Summary of significant accounting policies	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Summary of significant accounting policies
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 subsidiary, Peoples Advisors, LLC (collectively, the “Company” or “Peoples”). The Company services its retail and commercial customers through twenty-four full-service community banking offices located within the Bucks, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties of Pennsylvania and Broome County of New York. Basis of presentation: 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. The operating results and financial position of the Company for the three months ended and as of March 31, 2016, 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, impairment of goodwill and fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations. 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, 2015. Recent accounting standards: In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-03, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other, Business Combinations, Consolidation, Derivatives and Hedging: Effective Date and Transition Guidance.” The mandate removes the effective dates from the private company accounting alternatives for goodwill, intangible assets, consolidation, and derivatives and hedging. This allows private companies to elect the accounting alternatives at any time without a preferability assessment. However, any subsequent change to an accounting policy election would require justification that the change is preferable under Topic 250. The ASU also extends certain favorable transition provisions of the accounting alternatives. The amendments became effective immediately upon issuance of the ASU. The adoption of this ASU has not had a significant impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-04, “Liabilities—Extinguishments of Liabilities: Recognition of Breakage for Certain Prepaid Stored-Value Products” The standard amends exempting gift cards and other prepaid stored-value products from the guidance on extinguishing financial liabilities. Rather, they will be subject to breakage accounting consistent with the new revenue guidance in Topic 606. However, the exemption only applies to breakage liabilities that are not subject to unclaimed property laws or that are attached to segregated bank accounts (e.g., consumer debit cards). In this context, if an entity expects to be entitled to breakage, it should derecognize the amount of the liability in proportion to the pattern of rights expected to be exercised by the product holder. In addition, breakage should only be recognized to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal of the recognized breakage amount will not subsequently occur. The amendments also require entities to update their estimates of breakage at the end of each reporting period, with changes accounted for as a change in accounting estimate. If an entity does not expect to be entitled to breakage, the entity should derecognize such liabilities within the scope of the ASU when the likelihood of the product holder exercising its remaining rights becomes remote. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendments are effective for all other entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-05, “Derivatives and Hedging: Effect of Derivative Contract Novations on Existing Hedge Accounting Relationships,” which requires an entity to discontinue a designated hedging relationship in certain circumstances, including termination of the derivative hedging instrument or if the entity wishes to change any of the critical terms of the hedging relationship. The mandate clarifies that novation of a derivative (replacing one of the parties to a derivative instrument with a new party) designated as the hedging instrument would not, in and of itself, be considered a termination of the derivative instrument or a change in critical terms requiring discontinuation of the designated hedging relationship. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-06, “Derivatives and Hedging: Contingent Put and Call Options in Debt Instruments”. The guidance in this ASU addresses how an entity should assess whether contingent call (put) options that can accelerate the payment of debt instruments are clearly and closely related to their debt hosts. This assessment is necessary to determine if the option(s) must be separately accounted for as a derivative. The ASU clarifies that an entity is required to assess the embedded call (put) options solely in accordance with a specific four-step decision sequence. This means entities are not also required to assess whether the contingency for exercising the option(s) is indexed to interest rates or credit risk. For example, when evaluating debt instruments puttable upon a change in control, the event triggering the change in control is not relevant to the assessment. Only the resulting settlement of debt is subject to the four-step decision sequence. