Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Principles of Consolidation – The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of FS Bancorp and its wholly owned subsidiary, 1st Security Bank. All material intercompany accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.

Subsequent Events, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Subsequent Events – The Company has evaluated events and transactions subsequent to December 31, 2023, for potential recognition or disclosure. On January 31, 2024, the Company completed the sale of MSRs relating to certain single family mortgage loans serviced for the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac,” and together with Fannie Mae, the “Agencies”) with an aggregate unpaid principal balance of approximately $1.29 billion to an approved Agency seller and servicer. The total purchase price for the MSRs was approximately $16.6 million and an amortized cost of $8.1 million, which is subject to certain customary holdbacks and adjustments. The sale represented approximately 45.6% of the Company’s total MSR portfolio as of January 31, 2024. The Agencies consented to the transfer of the MSRs.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Unrestricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash and Cash Equivalents – Cash and cash equivalents include cash and due from banks, and interest-bearing balances due from other banks and the FRB and have an original maturity of 90 days or less at the time of purchase. At times, cash balances may exceed FDIC insured limits. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $27,000 and $281,000, respectively, of cash and due from banks and interest-bearing deposits at other financial institutions in excess of FDIC insured limits.

Investment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Federal Home Loan Bank Stock – The Bank’s investment in FHLB stock is carried at cost, which approximates fair value. As a member of the FHLB system, the Bank is required to maintain an investment in capital stock of the FHLB. The Bank’s required minimum level of investment in FHLB stock is based on specific percentages of its outstanding mortgages, total assets, or FHLB advances. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Bank’s investment in FHLB stock was $2.1 million and $10.6 million, respectively. The Bank was in compliance with the FHLB minimum investment requirement at December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Management evaluates FHLB stock for impairment annually. Management’s determination of whether these investments are impaired is based on its assessment of the ultimate recoverability of cost rather than by recognizing temporary declines in value. The determination of whether a decline affects the ultimate recoverability of cost is influenced by criteria such as (1) the significance of any decline in net assets of the FHLB as compared with the capital stock amount for the FHLB and the length of time this situation has persisted; (2) commitments by the FHLB to make payments required by law or regulation and the level of such payments in relation to the operating performance of the FHLB; (3) the impact of legislative and regulatory changes on institutions and, accordingly, the customer base of the FHLB; and (4) the liquidity position of the FHLB. Based on its evaluation, management determined that there was no impairment of FHLB stock for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

Other Real Estate Owned [Policy Text Block]

Other Real Estate Owned – OREO is recorded initially at the lower of cost or fair value less selling costs, with any initial charge made to the allowance for credit losses ("ACL") on loans. Costs relating to development and improvement of the properties or assets are capitalized while costs relating to holding the properties or assets are expensed. Valuations are periodically performed by management, and a charge to earnings is recorded if the recorded value of a property exceeds its estimated net realizable value.

Financing Receivable [Policy Text Block]

Loans Receivable – Loans receivable, are stated at the amount of unpaid principal reduced by the ACL on loans and net deferred fees or costs and premiums or discounts. Interest on loans is calculated using the simple interest method based on the daily balance of the principal amount outstanding and is credited to income as earned. Loan fees, net of direct origination costs, are deferred and amortized over the life of the loan using the effective yield method. If the loan is repaid prior to maturity, the remaining unamortized net deferred loan origination fee is recognized in income at the time of repayment.

Income Recognition on Nonaccrual Loans and Securities – Interest on loans is accrued daily based on the principal amount outstanding. Generally, the accrual of interest on loans is discontinued when, in management’s opinion, the borrower may be unable to meet payments as they become due or when they are past due 90 days as to either principal or interest (based on contractual terms), unless they are well secured and in the process of collection. All interest accrued but not collected for loans that are placed on nonaccrual status or charged off are reversed against interest income. Subsequent collections on a cash basis are applied proportionately to past due principal and interest, unless collectability of principal is in doubt, in which case all payments are applied to principal. Loans are returned to accrual status when the loan is performing according to its contractual terms for at least six months and the collectability of principal and interest is no longer doubtful. While less common, similar interest reversal and nonaccrual treatment is applied to investment securities if their ultimate collectability becomes questionable.

Allowance for Credit Losses, Available for Sale Securities [Policy Text Block]

Allowance for Credit Losses on Available-for-Sale Securities – For available-for-sale securities in an unrealized loss position, management first assesses whether it intends to sell, or is more likely than not to 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 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, a credit loss exists and an ACL is recorded for the credit loss, limited by the amount that the fair value is less than the amortized cost basis.

