INVESTMENTS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]

Investment Securities

During the year ended December 31, 2022, proceeds on the sale of $277.1 million of AFS securities resulted in gains of $1.0 million and losses of $1.6 million. During the year ended December 31, 2021, proceeds on the sale of $375.3 million of AFS securities resulted in gains of $6.8 million and losses of $7.6 million. During the year ended December 31, 2020, proceeds on the sale of $117.8 million of AFS securities resulted in gains of $0.9 million and losses of $0.8 million. The impact to income tax expense from these sales was insignificant in all three years.

In 2022 and 2021, there were no reclassifications of HTM securities to AFS securities.

The carrying value of investment securities pledged as collateral to secure public deposits, repurchase agreements and for other purposes as required by law totaled $1.5 billion at both December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

The following is a summary of HTM and AFS investment securities as of December 31, 2022:


	Held-to-maturity								Available-for-sale
(Dollars in thousands)	Amortized cost		Unrecognized gain		Unrecognized loss		Fair value		Amortized cost		Unrealized gain		Unrealized loss		Fair value
U.S. Treasuries	$	0	$	0	$	0	$	0	$	37,312	$	0	$	(4,616)	$	32,696
Securities of U.S. government agencies and corporations	0		0		0		0		80,382		0		(13,914)		66,468
Mortgage-backed securities - residential	0		0		0		0		747,478		47		(97,462)		650,063
Mortgage-backed securities - commercial	35,363		0		(4,114)		31,249		676,934		2		(47,374)		629,562
Collateralized mortgage obligations	9,280		0		(827)		8,453		538,970		181		(61,439)		477,712
Obligations of state and other political subdivisions	8,128		105		(201)		8,032		832,066		565		(124,168)		708,463
Asset-backed securities	0		0		0		0		772,261		39		(60,975)		711,325
Other securities	31,250		0		(2,499)		28,751		142,015		0		(8,656)		133,359
Total	$	84,021	$	105	$	(7,641)	$	76,485	$	3,827,418	$	834	$	(418,604)	$	3,409,648

The following is a summary of HTM and AFS investment securities as of December 31, 2021:


	Held-to-maturity								Available-for-sale
(Dollars in thousands)	Amortized cost		Unrecognized gain		Unrecognized loss		Fair value		Amortized cost		Unrealized gain		Unrealized loss		Fair value
U.S. Treasuries	$	0	$	0	$	0	$	0	$	34,961	$	4	$	(189)	$	34,776
Securities of U.S. government agencies and corporations	0		0		0		0		78,998		248		(129)		79,117
Mortgage-backed securities - residential	0		0		0		0		728,050		6,635		(10,548)		724,137
Mortgage-backed securities - commercial	46,362		651		0		47,013		729,948		4,294		(2,352)		731,890
Collateralized mortgage obligations	11,882		221		0		12,103		696,258		7,979		(6,497)		697,740
Obligations of state and other political subdivisions	8,926		915		0		9,841		1,058,735		35,591		(8,594)		1,085,732
Asset-backed securities	0		0		0		0		720,638		1,521		(2,578)		719,581
Other securities	31,250		176		(485)		30,941		133,001		2,114		(242)		134,873
Total	$	98,420	$	1,963	$	(485)	$	99,898	$	4,180,589	$	58,386	$	(31,129)	$	4,207,846

The following table provides a summary of investment securities by contractual maturity as of December 31, 2022, except for residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations and asset-backed securities, which are shown as single totals, due to the unpredictability of the timing in principal repayments:


	Held-to-maturity				Available-for-sale
(Dollars in thousands)	Amortized cost		Fair value		Amortized cost		Fair value
Due in one year or less	$	0	$	0	$	8,230	$	8,125
Due after one year through five years	2,584		2,662		93,629		89,551
Due after five years through ten years	34,920		32,410		292,581		255,143
Due after ten years	1,874		1,711		697,335		588,167
Mortgage-backed securities - residential	0		0		747,478		650,063
Mortgage-backed securities - commercial	35,363		31,249		676,934		629,562
Collateralized mortgage obligations	9,280		8,453		538,970		477,712
Asset-backed securities	0		0		772,261		711,325
Total	$	84,021	$	76,485	$	3,827,418	$	3,409,648

Unrealized gains and losses on debt securities are generally due to fluctuations in current market yields relative to the yields of the securities at their amortized cost. All AFS securities with unrealized losses are reviewed quarterly to determine if any impairment exists, requiring a write-down to fair value. For AFS securities in an unrealized loss position, the Company first assesses whether it intends to sell or it is more likely than not that 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 debt securities available-for-sale in an unrealized loss position that do not meet the aforementioned criteria, 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 this assessment indicates that a credit loss exists, the present value of cash flows expected 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 for the security, a credit loss exists and an allowance for credit losses is recorded, limited to the amount that the fair value of the security is less than its amortized cost basis.

