In the normal course of business, the Company is party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in order to meet the financing needs of its customers and to reduce its own exposure to fluctuations in interest rates. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit, commercial letters of credit, standby letters of credit, forward foreign exchange contracts and spot foreign exchange contracts. These instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit and interest rate risk in excess of the amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The contractual or notional amount of those instruments reflects the extent of involvement the Company has in particular classes of financial instruments. Many of the commitments expire without being drawn upon; therefore, the total amount of these commitments does not necessarily represent the future cash requirements of the Company.

The Company’s exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the counterparty to the financial instruments for commitments to extend credit, commercial letters of credit, and standby letters of credit is represented by the contract or notional amount of those instruments. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for on-balance sheet instruments.

The following table summarizes the Company’s off-balance sheet financial instruments (in thousands):

	Contract or Notional Amount
	September 30,		December 31,
	2022		2021
Commitments to extend credit for loans (excluding credit card loans)	$	12,230,805	$	10,122,617
Commitments to extend credit under credit card loans		3,898,171		3,743,165
Commercial letters of credit		2,253		2,754
Standby letters of credit		442,225		365,030
Forward contracts		29,158		9,729
Spot foreign exchange contracts		6,863		2,946

The Company estimates expected credit losses over the contractual period in which the Company is exposed to credit risk via a contractual obligation to extend credit, unless that obligation is unconditionally cancelable by the Company. The estimate includes consideration of the likelihood that funding will occur and an estimate of expected credit losses on commitments expected to be funded over its estimated life. The estimate is based on expected utilization rates by portfolio segment. Utilization rates are influenced by historical trends and current conditions. The expected utilization rates are applied to the total commitment to determine the expected amount to be funded. The allowance for off-balance sheet credit exposure is calculated by applying portfolio segment expected credit loss rates to the expected amount to be funded.

The following categories of off-balance sheet credit exposures have been identified:

Revolving Lines of Credit: includes commercial, construction, agriculture, personal, and home-equity. Risks inherent to revolving lines of credit often are related to the susceptibility of an individual or business experiencing unpredictable cash flow or financial troubles, thus leading to payment default. During these financial troubles, the borrower could have less than desirable assets collateralizing the revolving line of credit. The financial strain the borrower is experiencing could lead to drawing against the line without the ability to pay the line down.

Non-Revolving Lines of Credit: includes commercial and personal. Lines that do not carry a revolving feature are generally associated with a specific expenditure or project, such as to purchase equipment or the construction of real estate. The predominate risk associated with non-revolving lines is the diversion of funds for other expenditures. If funds get diverted, the contributory value to collateral suffers.

Letters of Credit: includes standby letters of credit. Generally, a standby letter of credit is established to provide assurance to the beneficiary that the applicant will perform certain obligations arising out of a separate transaction between the beneficiary and applicant. These obligations might be the performance of a service or delivery of a product. If the obligations are not met, it gives the beneficiary, the right to draw on the letter of credit.

The ACL for off-balance sheet credit exposures was $3.1 million and $2.6 million at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, and was recorded in the Accrued expenses and taxes line of the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. There was no provision for off-balance sheet credit exposures recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2022. For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, provision of $500 thousand was recorded for off-balance sheet credit exposures. A reduction of $1.0 million and $3.0 million of provision for off-balance sheet credit exposures was recorded for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively. Provision for off-balance sheet credit exposure is recorded in the Provision for credit losses line of the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income.