4. AVAILABLE-FOR-SALE AND OTHER Securities

Listed below are the contractual maturities (under 1 year, 1-5 years, 6-10 years, and over 10 years) of available-for-sale and other securities at September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011:

Other securities at September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 include $165.6 million of stock issued by the FHLB of Cincinnati, $3.5 million and none, respectively, of stock issued by the FHLB of Indianapolis, and $132.4 million and $120.9 million, respectively, of Federal Reserve Bank stock. Other securities also include corporate debt and marketable equity securities. Non-marketable equity securities are valued at amortized cost. At September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, Huntington did not have any material equity positions in FNMA or FHLMC.

The following tables provide amortized cost, fair value, and gross unrealized gains and losses recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income by investment category at September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011.

The following tables provide detail on investment securities with unrealized losses aggregated by investment category and length of time the individual securities have been in a continuous loss position, at September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011.

The following table is a summary of realized securities gains and losses for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2012 and 2011:

Alt-A Mortgage-Backed, Pooled-Trust-Preferred, and Private-Label CMO Securities

Our three highest risk segments of our investment portfolio are the Alt-A mortgage-backed, pooled-trust-preferred, and private-label CMO portfolios. The Alt-A mortgage-backed securities and pooled-trust-preferred securities are in the asset-backed securities portfolio. The performance of the underlying securities in each of these segments continued to reflect the economic environment. Each of these securities in these three segments is subjected to a rigorous review of its projected cash flows. These reviews are supported with analysis from independent third parties.

The following table presents the credit ratings for our Alt-A mortgage-backed, pooled-trust-preferred, and private label CMO securities as of September 30, 2012:

Negative changes to the above credit ratings would generally result in an increase of our risk-weighted assets, and a reduction to our regulatory capital ratios.

The following table summarizes the relevant characteristics of our pooled-trust-preferred securities portfolio, which are included in asset-backed securities, at September 30, 2012. Each security is part of a pool of issuers and supports a more senior tranche of securities except for the I-Pre TSL II, and MM Comm III securities which are the most senior class.

Security Impairment

Huntington evaluates its available-for-sale securities portfolio on a quarterly basis for indicators of OTTI. Huntington assesses whether OTTI has occurred when the fair value of a debt security is less than the amortized cost basis at period-end. Management reviews the amount of unrealized loss, the length of time the security has been in an unrealized loss position, the credit rating history, market trends of similar security classes, time remaining to maturity, and the source of both interest and principal payments to identify securities which could potentially be impaired. OTTI is considered to have occurred; (1) if Huntington intends to sell the security; (2) if it is more likely than not Huntington will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis; or (3) the present value of the expected cash flows is not sufficient to recover all contractually required principal and interest payments.

For securities that Huntington does not expect to sell and it is not more likely than not to be required to sell, the OTTI is separated into credit and noncredit components. A discounted cash flow analysis, which includes evaluating the timing of the expected cash flows, is completed for all debt securities subject to credit impairment. The measurement of the credit loss component is equal to the difference between the debt security's cost basis and the present value of its expected future cash flows discounted at the security's effective yield. The credit-related OTTI, represented by the expected loss in principal, is recognized in noninterest income. The remaining difference between the security's fair value and the present value of future expected cash flows is due to factors that are not credit-related and, therefore, are recognized in OCI. Huntington believes that it will fully collect the carrying value of securities on which noncredit-related impairment has been recognized in OCI. Noncredit-related OTTI results from other factors, including increased liquidity spreads and extension of the security. For securities which Huntington does expect to sell, or if it is more likely than not Huntington will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis, all OTTI is recognized in earnings. Presentation of OTTI is made in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income on a gross basis with a reduction for the amount of OTTI recognized in OCI. Once an OTTI is recorded, when future cash flows can be reasonably estimated, future cash flows are re-allocated between interest and principal cash flows to provide for a level-yield on the security.

Huntington applied the related OTTI guidance on the debt security types listed below.

Alt-A mortgage-backed and private-label CMO securities are collateralized by first-lien residential mortgage loans. The securities are valued by a third party specialist using a discounted cash flow approach and proprietary pricing model. The model uses inputs such as estimated prepayment speeds, losses, recoveries, default rates that are implied by the underlying performance of collateral in the structure or similar structures, discount rates that are implied by market prices for similar securities, collateral structure types, and house price depreciation / appreciation rates that are based upon macroeconomic forecasts.

Pooled-trust-preferred securities are CDOs backed by a pool of debt securities issued by financial institutions. The collateral generally consists of trust-preferred securities and subordinated debt securities issued by banks, bank holding companies, and insurance companies. A full cash flow analysis is used to estimate fair values and assess impairment for each security within this portfolio. A third party specialist with direct industry experience in pooled-trust-preferred security evaluations is engaged to provide assistance estimating the fair value and expected cash flows on this portfolio. The full cash flow analysis is completed by evaluating the relevant credit and structural aspects of each pooled-trust-preferred security in the portfolio, including collateral performance projections for each piece of collateral in the security and terms of the security's structure. The credit review includes an analysis of profitability, credit quality, operating efficiency, leverage, and liquidity using available financial and regulatory information for each underlying collateral issuer. The analysis also includes a review of historical industry default data, current/near term operating conditions, and the impact of macroeconomic and regulatory changes.  Using the results of our analysis, we estimate appropriate default and recovery probabilities for each piece of collateral then estimate the expected cash flows for each security. The cumulative probability of default ranges from a low of 1% to 100%. 

Many collateral issuers have the option of deferring interest payments on their debt for up to five years.  For issuers who are deferring interest, assumptions are made regarding the issuers ability to resume interest payments and make the required principal payment at maturity; the cumulative probability of default for these issuers currently ranges from 1% to 100%, and a 10% recovery assumption.  The fair value of each security is obtained by discounting the expected cash flows at a market discount rate, ranging from LIBOR plus 5.00% to LIBOR plus 16.25% as of 2012.  The market discount rate is determined by reference to yields observed in the market for similarly rated collateralized debt obligations, specifically high-yield collateralized loan obligations.  The relatively high market discount rate is reflective of the uncertainty of the cash flows and illiquid nature of these securities.  The large differential between the fair value and amortized cost of some of the securities reflects the high market discount rate and the expectation that the majority of the cash flows will not be received until near the final maturity of the security (the final maturities range from 2032 to 2035).

For the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, the following table summarizes by security type the total OTTI losses recognized in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for securities evaluated for impairment as described above.

The following table rolls forward the OTTI amounts recognized in earnings on debt securities held by Huntington for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2012 and 2011 as follows:

The fair values of these assets have been impacted by various market conditions. The unrealized losses were primarily the result of wider liquidity spreads on asset-backed securities and increased market volatility on non-agency mortgage and asset-backed securities that are collateralized by certain mortgage loans. In addition, the expected average lives of the asset-backed securities backed by trust-preferred securities have been extended, due to changes in the expectations of when the underlying securities would be repaid. The contractual terms and / or cash flows of the investments do not permit the issuer to settle the securities at a price less than the amortized cost. Huntington does not intend to sell, nor does it believe it will be required to sell these securities until the fair value is recovered, which may be maturity and; therefore, does not consider them to be other-than-temporarily impaired at September 30, 2012.

As of September 30, 2012, Management has evaluated all other investment securities with unrealized losses and all non-marketable securities for impairment and concluded no additional OTTI is required.