second-step merger, each outstanding share of PacWest’s 7.75% series A fixed-rate reset noncumulative perpetual preferred stock will be converted into the right to receive one share of a newly created series of substantially identical preferred stock of the Company with the same terms and conditions.
In connection with the proposed transaction, the Company also entered into separate investment agreements (the “Investment Agreements”) with affiliates of funds managed by Warburg Pincus LLC (the “Warburg Investors”) and certain investment vehicles sponsored, managed or advised by Centerbridge Partners, L.P. and its affiliates (the “Centerbridge Investors” and, together with the Warburg Investors, the “Investors”), which together will invest a total of $400 million for newly issued equity securities of the Company substantially concurrently with and subject to the closing of the transaction.
Subject to the terms and conditions of the Investment Agreements, at the closing of the transactions contemplated thereby, the Company expects to issue to the Warburg Investors and the Centerbridge Investors, in the aggregate, approximately 21.8 million shares of common stock at a purchase price of $12.30 per share and 10.8 million shares of a new class of nonvoting, common-equivalent stock at a purchase price of $12.30 per share.
Additionally, the Warburg Investors will receive warrants to purchase approximately 15.9 million of the Company’s nonvoting, common-equivalent shares, and the Centerbridge Investors will receive warrants to purchase approximately 3.0 million shares of the Company’s common stock, each with an exercise price of $15.375 per share. The warrants carry a term of seven years but are subject to mandatory exercise when the market price of the Company’s common stock reaches or exceeds $24.60 for twenty or more trading days during any thirty-consecutive trading day period.
On October 19, 2023, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System granted its approval of the merger. In addition, on October 5, 2023, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation granted its approval of the bank merger. No further regulatory approvals are required to complete the proposed transaction. Banc of California and PacWest will each hold a special meeting of its respective stockholders in connection with the transaction on November 22, 2023. The consummation of the proposed transaction is expected to close on or about November 30, 2023, subject to the satisfaction of the remaining closing conditions set forth in the merger agreement, including receipt of the requisite stockholder approval and the concurrent closing of the $400 million equity capital raise described above. (Refer to Note 19 - Subsequent Events for further discussion).
Concurrently with entering into the definitive merger agreement, the Bank entered into an aggregate of $3.1 billion in interest rate swaptions to hedge interest rate risk for a total cost of $15.7 million, and a contingent forward loan sale agreement on $1.8 billion of the single family residential (“SFR”) loan portfolio. The contingent forward loan sale agreement is contingent upon receipt of approval to close the bank merger. Should the merger not close for any reason, we intend to continue to hold the SFR loan portfolio for investment. During the third quarter of 2023, we recorded a $46.2 million pre-tax mark-to-market gain on derivative instruments used to hedge the interest rate risk associated with various assets on our balance sheet in anticipation of the sale of such assets in connection with the proposed merger with PacWest. (Refer to Note 9 - Derivative Instruments for further discussion).
Basis of Presentation: The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to Article 10 of SEC Regulation S-X and other SEC rules and regulations for reporting on the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Accordingly, certain disclosures required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) are not included herein. These interim statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed by us with the SEC. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation. These reclassifications are immaterial and have no effect on net income, comprehensive income (loss), total assets or total shareholders’ equity previously reported.
In the opinion of management of the Company, the accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements reflect all of the adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial condition and consolidated results of operations as of the dates and for the periods presented. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2023.
Principles of Consolidation: The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and September 30, 2022. Significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Unless the context requires otherwise, all references to the Company include its then wholly-owned subsidiaries.
Significant Accounting Policies: The accounting and reporting policies of the Company are based upon GAAP and conform to predominant practices within the banking industry. We have not made any changes in our significant accounting policies from those disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC, except for those described below, which reflect an update to our accounting policy on derivative instruments and the impact of the adoption of ASU 2022-02:
Derivative Instruments: We record our derivative instruments at fair value as either assets or liabilities on the consolidated statements of financial condition in derivative assets and accrued expenses and other liabilities, respectively, and have elected to present all derivatives with counterparties on a gross basis. For fair value derivatives that qualify for hedge accounting, we record changes in the fair value in noninterest income. For derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting, the fair value impact is recorded in noninterest income in the income statement. For derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, the gain or loss on the derivatives is recorded in other comprehensive income and subsequently reclassified into earnings in the same period during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. Derivative instruments utilized by the Company included the following:
Interest Rate Swaps and Caps. We offer interest rate swap and cap products to certain loan clients to allow them to hedge the risk of rising interest rates on their variable rate loans. When such products are issued, we also enter into an offsetting swap with institutional counterparties to eliminate the interest rate risk. These back-to-back derivative agreements, which generate fee income for us, are intended to offset each other. We retain the credit risk of the original loan. The net cash flow for us is equal to the interest income received from a variable rate loan originated with the client plus a fee. These swaps and caps are not designated as accounting hedges and are recorded at fair value in derivative assets and accrued expenses and other liabilities in the consolidated statements of financial condition. The changes in fair value are recorded in noninterest income in the consolidated statements of operations.
