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July 2017

Three New Accounting Standard Implementation Deadlines Are


Approaching Quickly Are You Prepared?
Lauren Callahan | DHG Financial Services
Sara Dopkin | DHG Financial Services
Kyle Gluth | DHG Financial Services
Three new accounting standards that will significantly impact financial institutions - revenue recognition, leases,
and the current expected credit loss (CECL) model standards - are fast approaching, and their adoption could have
significant financial and operational impacts. To prepare for implementation, audit committees and management
should consider the following topics and monitor progress.

Revenue Recognition time for management and those charged with governance
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board to prepare for implementation, if you have not already done
(FASB) issued a new revenue recognition standard so, because the task may take longer than anticipated.
Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Update 2014- In assessing your adoption status in the implementation
09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The standard process, you may want to ask the following:
is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after Has an evaluation been performed to identify
Dec. 15, 2017, for financial institutions that are public impacted revenue?
business entities (PBEs), while the effective date for non- Although interest related revenue streams will
PBEs is one year later. A question to consider: with only generally not be impacted by the standard, several
six full months left until the effective date for PBEs, is your types of non-interest revenues will be affected.
financial institution ready for implementation? Now is the

Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com


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Listed below are typical revenue types of a financial revenue or revenue group source and contract to
institution and the possible applicability: determine whether the revenue falls within the scope
of the standard. In addition, the standard indicates
Likely to be Not likely to be
Not affected by the a five-step approach for analyzing and recognizing
affected to some significantly
new standard
degree affected revenue for each contract:
Sales of other Loans (interest 1. Identifying the contract,
Monthly service
real estate income & other 2. Identifying the performance obligation in the
charges
owned lending fees)
contract,
Securities 3. Determining the transaction price,
Insufficient fund
Trust services (interest &
fees
dividend income) 4. Allocating the transaction price to the performance
obligations in the contract and
Administration
services for 5. Recognizing revenue when or as the financial
customer ATM fees Derivatives
institution satisfies the performance obligation.
deposit
accounts Although these steps may appear straightforward,
Asset
actual analysis may be more complex and time
Wire transfer Repurchase consuming than anticipated. In addition, to comply
management
fees agreements
fees with internal controls over financial reporting, the
Loan servicing
financial institutions considerations under the five-
fees step process should be documented.
Stand-by loan Has the impact on customers been considered?
guarantee fees This standard will not only affect the financial
Most credit card institutions revenue but also will impact the financial
fees results of many of the institutions borrowers, which
would in turn affect debt covenants. Consideration
should be given to training credit analysts and loan
While most credit card fees are not subject to
officers, so they understand how the upcoming
the standard, credit card arrangements should
changes from this standard will impact the financial
be evaluated for applicability. For example, if an
results and debt covenants of loan borrowers.
institution offers asset trust services to its credit
card holders for a fee, then the fees would be Has the transition method been determined?
subject to the new standard provisions. In addition, Companies can select either the full retrospective
there are multiple views on whether interchange or the modified retrospective method to adopt the
fees are impacted by the standard the institution standard. The full retrospective method requires a
should analyze each of its contracts from which it restatement of all presented prior period financial
earns interchange fees to ensure proper treatment. statements this method would likely be preferable
Institutions should communicate and involve their to financial statement users in the event there are
independent auditors in their conclusions as early in material changes to the comparability of the periods
the adoption process as possible. After adoption and presented resulting from adoption. In many cases, the
going forward, nonrecurring transactions should be impact may not be material, and therefore, this method
evaluated individually to determine the proper revenue may not be necessary. The modified retrospective
recognition. approach requires a cumulative effect adjustment
to the opening retained earnings of the period in
Are areas other than the accounting department
which the new revenue standard is applied, and while
involved in the transitioning process?
comparative periods are not adjusted, disclosures
As the standard will impact several business lines, the
are required to reflect the results under legacy GAAP
process for implementation should include a diverse
for the initial year of adoption. In practice, this would
project team from each business line to understand
require dual recordkeeping for the year of adoption to
and determine the impact on each revenue stream.
comply with the disclosure requirements.
The process should first include an inventory of each

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Leases Has your financial institution considered the


