Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Note 15     Commitments and Contingencies 

The Company issues off-balance sheet financial instruments to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial instruments include commitments to fund loans, unfunded commitments under existing lines of credit, and commercial and standby letters of credit. These commitments expose the Company to varying degrees of credit and market risk which are essentially the same as those involved in extending loans to customers, and are subject to the same credit policies used in underwriting loans. Collateral may be obtained based on the Company’s credit evaluation of the counterparty. The Company’s maximum exposure to credit loss is represented by the contractual amount of these commitments.

Commitments to fund loans

These are agreements to lend funds to customers as long as there is no violation of any condition established in the contract. Commitments to fund loans generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Many of these commitments are expected to expire without being funded and, therefore, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future liquidity requirements. 

Unfunded commitments under lines of credit

Unfunded commitments under lines of credit include commercial, commercial real estate and consumer lines of credit to existing customers, for many of which additional extensions of credit are subject to borrowing base requirements. Some of these commitments may mature without being fully funded. 

Commercial and standby letters of credit

Letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Company to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. These letters of credit are primarily issued to support trade transactions or guarantee arrangements. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers. 

Total lending related commitments outstanding at December 31, 2020 were as follows (in thousands):

Commitments to fund loans	$	419,526
Unfunded commitments under lines of credit	3,620,155
Commercial and standby letters of credit	93,325
	$	4,133,006

Legal Proceedings

The Company is involved as plaintiff or defendant in various legal actions arising in the normal course of business. In the opinion of management, based upon advice of legal counsel, the likelihood is remote that the impact of these proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, would be material to the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.