Foreign Exchange Contracts. We offer short-term foreign exchange contracts to our clients to purchase and/or sell foreign currencies at set rates in the future. These products allow clients to hedge the foreign exchange rate risk of their deposits and loans denominated in foreign currencies. In conjunction with these products, we also enter into offsetting contracts with
institutional counterparties to hedge our foreign exchange rate risk. These back-to-back contracts allow us to offer our clients foreign exchange products while minimizing our exposure to foreign exchange rate fluctuations. These foreign exchange contracts are not designated as accounting hedges and are recorded at fair value in derivative assets and accrued expenses and other liabilities on the consolidated statements of financial condition.
Interest Rate Swaptions and Contingent Forward Loan Sale Agreement. Concurrently with the announcement of the proposed merger with PacWest, we entered into an aggregate of $3.1 billion in interest rate swaptions to hedge the interest rate risk associated with various assets on our balance sheet in anticipation of the sale of such assets in connection with the proposed merger with PacWest and a contingent forward loan sale agreement on $1.8 billion of the SFR loan portfolio. The contingent forward loan sale agreement is contingent upon receipt of approval to close the bank merger. Should the merger not close for any reason, we intend to continue to hold the SFR loan portfolio for investment. These derivative instruments are not designated as accounting hedges and are recorded at fair value in derivative assets on the consolidated statements of financial condition. The fair values of these derivative instruments will rise and fall in response to changes in market interest rates and the change in fair value is recorded in noninterest income in the consolidated statements of operations.
Cash Flow Hedge. The Company applies hedge accounting for qualifying derivative instruments used to manage interest rate risk. A cash flow hedge is a derivative instrument used to manage the variability in future expected cash flows that would otherwise be impacted by movements in interest rates. To quality for hedge accounting, the cash flow hedge must be highly effective at reducing the risk associated with the hedged exposure. The effectiveness of the hedging relationship is documented at inception and is monitored at least quarterly through the life of the transaction.
A cash flow hedge that is designated as highly effective is carried at fair value with the change in fair value recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) and subsequently recognized in earnings in the same period that the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings. At that time, the amount reclassified from AOCI is presented in the same income statement line item in which the hedged transaction is reported (interest income or expense). If the cash flow hedge becomes ineffective, the change in fair value is reclassified from AOCI to earnings.
Cash flows from cash flow hedges are classified as operating activities in the statement of cash flows. We classify both the earnings and cash flow impact from these derivatives consistent with the underlying hedged item.
Loan Modifications to Borrowers Experiencing Financial Difficulty: Prior to the adoption of ASU 2022-02, we accounted for the modification to the contractual terms of a loan that resulted in granting a concession to a borrower experiencing financial difficulties as a troubled debt restructuring (“TDR”). Effective January 1, 2023, we adopted ASU 2022-02, which eliminated TDR accounting prospectively for all restructurings occurring on or after January 1, 2023. Loans that were considered a TDR prior to the adoption of ASU 2022-02 will continue to be accounted for under the superseded TDR accounting guidance until the loan is paid off, liquidated, or subsequently modified. Since adoption of ASU 2022-02 on January 1, 2023, we have evaluated all loan modifications under ASC 310-20 to determine whether a modification made to a borrower results in a new loan or is a continuation of the existing loan.
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements: The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions based on available information. These estimates and assumptions affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and disclosures provided, and actual results could differ. The allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) (which includes the allowance for loan losses (“ALL”) and the reserve for unfunded noncancellable loan commitments (“RUC”)), loan repurchase reserve, realization of deferred tax assets, the fair value of assets and liabilities acquired in business combinations and related purchase price allocation, the valuation of goodwill and other intangible assets, other derivatives, hypothetical liquidation at book value (“HLBV”) of investments in alternative energy partnerships, and the fair value measurement of financial instruments are particularly subject to change and such change could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.
Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance: In March 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2022-02, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326) Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures, which addresses areas identified by the FASB as part of its post-implementation review of the credit losses standard (“ASU 2016-13”) that introduced the current expected credit losses (“CECL”) model. The amendments eliminate the accounting guidance for TDRs by creditors that have adopted the CECL model and enhances the disclosure requirements for loan refinancings and restructurings made with borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. In addition, the amendments require a public business entity to disclose current-period gross write-offs for financing receivables by year of origination in the vintage disclosures. ASU 2022-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We adopted ASU 2022-02 on January 1, 2023 and the impact of adoption did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
Recently Issued Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted: In March 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-02, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323): Accounting for Investments in Tax Credit Structures Using the Proportional Amortization Method (a consensus of the Emerging Issues Task Force)(“ASU 2023-02”), which permits reporting entities to
elect to account for their tax equity investments, regardless of the tax credit program from which the income tax credits are received, using the proportional amortization method, which was previously allowed only for low-income housing tax credit (“LIHTC”) investments, if certain conditions are met. ASU 2023-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and including interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendment must be applied on either a modified retrospective or a retrospective basis, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this update on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, including assessing eligibility to apply the updated guidance to our investments in alternative energy partnerships currently accounted for using the HLBV method of the equity method of accounting.