Company: FRME
Filing Date: 2025-10-30
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0000712534-25-000197
Chunk: 256

Company: FIRST MERCHANTS CORP
Filing Date: 2025-10-30
Form: 10-Q
Item: Part I, Item 2
Chunk 256
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 after December 31, 2022 by publicly traded U.S. corporations (like the Corporation). With certain exceptions, the value of stock repurchased is determined net of stock issued in the year, including shares issued pursuant to compensatory arrangements.  During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, the Corporation recorded excise tax of $32,000 and $0.3 million, respectively.  During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Corporation recorded excise tax of $25,000 and $0.5 million, respectively, related to its share repurchases during the period, which is reflected in the Statement of Stockholders' Equity as a component of additional paid-in capital.

Regulatory Capital

Capital adequacy is an important indicator of financial stability and performance.  The Corporation and the Bank are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal banking agencies and are assigned to a capital category.  The assigned capital category is largely determined by four ratios that are calculated according to the regulations: total risk-based capital, tier 1 risk-based capital, common equity tier 1 ("CET1"), and tier 1 leverage ratios.  The ratios are intended to measure capital relative to assets and credit risk associated with those assets and off-balance sheet exposures of the entity.  The capital category assigned to an entity can also be affected by qualitative judgments made by regulatory agencies about the risk inherent in the entity's activities that are not part of the calculated ratios.

There are five capital categories defined in the regulations, ranging from well capitalized to critically undercapitalized.  Classification of a bank in any of the undercapitalized categories can result in actions by regulators that could have a material effect on a bank's operations.  Quantitative measures established by regulation to ensure capital adequacy require the Bank to maintain minimum amounts and ratios of total risk-based capital, tier 1 capital, and CET1 capital, in each case, to risk-weighted assets, and of tier 1 capital to average assets, or leverage ratio, all of which are calculated as defined in the regulations.  Banks with lower capital levels are deemed to be undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized or critically undercapitalized, depending on their actual levels.  The appropriate federal regulatory agency may also downgrade a bank to the next lower capital category upon a determination that the bank is in an unsafe or unsound practice.  Banks are required to monitor closely their capital levels and to notify their appropriate regulatory agency of any