Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Note 14. Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

Commitments:

The Company is a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing and depository needs of its customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit. Such commitments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk and interest rate risk in excess of the amount recognized in the balance sheets. The majority of all commitments to extend credit are variable rate instruments while the standby letters of credit are primarily fixed rate instruments. The Company’s exposure to credit loss is represented by the contractual amount of those instruments. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments as it does for on-balance sheet instruments.

A summary of the Company's total contractual amount for all off-balance sheet commitments for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, are as follows (in thousands):

	December 31,		December 31,
	2023		2022
Commitments to extend credit	$	716,951	$	911,998
Standby letters of credit		7,611		6,897

At December 31, 2023, and 2022, the allowance for these off-balance sheet commitments, included in other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet, was $2.4 million and $85 thousand, respectively. With the adoption of ASU 2016-13, effective January 1, 2023, there was an increase in the allowance of $3.0 million on these off-balance sheet commitments. The expense (credit) related to the allowance for off-balance sheet commitments during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, was ($725) thousand, $15 thousand and $9 thousand, respectively.

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. The amount of collateral obtained, if 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 accounts receivable, inventory, property and equipment, residential real estate, and income-producing commercial properties.

Standby letters of credit issued by the Company are conditional commitments to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. Those letters of credit are primarily issued to support public and private borrowing arrangements. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loans to customers. Collateral held varies and is required in instances which the Company deems necessary. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the carrying amount of liabilities related to the Company’s obligation to perform under standby letters of credit was insignificant. The Company has not been required to perform on any standby letters of credit, and the Company has not incurred any losses on standby letters of credit for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Contingent Liabilities:

The Company is subject in the normal course of business to various pending and threatened legal proceedings in which claims for monetary damages are asserted. Management, after consultation with legal counsel, does not anticipate that the aggregate ultimate liability arising out of litigation pending or threatened against the Company will be material to the Company’s consolidated financial position. On an on-going basis, the Company assesses any potential liabilities or contingencies in connection with such legal proceedings. For those matters where it is deemed probable that the Company will incur losses and the amount of the losses can be reasonably estimated, the Company would record an expense and corresponding liability in its consolidated financial statements.