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. However, if an entity early adopts the amendments in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of that fiscal year. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-07, “Investments—Equity Method and Joint Ventures: Simplifying the Transition to the Equity Method of Accounting.” This mandate requires an investor to initially apply the equity method of accounting from the date it qualifies for that method, for example, the date the investor obtains significant influence over the operating and financial policies of an investee. The ASU eliminates the previous requirement to retroactively adjust the investment and record a cumulative catch up for the periods that the investment had been held, but did not qualify for the equity method of accounting. The amendments are effective for all entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. The amendments should be applied prospectively upon their effective date to increases in the level of ownership interest or degree of influence that result in the application of the equity method. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net).” This amendment updates the new revenue standard by clarifying the principal versus agent implementation guidance, but does not change the core principle of the new standard. The updates to the principal versus agent guidance: (1) require an entity to determine whether it is a principal or an agent for each distinct good or service (or a distinct bundle of goods or services) to be provided to the customer; (2) illustrate how an entity that is a principal might apply the control principle to goods, services, or rights to services, when another party is involved in providing goods or services to a customer; (3) clarify that the purpose of certain specific control indicators is to support or assist in the assessment of whether an entity controls a good or service before it is transferred to the customer, provide more specific guidance on how the indicators should be considered, and clarify that their relevance will vary depending on the facts and circumstances; and (4) revise existing examples and add two new ones to more clearly depict how the guidance should be applied. The effective date and transition requirements for ASU 2016-08 are the same as the effective date and transition requirements of Topic 606. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation—Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting.” The new standard introduces targeted amendments intended to simplify the accounting for stock compensation. Specifically, the ASU requires all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies (including tax benefits of dividends on share-based payment awards) to be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement. The tax effects of exercised or vested awards should be treated as discrete items in the reporting period in which they occur. An entity also should recognize excess tax benefits, and assess the need for a valuation allowance, regardless of whether the benefit reduces taxes payable in the current period. That is, off balance sheet accounting for net operating losses stemming from excess tax benefits would no longer be required and instead such net operating losses would be recognized when they arise. Existing net operating losses that are currently tracked off balance sheet would be recognized, net of a valuation allowance if required, through an adjustment to opening retained earnings in the period of adoption. Entities will no longer need to maintain and track an “APIC pool.” The ASU also requires excess tax benefits to be classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows. In addition, the ASU elevates the statutory tax withholding threshold to qualify for equity classification up to the maximum statutory tax rates in the applicable jurisdiction(s). The ASU also clarifies that cash paid by an employer when directly withholding shares for tax withholding purposes should be classified as a financing activity. The ASU provides an optional accounting policy election (with limited exceptions), to be applied on an entity-wide basis, to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest (consistent with existing U.S. GAAP) or account for forfeitures when they occur. Further, the ASU provides two accounting alternatives to nonpublic entities: A nonpublic entity can make an accounting policy election to apply a practical expedient to estimate the expected term for all awards with performance or service conditions that meet certain conditions and a nonpublic entity can make a one-time accounting policy election to switch from measuring all liability-classified awards at fair value to intrinsic value. The amendments are effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations.

