COMMERCE BANCSHARES INC MO

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors

Commerce Bancshares, Inc.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in

Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 22, 2024 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Assessment for credit losses related to loans collectively evaluated for impairment

As discussed in Notes 1 and 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the allowance for credit losses related to loans evaluated on a collective basis (the December 31, 2023 collective ACL) was $161.2 million of a total allowance for credit losses of $162.4 million as December 31, 2023. The allowance for credit losses on loans and leases is measured on a collective (pool) basis whereas loans are aggregated into pools based on similar risk characteristics. The Company estimates the collective ACL utilizing average historical loss rates, calculated using historical net charge-offs and outstanding loan balances during a lookback period for each pool. In certain pools, if the Company’s own historical loss rate is not reflective of loss expectations, the historical loss rate is augmented by industry and peer data. The calculated average net charge-off rate is then adjusted for current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts (forecast adjusted loss rate). These adjustments increase or decrease the average historical loss rate to reflect expectations of future losses given a single path economic forecast of key macroeconomic variables. The adjustments are based on results from various regression models projecting the impact of the macroeconomic variables to loss rates. The forecast is used for a reasonable and supportable period before reverting back to historical averages using a straight-line method. The forecast adjustment loss rate is applied to the amortized cost of loans over the remaining contractual lives, adjusted for expected prepayments. The allowance is further adjusted for certain qualitative factors not included in historical loss rates or the macroeconomic forecast, which include changes in portfolio composition and characteristics, underwriting practices, watchlist trends, or significant unique events or conditions.

We identified the assessment of the December 31, 2023 collective ACL as a critical audit matter. A high degree of audit effort, including specialized skills and knowledge, and subjective and complex auditor judgement was involved in the assessment due to significant measurement uncertainty. Specifically, this assessment encompassed the evaluation of the conceptual soundness of the average historical loss model used to estimate the collective ACL, including the following key factors and assumptions (1) historical losses, (2) the reasonable and supportable forecast period, and (3) the development and evaluation of qualitative adjustments. In addition, auditor judgement was required to evaluate the sufficiency of audit evidence obtained.

The following are the primary procedures we performed to address the critical audit matter. We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of certain internal controls related to the Company’s measurement of the collective ACL estimates, including controls over the (1) development and approval of the collective ACL methodology, (2) performance monitoring of the collective ACL methodology and model, (3) identification and determination of the key factors and assumptions used to estimate the collective ACL, (4) development of qualitative adjustments, and (5) analysis of the collective ACL results, trends, and ratios. We evaluated the Company’s process to develop the collective ACL estimates by testing certain sources of data, factors, and assumptions, and considered the relevance and reliability of such data, factors, and assumptions. We evaluated whether the historical losses in the Company’s portfolio are representative of the credit characteristics of the current portfolio. We involved credit risk professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted in:

•evaluating the Company’s collective ACL methodology for compliance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles

•evaluating the collective ACL methodology and model for conceptual soundness by inspecting the methodology and model documentation to determine whether the methodology and model are suitable for intended use

•testing the historical losses period and the reasonable and supportable forecast period by comparing them to the Company’s business environment and relevant industry practices

•evaluating the methodology used to develop the qualitative factors and the effect of those factors on the collective ACL compared with changes in the nature and volume of the entity's financial assets and identified limitations of the underlying quantitative model.

We assessed the sufficiency of the audit evidence obtained related to the Company’s December 31, 2023 collective ACL by evaluating the cumulative results of the audit procedures, qualitative aspects of the Company’s accounting practices and potential bias in the accounting estimates.

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1971.

Kansas City, Missouri

February 22, 2024

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(A)Available for sale debt securities, equity securities, and other securities.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Nature of Operations

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the Company) conducts its principal activities from approximately 257 branch and ATM locations throughout Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma and Colorado. Principal activities include retail and commercial banking, investment management, securities brokerage, mortgage banking, trust, and private banking services. The Company also maintains offices in Dallas, Houston, Cincinnati, Nashville, Des Moines, Indianapolis, and Grand Rapids that support customers in its commercial and/or wealth segments and operates a commercial payments business with sales representatives covering the continental U.S.

Basis of Presentation, Use of Estimates, and Subsequent Events

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries. All material inter-company transactions have been eliminated through consolidation. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. Such reclassifications had no effect on net income or total assets.

The Company follows accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) and reporting practices applicable to the banking industry. The preparation of financial statements under GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and notes. These estimates are based on information available to management at the time the estimates are made. While the consolidated financial statements reflect management’s best estimates and judgments, actual results could differ from those estimates.

Management has evaluated subsequent events for potential recognition or disclosure through the date these consolidated financial statements were issued.

The Company, in the normal course of business, engages in a variety of activities that involve variable interest entities (VIEs). A VIE is a legal entity that lacks equity investors or whose equity investors do not have a controlling financial interest in the entity through their equity investments. However, an enterprise is deemed to have a controlling financial interest and is the primary beneficiary of a VIE if it has both the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and an obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE. An enterprise that is the primary beneficiary must consolidate the VIE. The Company’s interests in VIEs are evaluated to determine if the Company is the primary beneficiary both at inception and when there is a change in circumstances that requires a reconsideration.

The Company is considered to be the primary beneficiary in a rabbi trust related to a deferred compensation plan offered to certain employees. The assets and liabilities of this trust, which are included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, are not significant. The Company also has variable interests in certain entities in which it is not the primary beneficiary. These entities are not consolidated. These interests include certain investments in entities accounted for using the equity method of accounting, as well as affordable housing limited partnership interests, holdings in its investment portfolio of various asset and mortgage-backed bonds that are issued by securitization trusts, and managed discretionary trust assets that are not included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

Adoption of ASU 2022-02

The Company adopted ASU 2022-02 Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures on January 1, 2023, using the prospective transition method. This ASU eliminates the troubled debt restructuring recognition and measurement guidance and requires an entity to present gross write-offs by year of origination. The amendments also enhance disclosure requirements related to certain modifications of receivables made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. With the exception of enhanced disclosures, there was no material impact to the Company's consolidated financial statements from adoption of this ASU. Since the Company's adoption date, all restructurings are evaluated to determine whether they are modifications to a borrower experiencing financial difficulty. Loans that were accounted for under the troubled debt restructuring method as of December 31, 2022 will continue to be accounted for under that method until they are paid off or modified.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

In the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows, cash and cash equivalents include “Cash and due from banks”, “Federal funds sold", "Securities purchased under agreements to resell”, and “Interest earning deposits with banks” as segregated in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Restricted cash is comprised of cash collateral on deposit with another financial institution to secure interest rate swap transactions. Restricted cash is included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets and totaled $101 thousand and $6.7 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

During 2020, the Federal Reserve System, which historically required the Bank to maintain cash balances at the Federal Reserve Bank, reduced the reserve requirement ratios to zero percent effective March 26, 2020. Other interest earning cash balances held at the Federal Reserve Bank totaled $2.2 billion at December 31, 2023.

Loans and Related Earnings

The Company's portfolio of held-for-investment loans includes a net investment in direct financing and sales type leases to commercial and industrial and tax-exempt entities, and collectively, the Company's portfolio of loans and leases is referred to as its "loan portfolio" or "loans". Loans that management has the intent and ability to hold for the foreseeable future or until maturity or pay-off are reported at amortized cost, excluding accrued interest receivable. Amortized cost is the outstanding principal balance, net of any deferred fees and costs on originated loans. Origination fee income received on loans and amounts representing the estimated direct costs of origination are deferred and amortized to interest income over the life of the loan using the interest method.

Interest on loans is accrued based upon the principal amount outstanding. The Company has elected the practical expedient to exclude all accrued interest receivable from all required disclosures of amortized cost. Additionally, an election was made not to measure an allowance for credit losses for accrued interest receivables. The Company has also made the election that all interest accrued but ultimately not received is reversed against interest income.

Loan and commitment fees, net of costs, are deferred and recognized in interest income over the term of the loan or commitment as an adjustment of yield. Annual fees charged on credit card loans are capitalized to principal and amortized over 12 months to loan fees and sales. Other credit card fees, such as cash advance fees and late payment fees, are recognized in income as an adjustment of yield when charged to the cardholder’s account.

Past Due Loans

Management reports loans as past due on the day following the contractual repayment date if payment was not received by end of the business day. Loans, or portions of loans, are charged off to the extent deemed uncollectible. Loan charge-offs reduce the allowance for credit losses on loans, and recoveries of loans previously charged off are added back to the allowance. Business, business real estate, construction and land real estate, and personal real estate loans are generally charged down to estimated collectible balances when they are placed on non-accrual status. Consumer loans and related accrued interest are normally charged down to the fair value of related collateral (or are charged off in full if not collateralized) once the loans are more than 120 to 180 days delinquent, depending on the type of loan. Revolving home equity loans are charged down to the fair value of the related collateral once the loans are more than 180 days past due. Credit card loans are charged off against the allowance for credit losses when the receivable is more than 180 days past due.

Non-Accrual Loans

Loans are placed on non-accrual status when management does not expect to collect payments consistent with acceptable and agreed upon terms of repayment. Business, construction real estate, business real estate, and personal real estate loans that are contractually 90 days past due as to principal and/or interest payments are generally placed on non-accrual status, unless they are both well-secured and in the process of collection. Consumer, revolving home equity and credit card loans are exempt under regulatory rules from being classified as non-accrual. When a loan is placed on non-accrual status, any interest previously accrued but not collected is reversed against current interest income, and the loan is charged off to the extent uncollectible. Principal and interest payments received on non-accrual loans are generally applied to principal. Interest is included in income only after all previous loan charge-offs have been recovered and is recorded only as received. The loan is returned to accrual status only when the borrower has brought all past due principal and interest payments current, and, in the opinion of management, the borrower has demonstrated the ability to make future payments of principal and interest as scheduled. A six month history of sustained payment performance is generally required before reinstatement of accrual status.

Modifications for Borrowers Experiencing Financial Difficulty

The Company may renegotiate the terms of existing loans for a variety of reasons. When refinancing or restructuring a loan, the Company evaluates whether the borrower is experiencing financial difficulty. In making this determination, the Company considers whether the borrower is currently in default on any of its debt. In addition, the Company evaluates whether it is probable that the borrower would be in payment default on any of its debt in the foreseeable future without the modification and if the borrower (without the current modification) could obtain equivalent financing from another creditor at a market rate for similar debt. Modifications of loans to borrowers in these situations may indicate that the borrower is facing financial difficulty.

Troubled Debt Restructurings

Prior to the Company's adoption of ASU 2022-02, a loan was accounted for as a troubled debt restructuring if the Company, for economic or legal reasons related to the borrower's financial difficulties, granted a concession to the borrower that it would not otherwise consider. A troubled debt restructuring typically involves (1) modification of terms such as a reduction of the stated interest rate, loan principal, or accrued interest, (2) a loan renewal at a stated interest rate lower than the current market rate for a new loan with similar risk, or (3) debt that was not reaffirmed in bankruptcy. Business, business real estate, construction and land real estate and personal real estate troubled debt restructurings with impairment charges were placed on non-accrual status. The Company measured the impairment loss of a troubled debt restructuring at the time of modification based on the present value of expected future cash flows. Subsequent to modification, troubled debt restructurings were subject to the Company’s allowance for credit loss model, which is discussed below and in Note 2, Loans and Allowance for Credit Losses. Troubled debt restructurings that are performing under their contractual terms continue to accrue interest, which is recognized in current earnings. Loans that were accounted as troubled debt restructurings at of December 31, 2022 will continue to be accounted for under that method until they are either paid off or modified.

Loans Held For Sale

Loans held for sale include student loans and certain fixed rate residential mortgage loans. These loans are typically classified as held for sale upon origination based upon management's intent to sell the production of these loans. The student loans are carried at the lower of aggregate cost or fair value, and their fair value is determined based on sale contract prices. The mortgage loans are carried at fair value under the elected fair value option. Their fair value is based on secondary market prices for loans with similar characteristics, including an adjustment for embedded servicing value. Changes in fair value and gains and losses on sales are included in loan fees and sales. Deferred fees and costs related to these loans are not amortized but are recognized as part of the cost basis of the loan at the time it is sold. Interest income related to loans held for sale is accrued based on the principal amount outstanding and the loan's contractual interest rate.

Occasionally, other types of loans may be classified as held for sale in order to manage credit concentration. These loans are carried at the lower of cost or fair value with gains and losses on sales recognized in loan fees and sales.

Allowance for Credit Losses on Loans

The allowance for credit losses on loans is a valuation amount that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of loans not held at fair value to present the net amount expected to be collected over the contractual term of the loans. The allowance for credit losses on loans is measured using relevant information about past events, including historical credit loss experience on loans with similar risk characteristics, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the remaining cash flows over the contractual term of the loans. An allowance will be created upon origination or acquisition of a loan and is updated at subsequent reporting dates. The methodology is applied consistently for each reporting period and reflects management’s current expectations of credit losses. Changes to the allowance for credit losses on loans resulting from periodic evaluations are recorded through increases or decreases to the credit loss expense for loans, which is recorded in provision for credit losses on the consolidated statements of income. Loans that are deemed to be uncollectible are charged off against the related allowance for credit losses on loans.

The allowance for credit losses on loans is measured on a collective (pool) basis. Loans are aggregated into pools based on similar risk characteristics including borrower type, collateral type and expected credit loss patterns. Loans that do not share similar risk characteristics, primarily large loans on non-accrual status, are evaluated on an individual basis. The allowance related to these large non-accrual loans is generally measured using the fair value of the collateral (less selling cost, if applicable) as most of these loans are collateral dependent and the borrower is facing financial difficulty.

As noted above, the allowance for credit losses on loans does not include an allowance for accrued interest.

