COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES |
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Dec. 31, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
Commitments to extend credit
In the ordinary course of business, Huntington makes various commitments to extend credit that are not reflected in the Consolidated Financial Statements. The contract amounts of these financial agreements at December 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016 were as follows:
Commitments to extend credit generally have fixed expiration dates, are variable-rate, and contain clauses that permit Huntington to terminate or otherwise renegotiate the contracts in the event of a significant deterioration in the customer’s credit quality. These arrangements normally require the payment of a fee by the customer, the pricing of which is based on prevailing market conditions, credit quality, probability of funding, and other relevant factors. Since many of these commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the contract amounts are not necessarily indicative of future cash requirements. The interest rate risk arising from these financial instruments is insignificant as a result of their predominantly short-term, variable-rate nature.
Standby letters-of-credit are conditional commitments issued to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third-party. These guarantees are primarily issued to support public and private borrowing arrangements, including commercial paper, bond financing, and similar transactions. Most of these arrangements mature within two years. The carrying amount of deferred revenue associated with these guarantees was $10 million and $8 million at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.
Commercial letters-of-credit represent short-term, self-liquidating instruments that facilitate customer trade transactions and generally have maturities of no longer than 90 days. The goods or cargo being traded normally secures these instruments.
Commitments to sell loans
Activity related to our mortgage origination activity supports the hedging of the mortgage pricing commitments to customers and the secondary sale to third parties. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, Huntington had commitments to sell residential real estate loans of $0.7 billion and $0.8 billion, respectively. These contracts mature in less than one year.
Litigation and Regulatory Matters
In the ordinary course of business, Huntington is routinely a defendant in or party to pending and threatened legal and regulatory actions and proceedings.
In view of the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of such matters, particularly where the claimants seek very large or indeterminate damages or where the matters present novel legal theories or involve a large number of parties, Huntington generally cannot predict what the eventual outcome of the pending matters will be, what the timing of the ultimate resolution of these matters will be, or what the eventual loss, fines or penalties related to each matter may be.
Huntington establishes an accrued liability when those matters present loss contingencies that are both probable and estimable. In such cases, there may be an exposure to loss in excess of any amounts accrued. Huntington thereafter continues to monitor the matter for further developments that could affect the amount of the accrued liability that has been previously established.
For certain matters, Huntington is able to estimate a range of possible loss. In cases in which Huntington possesses information to estimate a range of possible loss, that estimate is aggregated and disclosed below. There may be other matters for which a loss is probable or reasonably possible but such an estimate of the range of possible loss may not be possible. For those matters where an estimate of the range of possible loss is possible, management currently estimates the aggregate range of possible loss is $0 to $55 million at December 31, 2017 in excess of the accrued liability (if any) related to those matters. This estimated range of possible loss is based upon currently available information and is subject to significant judgment and a variety of assumptions, and known and unknown uncertainties. The matters underlying the estimated range will change from time to time, and actual results may vary significantly from the current estimate. The estimated range of possible loss does not represent Huntington’s maximum loss exposure.
Information is provided below regarding the nature of all of these contingencies and, where specified, the amount of the claim associated with these loss contingencies. Based on current knowledge, management does not believe that loss contingencies arising from pending matters, including the matters described herein, will have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position of Huntington. Further, management believes that amounts previously accrued are adequate to address Huntington’s contingent liabilities. However, in light of the inherent uncertainties involved in these matters, some of which are beyond Huntington’s control, and the large or indeterminate damages sought in some of these matters, an adverse outcome in one or more of these matters could be material to Huntington’s results of operations for any particular reporting period.
Meoli v. The Huntington National Bank (Cyberco Litigation). The Bank has been named a defendant in a lawsuit arising from the Bank’s commercial lending, depository, and equipment leasing relationships with Cyberco Holdings, Inc. (Cyberco). Cyberco allegedly defrauded equipment lessors and financial institutions, including Huntington, in financing the purchase of computer equipment from Teleservices Group, Inc. (Teleservices), which itself later proved to be a shell corporation. Bankruptcy proceedings for both Cyberco and Teleservices ensued.
In an adversary proceeding brought by the bankruptcy trustee for Teleservices in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on September 28, 2015, judgment was rendered against Huntington in the amount of $72 million plus costs and pre- and post-judgment interest. Huntington appealed the judgment to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which, on February 8, 2017, reversed the judgment in part and remanded the case for further proceedings. After further briefing in the bankruptcy court on liability and the appropriate calculation of damages, the parties have reached an agreement in principle with the bankruptcy trustee on January 31, 2018 to settle the matter. Notice of the settlement must be provided to all parties-in-interest to the bankruptcy proceedings. A hearing in the bankruptcy court is scheduled for March, 19, 2018 to address any objections to the settlement and obtain bankruptcy court approval.
Powell v. The Huntington National Bank. The Bank is a defendant in a putative class action filed on October 15, 2013 alleging Huntington charged late fees on mortgage loans in a method that violated West Virginia law and the loan documents. Plaintiffs seek statutory civil penalties, compensatory damages and attorney’s fees. Huntington filed a motion for summary judgment on the plaintiffs’ claims, which was granted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on December 28, 2016. Plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral arguments were held on October 25, 2017. The parties reached an agreement in principle on February 1, 2018 to settle the matter. The parties are in the process of finalizing a written settlement agreement.
Commitments under Operating Lease Obligations
At December 31, 2017, Huntington and its subsidiaries were obligated under noncancelable leases for land, buildings, and equipment. Many of these leases contain renewal options and certain leases provide options to purchase the leased property during or at the expiration of the lease period at specified prices. Some leases contain escalation clauses calling for rentals to be adjusted for increased real estate taxes and other operating expenses or proportionately adjusted for increases in the consumer or other price indices.
The future minimum rental payments required under operating leases that have initial or remaining noncancelable lease terms in excess of one year as of December 31, 2017, were as follows: $59 million in 2018, $55 million in 2019, $53 million in 2020, $38 million in 2021, $34 million in 2022, and $135 million thereafter. At December 31, 2017, total minimum lease payments have not been reduced by minimum sublease rentals of $6 million due in the future under noncancelable subleases. At December 31, 2017, the future minimum sublease rental payments that Huntington expects to receive were as follows: $2 million in 2018, $2 million in 2019, $1 million in 2020, $0 million 2021, $0 million in 2022, and $0 million thereafter. The rental expense for all operating leases was $76 million, $65 million, and $58 million for 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. Huntington had no material obligations under capital leases.
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