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 subsidiary, Peoples Advisors, LLC (collectively, the “Company” or “Peoples”). The Company services its retail and commercial customers through twenty-four full-service community banking offices located within the Bucks, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties of Pennsylvania and Broome County of New York.

Basis of presentation:

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. The operating results and financial position of the Company for the three months ended and as of March 31, 2016, 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, impairment of goodwill and fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations. 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, 2015.

Recent accounting standards:

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-03, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other, Business Combinations, Consolidation, Derivatives and Hedging: Effective Date and Transition Guidance.” The mandate removes the effective dates from the private company accounting alternatives for goodwill, intangible assets, consolidation, and derivatives and hedging. This allows private companies to elect the accounting alternatives at any time without a preferability assessment. However, any subsequent change to an accounting policy election would require justification that the change is preferable under Topic 250. The ASU also extends certain favorable transition provisions of the accounting alternatives. The amendments became effective immediately upon issuance of the ASU. The adoption of this ASU has not had a significant impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-04, “Liabilities—Extinguishments of Liabilities: Recognition of Breakage for Certain Prepaid Stored-Value Products” The standard amends exempting gift cards and other prepaid stored-value products from the guidance on extinguishing financial liabilities. Rather, they will be subject to breakage accounting consistent with the new revenue guidance in Topic 606. However, the exemption only applies to breakage liabilities that are not subject to unclaimed property laws or that are attached to segregated bank accounts (e.g., consumer debit cards). In this context, if an entity expects to be entitled to breakage, it should derecognize the amount of the liability in proportion to the pattern of rights expected to be exercised by the product holder. In addition, breakage should only be recognized to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal of the recognized breakage amount will not subsequently occur. The amendments also require entities to update their estimates of breakage at the end of each reporting period, with changes accounted for as a change in accounting estimate. If an entity does not expect to be entitled to breakage, the entity should derecognize such liabilities within the scope of the ASU when the likelihood of the product holder exercising its remaining rights becomes remote. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendments are effective for all other entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-05, “Derivatives and Hedging: Effect of Derivative Contract Novations on Existing Hedge Accounting Relationships,” which requires an entity to discontinue a designated hedging relationship in certain circumstances, including termination of the derivative hedging instrument or if the entity wishes to change any of the critical terms of the hedging relationship. The mandate clarifies that novation of a derivative (replacing one of the parties to a derivative instrument with a new party) designated as the hedging instrument would not, in and of itself, be considered a termination of the derivative instrument or a change in critical terms requiring discontinuation of the designated hedging relationship. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-06, “Derivatives and Hedging: Contingent Put and Call Options in Debt Instruments”. The guidance in this ASU addresses how an entity should assess whether contingent call (put) options that can accelerate the payment of debt instruments are clearly and closely related to their debt hosts. This assessment is necessary to determine if the option(s) must be separately accounted for as a derivative. The ASU clarifies that an entity is required to assess the embedded call (put) options solely in accordance with a specific four-step decision sequence. This means entities are not also required to assess whether the contingency for exercising the option(s) is indexed to interest rates or credit risk. For example, when evaluating debt instruments puttable upon a change in control, the event triggering the change in control is not relevant to the assessment. Only the resulting settlement of debt is subject to the four-step decision sequence. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. However, if an entity early adopts the amendments in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of that fiscal year. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-07, “Investments—Equity Method and Joint Ventures: Simplifying the Transition to the Equity Method of Accounting.” This mandate requires an investor to initially apply the equity method of accounting from the date it qualifies for that method, for example, the date the investor obtains significant influence over the operating and financial policies of an investee. The ASU eliminates the previous requirement to retroactively adjust the investment and record a cumulative catch up for the periods that the investment had been held, but did not qualify for the equity method of accounting. The amendments are effective for all entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. The amendments should be applied prospectively upon their effective date to increases in the level of ownership interest or degree of influence that result in the application of the equity method. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net).” This amendment updates the new revenue standard by clarifying the principal versus agent implementation guidance, but does not change the core principle of the new standard. The updates to the principal versus agent guidance: (1) require an entity to determine whether it is a principal or an agent for each distinct good or service (or a distinct bundle of goods or services) to be provided to the customer; (2) illustrate how an entity that is a principal might apply the control principle to goods, services, or rights to services, when another party is involved in providing goods or services to a customer; (3) clarify that the purpose of certain specific control indicators is to support or assist in the assessment of whether an entity controls a good or service before it is transferred to the customer, provide more specific guidance on how the indicators should be considered, and clarify that their relevance will vary depending on the facts and circumstances; and (4) revise existing examples and add two new ones to more clearly depict how the guidance should be applied. The effective date and transition requirements for ASU 2016-08 are the same as the effective date and transition requirements of Topic 606. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation—Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting.” The new standard introduces targeted amendments intended to simplify the accounting for stock compensation. Specifically, the ASU requires all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies (including tax benefits of dividends on share-based payment awards) to be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement. The tax effects of exercised or vested awards should be treated as discrete items in the reporting period in which they occur. An entity also should recognize excess tax benefits, and assess the need for a valuation allowance, regardless of whether the benefit reduces taxes payable in the current period. That is, off balance sheet accounting for net operating losses stemming from excess tax benefits would no longer be required and instead such net operating losses would be recognized when they arise. Existing net operating losses that are currently tracked off balance sheet would be recognized, net of a valuation allowance if required, through an adjustment to opening retained earnings in the period of adoption. Entities will no longer need to maintain and track an “APIC pool.” The ASU also requires excess tax benefits to be classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows. In addition, the ASU elevates the statutory tax withholding threshold to qualify for equity classification up to the maximum statutory tax rates in the applicable jurisdiction(s). The ASU also clarifies that cash paid by an employer when directly withholding shares for tax withholding purposes should be classified as a financing activity. The ASU provides an optional accounting policy election (with limited exceptions), to be applied on an entity-wide basis, to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest (consistent with existing U.S. GAAP) or account for forfeitures when they occur. Further, the ASU provides two accounting alternatives to nonpublic entities: A nonpublic entity can make an accounting policy election to apply a practical expedient to estimate the expected term for all awards with performance or service conditions that meet certain conditions and a nonpublic entity can make a one-time accounting policy election to switch from measuring all liability-classified awards at fair value to intrinsic value. The amendments are effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a significant impact on its financial condition or results of operations.