Liability for Unfunded Lending Commitments

The Company’s unfunded lending commitments are primarily unfunded loan commitments and letters of credit. Expected credit losses for these unfunded lending commitments are calculated over the contractual period during which the Company is exposed to the credit risk. The methodology used to measure credit losses for unfunded lending commitments is the same as the methodology used for loans, however, the estimate of credit risk for unfunded lending commitments takes into consideration the likelihood that funding will occur. The liability for unfunded lending commitments excludes any exposures that are unconditionally cancellable by the Company. The loss estimate is recorded within other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. Changes to the liability for unfunded lending commitments are recorded through increases or decreases to the provision for credit losses on the consolidated statements of income.

Direct Financing and Sales Type Leases

The net investment in direct financing and sales type leases is included in loans on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and consists of the present values of the sum of the future minimum lease payments and estimated residual value of the leased asset. Revenue consists of interest earned on the net investment and is recognized over the lease term as a constant percentage return thereon.

Investments in Debt and Equity Securities

The majority of the Company's investment portfolio is comprised of debt securities that are classified as available for sale. From time to time, the Company sells securities and utilizes the proceeds to reduce borrowings, fund loan growth, or modify its interest rate profile. Securities classified as available for sale are carried at fair value. Changes in fair value are reported in other comprehensive income (loss), a component of stockholders’ equity. Securities are periodically evaluated for credit losses in accordance with the guidance provided in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 326. Further discussion of this evaluation is provided in "Allowance for Credit Losses on Available for Sale Debt Securities" below. Gains and losses realized upon sales of securities are calculated using the specific identification method and are included in investment securities gains (losses), net, in the consolidated statements of income. Purchase premiums and discounts are amortized to interest income using a level yield method over the estimated lives of the securities. For certain callable debt securities purchased at a premium, the amortization is recorded to the earliest call date. For mortgage and asset-backed securities, prepayment experience is evaluated quarterly to determine if a change in a bond's estimated remaining life is necessary. A corresponding adjustment is then made in the related amortization of premium or discount accretion.

Accrued interest receivable on available for sale debt securities is reported in other assets on the consolidated balance sheet. The Company has elected the practical expedient to exclude the accrued interest from all required disclosures of amortized cost of debt securities. Additionally, an election was made not to measure an allowance for credit losses for accrued interest receivables. Interest accrued but not received is reversed against interest income.

Equity securities include common and preferred stock and are carried at fair value. Certain equity securities do not have readily determinable fair values. The Company has elected to measure these equity securities without a readily determinable fair value at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes for the identical or similar investment of the same issuer. The Company has not recorded any impairment or other adjustments to the carrying amount of these equity securities without readily determinable fair values.

Other securities include the Company's investments in Federal Reserve Bank stock and Federal Home Loan Bank stock, equity method investments, and private equity investments. Federal Reserve Bank stock and Federal Home Loan Bank stock are held for debt and regulatory purposes, are carried at cost and are periodically evaluated for impairment. The Company's equity method investments are carried at cost, adjusted to reflect the Company's portion of income, loss, or dividends of the investee. The Company's private equity investments in portfolio concerns, consisting of both debt and equity instruments, are held by the Company’s private equity subsidiary, which is a small business investment company licensed by the Small Business Administration. The Company's private equity investments are carried at fair value in accordance with investment company accounting guidance (ASC 946-10-15), with changes in fair value reported in current income. In the absence of readily ascertainable market values, fair value is estimated using internally developed methods. Changes in fair value which are recognized in current income and gains and losses from sales are included in investment securities gains (losses), net, in the consolidated statements of income.

Trading account securities, which are debt securities bought and held principally for the purpose of resale in the near term, are carried at fair value. Gains and losses, both realized and unrealized, are recorded in non-interest income.

Purchases and sales of securities are recognized on a trade date basis. A receivable or payable is recognized for transaction pending settlements.

Allowance for Credit Losses on Available for Sale Debt Securities

For available for sale debt securities in an unrealized loss position, the entire loss in fair value is required to be recognized in current earnings if the Company intends to sell the securities or believes it more likely than not that it will be required to sell the security before the anticipated recovery. If neither condition is met, and the Company does not expect to recover the amortized cost basis, the Company determines whether the decline in fair value resulted from credit losses or other factors. If the assessment indicates that a credit loss exists, the present value of cash flows expected to be collected is compared to the amortized cost basis of the security. If the present value of cash flows expected to be collected is less than the amortized cost basis, a credit loss has occurred, and an allowance for credit losses is recorded. The allowance for credit losses is limited by the amount that the fair value is less than the amortized cost basis. Any impairment not recorded through the provision for credit losses is recognized in other comprehensive income.

Changes in the allowance for credit losses are recorded as a provision for (or reversal of) credit losses on the consolidated statements of income. Losses are charged against the allowance for credit losses on securities when management believes the uncollectibility of an available for sale security is confirmed or when either of the conditions regarding intent or requirement to sell is met.

Accrued interest receivable on available for sale debt securities is excluded from the estimate of credit losses.

Securities Purchased under Agreements to Resell and Securities Sold under Agreements to Repurchase

Securities purchased under agreements to resell and securities sold under agreements to repurchase are treated as collateralized financing transactions, not as purchases and sales of the underlying securities. The agreements are recorded at the amount of cash advanced or received.

The Company periodically enters into securities purchased under agreements to resell with large financial institutions. Securities pledged by the counterparties to secure these agreements are delivered to a third party custodian.

Securities sold under agreements to repurchase are a source of funding to the Company and are offered to cash management customers as an automated, collateralized investment account. From time to time, securities sold may also be used by the Bank to obtain additional borrowed funds at favorable rates. These borrowings are secured by a portion of the Company's investment security portfolio and delivered either to the dealer custody account at the Federal Reserve Bank or to the applicable counterparty.

The fair value of collateral either received from or provided to a counterparty is monitored daily, and additional collateral is obtained, returned, or provided by the Company in order to maintain full collateralization for these transactions.

As permitted by current accounting guidance, the Company offsets certain securities purchased under agreements to resell against securities sold under agreements to repurchase in its balance sheet presentation. These agreements are further discussed in Note 20, Resale and Repurchase Agreements.

Premises and Equipment

Land is stated at cost, and buildings and equipment are stated at cost, including capitalized interest when appropriate, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using a straight-line method, utilizing estimated useful lives; generally 30 to 40 years for buildings,10 years for building improvements, and 3 to 10 years for equipment. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of 10 years or the remaining lease term. Maintenance and repairs are charged to non-interest expense as incurred.

Also included in premises and equipment is construction in process, which represents facilities construction projects underway that have not yet been placed into service, as well as the Company's right-of-use leased assets, which are mainly comprised of operating leases for branches, office space, ATM locations, and certain equipment.

Foreclosed Assets

Foreclosed assets consist of property that has been repossessed and is comprised of commercial and residential real estate and other non-real estate property, including auto and recreational and marine vehicles. The assets are initially recorded at fair value less estimated selling costs, establishing a new cost basis. Initial valuation adjustments are charged to the allowance for credit losses. Fair values are estimated primarily based on appraisals, third-party price opinions, or internally developed pricing models. After initial recognition, fair value estimates are updated periodically. Declines in fair value below cost are recognized through valuation allowances which may be reversed when supported by future increases in fair value. These valuation adjustments, in addition to gains and losses realized on sales and net operating expenses, are recorded in other non-interest expense. Foreclosed assets are included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives, such as property easement intangible assets, are not amortized but are assessed for impairment on an annual basis or more frequently in certain circumstances. When testing for goodwill impairment, the Company may initially perform a qualitative assessment. Based on the results of this qualitative assessment, if the Company concludes it is more likely than not that a reporting unit's fair value is less than its carrying amount, a quantitative analysis is performed. Quantitative valuation methodologies include a combination of formulas using current market multiples, based on recent sales of financial institutions within the Company's geographic marketplace. If the fair value of a reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, an impairment has occurred and is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit's fair value. The Company has not recorded impairment resulting from goodwill impairment tests. However, adverse changes in the economic environment, operations of the reporting unit, or other factors could result in a decline in fair value.

Intangible assets that have finite useful lives, such as core deposit intangibles and mortgage servicing rights, are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Core deposit intangibles are generally amortized over periods of 8 to 14 years, representing their estimated lives, using accelerated methods. Mortgage servicing rights are amortized in proportion to and over the period of estimated net servicing income, considering appropriate prepayment assumptions. Core deposit intangibles are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate their carrying amount may not be recoverable. Impairment is indicated if the sum of the undiscounted estimated future net cash flows is less than the carrying value of the intangible asset. Mortgage servicing rights, while initially recorded at fair value, are subsequently amortized and carried at the lower of the initial capitalized amount (net of accumulated amortization), or estimated fair value. The Company evaluates its mortgage servicing rights for impairment on a quarterly basis, using estimated prepayment speeds of the underlying mortgage loans serviced and stratifications based on the risk characteristics of the underlying loans. A valuation allowance has been established, through a charge to earnings, to the extent the amortized cost exceeds the estimated fair value. However, the Company has not recorded other-than-temporary impairment losses on its intangible assets.

Income Taxes

Amounts provided for income tax expense are based on income reported for financial statement purposes and do not necessarily represent amounts currently payable under tax laws. Deferred income taxes are provided for temporary differences between the financial reporting bases and income tax bases of the Company’s assets and liabilities, net operating losses, and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income when such assets and liabilities are anticipated to be settled or realized. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized as tax expense or benefit in the period that includes the enactment date of the change. In determining the amount of deferred tax assets to recognize in the financial statements, the Company evaluates the likelihood of realizing such benefits in future periods. A valuation allowance is established if it is more likely than not that all or some portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to income taxes within income tax expense in the consolidated statements of income.

The Company and its eligible subsidiaries file a consolidated federal income tax return. State and local income tax returns are filed on a combined, consolidated or separate return basis based upon each jurisdiction’s laws and regulations.

Additional information about current and deferred income taxes is provided in Note 9, Income Taxes.

Non-Interest Income

Non-interest income is mainly comprised of revenue from contracts with customers. For that revenue (excluding certain revenue associated with financial instruments, derivative and hedging instruments, guarantees, lease contracts, transferring and servicing of financial assets, and other specific revenue transactions), the Company applies the following five-step approach when recognizing revenue: (i) identify the contract with the customer, (ii) identify the performance obligations, (iii) determine the transaction price, (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations, and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied. The Company’s contracts with customers are generally short term in nature, with a duration of one year or less, and most contracts are cancellable by either the Company or its customer without penalty. Performance obligations for customer contracts are generally satisfied at a single point in time, typically when the transaction is complete and the customer has received the goods or service, or over time. For performance obligations satisfied over time, the Company recognizes the value of the goods or services transferred to the customer when the performance obligations have been transferred and received by the customer. Payments for satisfied performance obligations are typically due when or as the goods or services are completed, or shortly thereafter, which usually occurs within a single financial reporting period.

In situations where payment is made before the performance obligation is satisfied, the fees are deferred until the performance obligations pertaining to those goods or services are completed. In cases where payment has not been received despite satisfaction of its performance obligations, the Company accrues an estimate of the amount due in the period that the performance obligations have been satisfied. For contracts with variable components, the Company only recognizes revenue to the extent that it is probable that the cumulative amount recognized will not be subject to a significant reversal in future periods. Generally, the Company’s contracts do not include terms that require significant judgment to determine whether a variable component is included within the transaction price. The Company generally acts in a principal capacity, on its own behalf, in most of its contracts with customers. For these transactions, revenue and the related costs to provide the goods or services are presented on a gross basis in the financial statements. In some cases, the Company acts in an agent capacity, deriving revenue through assisting third parties in transactions with the Company’s customers. In such transactions, revenue and the related costs to provide services is presented on a net basis in the financial statements. These transactions primarily relate to fees earned from bank card and related network and rewards costs, the sales of annuities and certain limited insurance products, and beginning in August 2023, commissions on sales of consumer brokerage transactions and products.

Derivatives

Most of the Company's derivative contracts are accounted for as free-standing instruments. These instruments are carried at fair value, and changes in fair value are recognized in current earnings. They include interest rate swaps and caps, which are offered to customers to assist in managing their risks of adverse changes in interest rates. Each contract between the Company and a customer is offset by a contract between the Company and an institutional counterparty, thus minimizing the Company's exposure to rate changes. The Company also enters into certain contracts, known as credit risk participation agreements, to buy or sell credit protection on specific interest rate swaps. It also purchases and sells forward foreign exchange contracts, either in connection with customer transactions, or for its own trading purposes. Additionally, the Company originates and sells certain personal real estate mortgages. Derivative instruments under this program include mortgage loan commitments, forward loan sale contracts, and forward contracts to sell certain to-be-announced (TBA) securities.

The Company's interest rate risk management policy permits the use of hedge accounting for derivatives, and the Company has entered into interest rate floor contracts as protection from the potential for declining interest rates in the commercial loan portfolio. These floors were designated and qualified as cash flow hedges. In a cash flow hedge, the changes in fair value are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income and recognized in the income statement when the hedged cash flows affect earnings. Both at hedge inception and on an ongoing basis, the Company assesses whether the interest rate floors used in the hedging relationships are highly effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows of the hedged items. From time to time, the Company has monetized its interest rate floors that had previously been designated and qualified as cash flow hedges. In such case, the monetized cash flow hedge is derecognized and the amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) remain in AOCI until the underlying forecasted transaction impacts earnings, unless the forecasted transaction becomes probable of not occurring.

The Company has master netting arrangements with various counterparties but does not offset derivative assets and liabilities under these arrangements in its consolidated balance sheets. However, interest rate swaps that are executed under central clearing requirements are presented net of variation margin as mandated by the statutory terms of the Company's contract with its clearing counterparty.

Additional information about derivatives held by the Company and valuation methods employed is provided in Note 17, Fair Value Measurements and Note 19, Derivative Instruments.

Cash flows associated with derivative instruments and their related gains and losses are presented in the consolidated statement of cash flows as operating activities.

