SEC Company Response from FOUR OAKS FINCORP INC (CIK 0001040799) — Oct 6, 2005
FOUR OAKS FINCORP INC (CIK 0001040799)
Date: Oct. 6, 2005 · CIK: 0001040799 · Accession: 0001157523-05-008655
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CORRESP
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Four Oaks Fincorp Correspondence
October
6, 2005
Via
EDGAR and Facsimile (202-772-9208)
Donald
Walker
Senior
Assistant Chief Accountant
Division
of Corporation Finance
Securities
and Exchange Commission
100
F
Street, N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549-0306
Re:
Four Oaks Fincorp, Inc.
Form
10-K for the fiscal year
ended
December
31, 2004
Forms
10-Q for quarterly periods ended
March
31, 2005 and June 30, 2005
Dear
Mr.
Walker:
This
letter responds to your comment
letter of September 23, 2005 regarding the above-referenced filings made by
Four
Oaks Fincorp, Inc. (the “Company”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the “Commission”). This letter includes the comment from your letter in bold
with the Company’s response set forth immediately below.
1.
You
disclose that an outstanding interest rate swap agreement used to
hedge
variable rate loans requires the company to make payment at a variable
rate determined by a specified index (prime) in exchange for receiving
payments at a fixed rate. The prime rate is not included in the definition
of benchmark interest rate and therefore may not be designated as
the
hedged risk in a hedge of interest rate risk. Refer to paragraph
17 of
Appendix A of SFAS 138 Basis For Conclusions (Unamended) and tell
us how
you determined that hedge accounting under SFAS 133/138 was appropriate.
We
manage
our interest rate risk relating to prime-based loans using cash flow hedging
instruments, not interest rate risk hedging instruments. Pursuant to FASB’s
Statement 133 Implementation Issue No. G25 (“No. G25”), we follow the
first-payments received technique for our cash flow hedges, which allows hedge
accounting for payments made at a variable rate determined by a specified index
(prime) in exchange for receiving payments at a fixed rate as long as the
hedging relationship meets all other conditions in SFAS 133/138. Therefore,
considering and utilizing all components otherwise required by SFAS 133/138,
we
have relied on No. G25 as a basis for hedge accounting to limit the variability
in cash flows, primarily from interest receipts, from our variable rate
loans.
Both
the
interest rate swap agreement used to hedge our variable rate loans and the
variable rate loans are based on the national prime rate set forth in the Wall
Street Journal. We use the first-payments-received technique for identifying
the
hedged cash flows from our variable prime-rate based loans for our rolling
portfolio of prepayable interest-earning loans. On a quarterly basis, we
determine whether we have at least the notional amount of the swap of those
prime-rate based loans outstanding through the period of the interest rate
swap,
even though the composition of these loans are likely to change due to
prepayments, defaults and additional lending. Replacement of loans within the
portfolio may involve loans existing at, or after, the inception of the hedging
relationship. The loans that we identify share the same risk exposure for which
they are designated as being hedged.
We
report
all changes in the fair value of interest rate swaps designated as instruments
that hedge the variability of cash flows associated with variable rate loans
in
other comprehensive income. During the referenced time periods, these hedges
were 100% effective, and there was no component of the derivative instruments’
gain or loss which was excluded from the assessment of hedge
effectiveness.
As
a
result of your comment and to clarify our approach, we plan to include the
following revised derivative footnote in our future periodic reports (derived
from the December 31, 2004 Form 10-K footnote I, page 47):
“The
Company originates variable rate loans for its loan portfolio. These loans
expose the Company to variability in cash flows, primarily from interest
receipts due to changes to interest rates. If interest rates increase, interest
income increases. Conversely, if interest rates decrease, interest income
decreases. Management believes it is prudent to limit the variability of a
portion of its cash flows on variable rate loans. As a result, the Company
generally hedges a portion of its variable-rate receipts. To meet this
objective, management enters into interest rate swap agreements whereby the
Company receives fixed rate payments and makes variable rate payments during
the
contract period.”
*
* * * *
As
requested in your September 23, 2005
letter, the Company acknowledges that:
·
the
Company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure
in
the filing;
·
Staff
comments or changes to disclosure in response to Staff comments do
not
foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the
filing; and
·
the
Company may not assert Staff comments as a defense in any proceeding
initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal securities
laws of the United States.
If
we can
be of further assistance in facilitating your review of the above responses,
please do not hesitate to contact me by phone (919) 963-1130 or email
(nswise@fouroaksbank.com).
Sincerely,
Nancy
S. Wise
Executive
Vice President and
Chief
Financial Officer
cc:
Jason L. Martinez, Esq.
Margaret
N. Rosenfeld, Esq.