US Bank 2009 Annual Report Download - page 65

accepted accounting principles. Management has discussed
the development and the selection of critical accounting
policies with the Company’s Audit Committee.
Significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 1
of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Those
policies considered to be critical accounting policies are
described below.
Allowance for Credit Losses The allowance for credit losses
is established to provide for probable losses incurred in the
Company’s credit portfolio. The methods utilized to estimate
the allowance for credit losses, key assumptions and
quantitative and qualitative information considered by
management in determining the adequacy of the allowance
for credit losses are discussed in the “Credit Risk
Management” section.
Management’s evaluation of the adequacy of the
allowance for credit losses is often the most critical of
accounting estimates for a banking institution. It is an
inherently subjective process impacted by many factors as
discussed throughout the Management’s Discussion and
Analysis section of the Annual Report. Although risk
management practices, methodologies and other tools are
utilized to determine each element of the allowance, degrees
of imprecision exist in these measurement tools due in part
to subjective judgments involved and an inherent lagging of
credit quality measurements relative to the stage of the
business cycle. Even determining the stage of the business
cycle is highly subjective. As discussed in the “Analysis and
Determination of Allowance for Credit Losses” section,
management considers the effect of imprecision and many
other factors in determining the allowance for credit losses.
If not considered, incurred losses in the portfolio related to
imprecision and other subjective factors could have a
dramatic adverse impact on the liquidity and financial
viability of a bank.
Given the many subjective factors affecting the credit
portfolio, changes in the allowance for credit losses may not
directly coincide with changes in the risk ratings of the
credit portfolio reflected in the risk rating process. This is in
part due to the timing of the risk rating process in relation
to changes in the business cycle, the exposure and mix of
loans within risk rating categories, levels of nonperforming
loans and the timing of charge-offs and recoveries. For
example, the amount of loans within specific risk ratings
may change, providing a leading indicator of improving
credit quality, while nonperforming loans and net charge-
offs continue at elevated levels. Also, inherent loss ratios,
determined through migration analysis and historical loss
performance over the estimated business cycle of a loan,
may not change to the same degree as net charge-offs.
Because risk ratings and inherent loss ratios primarily drive
the allowance specifically allocated to commercial loans, the
amount of the allowance for commercial and commercial
real estate loans might decline; however, the degree of
change differs somewhat from the level of changes in
nonperforming loans and net charge-offs. Also, management
would maintain an adequate allowance for credit losses by
increasing the allowance during periods of economic
uncertainty or changes in the business cycle.
Some factors considered in determining the adequacy of
the allowance for credit losses are quantifiable while other
factors require qualitative judgment. Management conducts
an analysis with respect to the accuracy of risk ratings and
the volatility of inherent losses, and utilizes this analysis
along with qualitative factors, including uncertainty in the
economy from changes in unemployment rates, the level of
bankruptcies and concentration risks, including risks
associated with the weakened housing market and highly
leveraged enterprise-value credits, in determining the overall
level of the allowance for credit losses. The Company’s
determination of the allowance for commercial and
commercial real estate loans is sensitive to the assigned
credit risk ratings and inherent loss rates at December 31,
2009. In the event that 10 percent of loans within these
portfolios experienced downgrades of two risk categories,
the allowance for commercial and commercial real estate
would increase by approximately $331 million at
December 31, 2009. In the event that inherent loss or
estimated loss rates for these portfolios increased by
10 percent, the allowance determined for commercial and
commercial real estate would increase by approximately
$153 million at December 31, 2009. The Company’s
determination of the allowance for residential and retail
loans is sensitive to changes in estimated loss rates. In the
event that estimated loss rates increased by 10 percent, the
allowance for residential mortgages and retail loans would
increase by approximately $250 million at December 31,
2009. Because several quantitative and qualitative factors
are considered in determining the allowance for credit losses,
these sensitivity analyses do not necessarily reflect the nature
and extent of future changes in the allowance for credit
losses. They are intended to provide insights into the impact
of adverse changes in risk rating and inherent losses and do
not imply any expectation of future deterioration in the risk
rating or loss rates. Given current processes employed by the
Company, management believes the risk ratings and inherent
loss rates currently assigned are appropriate. It is possible
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