Pension Plan

The Company’s pension plan is described in Note 10, Employee Benefit Plans. In accordance with ASU 2017-07, the Company has reported the service cost component of net periodic pension cost in salaries and employee benefits in the accompanying consolidated statements of income, while the other components are reported in other non-interest expense. The funded status of the plan is recognized as an other asset or other liability in the consolidated balance sheets, and changes in that funded status are recognized in the year in which the changes occur through other comprehensive income. Plan assets and benefit obligations are measured as of the fiscal year end of the plan. The measurement of the projected benefit obligation and pension expense involve actuarial valuation methods and the use of various actuarial and economic assumptions. The Company monitors the assumptions and updates them periodically. Due to the long-term nature of the pension plan obligation, actual results may differ significantly from estimations. Such differences are adjusted over time as the assumptions are replaced by facts and values are recalculated.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company’s stock-based compensation plan is described in Note 11, Stock-Based Compensation and Directors Stock Purchase Plan. In accordance with the requirements of ASC 718-10-30-3 and 35-2, the Company measures the cost of stock-based compensation based on the grant-date fair value of the award, recognizing the cost over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. The fair value of stock appreciation rights is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model while the fair value of a nonvested stock award is the common stock (CBSH) market price. The expense recognized for stock-based compensation is included in salaries and benefits in the accompanying consolidated statements of income. The Company recognizes forfeitures as a reduction to expense only when they have occurred.

Treasury Stock

Purchases of the Company’s common stock are recorded at cost. Upon re-issuance for acquisitions, exercises of stock-based awards or other corporate purposes, treasury stock is reduced based upon the average cost basis of shares held.

Income per Share

Basic income per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each year. Diluted income per share includes the effect of all dilutive potential common shares (primarily stock appreciation rights) outstanding during each year. The Company applies the two-class method of computing income per share. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that determines income per share for common stock and for participating securities, according to dividends declared and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The Company’s nonvested stock awards are considered to be a class of participating security. All per share data has been restated to reflect the 5% stock dividend distributed in December 2023.

2. Loans and Allowance for Credit Losses

Major classifications within the Company’s held for investment loan portfolio at December 31, 2023 and 2022 are as follows:

(1) Accrued interest receivable totaled $71.9 million and $55.5 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and was included within other assets on the consolidated balance sheets. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company wrote-off accrued interest by reversing interest income of $460 thousand and $4.8 million in the Commercial and Personal Banking portfolios, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company wrote-off accrued interest by reversing interest income of $145 thousand and $3.2 million in the Commercial and Personal Banking portfolios, respectively.

Loans to directors and executive officers of the Parent and the Bank, and to their affiliates, are summarized as follows:

Management believes all loans to directors and executive officers have been made in the ordinary course of business with normal credit terms, including interest rate and collateral considerations, and do not represent more than a normal risk of collection. The activity in the table above includes draws and repayments on several lines of credit with business entities. There wereno outstanding loans at December 31, 2023 to principal holders (over 10% ownership) of the Company’s common stock.

The Company’s lending activity is generally centered in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and other nearby states including Oklahoma, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas. The Company maintains a diversified portfolio with limited industry concentrations of credit risk. Loans and loan commitments are extended under the Company’s normal credit standards, controls, and monitoring procedures. Most loan commitments are short or intermediate term in nature. Commercial loan maturities generally range from one to seven years. Collateral is commonly required and would include such assets as marketable securities, cash equivalent assets, accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, other forms of personal property, and real estate. At December 31, 2023, unfunded loan commitments totaled $14.5 billion (which included $5.4 billionin unused approved lines of credit related to credit card loan agreements) which could be drawn by customers subject to certain review and terms of agreement. At December 31, 2023, loans totaling $3.5 billion were pledged at the FHLB as collateral for borrowings and letters of credit obtained to secure public deposits. Additional loans of $3.1 billion were pledged at the Federal Reserve Bank as collateral for discount window borrowings.

The Company has a net investment in direct financing and sales type leases to commercial and industrial and tax-exempt entities of $867.0 million and $779.9 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, which is included in business loans on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. This investment includes deferred income of $98.6 million and $73.2 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Allowance for credit losses

The allowance for credit losses is measured using an average historical loss model which incorporates relevant information about past events (including historical credit loss experience on loans with similar risk characteristics), current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the remaining cash flows over the contractual term of the loans. The allowance for credit losses is measured on a collective (pool) basis. Loans are aggregated into pools based on similar risk characteristics including borrower type, collateral type and expected credit loss patterns. Loans that do not share similar risk characteristics, primarily large loans on non-accrual status, are evaluated on an individual basis.

For loans evaluated for credit losses on a collective basis, average historical loss rates are calculated for each pool using the Company’s historical net charge-offs (combined charge-offs and recoveries by observable historical reporting period) and outstanding loan balances during a lookback period. Lookback periods can be different based on the individual pool and represent management’s credit expectations for the pool of loans over the remaining contractual life. In certain loan pools, if the Company’s own historical loss rate is not reflective of the loss expectations, the historical loss rate is augmented by industry and peer data. The calculated average net charge-off rate is then adjusted for current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. These adjustments increase or decrease the average historical loss rate to reflect expectations of future losses given a single path economic forecast of key macroeconomic variables including GDP, disposable income, unemployment rate, various interest rates, consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate, housing price index (HPI), commercial real estate price index (CREPI) and market volatility. The adjustments are based on results from various regression models projecting the impact of the macroeconomic variables to loss rates. The forecast is used for a reasonable and supportable period before reverting back to historical averages using a straight-line method. The forecast-adjusted loss rate is applied to the amortized cost of loans over the remaining contractual lives, adjusted for expected prepayments. The contractual term excludes expected extensions (except for contractual extensions at the option of the customer), renewals and modifications. Credit cards and certain similar consumer lines of credit do not have stated maturities and therefore, for these loan classes, remaining contractual lives are determined by estimating future cash flows expected to be received from customers until payments have been fully allocated to outstanding balances. Additionally, the allowance for credit losses considers other qualitative factors not included in historical loss rates or macroeconomic forecast such as changes in portfolio composition, underwriting practices, or significant unique events or conditions.

Key assumptions in the Company’s allowance for credit loss model include the economic forecast, the reasonable and supportable period, forecasted macro-economic variables, prepayment assumptions and qualitative factors applied for portfolio composition changes, underwriting practices, or significant unique events or conditions. The assumptions utilized in estimating the Company’s allowance for credit losses at December 31, 2023 and 2022 are discussed below.

The liability for unfunded lending commitments utilizes the same model as the allowance for credit losses on loans, however, the liability for unfunded lending commitments incorporates an assumption for the portion of unfunded commitments that are expected to be funded.

Sensitivity in the Allowance for Credit Loss model

The allowance for credit losses is an estimate that requires significant judgment including projections of the macro-economic environment. The forecasted macro-economic environment continuously changes which can cause fluctuations in estimated expected credit losses.

The current forecast projects the economy will slow at the start of 2024. It is expected that fiscal policy will tighten in 2024 and consumer spending will decrease. The labor market is expected to soften slowly, creating lower household income growth at a time when excess savings have decreased.

The impacts of tighter fiscal policy and decreased consumer spending creates significant uncertainty in the forecast. The impacts of the market's response to unusual events or trends including high inflation, supply chain stresses, trends in health conditions, and changes in the geopolitical environment could significantly modify economic projections used in the estimation of the allowance for credit losses.

A summary of the activity in the allowance for credit losses on loans and the liability for unfunded lending commitments during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 follows:

Delinquent and non-accrual loans

The Company considers loans past due on the day following the contractual repayment date, if the contractual repayment was not received by the Company as of the end of the business day. The following table provides aging information on the Company’s past due and accruing loans, in addition to the balances of loans on non-accrual status, at December 31, 2023 and 2022.

At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $4.3 million and $3.8 million, respectively, of non-accrual loans that had no allowance for credit loss. The Company did not record any interest income on non-accrual loans during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Credit quality indicators

The following table provides information about the credit quality of the Commercial loan portfolio. The Company utilizes an internal risk rating system comprised of a series of grades to categorize loans according to perceived risk associated with the expectation of debt repayment based on borrower specific information, including but not limited to, current financial information, historical payment experience, industry information, collateral levels and collateral types. The “pass” category consists of a range of loan grades that reflect increasing, though still acceptable, risk. A loan is assigned the risk rating at origination and then monitored throughout the contractual term for possible risk rating changes. Movement of risk through the various grade levels in the “pass” category is monitored for early identification of credit deterioration. The “special mention” rating is applied to loans where the borrower exhibits negative financial trends due to borrower specific or systemic conditions that, if left uncorrected, threaten its capacity to meet its debt obligations. The borrower is believed to have sufficient financial flexibility to react to and resolve its negative financial situation. It is a transitional grade that is closely monitored for improvement or deterioration. The “substandard” rating is applied to loans where the borrower exhibits well-defined weaknesses that jeopardize its continued performance and are of a severity that the distinct possibility of default exists. Loans are placed on “non-accrual” when management does not expect to collect payments consistent with acceptable and agreed upon terms of repayment.

All loans are analyzed for risk rating updates annually. For larger loans, rating assessments may be more frequent if relevant information is obtained earlier through debt covenant monitoring or overall relationship management. Smaller loans are monitored as identified by the loan officer based on the risk profile of the individual borrower or if the loan becomes past due related to credit issues. Loans rated Special Mention, Substandard or Non-accrual are subject to quarterly review and monitoring processes. In addition to the regular monitoring performed by the lending personnel and credit committees, loans are subject to review by a credit review department which verifies the appropriateness of the risk ratings for the loans chosen as part of its risk-based review plan.

The risk category of loans in the Commercial portfolio as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 are as follows:

The credit quality of Personal Banking loans is monitored primarily on the basis of aging/delinquency, and this information is provided as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 below:

Collateral-dependent loans

The Company's collateral-dependent loans are comprised of large loans on non-accrual status. The Company requires that collateral-dependent loans are either over-collateralized or carry collateral equal to the amortized cost of the loan. The following table presents the amortized cost basis of collateral-dependent loans as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Other Personal Banking loan information

As noted above, the credit quality of Personal Banking loans is monitored primarily on the basis of aging/delinquency, and this information is provided in the table in the above section on"Credit quality indicators." In addition, FICO scores are obtained and updated on a quarterly basis for most of the loans in the Personal Banking portfolio. This is a published credit score designed to measure the risk of default by taking into account various factors from a borrower's financial history and is considered supplementary information utilized by the Company, as management does not consider this information in evaluating the allowance for credit losses on loans. The Bank normally obtains a FICO score at the loan's origination and renewal dates, and updates are obtained on a quarterly basis. Excluded from the table below are certain personal real estate loans for which FICO scores are not obtained because the loans generally pertain to commercial customer activities and are often underwritten with other collateral considerations. These loans totaled $168.9 million at December 31, 2023 and $179.2 million at December 31, 2022. The table also excludes consumer loans related to the Company's patient healthcare loan program, which totaled $211.3 million at December 31, 2023 and $197.5 million at December 31, 2022. As the healthcare loans are guaranteed by the hospital, customer FICO scores are not obtained for these loans. The personal real estate loans and consumer loans excluded below totaled less than 7% of the Personal Banking portfolio. For the remainder of loans in the Personal Banking portfolio, the table below shows the percentage of balances outstanding at December 31, 2023 and 2022 by FICO score.

Modifications for borrowers experiencing financial difficulty

When borrowers are experiencing financial difficulty, the Company may agree to modify the contractual terms of a loan to a borrower in order to assist the borrower in repaying principal and interest owed to the Company.

The Company's modifications of loans to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty are generally in the form of term extensions, repayment plans, payment deferrals, forbearance agreements, interest rate reductions, forgiveness of interest and/or fees, or any combination thereof. Commercial loans modified to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty are primarily loans that are substandard or non-accrual, where the maturity date was extended. Modifications on personal real estate loans are primarily those placed on forbearance plans, repayment plans, or deferral plans where monthly payments are suspended for a period of time or past due amounts are paid off over a certain period of time in the future or set up as a balloon payment at maturity. Modifications to certain credit card and other small consumer loans are often modified under debt counseling programs that can reduce the contractual rate or, in certain instances, forgive certain fees and interest charges. Other consumer loans modified to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty consist of various other workout arrangements with consumer customers.

The following tables present the amortized cost at December 31, 2023 of loans that were modified during the year ended December 31, 2023.

The estimate of lifetime expected losses utilized in the allowance for credit losses model is developed using average historical experience on loans with similar risk characteristics, which includes losses from modifications of loans to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. As a result, a change to the allowance for credit losses is generally not recorded upon modification. For modifications to loans made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty that are placed on non-accrual status, the Company determines the allowance for credit losses on an individual evaluation, using the same process that it utilizes for other loans on non-accrual status. Modifications made to commercial loans which are not on non-accrual status for borrowers experiencing financial difficulty are collectively evaluated based on internal risk rating, loan type, delinquency, historical experience, and current economic factors. Modifications made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty for personal banking loans which are not on non-accrual status are collectively evaluated based on loan type, delinquency, historical experience, and current economic factors.

If a loan to a borrower experiencing financial difficulty is modified and subsequently deemed uncollectible, the allowance for credit losses continues to be based on individual evaluation, if that loan is already on non-accrual status. For those loans, the allowance for credit losses is estimated using discounted expected cash flows or the fair value of collateral. If an accruing loan made to a borrower experiencing financial difficulty is modified and subsequently deemed uncollectible, the loan's risk rating is downgraded to non-accrual status and the loan's related allowance for credit losses is determined based on individual evaluation, or if necessary, the loan is charged off and collection efforts begin.

The following tables summarize the financial impact of loan modifications and payment deferrals during the year ended December 31, 2023.

The Company had commitments of $28.4 million at December 31, 2023 to lend additional funds to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty and for whom the Company has modified the terms of loans in the form of principal forgiveness, an interest rate reduction, an other-than-insignificant payment delay, or a term extension during the current reporting period.

