Note 19 - Commitments and Credit Risk

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Notes to Financial Statements

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

NOTE

19:

     COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT RISK

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 a portion of the commitments

may

expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Bank evaluates each customer's credit worthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Bank upon extension of credit, is based on management's credit evaluation of the counterparty. Collateral held varies but

may

include accounts receivable, inventory, property and equipment, commercial real estate and residential real estate.

As of

December

31,

2016

and

2015,

the Bank had outstanding commitments to originate fixed-rate mortgage loans of approximately

$6,152,000

and

$4,218,000,

respectively. The commitments extend over varying periods of time with the majority being disbursed within a

thirty

-day period.

Standby letters of credit are irrevocable conditional commitments issued by the Bank to guarantee the performance of a customer to a

third

party. Financial standby letters of credit are primarily issued to support public and private borrowing arrangements, including commercial paper, bond financing and similar transactions. Performance standby letters of credit are issued to guarantee performance of certain customers under non-financial contractual obligations. The credit risk involved in issuing standby letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loans to customers. Fees for letters of credit are initially recorded by the Bank as deferred revenue and are included in earnings at the termination of the respective agreements. Should the Bank be obligated to perform under the standby letters of credit, the Bank

may

seek recourse from the customer for reimbursement of amounts paid.

The Bank had total outstanding standby letters of credit amounting to

$11,596,000

and

$12,135,000

as of

December

31,

2016

and

2015,

respectively, with terms ranging from

1

year to

2

years.

The Bank has confirming letters of credit from the FHLB issued for collateral on public deposits and to enhance Bank issued letters of credit granted to various customers for industrial revenue bond issues.  As of

December

31,

2016

and

2015,

these letters of credit aggregated approximately

$19,725,000

and

$20,028,000.

 

Lines of credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as there is no violation of any condition established in the contract. Lines of credit generally have fixed expiration dates. Since a portion of the line

may

expire without being drawn upon, the total unused lines do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. Each customer's credit worthiness is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary, is based on management's credit evaluation of the counterparty. Collateral held varies but

may

include accounts receivable, inventory, property and equipment, commercial real estate and residential real estate. Management uses the same credit policies in granting lines of credit as it does for on balance sheet instruments.

As of

December

31,

2016

and

2015,

unused lines of credit to borrowers aggregated approximately

$89,103,000

and

$68,066,000,

respectively, for commercial lines and

$15,960,000

and

$14,461,000,

respectively, for open-end consumer lines.