Summary of significant accounting policies	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of significant accounting policies	1. Summary of significant accounting policies: Nature of operations: Peoples Financial Services Corp., a bank holding company incorporated under the laws of Pennsylvania, provides a full range of financial services through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company (“Peoples Bank”), including its subsidiaries, Peoples Advisors, LLC and Penseco Realty, Inc. (collectively, the “Company” or “Peoples”). On November 30, 2013, Penseco Financial Services Corporation, a financial holding company incorporated under the laws of Pennsylvania (“Penseco”), merged with and into Peoples Financial Services Corp., with Peoples Financial Services Corp. being the surviving corporation (the “Merger”), pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated June 28, 2013 (the “Merger Agreement”). In connection with the Merger, on December 1, 2013, Penseco’s former banking subsidiary, Penn Security Bank and Trust Company, merged with and into Peoples Neighborhood Bank (the “Bank Merger”), and the resulting institution adopted the name Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company. The Company services its retail and commercial customers through twenty-six full-service community banking offices located within the Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties of Northeastern Pennsylvania and Broome County of New York. Basis of presentation: The aforementioned merger between the Company and Penseco was accounted for as a reverse acquisition whereby Penseco was treated as the acquirer for accounting and reporting purposes. As a result, the historical financial information prior to the merger date included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related notes as reported in this Form 10-Q is that of Penseco. The number of shares issued and outstanding and the amount of common stock and capital surplus in 2013 periods were retroactively adjusted to reflect the equivalent number of shares issued by the Company in the merger. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP’) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10-01 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and results of operations for the periods presented have been included. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Prior-period amounts are reclassified when necessary to conform to the current year’s presentation. These reclassifications did not have any effect on the operating results or financial position of the Company. Certain disclosures related to impaired and nonaccrual loans have been revised for December 31, 2013. Such revisions were not material and had no effect on the operating results or financial position of the Company. The operating results and financial position of the Company for the six months ended and as of June 30, 2014, are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations and financial position that may be expected in the future. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates that are particularly susceptible to material change in the near term relate to the determination of the allowance for loan losses, fair value of financial instruments, the valuation of real estate acquired in connection with foreclosures or in satisfaction of loans, the valuation of deferred tax assets, determination of other-than-temporary impairment losses on securities and impairment of goodwill. Actual results could differ from those estimates. For additional information and disclosures required under GAAP, reference is made to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2013. The Company has evaluated events and transactions occurring subsequent to the balance sheet date of June 30, 2014, for items that should potentially be recognized or disclosed in these consolidated financial statements. The evaluation was conducted through the date these consolidated financial statements were issued. Recent accounting standards: In May, 2014 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” which supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods therein, using either of the following transition methods: (i) a full retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standard in each prior reporting period with the option to elect certain practical expedients, or (ii) a retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of initially adopting ASU 2014-09 recognized at the date of adoption (which includes additional footnote disclosures). We are currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2014-09 on our consolidated financial statements and have not yet determined the method by which we will adopt the standard in 2017. On June 12, 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-11 “Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financings, and Disclosures” to change the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions and certain linked repurchase financings. This will result in accounting for both types of arrangements as secured borrowings on the balance sheet, rather than sales. Additionally, the ASU introduces new disclosures to (i) increase transparency about the types of collateral pledged in secured borrowing transactions and (ii) enable users to better understand transactions in which the transferor retains substantially all of the exposure to the economic return on the transferred financial asset throughout the term of the transaction. The amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2014, and for interim periods beginning after March 15, 2015. All other accounting and disclosure amendments in the ASU are effective for public business entities for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. The adoption of ASU 2014-11 is not expected to have a material effect on the operating results or financial position of the Company. On June 19, 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-12 “Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period” to clarify that a performance target in a share-based compensation award that could be achieved after an employee completes the requisite service period should be treated as a performance condition that affects the vesting of the award. As such, the performance target should not be reflected in estimating the grant-date fair value of the award. The amendments are effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Earlier adoption is permitted. The adoption of ASU 2014-12 is not expected to have a material effect on the operating results or financial position of the Company.