The following table provides the amortized cost basis of loans to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty that had a payment default during the year ended December 31, 2023 and were modified on or after January 1, 2023 (the date we adopted ASU 2022-02) through December 31, 2023. For purposes of this disclosure, the Company considers "default" to mean 90 days or more past due as to interest or principal. In addition to the loans below, the Company charged off $2.2 million and $729 thousand of business and consumer loans, respectively, during the year ended December 31, 2023 that were modified during the period.

The following table presents the amortized cost basis at December 31, 2023 of loans that have been modified on or after January 1, 2023 (the date we adopted ASU 2022-02) through December 31, 2023.

Troubled debt restructuring disclosures prior to the Company's adoption of ASU 2022-02

Restructured loans are those extended to borrowers who are experiencing financial difficulty and who have been granted a concession. Restructured loans are placed on non-accrual status if the Company does not believe it probable that amounts due under the contractual terms will be collected. Commercial performing restructured loans are primarily comprised of certain business, construction and business real estate loans classified as substandard but renewed at rates judged to be non-market. These loans are performing in accordance with their modified terms, and because the Company believes it probable that all amounts due under the modified terms of the agreements will be collected, interest on these loans is being recognized on an accrual basis. Troubled debt restructurings also include certain credit card and other small consumer loans under various debt management and assistance programs. Modifications to these loans generally involve removing the available line of credit, placing loans on amortizing status, and lowering the contractual interest rate. Certain personal real estate, revolving home equity, and consumer loans were classified as consumer bankruptcy troubled debt restructurings because they were not reaffirmed by the borrower in bankruptcy proceedings. Interest on these loans is being recognized on an accrual basis, as the borrowers are continuing to make payments. Other consumer loans classified as troubled debt restructurings consist of various other workout arrangements with consumer customers.

The table below shows the balance of troubled debt restructurings by loan classification at December 31, 2022, in addition to the outstanding balances of these restructured loans which the Company considers to have been in default at any time during the 12 months prior to December 31, 2022. For purposes of this disclosure, the Company considers "default" to mean 90 days or more past due as to interest or principal.

For those loans on non-accrual status also classified as restructured, the modification did not create any further financial effect on the Company as those loans were already recorded at net realizable value. For those performing commercial loans classified as restructured, there were no concessions involving forgiveness of principal or interest and, therefore, there was no financial impact to the Company as a result of modification to these loans. However, the effects of modifications to loans under various debt management and assistance programs were estimated at December 31, 2022 to decrease interest income by approximately $661 thousand on an annual, pre-tax basis, compared to amounts contractually owed. Performing consumer loans where the debt was not reaffirmed in bankruptcy did not result in a concession, as no changes to loan terms occurred in that process. Other modifications to consumer loans mainly involve extensions and other small modifications that did not include the forgiveness of principal or interest.

The allowance for credit losses related to troubled debt restructurings on non-accrual status is determined by individual evaluation, including collateral adequacy, using the same process as loans on non-accrual status which are not classified as troubled debt restructurings. Those performing loans classified as troubled debt restructurings are accruing loans which management expects to collect under contractual terms. Performing commercial loans having no other concessions granted other than being renewed at non-market interest rates are judged to have similar risk characteristics as non-troubled debt commercial loans and are collectively evaluated based on internal risk rating, loan type, delinquency, historical experience and current economic factors. Performing personal banking loans classified as troubled debt restructurings resulted from the borrower not reaffirming the debt during bankruptcy and have had no other concession granted, other than the Bank's future limitations on collecting payment deficiencies or in pursuing foreclosure actions. As such, they have similar risk characteristics as non-troubled debt personal banking loans and are evaluated collectively based on loan type, delinquency, historical experience and current economic factors.

If a troubled debt restructuring defaults and is already on non-accrual status, the allowance for credit losses continues to be based on individual evaluation, using discounted expected cash flows or the fair value of collateral. If an accruing, troubled debt restructuring defaults, the loan's risk rating is downgraded to non-accrual status and the loan's related allowance for credit losses is determined based on individual evaluation, or if necessary, the loan is charged off and collection efforts begin.

The Company had $12.6 million commitments at December 31, 2022 to lend additional funds to borrowers with restructured loans.

Loans held for sale

The Company designates certain long-term fixed rate personal real estate loans as held for sale, and the Company has elected the fair value option for these loans. The election of the fair value option aligns the accounting for these loans with the related economic hedges discussed in Note 19. The loans are primarily sold to FNMA and FHLMC. At December 31, 2023, the fair value of these loans was $1.6 million, and the unpaid principal balance was $1.5 million.

The Company also designates certain student loan originations as held for sale. The borrowers are credit-worthy students who are attending colleges and universities. The loans are intended to be sold in the secondary market, and the Company maintains contracts with Sallie Mae to sell the loans within 210 days after the last disbursement to the student. These loans are carried at lower of cost or fair value, which at December 31, 2023 totaled $2.2 million.

At December 31, 2023, none of the loans held for sale were on non-accrual status or 90 days past due and still accruing.

Foreclosed real estate/repossessed assets

The Company’s holdings of foreclosed real estate totaled $270 thousand and $96 thousand at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and included in those amounts were $270 thousand and $96 thousand of foreclosed residential real estate properties held as a result of obtaining physical possession at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Personal property acquired in repossession, generally autos, marine and recreational vehicles (RV), totaled $1.8 million and $1.6 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Upon acquisition, these assets are recorded at fair value less estimated selling costs at the date of foreclosure, establishing a new cost basis. They are subsequently carried at the lower of this cost basis or fair value less estimated selling costs.

3. Investment Securities

Investment securities consisted of the following at December 31, 2023 and 2022:

(1) Accrued interest receivable totaled $28.9 million and $38.8 million at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, and was included within other assets on the consolidated balance sheet.

The Company has elected to measure equity securities with no readily determinable fair value at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes for the identical or similar investment of the same issuer. This portfolio includes the Company's 823,447 shares of Visa Class B common stock, which are held by Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (the Company's parent company). These shares have a carrying value ofzero, as there have not been observable price changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer. During the year-ended December 31, 2023, the Company did not record any impairment or significant other adjustments to the carrying amount of its portfolio of equity securities with no readily determinable fair value.

At Visa, Inc.’s (“Visa”) annual meeting of shareholders on January 23, 2024, shareholders approved Proposal 4 – Approval and Adoption of the Class B Exchange Offer Program Certificate Amendments as described in Visa's 2024 Proxy Statement. This proposal authorizes Visa to enable the release and public sale of portions of Visa’s Class B common stock in a measured and programmatic fashion through a series of exchange offers.

On January 24, 2024, the Company’s holdings of 823,447 shares of Visa Class B common stock were redenominated as Visa Class B-1 common stock pursuant to Visa’s Eighth Restated Certificate of Incorporation. On January 29, 2024, Visa filed Form S-4 Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which proposes an offer to exchange any and all issued and outstanding shares of Class B-1 common stock for a combination of shares of Class B-2 common stock and shares of Class C common stock. As of February 22, 2024, the Form S-4 Registration Statement was not yet effective. The Company is currently evaluating the proposed exchange offer.

Other investment securities include Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) stock, Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) stock, equity method investments, and investments in portfolio concerns held by the Company's private equity subsidiary. FRB stock and FHLB stock are held for debt and regulatory purposes. Investment in FRB stock is based on the capital structure of the investing bank, and investment in FHLB stock is based on total assets of the Company (subject to a cap) and the level of borrowings from the FHLB. These holdings are carried at cost. These adjustments are included in non-interest income on the Company's consolidated statements of income. The private equity investments are carried at estimated fair value.

The majority of the Company’s investment portfolio is comprised of available for sale debt securities, which are carried at fair value with changes in fair value reported in other comprehensive income (OCI). A summary of the available for sale debt securities by maturity groupings as of December 31, 2023 is shown in the following table. The weighted average yield for each range of maturities was calculated using the yield on each security within that range weighted by the amortized cost of each security at December 31, 2023. Yields on tax exempt securities have not been adjusted for tax exempt status. The investment portfolio includes agency mortgage-backed securities, which are guaranteed by agencies such as FHLMC, FNMA, and GNMA, in addition to non-agency mortgage-backed securities, which have no guarantee but are collateralized by commercial and residential mortgages. Also included are certain other asset-backed securities, which are primarily collateralized by credit cards, automobiles, student loans, and commercial loans. These securities differ from traditional debt securities primarily in that they may have uncertain maturity dates and are priced based on estimated prepayment rates on the underlying collateral.

*Rate does not reflect inflation adjustment on inflation-protected securities

Investments in U.S. government and federal agency obligations include U.S. Treasury inflation-protected securities, which totaled $404.4 million, at fair value, at December 31, 2023. Interest paid on these securities increases with inflation and decreases with deflation, as measured by the non-seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). At maturity, the principal paid is the greater of an inflation-adjusted principal or the original principal.

Allowance for credit losses on available for sale debt securities

Securities for which fair value is less than amortized cost are reviewed for impairment. Special emphasis is placed on securities whose credit rating has fallen below Baa3 (Moody's) or BBB- (Standard & Poor's), whose fair values have fallen more than 20% below purchase price, or those which have been identified based on management’s judgment. These securities are placed on a watch list and cash flow analyses are prepared on an individual security basis. Certain securities are analyzed using a projected cash flow model, discounted to present value, and compared to the current amortized cost bases of the securities. The model uses input factors such as cash flow projections, contractual payments required, expected delinquency rates, credit support from other tranches, prepayment speeds, collateral loss severity rates (including loan to values), and various other information related to the underlying collateral. Securities not analyzed using the cash flow model are analyzed by reviewing credit ratings, credit support agreements, and industry knowledge to project future cash flows and any possible credit impairment.

At December 31, 2023, the fair value of securities on this watch list was $1.2 billion compared to $1.3 billion at December 31, 2022. Almost all of the securities included on the Company's watch list were experiencing unrealized loss positions due to the significant increase in interest rates and were analyzed outside of the cash flow model. At December 31,

2023, the securities on the Company's watch list that were not deemed to be solely related to increasing interest rates were securities backed by government-guaranteed student loans and are expected to perform as contractually required. As of December 31, 2023, the Company did not identify any securities for which a credit loss exists, and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company did not recognize a credit loss expense on any available for sale debt securities.

The table below summarizes debt securities available for sale in an unrealized loss position, aggregated by length of loss period, for which an allowance for credit losses has not been recorded at December 31, 2023 and 2022. Unrealized losses on these available for sale securities have not been recognized into income because after review, the securities were deemed not to be impaired. The unrealized losses on these securities are primarily attributable to changes in interest rates and current market conditions. At December 31, 2023, the Company does not intend to sell the securities, nor is it anticipated that it would be required to sell any of these securities at a loss.

The entire available for sale debt securities portfolio included $9.6 billion of securities that were in a loss position at December 31, 2023, compared to $12.0 billion at December 31, 2022. The total amount of unrealized loss on these securities was $1.2 billion at December 31, 2023, a decrease of $280.1 million compared to the unrealized loss at December 31, 2022. Securities with significant unrealized losses are discussed in the "Allowance for credit losses on available for sale debt securities" section above.

For debt securities classified as available for sale, the following table shows the amortized cost, fair value, and allowance for credit losses of securities available for sale at December 31, 2023 and 2022 and the corresponding amounts of gross unrealized gains and losses (pre-tax) in AOCI, by security type.

The following table presents proceeds from sales of securities and the components of investment securities gains and losses which have been recognized in earnings.

At December 31, 2023, securities totaling $7.5 billion in fair value were pledged to secure public fund deposits, securities sold under agreements to repurchase, trust funds, and borrowings at the FRB and FHLB, compared to $4.7 billion at December 31, 2022. Securities pledged under agreements pursuant to which the collateral may be sold or re-pledged by the secured parties approximated $208 thousand, while the remaining securities were pledged under agreements pursuant to which the secured parties may not sell or re-pledge the collateral.

Except for obligations of various government-sponsored enterprises such as FNMA, FHLB and FHLMC, no investment in a single issuer exceeds 10% of stockholders’ equity.

4. Premises and Equipment

Premises and equipment consist of the following at December 31, 2023 and 2022:

Depreciation expense of $36.1 million in 2023, $32.3 million in 2022, and $31.9 million in 2021, was included in occupancy expense and equipment expense in the consolidated statements of income. Repairs and maintenance expense of $18.5 million, $17.7 million, and $16.0 million for 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, was included in occupancy expense and equipment expense. Interest expense capitalized on constructions projects totaled $903 thousand, $1.4 million, and $29 thousand in 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Right of use leased assets are comprised mainly of operating leases for branches, office space, ATM locations, and certain equipment, as described in Note 6.

5. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The following table presents information about the Company's intangible assets which have estimable useful lives.

The carrying amount of goodwill and its allocation among segments at December 31, 2023 and 2022 is shown in the table below. As a result of ongoing assessments, no impairment of goodwill was recorded in 2023, 2022 or 2021. Further, the annual assessment of qualitative factors on January 1, 2024 revealed no likelihood of impairment as of that date.

In addition to its intangible assets with estimable useful lives included in the table above, the Company also has a $3.6 million intangible asset for an easement in connection with a commercial office complex in Clayton, Missouri. The easement, which grants the Company access to all portions of the parking facility and terrace garden, is perpetual and will be assessed for impairment at least annually, or whenever events or circumstances indicate an impairment may have occurred. No impairment was identified at December 31, 2023.

Changes in the net carrying amount of goodwill and other net intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 are shown in the following table.

During 2023, the Company wrote off $25.7 million of core deposit intangible assets that were fully amortized. Also during 2023, the Company acquired L.J. Hart & Company, a municipal bond underwriter and advisor, and the acquisition resulted in goodwill of $7.6 million.

Mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) are initially recorded at fair value and subsequently amortized over the period of estimated servicing income. They are periodically reviewed for impairment at a tranche level, and if impairment is indicated, recorded at fair value. Temporary impairment, including impairment recovery, is effected through a change in a valuation allowance. During 2023, no impairment or impairment recovery was recognized. The fair value of the MSRs is based on the present value of expected future cash flows, as further discussed in Note 17 on Fair Value Measurements.

