LEASES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

LEASES - LESSEE

A lease is defined as a contract, or part of a contract, that conveys the right to control the use of identified property, plant or equipment for a period of time in exchange for consideration. For contracts where First Financial is a lessee, the recipient of the right to control, substantially all of those agreements are for real estate property for branches, ATM locations and office space.

Substantially all of the company's lessee contracts are classified as operating leases. Under Topic 842, operating lease agreements are required to be recognized on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as an ROU asset and a corresponding lease liability. The Company's right to use an asset over the life of a lease is recorded as a ROU asset in Accrued interest and other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and was $52.9 million and $54.2 million at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Certain adjustments to the ROU asset may be required for items such as initial direct costs paid or incentives received. First Financial recorded a $63.1 million and $64.5 million lease liability in Accrued interest and other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.

The calculated amount of the ROU assets and lease liabilities are impacted by the length of the lease term and the discount rate used to calculate the present value of minimum lease payments. Regarding the discount rate, Topic 842 requires the use of the rate implicit in the lease whenever this rate is readily determinable. As this rate is rarely determinable, the Company utilizes its incremental borrowing rate at lease inception, on a collateralized basis, over a similar term.

Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet and First Financial recognizes lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Most leases include one or more options to renew, with renewal terms that can extend the lease term from one to 20 years or more. The exercise of renewal options on operating leases is at the Company's sole discretion, and certain leases may include options to purchase the leased property. If at lease inception, the Company considers the exercising of a renewal option to be reasonably certain, the Company will include the extended term in the calculation of the ROU asset and lease liability. First Financial does not enter into lease agreements which contain material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

Certain leases provide for increases in future minimum annual rental payments as defined in the lease agreements and leases generally also include real estate taxes and common area maintenance charges in the annual rental payments.

The components of lease expense were as follows:


	Three months ended
	March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)		2024		2023
Operating lease cost		$	2,044	$	1,914




Variable lease cost		790		758
Total operating lease cost		$	2,834	$	2,672

Future minimum commitments due under these lease agreements as of March 31, 2024 are as follows:


(Dollars in thousands)	Operating leases
2024 (remaining nine months)	$	5,974
2025	7,788
2026	7,509
2027	7,181
2028	7,117
Thereafter	43,793
Total lease payments	79,362
Less imputed interest	(16,267)
Total	$	63,095

The weighted average remaining lease term and discount rate for the Company's operating leases were as follows:

March 31, 2024

December 31, 2023

Operating leases

Weighted-average remaining lease term

12.2 years

12.3 years

Weighted-average discount rate

3.44

3.43

Supplemental cash information at March 31, 2024 and 2023 related to leases was as follows:


	Three months ended
	March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)		2024		2023
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Operating cash flows from operating leases		$	2,121	$	1,970


ROU assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations
Operating leases		174		501