Changes in the ACL are recorded as a provision for (recovery of) credit loss expense. Losses are charged against the ACL when management believes the uncollectability of an available-for-sale security is confirmed or when either of the criteria regarding intent or requirement to sell is met. Accrued interest receivable on available-for-sale debt securities is not included in the estimate of credit losses.

Financing Receivable, Loans Collective Assessment [Policy Text Block]

Collective Assessment – The ACL on loans is measured on a collective cohort basis when similar risk characteristics exist. Generally, collectively assessed loans are grouped by call report code and then risk-grade grouping. Risk grade is grouped within each call report code by pass, watch, special mention, substandard, and doubtful. Other loan types are separated into their own cohorts due to specific risk characteristics for that pool of loan.

The Company has elected a non-discounted cash flow methodology with probability of default (“PD”) and loss given default (“LGD”) for all call report code cohorts (“cohorts”), with the exception of the indirect and marine portfolios which are evaluated under a vintage methodology. The vintage methodology measures the expected loss calculation for future periods based on historical performance by the origination period of loans with similar life cycles and risk characteristics. Guaranteed portions of loans are measured with zero risk due to cash collateral and full guaranty.

The PD calculation looks at the historical loan portfolio at particular points in time (each month during the lookback period) to determine the probability that loans in a certain cohort will default over the next 12-month period. A default is defined as a loan that has moved to past due 90 days and greater, nonaccrual status, or experienced a charge-off during the period. In cohorts where the Company’s historical data is insufficient due to a minimal amount of default activity or zero defaults, management uses index PDs comprised of rates derived from the PD experience of other community banks in place of the Company’s historical PDs. Additionally, management reviews all other cohorts to determine if index PDs should be used outside of these criteria.

The LGD calculation looks at actual losses (net charge-offs) experienced over the entire lookback period for each cohort of loans. The aggregate loss amount is divided by the exposure at default to determine an LGD rate. All defaults (non-accrual, charge-off, or greater than 90 days past due) occurring during the lookback period are included in the denominator, whether a loss occurred or not and exposure at default is determined by the loan balance immediately preceding the default event (i.e., nonaccrual or charge-off). Due to very limited charge-off history, management uses index LGDs comprised of rates derived from the LGD experience of other community banks in place of the Company’s historical LGDs.

The Company utilizes reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions when estimating the ACL on loans. The calculation includes a 12-month PD forecast based on the Company’s regression model comparing peer nonperforming loan ratios to the national unemployment rate. After the forecast period, PD rates revert on a straight-line basis back to long-term historical average rates over a 12-month period. Due to very limited default history, management uses index PDs comprised of rates derived from the PD experience of other community banks in place of the Company’s historical PDs.

The Company recognizes that all significant factors that affect the collectability of the loan portfolio must be considered to determine the estimated credit losses as of the evaluation date. Furthermore, the methodology, in and of itself and even when selectively adjusted by comparison to market and peer data, does not provide a sufficient basis to determine the estimated credit losses. The Company adjusts the modeled historical losses by qualitative and environmental adjustments to incorporate all significant risks to form a sufficient basis to estimate the credit losses.

Determining Contractual Term [Policy Text Block]

Determining the Contractual Term – Expected credit losses are estimated over the contractual term of the loans, adjusted for expected prepayments when appropriate. The contractual term excludes expected extensions, renewals and modifications. Prepayment assumptions will be determined by analysis of historical behavior by loan cohort.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Premises and Equipment, Net – Land is carried at cost. Premises and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The estimated useful lives used to compute depreciation include building and building improvements up to 25 years and furniture, fixtures, and equipment from three to 10 years. Leasehold and tenant improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the lesser of useful life or the life of the related lease. Gains or losses on dispositions are reflected on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Management reviews buildings, improvements and equipment for impairment on an annual basis or whenever events or changes in the circumstances indicate that the undiscounted cash flows for the property are less than its carrying value. If identified, an impairment loss is recognized through a charge to earnings based on the fair value of the property.

Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Transfers of Financial Assets – Transfers of an entire financial asset, a group of entire financial assets, or participating interest in an entire financial asset are accounted for as sales when control over the assets has been surrendered. Control over transferred assets is deemed to be surrendered when (1) the assets have been isolated from the Company, (2) the transferee obtains the right (free of conditions that constrain it from taking advantage of that right) to pledge or exchange the transferred assets, and (3) the Company does not maintain effective control over the transferred assets through an agreement to repurchase them before their maturity.