Aggregate amortization expense on intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $1.4 million, $2.0 million and $3.1 million, respectively. The following table shows the estimated future amortization expense based on existing asset balances and the interest rate environment as of December 31, 2023. The Company’s actual amortization expense in any given period may be different from the estimated amounts depending upon the acquisition of intangible assets, changes in mortgage interest rates, prepayment rates and other market conditions.

6. Leases

The Company's leasing activities include leasing certain real estate and equipment, providing lease financing to commercial customers, and leasing office space to third parties. The Company uses the FHLB fixed-advance rate at lease commencement or at any subsequent remeasurement event date based on the remaining lease term to calculate the liability for each lease.

Lessee

The Company's operating leases are primarily for branches, office space, ATM locations, and certain equipment. As of December 31, 2023, the right-of-use asset foroperating leases, reported within premises and equipment, net, andlease liability, reported within other liabilities, recognized on the Company's consolidated balance sheets totaled $26.5 million and $26.9 million, respectively, compared to right-of-use assets of $24.9 million and lease liability of $25.2 million at December 31, 2022. Total lease cost for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $8.3 million, compared to $7.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, an election was made not to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities for all asset classes, and to recognize lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company's leases have remaining terms of 1 month to 28 years, most of which contain renewal options. However, the renewal options are generally not included in the leased asset or liability because the option exercises are uncertain.

The maturities of operating leases are included in the table below.

(1) Excludes $743 thousand of legally binding minimum lease payments for operating leases signed but not yet commenced.

The following table presents the average lease term and discount rate of operating leases.

Supplemental cash flow information related to operating leases is included in the table below.

Lessor

The Company has net investments in direct financing and sales-type leases to commercial, industrial, and tax-exempt entities. These leases are included within business loans on the Company's consolidated balance sheets. The Company primarily leases various types of equipment, trucks and trailers, and office furniture and fixtures. Lease agreements may include options for the lessee to renew or purchase the leased equipment at the end of the lease term. The Company has elected to adopt the lease component expedient in which the lease and nonlease components are combined into the total lease receivable. The Company also leases office space to third parties, and these leases are classified as operating leases. The leases may include options to renew or to expand the leased space, and currently the leases have remaining terms of 1 month to 15 years.

The following table provides the components of lease income.

(1) Includes rent from Tower Properties, a related party, of $76 thousand for the years ended both December 31, 2023 and 2022.

The following table presents the components of the net investments in direct financing and sales-type leases.

The maturities of lease receivables are included in the table below.

7. Deposits

At December 31, 2023, the scheduled maturities of certificates of deposit were as follows:

The aggregate amount of certificates of deposit that exceeded the $250,000 FDIC insurance limit totaled $1.3 million at December 31, 2023.

8. Borrowings

At December 31, 2023, the Company's borrowings primarily consisted of federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase (repurchase agreements). The following table sets forth selected information for federal funds purchased and repurchase agreements.

Federal funds purchased and repurchase agreements comprised the majority of the Company's short-term borrowings (borrowings with an original maturity of less than one year at December 31, 2023), and $2.6 billion of these borrowings were repurchase agreements, which generally have one day maturities and are mainly comprised of non-insured customer funds secured by a portion of the Company's investment portfolio. Additional information about the securities pledged for repurchase agreements and repurchase agreement maturity is provided in Note 20 on Resale and Repurchase Agreements. Accrued interest for repurchase agreements was $695 thousand, $275 thousand and $9 thousand at December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Bank is a member of the Des Moines FHLB and has access to term financing from the FHLB. These borrowings are secured under a blanket collateral agreement including primarily residential mortgages as well as all unencumbered assets and stock of the borrowing bank. At December 31, 2023, the Bank hadno outstanding advances from the FHLB. The FHLB also issues letters of credit to secure the Bank's obligations to certain depositors of public funds, which totaled $639.5 million at December 31, 2023.

9. Income Taxes

The components of income tax expense from operations for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were as follows:

The components of income tax (benefit) expense recorded directly to stockholders’ equity for the years ended 2023, 2022 and 2021 were as follows:

Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:

Management believes it is more likely than not that the results of future operations will generate sufficient taxable income to realize the total deferred tax assets, therefore, no valuation allowance is needed for the deferred tax assets at year end.

A reconciliation between the expected federal income tax expense using the federal statutory tax rate of 21%, and the Company's actual income tax expense for 2023, 2022, and 2021 is provided below. The effective tax rate is calculated by dividing income taxes by income before income taxes less the non-controlling interest expense.

The gross amount of unrecognized tax benefits was $1.3 million and $1.2 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits that would impact the effective tax rate, if recognized, was $1.0 million at both December 31, 2023 and 2022. The activity in the accrued liability for unrecognized tax benefits for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was as follows:

The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to income tax by federal, state and local government taxing authorities. Tax years 2020 through 2023 remain open to examination for U.S. federal income tax and for major state taxing jurisdictions.

10. Employee Benefit Plans

Employee benefits charged to operating expenses are summarized in the table below. Substantially all of the Company’s employees are covered by a defined contribution (401(k)) plan, under which the Company makes matching contributions.

A portion of the Company’s employees are covered by a noncontributory defined benefit pension plan, however, participation in the pension plan is not available to employees hired after June 30, 2003. All participants are fully vested in their benefit payable upon normal retirement date, which is based on years of participation and compensation. Since January 2011, all benefits accrued under the pension plan have been frozen. However, the accounts continue to accrue interest at a stated annual rate. Certain key executives also participate in a supplemental executive retirement plan (the CERP) that the Company funds only as retirement benefits are disbursed. The CERP carries no segregated assets. The CERP continues to provide credits based on hypothetical contributions in excess of those permitted under the 401(k) plan. In the tables presented below, the pension plan and the CERP are presented on a combined basis.

Under the Company’s funding policy for the defined benefit pension plan, contributions are made to a trust as necessary to satisfy the statutory minimum required contribution as defined by the Pension Protection Act, which is intended to provide for current service accruals and for any unfunded accrued actuarial liabilities over a reasonable period. To the extent that these requirements are fully covered by assets in the trust, a contribution might not be made in a particular year. No contributions to the defined benefit plan were made in 2023, 2022 or 2021. The minimum required contribution for 2024 is expected to bezero. The Company does not expect to make any further contributions in 2024 other than the necessary funding contributions to the CERP. Distributions under the CERP were $806 thousand, $14 thousand and $14 thousand during 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The following items are components of the net pension cost for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

The following table sets forth the pension plans’ funded status, using valuation dates of December 31, 2023 and 2022.

The unfunded pension benefit obligation decreased $3.3 million from the prior year primarily due to the plan assets earning $4.3 million more than expected. This decrease was slightly offset by a decrease in the discount rate from 5.19% to 4.98%.

The accumulated benefit obligation, which represents the liability of a plan using only benefits as of the measurement date, was $93.9 million and $95.8 million for the combined plans on December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Amounts not yet reflected in net periodic benefit cost and included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at December 31, 2023 and 2022 are shown below, including amounts recognized in other comprehensive income during the periods. All amounts are shown on a pre-tax basis.

The following assumptions, on a weighted average basis, were used in accounting for the plans.

The following table shows the fair values of the Company’s pension plan assets by asset category at December 31, 2023 and 2022. Information about the valuation techniques and inputs used to measure fair value are provided in Note 17 on Fair Value Measurements.

(a)This category represents bonds (excluding mortgage-backed securities) issued by agencies such as the Government National Mortgage Association, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp and the Federal National Mortgage Association.

(b)This category represents mortgage-backed securities issued by the agencies mentioned in (a).

(c)This category represents investment grade bonds issued in the U.S., primarily by domestic issuers, representing diverse industries.

(d)This category represents investments in individual common stocks and equity funds. These holdings are diversified, largely across the technology services, financial services, electronic technology, healthcare technology, and retail trade industries.

The investment policy of the pension plan is designed for growth in principal, within limits designed to safeguard against significant losses within the portfolio. The policy sets guidelines, which may change from time to time, regarding the types and percentages of investments held. Currently, the policy includes guidelines such as holding bonds rated investment grade or better and prohibiting investment in Company stock. The plan does not utilize derivatives. Management believes there are no significant concentrations of risk within the plan asset portfolio at December 31, 2023. Under the current policy, the long-term investment target mix for the plan is 10% equity securities and 90% fixed income securities. The Company regularly reviews its policies on investment mix and may make changes depending on economic conditions and perceived investment risk.

The assumed overall expected long-term rate of return on pension plan assets used in calculating 2023 pension plan expense was 4.75%. Determination of the plan’s expected rate of return is based upon historical and anticipated returns of the asset classes invested in by the pension plan and the allocation strategy currently in place among those classes. The rate used in plan calculations may be adjusted by management for current trends in the economic environment. The 10-year annualized return for the Company’s pension plan was 4.9%. During 2023, the plan’s assets gained 10.3% of their value, compared to a loss of 12.0% in 2022. Returns for any plan year may be affected by changes in the stock market and interest rates. The Company expects to incur pension expense of $1.7 million in 2024, compared to $2.3 million in 2023.

The following future benefit payments are expected to be paid:

11. Stock-Based Compensation and Directors Stock Purchase Plan*

The Company’s stock-based compensation is provided under a stockholder-approved plan that allows for issuance of various types of awards, including stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and restricted stock units, performance awards and stock-based awards. During the past three years, stock-based compensation has been issued in the form of nonvested restricted stock awards and stock appreciation rights. At December 31, 2023,6,197,988 shares remained available for issuance under the plan. The stock-based compensation expense that was charged against income was $17.1 million, $17.0 million and $15.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The total income tax benefit recognized in the income statement for share-based compensation arrangements was $3.2 million, $3.0 million and $2.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Nonvested Restricted Stock Awards

Nonvested stock is awarded to key employees by action of the Company's Compensation and Human Resources Committee and Board of Directors. These awards generally vest after 4 to 7 years of continued employment, but vesting terms may vary according to the specifics of the individual grant agreement. There are restrictions as to transferability, sale, pledging, or assigning, among others, prior to the end of the vesting period. Dividend and voting rights are conferred upon grant of restricted stock awards. A summary of the status of the Company’s nonvested share awards as of December 31, 2023 and changes during the year then ended is presented below.

The total fair value (at vest date) of shares vested during 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $20.9 million, $18.8 million and $17.6 million, respectively.

Stock Appreciation Rights

Stock appreciation rights (SARs) are granted with exercise prices equal to the market price of the Company’s stock at the date of grant. SARs generally vest ratably over 4 years of continuous service and have 10-year contractual terms. All SARs must be settled in stock under provisions of the plan. A summary of SAR activity during 2023 is presented below.

In determining compensation cost, the Black-Scholes option-pricing model is used to estimate the fair value of SARs on date of grant. The Black-Scholes model is a closed-end model that uses various assumptions as shown in the following table. Expected volatility is based on historical volatility of the Company’s stock. The Company uses historical exercise behavior and other factors to estimate the expected term of the SARs, which represents the period of time that the SARs granted are expected to be outstanding. The risk-free rate for the expected term is based on the U.S. Treasury zero coupon spot rates in effect at the time of grant. The per share average fair value and the model assumptions for SARs granted during the past three years are shown in the table below.

Additional information about SARs exercised is presented below.

As of December 31, 2023, there was $34.0 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested SARs and stock awards. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 3.1 years.

Directors Stock Purchase Plan

The Company has a directors stock purchase plan whereby outside directors of the Company and its subsidiaries may elect to use their directors’ fees to purchase Company stock at market value each month end. Remaining shares available for issuance under this plan were 103,307 at December 31, 2023. Shares authorized for issuance under the plan were increased to 150,000 shares in February 2022. In 2023,32,841 shares were purchased at an average price of $52.07, and in 2022,22,811 shares were purchased at an average price of $64.07.

• All share and per share amounts in this note have been restated for the 5% common stock dividend distributed in 2023.

12. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The table below shows the activity and accumulated balances for components of other comprehensive income. The largest component is the unrealized holding gains and losses on available for sale debt securities. Another component is the amortization from other comprehensive income of losses associated with pension benefits, which occurs as the losses are included in current net periodic pension cost. The remaining component is gains and losses in fair value on certain interest rate floors that have been designated as cash flow hedges, including interest rate floors terminated in prior years. For those terminated floors, the realized gains are amortized into interest income through the original maturity dates of the floors. Information about unrealized gains and losses on securities can be found in Note 3, information about unrealized gains and losses on pension plans can be found in Note 10, and information about unrealized gains and losses on cash flow hedge derivatives is located in Note 19.

(1)The pre-tax amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to current earnings are included in "investment securities gains (losses), net" in the consolidated statements of income.

(2)The pre-tax amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to current earnings are included in "interest and fees on loans" in the consolidated statements of income.

13. Segments

The Company segregates financial information for use in assessing its performance and allocating resources among three operating segments: Consumer, Commercial, and Wealth. The Consumer segment consists of various consumer loan and deposit products offered through its retail branch network of approximately 140 locations. This segment also includes indirect and other consumer loan financing businesses, along with debit and credit card loan and fee businesses. In order to reflect a change in the Company's management of its portfolio of residential mortgage loans that it retains, the Company began including those loans in the Consumer segment on January 1, 2023. These loans had previously been included in the Other/Elimination column. As a result of this change, loans of approximately $1.9 billion were reclassified from the Other/Elimination column into the Consumer segment and prior periods presented below were restated to also reflect this change.

The Commercial segment provides corporate lending (including the Small Business Banking product line within the branch network), leasing, and international services, along with business and governmental deposit products and commercial cash management services. This segment also includes both merchant and commercial bank card products as well as the Capital Markets Group, which sells fixed income securities and provides securities safekeeping and accounting services to its business and correspondent bank customers. The Wealth segment provides traditional trust and estate planning, advisory and discretionary investment management, and brokerage services. This segment also provides various loan and deposit related services to its private banking customers.

