COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
NOTE 16. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

The Company is party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit, financial guarantees, and standby letters of credit. They involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of amounts recognized on the consolidated balance sheets.

 

The Company’s exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instruments for commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit is represented by the contractual notional amount of those instruments. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments and issuing letters of credit as they do for on-balance-sheet instruments.

 

A summary of the contract or notional amount of the Company’s exposure to off-balance-sheet risk as of December 31 is as follows:

 

(in thousands)   2016     2015  
Financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk:                
Commitments to extend credit   $ 554,980     $ 302,591  
Financial letters of credit     12,444       2,610  
Standby letters of credit     4,898       4,314  

 

Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as there is no violation of any condition established in the contract. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. Credit card commitments are generally unsecured.

 

Financial and standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. Financial letters of credit are issued specifically to facilitate commerce and typically result in the commitment being drawn on when the underlying transaction is consummated between the customer and the third party, while standby letters of credit generally are contingent upon the failure of the customer to perform according to the terms of the underlying contract with the third party. Both of these guarantees are primarily issued to support public and private borrowing arrangements and, generally, have terms of one year or less. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers. The Company holds collateral, which may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, equipment, and income-producing properties, supporting those commitments if deemed necessary. For standby letters of credit, in the event the customer does not perform in accordance with the terms of the agreement with the third-party, the Company would be required to fund the commitment. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make is represented by the contractual amount. If the commitment is funded, the Company would be entitled to seek recovery from the customer. At December 31, 2016 and 2015, no amounts have been recorded as liabilities for the Company’s potential obligations under these guarantees.

 

The Company has federal funds accommodations with other financial institutions where funds may be borrowed on a short-term basis at the market rate in effect at the time of the borrowing. The total federal funds accommodations as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 were $75 million. At December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company had no outstanding balance on these lines.

 

In the normal course of business, the Company is involved in various legal proceedings. In the opinion of management, any liability resulting from such proceedings would not have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial statements.