First Financial does not intend to sell, and it is not more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell, debt securities temporarily impaired prior to maturity or recovery of the recorded value. Additionally, based on the Company's credit assessment of AFS securities in an unrealized loss position, the Company recorded no reserves on investment securities for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 or 2021.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company's investment securities portfolio consisted of 1,251 securities, of which 891 were in an unrealized loss position. As of December 31, 2021, the Company's investment securities portfolio consisted of 1,418 securities, of which 327 were in an unrealized loss position.

Certain HTM debt securities owned by First Financial are issued by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises. These securities carry the explicit and/or implicit guarantee of the U.S. government, are widely recognized as “risk free,” and have a long history of zero credit loss. The remainder of the Company's HTM securities are debt obligations of public and private corporations with no credit issues, as well as non-agency collateralized mortgage obligations and obligations of state and other political subdivisions which currently carry ratings no lower than A+. There were no HTM securities on nonaccrual status or past due as of December 31, 2022, or 2021. The Company did not record an allowance for credit losses for these securities as of December 31, 2022 or 2021.

The following tables provide the fair value and gross unrealized losses on investment securities in an unrealized loss position for which an allowance for credit losses was not recorded, aggregated by investment category and the length of time the individual securities have been in a continuous loss position:


	December 31, 2022
	Less than 12 months				12 months or more				Total
(Dollars in thousands)	Fair value		Unrealized loss		Fair value		Unrealized loss		Fair value		Unrealized loss
U.S. Treasuries	$	2,383	$	(46)	$	30,313	$	(4,570)	$	32,696	$	(4,616)
Securities of U.S. government agencies and corporations	0		0		66,468		(13,914)		66,468		(13,914)
Mortgage-backed securities - residential	195,972		(10,413)		443,415		(87,049)		639,387		(97,462)
Mortgage-backed securities - commercial	457,863		(21,020)		189,123		(30,468)		646,986		(51,488)
Collateralized mortgage obligations	205,456		(13,059)		271,377		(49,207)		476,833		(62,266)
Obligations of state and other political subdivisions	301,073		(31,397)		368,673		(92,972)		669,746		(124,369)
Asset-backed securities	250,946		(9,410)		422,090		(51,565)		673,036		(60,975)
Other securities	125,344		(7,283)		31,629		(3,872)		156,973		(11,155)
Total	$	1,539,037	$	(92,628)	$	1,823,088	$	(333,617)	$	3,362,125	$	(426,245)


	December 31, 2021
	Less than 12 months				12 months or more				Total
(Dollars in thousands)	Fair value		Unrealized loss		Fair value		Unrealized loss		Fair value		Unrealized loss
U.S. Treasuries	$	24,755	$	(190)	$	0	$	0	$	24,755	$	(190)
Securities of U.S. Government agencies and corporations	17,382		(128)		0		0		17,382		(128)
Mortgage-backed securities - residential	459,098		(8,375)		78,090		(2,173)		537,188		(10,548)
Mortgage-backed securities - commercial	205,520		(2,149)		13,818		(203)		219,338		(2,352)
Collateralized mortgage obligations	369,318		(6,110)		12,485		(387)		381,803		(6,497)
Obligations of state and other political subdivisions	380,735		(7,543)		55,568		(1,051)		436,303		(8,594)
Asset-backed securities	482,118		(2,578)		0		0		482,118		(2,578)
Other securities	31,896		(354)		11,877		(373)		43,773		(727)
Total	$	1,970,822	$	(27,427)	$	171,838	$	(4,187)	$	2,142,660	$	(31,614)

For further detail on the fair value of investment securities, see Note 23 – Fair Value Disclosures.