The Company’s business line reporting system derives segment information from the internal profitability reporting system used by management to monitor and manage the financial performance of the Company. This information is based on internal management accounting procedures and methods, which have been developed to reflect the underlying economics of the businesses. These methodologies are applied in connection with funds transfer pricing and assignment of overhead costs among segments. Funds transfer pricing was used in the determination of net interest income. A standard cost for funds used is applied to assets, and a credit for funds provided is applied to liabilities based on their maturity, prepayment and/or repricing characteristics. Income and expense that directly relate to segment operations are recorded in the segment when incurred. Expenses that indirectly support the segments are allocated based on the most appropriate method available.

The Company uses a funds transfer pricing method to value funds used (e.g., loans, fixed assets, and cash) and funds provided (e.g., deposits, borrowings, and equity) by the business segments and their components. This process assigns a specific value to each new source or use of funds with a maturity, based on current swap rates, thus determining an interest spread at the time of the transaction. Non-maturity assets and liabilities are valued using weighted average pools. The funds transfer pricing process attempts to remove interest rate risk from valuation, allowing management to compare profitability under various rate environments.

The following tables present selected financial information by segment and reconciliations of combined segment totals to consolidated totals. There were no material intersegment revenues between the three segments. Management periodically makes changes to methods of assigning costs and income to its business segments to better reflect operating results. If appropriate, these changes are reflected in prior year information presented below.

Segment Income Statement Data

The segment activity, as shown above, includes both direct and allocated items. Amounts in the “Other/Elimination” column include activity not related to the segments, such as that relating to administrative functions, the investment securities portfolio, and the effect of certain expense allocations to the segments. The provision for credit losses in this category contains the difference between net loan charge-offs assigned directly to the segments and the recorded provision for credit loss expense. Included in this category’s net interest income are earnings of the investment portfolio, which are not allocated to a segment. Additionally, in 2023, interest expense on the Company's brokered deposits, which matured in the fourth quarter of 2023, is included in this column, as the Company's brokered deposits were not allocated to a segment.

Segment Balance Sheet Data

The above segment balances include only those items directly associated with the segment. The “Other/Elimination” column includes unallocated bank balances not associated with a segment (such as investment securities, federal funds sold and brokered deposits), balances relating to certain other administrative and corporate functions, and eliminations between segment and non-segment balances. This column also includes the resulting effect of allocating such items as float, deposit reserve and capital for the purpose of computing the cost or credit for funds used/provided.

The Company’s reportable segments are strategic lines of business that offer different products and services. They are managed separately because each line services a specific customer need, requiring different performance measurement analyses and marketing strategies. The performance measurement of the segments is based on the management structure of the Company and is not necessarily comparable with similar information for any other financial institution. The information is also not necessarily indicative of the segments’ financial condition and results of operations if they were independent entities.

14. Common Stock*

On December 19, 2023, the Company distributed a 5% stock dividend on its $5 par common stock for the 30th consecutive year. All per common share data in this report has been restated to reflect the stock dividend.

The Company applies the two-class method of computing income per share, as nonvested share-based awards that pay nonforfeitable common stock dividends are considered securities which participate in undistributed earnings with common stock. The two-class method requires the calculation of separate income per share amounts for the nonvested share-based awards and for common stock. Income per share attributable to common stock is shown in the following table. Nonvested share-based awards are further discussed in Note 11, Stock-Based Compensation.

Basic income per share is based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year. Diluted income per share gives effect to all dilutive potential common shares that were outstanding during the year. Presented below is a summary of the components used to calculate basic and diluted income per common share, which have been restated for all stock dividends.

Unexercised stock appreciation rights of 363 thousand,171 thousand and 97 thousand were excluded from the computation of diluted income per share for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.

The Company maintains a treasury stock buyback program authorized by its Board of Directors. The most recent authorization in April 2022 approved future purchases of 5,000,000 shares of the Company's common stock. At December 31, 2023,1,757,247 shares of common stock remained available for purchase under the current authorization.

The table below shows activity in the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock during the past three years. Shares in the table below are presented on an historical basis and have not been restated for the annual 5% stock dividends.

• Except as noted in the above table, all share and per share amounts in this footnote have been restated for the 5% common stock dividend distributed in 2023.

15. Regulatory Capital Requirements

The Company is subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal banking agencies. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory and additional discretionary actions by regulators that could have a direct material effect on the Company’s financial statements. The regulations require the Company to meet specific capital adequacy guidelines that involve quantitative measures of the Company’s assets, liabilities and certain off-balance sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices. The Company’s capital classification is also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors.

The following tables show the capital amounts and ratios for the Company (on a consolidated basis) and the Bank, together with the minimum capital adequacy and well-capitalized capital requirements, at the last two year ends.

The minimum required ratios for well-capitalized banks (under prompt corrective action provisions) are 6.5% for Tier I common capital,8.0% for Tier I capital,10.0% for Total capital and 5.0% for the leverage ratio.

At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company met all capital requirements to which it is subject, and the Bank’s capital position exceeded the regulatory definition of well-capitalized.

16. Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Revenue from contracts with customers, Accounting Standard Codification 606 ("ASC 606"), requires revenue recognition for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. For the year ended December 31, 2023, approximately 64% of the Company’s total revenue was comprised of net interest income, which is not within the scope of this guidance. Of the remaining revenue, those items that were subject to this guidance mainly included fees for bank card, trust, deposit account services and consumer brokerage services.

The following table disaggregates revenue from contracts with customers by major product line.

(1) This revenue is not within the scope of ASC 606, and includes fees relating to bond trading activities, loan fees and sales, derivative instruments, standby letters of credit and various other transactions.

The following table presents the opening and closing receivable balances for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 for the Company’s significant revenue categories from contracts with customers.

For these revenue categories, none of the transaction price has been allocated to performance obligations that are unsatisfied as of the end of a reporting period. A description of these revenue categories follows.

Bank Card Transaction Fees

The following table presents the components of bank card fee income.

Themajority of debit and credit card fees are reported in the Consumer segment, while corporate card and merchant fees are reported in the Commercial segment.

Debit and Credit Card Fees

The Company issues debit and credit cards to its retail and commercial banking customers who use the cards to purchase goods and services from merchants through an electronic payment system. As a card issuer, the Company earns fees, including interchange income, for processing the cardholder’s purchase transaction with a merchant through a settlement network. Purchases are charged directly to a customer’s checking account (in the case of a debit card), or are posted to a customer’s credit card account. The fees earned are established by the settlement network and are dependent on the type of transaction processed but are typically based on a per unit charge. Interchange income, the largest component of debit and credit card fees, is settled daily through the networks. The services provided to the cardholders include issuing and maintaining cards, settling purchases with merchants, and maintaining memberships in various card networks to facilitate processing. These services are considered one performance obligation, as one of the services would not be performed without the others. The performance obligation is satisfied as services are rendered for each purchase transaction, and income is immediately recognized.

In order to participate in the settlement network process, the Company must pay various transaction-related costs, established by the networks, including membership fees and a per unit charge for each transaction. These expenses are recorded net of the card fees earned.

Consumer credit card products offer cardholders rewards that can be later redeemed for cash, goods or services to encourage card usage. Reward programs must meet network requirements based on the type of card issued. The expense associated with the rewards granted are recorded net of the credit card fees earned.

Commercial card products offer cash rewards to corporate cardholders to encourage card usage in facilitating corporate payments. The Company pays cash rewards based on contractually agreed upon amounts, normally as a percent of each sales transaction. The expense associated with the cash rewards program is recorded net of the corporate card fees earned.

Merchant Fees

The Company offers merchant processing services to its business customers to enable them to accept credit and debit card payments. Merchant processing activities include gathering merchant sales information, authorizing sales transactions and collecting the funds from card issuers using the networks. The merchant is charged a merchant discount fee for the services based on agreed upon pricing between the merchant and the Company. Merchant fees are recorded net of outgoing interchange costs paid to the card issuing banks and net of other network costs as shown in the table above.

Merchant services provided are considered one performance obligation, as one of the services would not be performed without the others. The performance obligation is satisfied as services are rendered for each settlement transaction and income is immediately recognized. Income earned from merchant fees settles with the customer according to terms negotiated in individual customer contracts. The majority of customers settle with the Company at least monthly.

Trust Fees

The following table shows the components of revenue within trust fees, which are reported within the Wealth segment.

The Company provides trust and asset management services to both private client and institutional trust customers including asset custody, investment advice, and reporting and administrative services. Other specialized services such as tax preparation, financial planning, representation and other related services are provided as needed. Trust fees are generally earned monthly and billed based on a rate multiplied by the fair value of the customer's trust assets. The majority of customer trust accounts are billed monthly. However, some accounts are billed quarterly, and a small number of accounts are billed semi-annually or annually, in accordance with agreements in place with the customer. The Company accrues trust fees monthly based on an estimate of fees due and either directly charges the customer’s account the following month or invoices the customer for fees due according to the billing schedule.

The Company maintains written product pricing information which is used to bill each trust customer based on the services provided. Providing trust services is considered to be a single performance obligation that is satisfied on a monthly basis, involving the monthly custody of customer assets, statement rendering, periodic investment advice where applicable, and other specialized services as needed. As such, performance obligations are considered to be satisfied at the conclusion of each month while trust fee income is also recognized monthly.

Deposit Account Charges and Other Fees

The following table shows the components of revenue within deposit account charges and other fees.

Approximately 67% of this revenue is reported in the Commercial segment, while the remainder is reported in the Consumer segment.

The Company provides corporate cash management services to its business and non-profit customers to meet their various transaction processing needs. Such services include deposit and check processing, lockbox, remote deposit, reconciliation, online banking and other similar transaction processing services. The Company maintains unit prices for each type of service, and the customer is billed based on transaction volumes processed monthly. The customer is usually billed either monthly or quarterly, however, some customers may be billed semi-annually or annually. The customer may pay for the cash management services either by paying in cash or using the value of deposit balances (formula provided to the customer) held at the Company. The Company’s performance obligation for corporate cash management services is the processing of items over a monthly term, and the obligations are satisfied at the conclusion of each month.

Overdraft fees are charged to customers when daily checks and other withdrawals to customers’ accounts exceed balances on hand. Fees are based on a unit price multiplied by the number of items processed whose total amounts exceed the available account balance. The daily overdraft charge is calculated, and the fee is posted to the customer’s account each day. The Company’s performance obligation for overdraft transactions is based on the daily transaction processed and the obligation is satisfied as each day’s transaction processing is concluded.

Other deposit fees include numerous smaller fees such as monthly statement fees, foreign ATM processing fees, identification restoration fees, and stop payment fees. Such fees are mostly billed to customers directly on their monthly deposit account statements, or in the case of foreign ATM processing fees, the fee is charged to the customer on the day that transactions are processed. Performance obligations for all of these various services are satisfied at the time that the service is rendered.

Consumer Brokerage Services

Consumer brokerage services revenue is comprised of commissions received upon the execution of purchases and sales of mutual fund shares and equity securities, in addition to sales of annuities and certain limited insurance products, in an agency capacity. Also, commissions are earned on professionally managed advisory programs. Revenue from these services is generally recognized as a commission at the time of the transaction’s execution. Mutual fund and other distribution fees are recognized upon initial transaction execution as well as in future periods as customers continue to hold amounts in those mutual funds. Commission revenue for advisory services is recognized ratably over the contract term. Nearly all of the Company’s consumer brokerage services revenue is recorded in the Wealth segment.

Other Non-Interest Income from Contracts with Customers

Other non-interest income from contracts with customers consists mainly of various transaction-driven revenue streams such as ATM fees, check sales and wire fees, cash sweep commissions, and gains on sales of tax credits. Performance obligations for these services consist mainly of the execution of a single transaction at a single point in time. Fees from these revenue sources are recognized when the performance obligation is completed, at which time cash is received by the Company.

17. Fair Value Measurements

The Company uses fair value measurements to record fair value adjustments to certain financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities and to determine fair value disclosures. Various financial instruments such as available for sale debt securities, equity securities, trading debt securities, certain investments relating to private equity activities, and derivatives are recorded at fair value on a recurring basis. Additionally, from time to time, the Company may be required to record other assets and liabilities at fair value on a nonrecurring basis, such as mortgage servicing rights and certain other investment securities. These nonrecurring fair value adjustments typically involve lower of cost or fair value accounting, or write-downs of individual assets.

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Depending on the nature of the asset or liability, the Company uses various valuation techniques and assumptions when estimating fair value. For accounting disclosure purposes, a three-level valuation hierarchy of fair value measurements has been established. The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date. The three levels are defined as follows:

•Level 1 – inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

•Level 2 – inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, and inputs that are observable for the assets or liabilities, either directly or indirectly (such as interest rates, yield curves, and prepayment speeds).

•Level 3 – inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value. These may be internally developed, using the Company’s best information and assumptions that a market participant would consider.

When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities required or permitted to be recorded or disclosed at fair value, the Company considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact and considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability. When possible, the Company looks to active and observable markets to price identical assets or liabilities. When identical assets and liabilities are not traded in active markets, the Company looks to observable market data for similar assets and liabilities. Nevertheless, certain assets and liabilities are not actively traded in observable markets, and the Company must use alternative valuation techniques to derive an estimated fair value measurement.

Instruments Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

The table below presents the carrying values of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2023 and 2022. There were no transfers among levels during these years.

*The fair value of each class of derivative is shown in Note 19.

Valuation methods for instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis

Following is a description of the Company’s valuation methodologies used for instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis:

Residential mortgage loans held for sale

The Company originates fixed rate, first lien residential mortgage loans that are intended for sale in the secondary market. Fair value is based on quoted secondary market prices for loans with similar characteristics, which are adjusted to include the embedded servicing value in the loans. This adjustment represents an unobservable input to the valuation but is not considered significant given the relative insensitivity of the valuation to changes in this input. Accordingly, these loan measurements are classified as Level 2.