Mortgage Servicing Rights – Servicing assets are recognized as separate assets when rights are acquired through purchase or through sale of financial assets. Generally, purchased MSRs are capitalized at the cost to acquire the rights. For sales of mortgage loans, a portion of the cost of originating the loan is allocated to the MSRs based on relative fair value. Fair value is based on market prices for comparable MSR contracts, when available, or alternatively, is based on a valuation model that calculates the present value of estimated future net servicing income. The valuation model incorporates assumptions that market participants would use in estimating future net servicing income, such as the cost to service, the discount rate, the custodial earnings rate, an inflation rate, ancillary income, prepayment speeds, and default rates and losses.

Servicing assets are evaluated quarterly for impairment based upon the fair value of the rights as compared to amortized cost. Impairment is determined by stratifying rights into tranches based on predominant characteristics, such as interest rate, loan type, and investor type. Impairment is recognized through a valuation allowance for an individual tranche, to the extent that fair value is less than the capitalized amount for the tranche. If the Company later determines that all or a portion of the impairment no longer exists for a particular tranche, a reduction of the allowance may be recorded as a recovery and an increase to income. Capitalized MSRs are stated separately on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are amortized into noninterest income in proportion to, and over the period of, the estimated future net servicing income of the underlying financial assets.

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), Policy [Policy Text Block]

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”) – Compensation expense recognized for the Company's ESOP equals the fair value of shares that have been allocated or committed to be released for allocation to participants. Any difference between the fair value of the shares at the time and the ESOP’s original acquisition cost is charged or credited to stockholders’ equity (additional paid-in-capital). The cost of ESOP shares that have not yet been allocated or committed to be released is deducted from stockholders’ equity.

Comprehensive Income, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Comprehensive Income (Loss) – Comprehensive income (loss) is comprised of net income and other comprehensive income (loss). Other comprehensive income (loss) includes unrealized holding gains and losses on securities available-for-sale, net of tax and unrealized holding gains (losses) on derivatives designated as hedges, net of tax recorded directly to equity.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Restricted Assets – Regulations of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”) require that the Bank maintain reserves in the form of cash on hand and deposit balances with the FRB, based on a percentage of deposits. At December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Bank had no reserve requirement.

Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Policy Text Block]

Stock-Based Compensation – Compensation cost is recognized for stock options and restricted stock awards, based on the fair value of these awards at the grant date. A Black-Scholes model is utilized to estimate the fair value of stock options, while the market price of the Company’s common stock at the grant date is used for restricted stock awards. Compensation cost is recognized over the required service period, generally defined as the vesting period. For awards with graded vesting, compensation cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award.

Bank Owned Life Insurance [Policy Text Block]

Bank Owned Life Insurance – The Bank has purchased life insurance policies on certain key executives. Company owned life insurance is recorded at the amount that can be realized under the insurance contract at the balance sheet date, which is the cash surrender value adjusted for other charges or other amounts due that are probable at settlement.

As a result of current tax law and the nature of these policies, the Bank records any increase in cash value of these policies as nontaxable noninterest income. If the Bank decided to surrender any of the policies prior to the death of the insured, such surrender may result in tax expense related to the life-to-date cumulative increase in cash value of the policy. If the Bank retains such policies until the death of the insured, the Bank would receive nontaxable proceeds from the insurance company equal to the death benefit of the policies.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Application of New Accounting Guidance in 2023