1. Summary of significant accounting policies:

Nature of operations:

Peoples Financial Services Corp., a bank holding company incorporated under the laws of Pennsylvania, provides a full range of financial services through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company (“Peoples Bank”), including its subsidiaries, Peoples Advisors, LLC and Penseco Realty, Inc. (collectively, the “Company” or “Peoples”). On November 30, 2013, Penseco Financial Services Corporation, a financial holding company incorporated under the laws of Pennsylvania (“Penseco”), merged with and into Peoples Financial Services Corp., with Peoples Financial Services Corp. being the surviving corporation (the “Merger”), pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated June 28, 2013 (the “Merger Agreement”). In connection with the Merger, on December 1, 2013, Penseco’s former banking subsidiary, Penn Security Bank and Trust Company, merged with and into Peoples Neighborhood Bank (the “Bank Merger”), and the resulting institution adopted the name Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company. The Company services its retail and commercial customers through twenty-six full-service community banking offices located within the Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties of Northeastern Pennsylvania and Broome County of New York.

Basis of presentation:

The aforementioned merger between the Company and Penseco was accounted for as a reverse acquisition whereby Penseco was treated as the acquirer for accounting and reporting purposes. As a result, the historical financial information prior to the merger date included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related notes as reported in this Form 10-Q is that of Penseco. The number of shares issued and outstanding and the amount of common stock and capital surplus in 2013 periods were retroactively adjusted to reflect the equivalent number of shares issued by the Company in the merger.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP’) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10-01 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and results of operations for the periods presented have been included. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Prior-period amounts are reclassified when necessary to conform to the current year’s presentation. These reclassifications did not have any effect on the operating results or financial position of the Company. Certain disclosures related to impaired and nonaccrual loans have been revised for December 31, 2013. Such revisions were not material and had no effect on the operating results or financial position of the Company. The operating results and financial position of the Company for the six months ended and as of June 30, 2014, are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations and financial position that may be expected in the future.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates that are particularly susceptible to material change in the near term relate to the determination of the allowance for loan losses, fair value of financial instruments, the valuation of real estate acquired in connection with foreclosures or in satisfaction of loans, the valuation of deferred tax assets, determination of other-than-temporary impairment losses on securities and impairment of goodwill. Actual results could differ from those estimates. For additional information and disclosures required under GAAP, reference is made to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2013.

The Company has evaluated events and transactions occurring subsequent to the balance sheet date of June 30, 2014, for items that should potentially be recognized or disclosed in these consolidated financial statements. The evaluation was conducted through the date these consolidated financial statements were issued.

Recent accounting standards:

In May, 2014 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” which supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods therein, using either of the following transition methods: (i) a full retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standard in each prior reporting period with the option to elect certain practical expedients, or (ii) a retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of initially adopting ASU 2014-09 recognized at the date of adoption (which includes additional footnote disclosures). We are currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2014-09 on our consolidated financial statements and have not yet determined the method by which we will adopt the standard in 2017.

On June 12, 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-11 “Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financings, and Disclosures” to change the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions and certain linked repurchase financings. This will result in accounting for both types of arrangements as secured borrowings on the balance sheet, rather than sales. Additionally, the ASU introduces new disclosures to (i) increase transparency about the types of collateral pledged in secured borrowing transactions and (ii) enable users to better understand transactions in which the transferor retains substantially all of the exposure to the economic return on the transferred financial asset throughout the term of the transaction. The amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2014, and for interim periods beginning after March 15, 2015. All other accounting and disclosure amendments in the ASU are effective for public business entities for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. The adoption of ASU 2014-11 is not expected to have a material effect on the operating results or financial position of the Company.

On June 19, 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-12 “Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period” to clarify that a performance target in a share-based compensation award that could be achieved after an employee completes the requisite service period should be treated as a performance condition that affects the vesting of the award. As such, the performance target should not be reflected in estimating the grant-date fair value of the award. The amendments are effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Earlier adoption is permitted. The adoption of ASU 2014-12 is not expected to have a material effect on the operating results or financial position of the Company.