Available for sale debt securities

For available for sale securities, changes in fair value are recorded in other comprehensive income. This portfolio comprises the majority of the assets which the Company records at fair value. Most of the portfolio, which includes government-sponsored enterprise, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, are priced utilizing industry-standard models that consider various assumptions, including time value, yield curves, volatility factors, prepayment speeds, default rates, loss severity, current market and contractual prices for the underlying financial instruments, as well as other relevant economic measures. Substantially all of these assumptions are observable in the marketplace, can be derived from observable data, or are supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace. These measurements are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. Where quoted prices are available in an active market, the measurements are classified as Level 1. Most of the Level 1 measurements apply to U.S. Treasury obligations.

The fair values of Level 1 and 2 securities in the available for sale portfolio are prices provided by a third-party pricing service. The prices provided by the third-party pricing service are based on observable market inputs, as described in the sections below. On a quarterly basis, the Company compares these prices to other independent sources for the same and similar securities. Variances are analyzed, and, if appropriate, additional research is conducted with the third-party pricing service. Based on this research, the pricing service may affirm or revise its quoted price. No significant adjustments have been made to the prices provided by the pricing service. The pricing service also provides documentation on an ongoing basis that includes reference data, inputs and methodology by asset class, which is reviewed by the Company to ensure that security placement within the fair value hierarchy is appropriate.

Valuation methods and inputs, by class of security:

•U.S. government and federal agency obligations

U.S. treasury bills, bonds and notes, including inflation-protected securities, are valued using quoted prices from active markets. Valuations for stripped coupon and principal issues are derived from yield curves generated from various dealer contacts and live data sources.

•Government-sponsored enterprise obligations

Government-sponsored enterprise obligations are evaluated using cash flow valuation models. Inputs used are live market data, cash settlements, Treasury market yields, and floating rate indices such as SOFR, CMT, and Prime.

•State and municipal obligations, excluding auction rate securities

A yield curve is generated and applied to bond sectors, and individual bond valuations are extrapolated. Inputs used to generate the yield curve are bellwether issue levels, established trading spreads between similar issuers or credits, historical trading spreads over widely accepted market benchmarks, new issue scales, and verified bid information. Bid information is verified by corroborating the data against external sources such as broker-dealers, trustees/paying agents, issuers, or non-affiliated bondholders.

•Mortgage and asset-backed securities

Collateralized mortgage obligations and other asset-backed securities are valued at the tranche level. For each tranche valuation, the process generates predicted cash flows for the tranche, applies a market based (or benchmark) yield/spread for each tranche, and incorporates deal collateral performance and tranche level attributes to determine tranche-specific spreads to adjust the benchmark yield. Tranche cash flows are generated from new deal files and prepayment/default assumptions. Tranche spreads are based on tranche characteristics such as average life, type, volatility, ratings, underlying collateral and performance, and prevailing market conditions. The appropriate tranche spread is applied to the corresponding benchmark, and the resulting value is used to discount the cash flows to generate an evaluated price.

Valuation of agency pass-through securities, typically issued under GNMA, FNMA, FHLMC, and SBA programs, are primarily derived from information from the to-be-announced (TBA) market. This market consists of generic mortgage pools which have not been received for settlement. Snapshots of the TBA market, using live data feeds distributed by multiple electronic platforms, are used in conjunction with other indices to compute a price based on discounted cash flow models.

•Other debt securities

Other debt securities are valued using active markets and inter-dealer brokers as well as option adjusted spreads. The spreads and models use yield curves, terms and conditions of the bonds, and any special features (e.g., call or put options and redemption features).

•Auction rate securities

The available for sale portfolio includes certain auction rate securities. Due to the illiquidity in the auction rate securities market in recent years, the fair value of these securities cannot be based on observable market prices. The fair values of these securities are estimated using a discounted cash flows analysis which is discussed more fully in the Level 3 Inputs section of this note. Because many of the inputs significant to the measurement are not observable, these measurements are classified as Level 3 measurements.

Trading debt securities

The securities in the Company’s trading portfolio are priced by averaging several broker quotes for similar instruments and are classified as Level 2 measurements.

Equity securities with readily determinable fair values

Equity securities are priced using the market prices for each security from the major stock exchanges or other electronic quotation systems. These are generally classified as Level 1 measurements. Stocks which trade infrequently are classified as Level 2.

Private equity investments

These securities are held by the Company’s private equity subsidiary and are included in other investment securities in the consolidated balance sheets. Due to the absence of quoted market prices, valuation of these nonpublic investments requires significant management judgment. These fair value measurements, which are discussed in the Level 3 Inputs section of this note, are classified as Level 3.

Derivatives

The Company’s derivative instruments include interest rate swaps and floors, foreign exchange forward contracts, and certain credit risk guarantee agreements. When appropriate, the impact of credit standing as well as any potential credit enhancements, such as collateral, has been considered in the fair value measurement.

•Valuations for interest rate swaps are derived from a proprietary model whose significant inputs are readily observable market parameters, primarily yield curves used to calculate current exposure. Counterparty credit risk is incorporated into the model and calculated by applying a net credit spread over SOFR to the swap's total expected exposure over time. The net credit spread is comprised of spreads for both the Company and its counterparty, derived from probability of default and other loss estimate information obtained from a third party credit data provider or from the Company's Credit department when not otherwise available. The credit risk component is not significant compared to the overall fair value of the swaps. The results of the model are constantly validated through comparison to active trading in the marketplace.

Parties to swaps requiring central clearing are required to post collateral (generally in the form of cash or marketable securities) to an authorized clearing agency that holds and monitors the collateral. The Company's clearing counterparty characterizes a component of this collateral, known as variation margin, as a legal settlement of the derivative contract exposure, and as a result, the variation margin is considered in determining the fair value of the derivative.

Valuations for interest rate floors are also derived from a proprietary model whose significant inputs are readily observable market parameters, primarily yield curves and volatility surfaces. The model uses market standard methodology of discounting the future expected cash receipts that would occur if variable interest rates fall below the strike rates of the floors. The model also incorporates credit valuation adjustments of both the Company's and the counterparties' non-performance risk. The credit valuation adjustment component is not significant compared to the overall fair value of the floors.

The fair value measurements of interest rate swaps and floors are classified as Level 2 due to the observable nature of the significant inputs utilized.

•Fair value measurements for foreign exchange contracts are derived from a model whose primary inputs are quotations from global market makers and are classified as Level 2.

•The Company’s contracts related to credit risk guarantees are valued under a proprietary model which uses unobservable inputs and assumptions about the creditworthiness of the counterparty (generally a Bank customer). Customer credit spreads, which are based on probability of default and other loss estimates, are calculated internally by the Company's Credit department, as mentioned above, and are based on the Company's internal risk rating for each customer. Because these inputs are significant to the measurements, they are classified as Level 3.

•Derivatives relating to residential mortgage loan sale activity include commitments to originate mortgage loans held for sale, forward loan sale contracts, and forward commitments to sell TBA securities. The fair values of loan commitments and sale contracts are estimated using quoted market prices for loans similar to the underlying loans in these instruments. The valuations of loan commitments are further adjusted to include embedded servicing value and the probability of funding. These assumptions are considered Level 3 inputs and are significant to the loan commitment valuation; accordingly, the measurement of loan commitments is classified as Level 3. The fair value measurement of TBA contracts is based on security prices published on trading platforms and is classified as Level 2.

Assets held in trust for deferred compensation plan

Assets held in an outside trust for the Company’s deferred compensation plan consist of investments in mutual funds. The fair value measurements are based on quoted prices in active markets and classified as Level 1. The Company has recorded an asset representing the total investment amount. The Company has also recorded a corresponding liability, representing the Company’s liability to the plan participants.

The changes in Level 3 assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized as follows:

• Included in "net unrealized gains (losses) on securities" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

Gains and losses on the Level 3 assets and liabilities in the table above are reported in the following income categories:

Level 3 Inputs

The Company's significant Level 3 measurements, which employ unobservable inputs that are readily quantifiable, pertain to investments in portfolio concerns held by the Company's private equity subsidiaries. Information about these inputs as of December 31, 2023 is presented in the table below.

• Unobservable inputs were weighted by the relative fair value of the instruments.

The fair values of the Company's private equity investments are based on a determination of fair value of the investee company less preference payments assuming the sale of the investee company. Investee companies are normally non-public entities. The fair value of the investee company is determined by reference to the investee's total earnings before interest, depreciation/amortization, and income taxes (EBITDA) multiplied by an EBITDA factor. EBITDA is normally determined based on a trailing prior period adjusted for specific factors including current economic outlook, investee management, and specific unique circumstances such as sales order information, major customer status, regulatory changes, etc. The EBITDA multiple is based on management's review of published trading multiples for recent private equity transactions and other judgments and is derived for each individual investee. The fair value of the Company's investment is then calculated based on its ownership percentage in the investee company. On a quarterly basis, these fair value analyses are reviewed by a valuation committee consisting of investment managers and senior Company management.

Instruments Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis

For assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis during 2023 and 2022, and still held as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the following table provides the adjustments to fair value recognized during the respective periods, the level of valuation assumptions used to determine each adjustment, and the carrying value of the related individual assets or portfolios at December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Valuation methods for instruments measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis

Following is a description of the Company’s valuation methodologies used for other financial and nonfinancial instruments measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.

Collateral dependent loans

While the overall loan portfolio is not carried at fair value, the Company periodically records nonrecurring adjustments to the carrying value of loans based on fair value measurements for partial charge-offs of the uncollectible portions of those loans. Nonrecurring adjustments also include certain impairment amounts for collateral dependent loans when establishing the allowance for credit losses on loans. Such amounts are generally based on the fair value of the underlying collateral supporting the loan. In determining the value of real estate collateral, the Company relies on external and internal appraisals of property values depending on the size and complexity of the real estate collateral. The Company maintains a staff of qualified appraisers who also review third party appraisal reports for reasonableness. In the case of non-real estate collateral, reliance is placed on a variety of sources, including external estimates of value and judgments based on the experience and expertise of internal specialists. Values of all loan collateral are regularly reviewed by credit administration. Unobservable inputs to these measurements, which include estimates and judgments often used in conjunction with appraisals, are not readily quantifiable.

These measurements are classified as Level 3. Nonrecurring adjustments to the carrying value of loans based on fair value measurements at December 31, 2023 and 2022 are shown in the table above.

Mortgage servicing rights

The Company initially measures its mortgage servicing rights at fair value and amortizes them over the period of estimated net servicing income. They are periodically assessed for impairment based on fair value at the reporting date. Mortgage servicing rights do not trade in an active market with readily observable prices. Accordingly, the fair value is estimated based on a valuation model which calculates the present value of estimated future net servicing income. The model incorporates assumptions that market participants use in estimating future net servicing income, including estimates of prepayment speeds, market discount rates, cost to service, float earnings rates, and other ancillary income, including late fees. The fair value measurements are classified as Level 3.

Long-lived assets

When investments in branch facilities and various office buildings are determined to be impaired, their carrying values are written down to estimated fair value, or estimated fair value less cost to sell if the property is held for sale. Fair value is estimated in a process which considers current local commercial real estate market conditions and the judgment of the sales agent and often involves obtaining third party appraisals from certified real estate appraisers. The carrying amounts of these real estate holdings are regularly monitored by real estate professionals employed by the Company. These fair value measurements are classified as Level 3. Unobservable inputs to these measurements, which include estimates and judgments often used in conjunction with appraisals, are not readily quantifiable.

18. Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying amounts and estimated fair values of financial instruments held by the Company are set forth below. Fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time based on relevant market information. They do not reflect any premium or discount that could result from offering for sale at one time the Company's entire holdings of a particular financial instrument. Because no market exists for many of the Company's financial instruments, fair value estimates are based on judgments regarding future expected loss experience, risk characteristics and economic conditions. These estimates are subjective, involve uncertainties, and cannot be determined with precision. Changes in assumptions could significantly affect the estimates.

The estimated fair values of the Company’s financial instruments and the classification of their fair value measurement within the valuation hierarchy are as follows at December 31, 2023 and 2022:

19. Derivative Instruments

The notional amounts of the Company’s derivative instruments are shown in the table below. These contractual amounts, along with other terms of the derivative, are used to determine amounts to be exchanged between counterparties and are not a measure of loss exposure. The Company's derivatives are not accounted for as accounting hedges except for the interest rate floors, as discussed below.

The largest group of notional amounts relate to interest rate swap contracts sold to commercial customers who wish to modify their interest rate sensitivity. Those customers are engaged in a variety of businesses, including real estate, manufacturing, retail product distribution, education, and retirement communities. These interest rate swap contracts with customers are offset by matching interest rate swap contracts purchased by the Company from other financial institutions (dealers). Contracts with dealers that require central clearing are novated to a clearing agency who becomes the Company's counterparty. Because of the matching terms of the offsetting contracts, in addition to collateral provisions which mitigate the impact of non-performance risk, changes in fair value subsequent to initial recognition have a minimal effect on earnings.

Many of the Company’s interest rate swap contracts with large financial institutions contain contingent features relating to debt ratings or capitalization levels. Under these provisions, if the Company’s debt rating falls below investment grade or if the Company ceases to be “well-capitalized” under risk-based capital guidelines, certain counterparties can require immediate and ongoing collateralization on interest rate swaps in net liability positions or instant settlement of the contracts. The Company maintains debt ratings and capital well above those minimum requirements.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company held four interest rate floors indexed to 1-month SOFR to hedge the risk of declining interest rates on certain floating rate commercial loans. The floors have a combined notional value of $2.0 billion and are forward-starting. Each of the four interest rate floors has a six-year term and a notional amount of $500 million. In the event that the index rate falls below zero, the maximum rate that the Company can earn on the notional amount of each floor is limited to the strike rate. Information about the floors is provided in the table below.