On January 1, 2023, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2022–02, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures. This ASU eliminated the accounting guidance for troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”) for creditors, required new disclosures for creditors for certain loan refinancings and restructurings when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty, and required public business entities to include current-period gross write-offs in the vintage disclosure tables. The amendments in this ASU were effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of ASU 2022–02 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2020–04, “Reference Rate Reform” (“Topic 848”). This ASU provides optional guidance for a limited period to ease the potential burden in accounting for (or recognizing the effects of) reference rate reform on financial reporting. The amendments in this ASU apply to modifications to agreements (e.g., loans, debt securities, derivatives, borrowings) that replace a reference rate affected by reference rate reform (including rates referenced in fallback provisions) and contemporaneous modifications of other contract terms related to the replacement of the reference rate (including contract modifications to add or change fallback provisions). The following optional expedients for applying the requirements of certain Topics or Industry Subtopics in the Codification are permitted for contracts that are modified because of reference rate reform and that meet certain scope guidance: 1) Modifications of contracts within the scope of Topics 310, Receivables, and 470, Debt, should be accounted for by prospectively adjusting the effective interest rate; 2) Modifications of contracts within the scope of Topics 840, Leases, and 842, Leases, should be accounted for as a continuation of the existing contracts with no reassessments of the lease classification and the discount rate (for example, the incremental borrowing rate) or remeasurements of lease payments that otherwise would be required under those Topics for modifications not accounted for as separate contracts; and 3) Modifications of contracts do not require an entity to reassess its original conclusion about whether that contract contains an embedded derivative that is clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics and risks of the host contract under Subtopic 815-15, Derivatives and Hedging - Embedded Derivatives. In January 2021, ASU 2021–01 updated amendments in the new ASU to clarify that certain optional expedients and exceptions in Topic 848 for contract modifications and hedge accounting apply to derivative instruments that use an interest rate for margining, discounting, or contract price alignment that is modified as a result of reference rate reform. Amendments in this ASU and the expedients and exceptions in Topic 848 capture the incremental consequences of the scope clarification and tailor the existing guidance to derivative instruments affected by the discounting transition. An entity may elect to apply the amendments in this ASU on a full retrospective basis as of any date from the effective dates. The amendments in this ASU have differing effective dates, beginning with an interim period including and subsequent to March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022, deferred now until December 31, 2024. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2020–04 to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions. ASU 2022-03 clarifies that a contractual restriction on the sale of an equity security should not be considered in measuring fair value, nor should the contractual restriction be recognized and measured separately. Further, this ASU requires disclosure of the fair value of equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions reflected in the balance sheet, the nature and remaining duration of the restrictions(s), and the circumstances that could cause a lapse in the restriction(s). ASU 2022-03 is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not believe this ASU will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

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 allows an entity the option to apply the proportional amortization method of accounting to other equity investments that are made for the primary purpose of receiving tax credits or other income tax benefits if certain conditions are met. Prior to this ASU, the application of the proportional amortization method of accounting was limited to investments in low-income housing tax credit structures. The proportional amortization method of accounting results in the amortization of applicable investments, as well as the related income tax credits or other income tax benefits received, being presented on a single line in the statements of income, income tax expense. Under this ASU, an entity has the option to apply the proportional amortization method of accounting to applicable investments on a tax-credit-program-by-tax-credit program basis. In addition, the amendments in this ASU require that all tax equity investments accounted for using the proportional amortization method use the delayed equity contribution guidance in paragraph 323-740-25-3, requiring a liability to be recognized for delayed equity contributions that are unconditional and legally binding or for equity contributions that are contingent upon a future event when that contingent event becomes probable. Under this ASU, low-income housing tax credit investments for which the proportional amortization method is not applied can no longer be accounted for using the delayed equity contribution guidance. Further, this ASU specifies that impairment of low-income housing tax credit investments not accounted for using the equity method must apply the impairment guidance in Subtopic 323-10: Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures - Overall. This ASU also clarifies that for low-income housing tax credit investments not accounted for under the proportional amortization method or the equity method, an entity shall account for them under Topic 321: Investments - Equity Securities. The amendments in the ASU also require additional disclosures in interim and annual periods concerning investments for which the proportional amortization method is applied, including (i) the nature of tax equity investments, and (ii) the effect of tax equity investments and related income tax credits and other income tax benefits on the financial position and results of operations. ASU 2023-02 is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2023-02 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In November 2023, the FASB issued guidance within ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. This ASU requires that a public entity that has a single reportable segment provide all the disclosures required by the amendments in this ASU and all existing disclosures in Topic 280.

The amendments in this ASU are intended to improve segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. The key amendments included in this ASU:

●	Require disclosure on an annual and interim basis, significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) and are included within each reported measure of segment profit and loss.

●	Require disclosure on an annual and interim basis, an amount for other segment items (defined in the ASU) and a description of its composition.

●	Clarify that if the CODM uses more than one measure of the segment's profit or loss in assessing performance, one or more of those additional measures may be reported.

●	Require disclosure of the title and position of the CODM and an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) of segment profit or loss in assessing performance.

This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. The amendments should be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently evaluating the effect that ASU 2023-07 will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In December 2023, the FASB issued guidance within ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. The amendments in the ASU are intended to provide more transparency about income tax information through improvements to income tax disclosures primarily related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid information. The ASU requires disclosure in the rate reconciliation of specific categories as well as provide additional information for reconciling items that meet a quantitative threshold.

Those amendments require disclosure of the following information about income taxes paid on an annual basis:

●	Income taxes paid (net of refunds received), disaggregated by federal and state taxes and by individual jurisdictions in which income taxes paid (net of refunds received) is equal to or greater than five percent of total income taxes paid (net refunds received).

●	Income tax expense (or benefit) from continuing operations disaggregated by federal and state jurisdictions.

The ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted for annual financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance. The amendments should be applied on a prospective basis. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2023-09 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.