The Company is exposed to certain risks from both its business operations and economic conditions. The Company principally manages its exposures to a wide variety of business and operational risks through the management of its core business activities. As part of the Company’s overall risk management processes, the Company manages its economic risks, including interest rate, liquidity and credit risk, primarily by managing the amount, sources and duration of certain balance sheet assets and liabilities. In the normal course of business, the Company also uses derivative financial instruments as an additional risk management tool. Financial derivatives are recorded at fair value as other assets.

The accounting for changes in the fair value of a derivative depends on whether it has been designated and qualifies as part of a hedging relationship. There are two primary types of interest rate derivatives that may be employed by the Company:

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Fair Value Hedge - As a result of interest rate fluctuations, fixed-rate assets and liabilities will appreciate or depreciate in fair value. When effectively hedged, this appreciation or depreciation will generally be offset by fluctuations in the fair value of derivative instruments that are linked to the hedged assets and liabilities. This strategy is referred to as a fair value hedge. For a fair value hedge, changes in the fair value of the derivative instrument and changes in the fair value of the hedged asset or liability are recognized currently in earnings.

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Cash Flow Hedge - Cash flows related to floating rate assets and liabilities will fluctuate with changes in the underlying rate index. When effectively hedged, the increases or decreases in cash flows related to the floating-rate asset or liability will generally be offset by changes in cash flows of the derivative instrumnets designated as a hedge. This strategy is referred to as a cash flow hedge. For a cash flow hedge, changes in the fair value of the derivative instrument, to the extent that it is effective, are recorded in other comprehensive income and subsequently reclassified to earnings as the hedged transaction impacts net income. Any ineffective portion of a cash flow hedge is recognized currently in earnings.

Among the array of interest rate derivative transactions potentially available to the Company are interest rate swaps. The Company uses interest rate swaps as part of its interest rate risk management strategy. Interest rate swaps, designated as fair value hedges, involve the receipt of variable amounts from a counterparty in exchange for the Company making fixed payments over the life of the agreements without the exchange of the underlying notional amount. The gain or loss on the derivative as well as the offsetting gain of loss on the hedged item attributable to the hedged risk are recognized in earnings. The Company entered into a pay-fixed/receive variable interest rate swap with a notional amount of $9.2 million in April 2019, which was designated as a fair value hedge associated with specific pools within the Company’s fixed-rate consumer loan portfolio.

As of September 30, 2019, the following amounts were recorded on the balance sheet related to the cumulative basis adjustments for fair value hedges:

(In thousands)	Carrying Amount of the Hedged Assets at September 30, 2019		Cumulative Amount of Fair Value Hedging Adjustment Included in The Carrying Amount of the Hedged Assets at September 30, 2019

Line item on the balance sheet in which the hedged item is included:
Loans receivable ⁽¹⁾	$	20,952	$	92

(1)

These amounts include the amortized cost basis of the closed portfolio used to designate the hedging relationship in which the hedged item is the remaining amortized cost of the last layer expected to be remaining at the end of the hedging relationship. At September 30, 2019, the amortized cost of the basis of the closed portfolio used in the hedging relationship was $21.0 million, the cumulative basis adjustment associated with the hedging relationship was $92,000, and the amount of the designated hedged item was $9.2 million.

At September 30, 2019, the fair value of the derivative resulted in a net liability position of $115,000 under the agreement, recorded by the Company in other liabilities. The Company had no derivative agreements in place at December 31, 2018.

The Company manages its potential credit exposure on interest rate swap transactions by entering into a bilateral credit support agreements with each counterparty. These agreements require collateralization of credit exposures beyond specified minimum threshold amounts. The Company’s agreement with its interest rate swap counterparty contains a provision whereby if either party defaults on any of its indebtedness, then that party could also be declared in default on its derivative obligations. The agreement with the Company’s derivative counterparty also includes certain other provisions that if not met, could result in the Company or the counterparty being declared in default. If either the Company or the counterparty were to be declared in default, the other party to the agreement can terminate the derivative position and require settlement of all obligations as specifically outlined within the terms of the agreement.