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Financial Instruments with Off-Balance Sheet Risk
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Financial Instruments with Off-Balance Sheet Risk  
Financial Instruments with Off-Balance Sheet Risk

17. Financial Instruments with Off-Balance Sheet Risk

 

The Bank is party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of their customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit that involve varying degrees of credit and interest rate risk in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated financial statements. Such financial instruments are recorded in the consolidated financial statements when they are funded or related fees are incurred or received. The contract amounts of those instruments reflect the extent of involvement (and therefore the exposure to credit loss) the Bank has in particular classes of financial instruments.

 

Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer provided that the terms established in the contract are met. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates and may require payment of fees. Because some commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. These guarantees 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 loan commitments to customers.

 

The Bank had in the aggregate outstanding unused commitments to extend credit of $1.1 billion at December 31, 2012. The Bank had outstanding standby letters of credit of $36.5 million at December 31, 2012.

 

The Bank uses the same credit policies in making commitments and standby letters of credit as it does for on-balance sheet instruments. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary, upon extension of credit is based on management’s credit evaluation of the borrower. Collateral held varies but may include real estate, accounts receivable, marketable securities, interest-bearing deposit accounts, inventory, and property, plant and equipment.

 

In the normal course of business, FSC executes, settles, and finances various securities transactions that may expose FSC to off-balance sheet risk in the event that a customer or counterparty does not fulfill its contractual obligations. Examples of such transactions include the sale of securities not yet purchased by customers or for the account of FSC, clearing agreements between FSC and various clearinghouses and broker-dealers, secured financing arrangements that involve pledged securities, and when-issued underwriting and purchase commitments.