The premium paid for the floors totaled $90.2 million, which includes $54.4 million paid during 2023. At December 31, 2023, the maximum length of time over which the Company is hedging its exposure to lower rates is approximately 7 years. These interest rate floors qualified and were designated as cash flow hedges and were assessed for effectiveness using regression analysis. The change in the fair value of these interest rate floors is recorded in AOCI, net of the amortization of the premiums paid, which is recorded against interest and fees on loans in the consolidated statements of income. As of December 31, 2023, net deferred losses on the interest rate floors totaled $1.7 million (pre-tax) and were recorded in AOCI in the consolidated balance sheet. As of December 31, 2023, it is expected that $10.8 million (pre-tax) interest rate floor premium amortization will be reclassified from AOCI into earnings over the next 12 months for the outstanding interest rate floors.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company monetized three interest rate floors that were previously classified as cash flow hedges with a combined notional balance of $1.5 billion and an asset fair value of $163.2 million. As of December 31, 2023, the total realized gains on the monetized cash flow hedges remaining in AOCI was $51.3 million (pre-tax), which will be reclassified into interest income over the next 3.0 years. The estimated amount of net gains remaining in AOCI related to the monetized cash flow hedges at December 31, 2023 that is expected to be reclassified into income within the next 12 months is $22.2 million.

The Company also contracts with other financial institutions, as a guarantor or beneficiary, to share credit risk associated with certain interest rate swaps through risk participation agreements. The Company’s risks and responsibilities as guarantor are further discussed in Note 21 on Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees. In addition, the Company enters into foreign exchange contracts, which are mainly comprised of contracts with customers to purchase or deliver specific foreign currencies at specific future dates.

Under its program to sell residential mortgage loans in the secondary market, the Company designates certain newly-originated residential mortgage loans as held for sale. Derivative instruments arising from this activity include mortgage loan commitments and forward loan sale contracts. Changes in the fair values of the loan commitments and funded loans prior to sale that are due to changes in interest rates are economically hedged with forward contracts to sell residential mortgage-backed securities in the to-be-announced (TBA) market. These forward TBA contracts are also considered to be derivatives and are settled in cash at the security settlement date. In late 2022, the Company temporarily paused sales of these loans and halted entering into the forward contracts, as lower demand for mortgage loans coupled with volatility in the TBA market made it difficult to effectively hedge the Company's mortgage loan production. The Company resumed sales during the first quarter of 2023.

The fair values of the Company’s derivative instruments, whose notional amounts are listed above, are shown in the table below. Information about the valuation methods used to determine fair value is provided in Note 17 on Fair Value Measurements. As stated in the summary of significant accounting policies, derivative instruments and their related gains and losses are presented as operating cash flows in the consolidated statement of cash flows.

The Company's policy is to present its derivative assets and derivative liabilities on a gross basis in its consolidated balance sheets, and these are reported in other assets and other liabilities. Certain collateral posted to and from the Company's clearing counterparty has been applied to the fair values of the cleared swaps, such that in the table below, the positive fair values of cleared swaps were reduced by $27.8 million at December 31, 2022. There wasno reduction to negative fair values of cleared swaps at December 31, 2022. There wasno reduction to positive or negative fair values of cleared swaps at December 31, 2023.

The Company made an election to exclude the initial premiums paid on the interest rate floors from the hedge effectiveness measurement. Those initial premiums are amortized over the periods between the premium payment month and the contract maturity month. The pre-tax effects of the gains and losses (both the included and excluded amounts for hedge effectiveness assessment) recognized in the other comprehensive income from the cash flow hedging instruments and the amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income into income (both included and excluded amounts for hedge effectiveness measurement) are shown in the table below.

The gain and loss recognized through various derivative instruments on the consolidated statements of income are shown in the table below.

The following table shows the extent to which assets and liabilities relating to derivative instruments have been offset in the consolidated balance sheets. It also provides information about these instruments which are subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement, irrespective of whether they are offset, and the extent to which the instruments could potentially be offset. Also shown is collateral received or pledged in the form of other financial instruments, which is generally cash or marketable securities. The collateral amounts in this table are limited to the outstanding balances of the related asset or liability (after netting is applied); thus amounts of excess collateral are not shown. Most of the derivatives in the following table were transacted under master netting arrangements that contain a conditional right of offset, such as close-out netting, upon default.

While the Company is party to master netting arrangements with most of its swap counterparties, the Company does not offset derivative assets and liabilities under these arrangements on its consolidated balance sheets. Collateral exchanged between the Company and dealer bank counterparties is generally subject to thresholds and transfer minimums, and usually consist of marketable securities. By contract, this collateral may be sold or re-pledged by the secured party until recalled at a subsequent valuation date by the pledging party. For those swap transactions requiring central clearing, the Company posts cash or securities to its clearing agent. Collateral positions are valued daily, and adjustments to amounts received and pledged by the Company are made as appropriate to maintain proper collateralization for these transactions. Swap derivative transactions with customers are generally secured by rights to non-financial collateral, such as real and personal property, which is not shown in the table below.

20. Resale and Repurchase Agreements

The Company regularly enters into resale and repurchase agreement transactions with other financial institutions and with its own customers. Resale and repurchase agreements are agreements to purchase/sell securities subject to an obligation to resell/repurchase the same or similar securities. They are accounted for as secured lending and collateralized borrowing (e.g. financing transactions), not as true sales and purchases of the underlying collateral securities. Some of the resale and repurchase agreements were transacted under master netting arrangements that contain a conditional right of offset, such as close-out netting, upon default. The security collateral accepted or pledged in resale and repurchase agreements with other financial institutions may be sold or re-pledged by the secured party, but is usually delivered to and held by third party trustees. The Company generally retains custody of securities pledged for repurchase agreements with its customers. Additional information about the Company's repurchase agreements is included in Note 8.

The Company is party to agreements commonly known as collateral swaps. These agreements involve the exchange of collateral under simultaneous repurchase and resale agreements with the same financial institution counterparty. These repurchase and resale agreements have the same principal amounts, inception dates, and maturity dates and have been offset against each other in the consolidated balance sheets, as permitted under the netting provisions of ASC 210-20-45. The collateral swaps totaled $200.0 million at December 31, 2022. There wereno collateral swaps outstanding at December 31, 2023.

The following table shows the extent to which resale agreement assets and repurchase agreement liabilities with the same counterparty have been offset on the consolidated balance sheets, in addition to the extent to which they could potentially be offset. Also shown is collateral received or pledged, which consists of marketable securities. The collateral amounts in the table are limited to the outstanding balances of the related asset or liability (after offsetting is applied); thus amounts of excess collateral are not shown.

The table below shows the remaining contractual maturities of repurchase agreements outstanding at December 31, 2023 and 2022, in addition to the various types of marketable securities that have been pledged by the Company as collateral for these borrowings.

21. Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

The Company engages in various transactions and commitments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet customer financing needs. The Company uses the same credit policies in making the commitments and conditional obligations described below as it does for on-balance sheet instruments. The following table summarizes these commitments at December 31:

Commitments to extend credit are legally binding agreements to lend to a borrower providing there are no violations of any conditions established in the contract. As many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment does not necessarily represent future cash requirements. Refer to Note 2 on Loans and Allowance for Credit Losses for further discussion.

The Company, as a provider of financial services, routinely issues financial guarantees in the form of financial and performance standby letters of credit. Standby letters of credit are contingent commitments issued by the Company generally to guarantee the payment or performance obligation of a customer to a third party. While these represent a potential cash outflow by the Company, a significant amount of the commitments may expire without being drawn upon. To mitigate the potential loss exposure, the Company involves other financial institutions to participate in certain standby letters of credit. Even with such participation, the Company remains liable for the full amount of the standby letters of credit to the third party. The Company has recourse against the customer for any amount it is required to pay to a third party under a standby letter of credit. The standby letters of credit are subject to the same credit policies, underwriting standards and approval process as loans made by the Company. Most of the standby letters of credit are secured, and in the event of nonperformance by the customer, the Company has rights to the underlying collateral, which could include commercial real estate, physical plant and property, inventory, receivables, cash and marketable securities.

At December 31, 2023, the Company had recorded a liability of $3.0 million, representing the carrying value of the guarantee obligations associated with the standby letters of credit. This amount will be accreted into income over the remaining life of the respective commitments. Excluding amounts conveyed to others, commitments outstanding under these letters of credit were $601.8 million, which represents the maximum potential future payments guaranteed by the Company at December 31, 2023.

Commercial letters of credit act as a means of ensuring payment to a seller upon shipment of goods to a buyer. The majority of commercial letters of credit issued are used to settle payments in international trade. Typically, letters of credit require presentation of documents which describe the commercial transaction, evidence shipment, and transfer title.

The Company regularly purchases various state tax credits arising from third-party property redevelopment. These tax credits are either resold to third parties for a profit or retained for use by the Company. During 2023, the Company purchased and sold state tax credits amounting to $112.1 million and $54.0 million, respectively. At December 31, 2023, the Company had outstanding purchase commitments totaling $187.1 million that it expects to fund in 2024. The remaining purchase commitments amount to $388.2 million and are expected to be funded from 2025 through 2029.

The Company periodically enters into credit risk participation agreements (RPAs) as a guarantor to other financial institutions, in order to mitigate those institutions’ credit risk associated with interest rate swaps with third parties. The RPA stipulates that, in the event of default by the third party on the interest rate swap, the Company will reimburse a portion of the loss borne by the financial institution. These interest rate swaps are normally collateralized (generally with real property, inventories and equipment) by the third party, which limits the credit risk associated with the Company’s RPAs. The third parties usually have other borrowing relationships with the Company. The Company monitors overall borrower collateral, and at December 31, 2023, believes sufficient collateral is available to cover potential swap losses. The RPAs are carried at fair value throughout their term, with all changes in fair value, including those due to a change in the third party’s creditworthiness, recorded in current earnings. The terms of the RPAs, which correspond to the terms of the underlying swaps, range from 1 to 15 years. At December 31, 2023, the fair value of the Company's guarantee liability RPAs was $194 thousand, and the notional amount of the underlying swaps was $475.5 million. The maximum potential future payment guaranteed by the Company cannot be readily estimated and is dependent upon the fair value of the interest rate swaps at the time of default.

The Company has various legal proceedings pending at December 31, 2023, arising in the normal course of business. While some matters pending against the Company specify damages claimed by plaintiffs, others do not seek a specified amount of damages or are at very early stages of the legal process. The Company records a loss accrual for all legal and regulatory matters for which it deems a loss is probable and can be reasonably estimated. Some matters, which are in the early stages, have not yet progressed to the point where a loss amount can be determined to be probable and estimable.

22. Related Parties

The Company’s Chief Executive Officer, its Executive Chairman, and its former Vice Chairman are directors of Tower Properties Company (Tower) and, together with members of their immediate families, beneficially own approximately 66% of the outstanding stock of Tower. At December 31, 2023, Tower owned 257,680 shares of Company stock. Tower is primarily engaged in the business of owning, developing, leasing and managing real property.

Payments from the Company and its affiliates to Tower are summarized below. These payments, with the exception of dividend payments, relate to property management services, including construction oversight, on three Company-owned office buildings and related parking garages in downtown Kansas City.

Tower has a $13.5 million line of credit with the Bank which is subject to normal credit terms and has a variable interest rate. The line of credit is collateralized by Company stock and based on collateral value had a maximum borrowing amount of approximately $11.0 million at December 31, 2023. There wereno borrowings under this line during 2023, andno balance was outstanding at December 31, 2023. There wereno borrowings during 2022 and 2021, and there wasno balance outstanding at December 31, 2022 or 2021. Letters of credit may be collateralized under this line of credit; however, there wereno letters of credit outstanding during 2023, 2022 or 2021, and thus, no fees were received during these periods. From time to time, the Bank extends additional credit to Tower for construction and development projects. No construction loans were outstanding during 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Tower leases office space in the Kansas City bank headquarters building owned by the Company. Rent paid to the Company totaled $82 thousand in 2023, $82 thousand in 2022, and $83 thousand in 2021, at $17.50, $17.44 and $17.25 per square foot, for years 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively.

Directors of the Company and their beneficial interests have deposit accounts with the Bank and may be provided with cash management and other banking services, including loans, in the ordinary course of business. Such loans were made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with other unrelated persons and did not involve more than the normal risk of collectability. See Note 2 Loans and Allowance for Credit Losses for additional information for loans to directors and executive officers of the Company and the Bank, and to their affiliates.

23. Parent Company Condensed Financial Statements

Following are the condensed financial statements of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (Parent only) for the periods indicated:

Dividends paid by the Parent to its shareholders were substantially provided from Bank dividends. The Bank may distribute common dividends without prior regulatory approval, provided that the dividends do not exceed the sum of net income for the current year and retained net income for the preceding two years, subject to maintenance of minimum capital requirements. The Parent charges fees to its subsidiaries for management services provided, which are allocated to the subsidiaries based primarily on total average assets. The Parent makes cash advances to its private equity subsidiary for general short-term cash flow purposes. Advances may be made to the Parent by its subsidiary bank for temporary investment of idle funds. Interest on such advances is based on market rates.

The Bank has $50.0 million of borrowings from the Parent as part of its strategy to manage FDIC insurance premiums. The note has a rolling 13 month maturity, and the interest rate is a variable rate equal to the one year treasury rate.

For the past several years, the Parent has maintained a $20.0 million line of credit for general corporate purposes with the Bank. The Parent hasnot borrowed under this line during the past three years.

The Parent plans to fund an additional $69.4 million relating to private equity investments over the next several years. The investments are made directly by the Parent and through non-bank subsidiaries.

At December 31, 2023, the fair value of the investment securities held by the Parent consisted of investments of $5.1 million in corporate bonds, $5.4 million in preferred and common stock with readily determinable fair values, and $6.0 million in equity securities that do not have readily determinable fair values. The Parent also holds 823,447 shares of Visa Class B-1 common stock, which are discussed in Note 3.