In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02 Leases potential implications of the new standard?
(Topic 842). The update amended the existing standard Once all leases have been evaluated, the analysis
to require lessees to recognize a right of use asset and should be reviewed to determine the impact on
corresponding lease liability for all leases over 12 months regulatory capital, taxes and any restrictive covenants.
on their balance sheet. For financial institutions that Going forward, and prior to the financial institution
are PBEs, the new standard is effective for fiscal years entering into an agreement, all new leases and or
beginning after Dec. 15, 2018, and the effective date for amendments should be reviewed. This analysis will
all other financial institutions is one year later. facilitate buy versus lease decision making and/or
help determine if the lease term or payment structure
With the effective date quickly approaching, now is the should be modified.
time to develop and execute an implementation plan
that ensures successful adoption of this new standard. Current Expected Credit Loss Standard (CECL)
In developing and executing the implementation plan,
While ASU 2016-13, Financial InstrumentsCredit
consider the following questions:
Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on
Who is monitoring the implementation of the new Financial Instruments (CECL) may seem as though the
standard? implementation period is in the distant future, financial
Assign an individual (or a team) the responsibility to institutions should begin planning today. The effective date
track and report implementation efforts and progress. for PBEs that are SEC filers is fiscal years beginning after
Periodic progress reports will help ensure that the Dec. 15, 2019. The effective date for PBEs that are not
project stays on track while also communicating the SEC filers and non-public entities is fiscal years beginning
impact of the change to key stakeholders. after Dec. 15, 2020. Institutions should not delay planning
Does the team have the appropriate working for CECL much longer.
knowledge needed to implement the new The ASU is intended to improve financial reporting by
standard? requiring recording of lifetime expected credit losses on
Review the update and other applicable guidance to loans and other financial instruments held by financial
understand what amendments were made and obtain institutions and other organizations at the date of origination
the appropriate working knowledge. If necessary, or acquisition. The ASU requires the measurement of all
secure the appropriate continuing professional expected credit losses for financial assets not recorded
education or training for team members responsible at fair value based on historical experience, current
for implementing the new standard. conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts.
Do you have all of the necessary information? Many financial institutions are just beginning the process
Gather data on all contracts, including amendments, of evaluating CECLs impact on their financial statements.
which may be termed a lease under the new The following are steps you can to take to prepare for the
guidance for further analysis, as well as all applicable time when the standard becomes effective:
amendments to existing contracts. This process may
Form a CECL task force to include employees from
be cumbersome and is likely to require additional time,
various departments that will be impacted, not just
especially if the entitys operations are decentralized.
accounting or credit, that will report to the Audit
Will the new lease standard apply to any of your Committee regarding progress
financial institutions contracts?
Determine what financial reporting data is available
Create a systematic process to review, evaluate and
and relevant, and begin collecting prior year data
estimate the balance sheet impact of each contract.
The process should include internal controls that Evaluate credit risk modeling and forecasting
help ensure all possible leases, including lease methodologies - will the company outsource the
modifications, are evaluated. Utilize software where modeling, or perform in-house?
necessary to record, evaluate and monitor all leases. Review your lending portfolio to determine portfolio
The new standard is likely to increase ongoing segmentation with sufficient granularity to appropriately
compliance costs. forecast expected credit losses

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Identify peer banks to benchmark results against


About the Authors
SEC staffers have stressed the importance of making
Lauren Callahan, CPA, is a senior manager and has
progress on implementation of the new standard, and
more than 10 years of public accounting experience,
while companies might not know the full impact, the SEC
focusing on audits of financial institutions. Lauren
is interested in the advancements companies have made
focuses on community banks, which include both
thus far towards adoption and have emphasized disclosing
private and publicly traded entities and is experienced
the potential impact of the new standard. Examples of
in financial statement audits, SEC and FDICIA
disclosures for companies in the early evaluation process
reporting, and mergers and acquisitions. In addition
are as follows:
to external audit services, Lauren is well-versed
The company has formed an implementation in internal auditing and consulting services, which
committee to assess the impact of the new include loan file review, balance sheet and operational
standard. The committee is in the process of audits, and bank secrecy act. Lauren can be reached
gathering information about the loan portfolios and at lauren.callahan@dhgllp.com.
considering the acceptable methodologies that
Sara Dopkin, CPA, is a manager and has more than
may be used to implement the new standard. The
10 years of experience in public accounting in all
committee has not yet determined the impact on
areas of accounting and attestation services including
the financial statements of adoption of the new
audits, reviews and compilations. She works with both
standard.
publicly traded and privately held companies. Her
As time progresses, financial institutions should be extensive experience working with financial institutions
prepared to update disclosures to communicate their has given her the skills needed to assist these entities
continued advancements in evaluating the ASUs impact with complex financial accounting issues and merger
on the financial statements. and acquisition activities, including accounting
In summary, these three standards have the potential to for acquisitions of failed financial institutions, SEC
significantly impact a financial institutions financial and and regulatory reporting. Sara can be reached at
regulatory results, and deadlines are approaching quickly. sara.dopkin@dhgllp.com.
Start preparing today - the new revenue recognition Kyle Gluth, CPA, is a manager and has experience
standard will be effective in less than one year. If the performing independent audits for financial institution
implementation process has not started yet, now is Automated Clearing House and Bank Secrecy Act
the time because the process may prove to be more (BSA)/Anti-Money Laundering (AML) programs, using
time consuming than expected. Please contact us to the FFIEC BSA exam manual. Kyle performs external
answer any questions or if we can help you through the and internal audit functions and provides Sarbanes-
implementation process. Oxley consulting services for SEC companies. Kyle
can be reached at kyle.gluth@dhgllp.com.

About DHG Financial Services


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DHG Financial Services professionals provide you
A more detailed look at the new lease standard can be with in-depth industry knowledge and a wide range
found here. of advisory, assurance and tax services to address
More information about revenue recognition can be issues facing your industry in todays challenging
found here. environment. For more information, visit dhgllp.com/
financial-services.
More information about CECL can be found here.

Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com


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