COMERICA INC /NEW/ - 10-Q filing on 2018-04-30

Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies	Mar. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies	BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES Organization The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, the statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation were included. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2018. Certain items in prior periods were reclassified to conform to the current presentation. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Annual Report of Comerica Incorporated and Subsidiaries (the Corporation) on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. Revenue Recognition Effective January 1, 2018, the Corporation adopted the provision of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 606, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" (Topic 606), using the modified retrospective method applied to all open contracts as of January 1, 2018. Under Topic 606, card fee revenue from certain products is generally presented net of network costs, including interchange costs, surcharge fees and assessment fees, as opposed to the previous presentation of associated network costs in outside processing fees in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Similar adjustments were made for other revenue streams that resulted in certain costs being recognized in the same category as the associated revenues in noninterest income. The impact on the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income of adopting Topic 606 was a $34 million decrease in card fees and a $1 million decrease in service charges on deposit accounts included in noninterest income, along with a corresponding $35 million decrease in outside processing fees included in noninterest expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The Corporation previously deferred recognition of certain treasury management fees included in service charges on deposit accounts in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income until the amount of compensation was considered fixed and determinable. Under the new guidance, the portion of these fees that are based on agreed upon rates less estimated credits expected to be earned by the customer is recognized as services are rendered. As a result, the Corporation recorded a transition adjustment of $14 million, after tax, to retained earnings, included in cumulative effect of change in accounting principles in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders Equity. Similar adjustments were made for other revenue streams that resulted in an additional cumulative transition after-tax adjustment to retained earnings of $2 million. The Corporation's revenues from contracts with customers may be recognized when services are complete or as they are rendered, although contracts are generally short-term by nature. Services provided over a period of time are typically transferred to customers evenly over the term of the contracts and revenue is recognized evenly over the period services are provided. Contract receivables are included in accrued income and other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Payment terms vary by services offered, and the timing between completion of performance obligations and payment is typically not significant. Card fees comprise interchange and other fee income earned on government card, commercial card, debit/ATM card and merchant payment processing programs. Card fees are presented net of network costs as performance obligations for card services are limited to transaction processing and settlement with the card network on behalf of the customers. Network costs were approximately $34 million and $25 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Fees for these services are primarily based on interchange rates set by the network and transaction volume. The Corporation also provides ongoing card program support services, for which fees are based on contractually agreed prices and customer demand for services. Service charges on deposit accounts primarily comprise charges on retail and business accounts, including fees for treasury management services. These treasury management services include transaction-based services related to payment processing, overdrafts, non-sufficient funds and other deposit account activity, as well as account management services that are provided over time. Business customers can earn credits depending on deposit balances maintained with the Corporation, which may be used to offset fees. Fees and credits are based on predetermined, agreed upon rates. Fiduciary income includes fees and commissions from asset management, custody, recordkeeping, investment advisory and other services provided primarily to personal and institutional trust customers. Revenue is recognized as the services are performed and is based either on the market value of the assets managed or the services provided, as well as agreed upon rates. Commercial lending fees include both revenue from contracts with customers (primarily loan servicing fees) and other sources of revenue. Commercial loan servicing fees are based on contractually agreed prices and when the services are provided. Other sources of revenue in commercial lending fees primarily include fees assessed on the unused portion of commercial lines of credit (unused commitment fees) and syndication arrangements. Brokerage fees are commissions earned for facilitating securities transactions for customers, as well other brokerage services provided. Revenue is recognized when services are complete and are based on the type of services provided and agreed upon rates. The Corporation pays commissions based on brokerage fee revenue. These are typically recognized when incurred because the amortization period is one year or less and are included in salaries and benefits expense in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Other revenues, consisting primarily of other retail fees, investment banking fees and insurance commissions, are typically recognized when services or transactions are completed and are based on the type of services provided and agreed upon rates. Except as discussed above, commissions and other incentives paid to employees are generally based on several internal and external metrics and as a result are not solely dependent on revenue generating activities. Classification and Measurement of Financial Instruments Effective January 1, 2018, the Corporation adopted the provisions of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-01, "Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities," (ASU 2016-01). ASU 2016-01 requires equity investments, other than equity method investments, to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. At adoption, an immaterial amount of cumulative net unrealized losses on equity securities previously recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) was reclassified to the opening balance of retained earnings, included in cumulative effect of change in accounting principles in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders Equity. Changes to the fair value of equity securities occurring after December 31, 2017, other than equity method investments, are included in net securities losses in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Also, as part of adopting ASU 2016-01, the Corporation refined the calculation used to determine the estimated fair value of loans disclosed in note 2 to the consolidated financial statements. Statement of Cash Flows The Corporation adopted FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments,” (ASU 2016-15) on January 1, 2018 and, as a result, reclassified $3 million of proceeds from settlement of bank-owned life insurance policies from operating activities to investing activities for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017. Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Costs The Corporation retrospectively adopted the provisions of ASU No. 2017-07, “Compensation - Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost” (ASU 2017-07) on January 1, 2018, which requires employers to report service cost as part of compensation expense and the other components of net benefit cost separately from service cost. As a result, $12 million of benefit from the other components of net benefit cost was reclassified from salaries and benefits expense to other noninterest expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The Corporation based the adjustment to the prior period on amounts disclosed in note 10. Derivatives Instruments and Hedging Activities The Corporation adopted ASU No. 2017-12, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities” (ASU 2017-12), effective January 1, 2018. At transition, the Corporation elected to change the measurement methodology of all long-haul fair value hedges existing at December 31, 2017. The prior period effect of this election was a $1 million reduction to opening retained earnings, included in cumulative effect of change in accounting principles in the Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity. In addition, the Corporation made a transition election to reclassify the portfolio of held-to-maturity securities to available-for-sale in January 2018 as the securities are eligible to be hedged. This resulted in the recognition of additional unrealized losses of $11 million at the date of transfer. Income Taxes The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Act"), enacted on December 22, 2017, reduced the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. Also on December 22, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (SAB 118), which provides guidance on accounting for tax effects of the Act. SAB 118 provides a measurement period of up to one year from the enactment date to complete the accounting. Based on the information available and current interpretation of the rules, the Corporation has made reasonable estimates of the impact of the reduction in the corporate tax rate and remeasurement of certain deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the rate at which they are expected to reverse in the future, generally 21 percent. The provisional amount recorded related to the remeasurement of the Corporation's deferred tax balance was $104 million, including $107 million recognized in the year ended December 31, 2017 and a $3 million downward revision to the estimated impact recorded in the three months ended March 31, 2018. The final impact of the Act may differ from these estimates as a result of changes in management’s interpretations and assumptions, as well as new guidance that may be issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).