Off-balance-sheet risk – The Company is a party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financial needs of its customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit. These instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit and interest-rate risk in excess of the amounts recognized in the financial statements. The contract amounts of these instruments reflect the extent of involvement that the Company has in particular classes of instruments.

 

The Company’s exposure to credit loss in the event of non-performance by the other party to the financial instrument for commitments to extend credit, and to potential credit loss associated with letters of credit issued, is represented by the contractual amount of those instruments. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for loans and other such on-balance sheet instruments.

 

The Company had outstanding the following approximate off-balance-sheet financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands):

 

 

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 the payment of a fee. Historically, many commitments expire without being drawn upon; therefore, the total commitment amounts shown in the above table are not necessarily indicative of future cash requirements. The Company evaluates each customer’s creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, as deemed necessary by the Company upon extension of credit is based on management’s credit evaluation of the customer. Collateral held varies but may include personal or income-producing commercial real estate, accounts receivable, inventory and equipment.

 

Standby letters of credit are written conditional commitments issued by the Bank to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loans to customers.

 

Concentrations of credit risk – All of the Company’s loans, commitments to extend credit, and standby letters of credit have been granted to customers in the Company’s market area. Although the Company is building a diversified loan portfolio, a substantial portion of its clients’ ability to honor contracts is reliant upon the economic stability of the Richmond, Virginia area, including the real estate markets in the area. The concentrations of credit by type of loan are set forth in Note 5. The distribution of commitments to extend credit approximates the distribution of loans outstanding.

 

 

Prior Agreements with Regulators – In February 2012, the Bank entered into a Stipulation and Consent to the Issuance of a Consent Order with the FDIC and the Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions (the “Supervisory Authorities”), and the Supervisory Authorities issued the related Consent Order effective February 3, 2012 (the “Consent Order”). In June 2012, the Company entered into a similar written agreement (the “Written Agreement”) with the Reserve Bank. As a result of the steps the Company and the Bank took to, among other things, improve asset quality, increase capital, augment management and board oversight, and increase earnings, the Consent Order was terminated effective December 14, 2015. In place of the Consent Order, the Bank’s Board of Directors made certain written assurances to the Supervisory Authorities in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) that became effective November 17, 2015. Due to further improvements by the Company and the Bank in asset quality and earnings, and the correction of a prior Regulation W violation, the MOU was terminated effective May 12, 2016, and the Written Agreement was terminated effective July 28, 2016. With the terminations of the MOU and the Written Agreement, neither the Company nor the Bank is under any formal or informal agreements with its regulators.