Commitments, Contingencies, and Guarantees

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments, Contingencies, and Guarantees

The Company’s credit commitments as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 were as follows:



(dollars in thousands)	September 30, 2019		December 31, 2018
Unfunded Commitments to Extend Credit	$	2,751,256	$	2,646,085
Standby Letters of Credit	63,871		62,344
Commercial Letters of Credit	13,433		9,411
Total Credit Commitments	$	2,828,560	$	2,717,840

Unfunded Commitments to Extend Credit

Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as there is no violation of the terms or conditions established in the contract. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Since commitments may expire without being drawn, the total commitment amount does not necessarily represent future cash requirements.

Standby and Commercial Letters of Credit

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Company to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third-party. Standby letters of credit generally become payable upon the failure of the customer to perform according to the terms of the underlying contract with the third-party, while commercial letters of credit are issued specifically to facilitate commerce and typically result in the commitment being drawn on when the underlying transaction is consummated between the customer and a third party. The contractual amount of these letters of credit represents the maximum potential future payments guaranteed by the Company. The Company has recourse against the customer for any amount it is required to pay to a third-party under a standby letter of credit, and generally holds cash or deposits as collateral on those standby letters of credit for which collateral is deemed necessary.

Contingencies

On September 9, 2016, a purported class action lawsuit was filed by a Bank customer primarily alleging Bank of Hawaii’s practice of determining whether consumer deposit accounts were overdrawn based on “available balance” (which deducts debit card transactions that have taken place but which have not yet been posted) was not properly applied or disclosed to customers. On October 16, 2019, the Bank reached a tentative settlement with the named plaintiff. The tentative settlement, subject to documentation and court approvals, provides for forgiveness of certain related and previously charged off overdraft fees, and a payment by the Company of $8.0 million into a class settlement fund the proceeds of which will be used to refund class members, and to pay attorneys’ fees, administrative and other costs, in exchange for a complete release of all claims asserted against the Company. Although the Company previously established a $2.0 million reserve relating to this claim, the reserve has been increased to a total of $8.0 million as of September 30, 2019.

In addition to the litigation noted above, the Company is subject to various other pending and threatened legal proceedings arising out of the normal course of business or operations. On at least a quarterly basis, the Company assesses its liabilities and contingencies in connection with outstanding legal proceedings using the most recent information available. On a case-by-case basis, reserves are established for those legal claims for which it is probable that a loss will be incurred and the amount of such loss can be reasonably estimated. Based on information currently available, management believes that the eventual outcome of these claims against the Company will not be materially in excess of such amounts reserved by the Company. However, in the event of unexpected future developments, it is possible that the ultimate resolution of these matters may result in a loss that materially exceeds the reserves established by the Company.

Risks Related to Representation and Warranty Provisions

The Company sells residential mortgage loans in the secondary market primarily to the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”). The Company also pools Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) insured and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) guaranteed residential mortgage loans for sale to the Government National Mortgage Corporation (“Ginnie Mae”). These pools of FHA-insured and VA-guaranteed residential mortgage loans are securitized by Ginnie Mae. The agreements under which the Company sells residential mortgage loans to Fannie Mae or Ginnie Mae and the insurance or guaranty agreements with FHA and VA contain provisions that include various representations and warranties regarding the origination and characteristics of the residential mortgage loans. Although the specific representations and warranties vary among investors, insurance or guarantee agreements, they typically cover ownership of the loan, validity of the lien securing the loan, the absence of delinquent taxes or liens against the property securing the loan, compliance with loan criteria set forth in the applicable agreement, compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, and other matters. As of September 30, 2019, the unpaid principal balance of residential mortgage loans sold by the Company was $2.7 billion. The agreements under which the Company sells residential mortgage loans require delivery of various documents to the investor or its document custodian. Although these loans are primarily sold on a non-recourse basis, the Company may be obligated to repurchase residential mortgage loans or reimburse investors for losses incurred if a loan review reveals that underwriting and documentation standards were potentially not met. Some agreements may require the Company to repurchase delinquent loans. Upon receipt of a repurchase request, the Company works with investors or insurers to arrive at a mutually agreeable resolution. Repurchase demands are typically reviewed on an individual loan-by-loan basis to validate the claims made by the investor or insurer and to determine if a contractually required repurchase event has occurred. The Company manages the risk associated with potential repurchases or other forms of settlement through its underwriting and quality assurance practices and by servicing mortgage loans to meet investor and secondary market standards. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, there were two residential mortgage loans repurchased with an aggregate unpaid principal balance of $0.6 million as a result of the representation and warranty provisions contained in the applicable contract. The one loan was delinquent in payment of principal and interest at the time of repurchase, however no material loss was incurred related to this repurchase. As of September 30, 2019, there was one pending repurchase requests totaling $0.3 million related to representation and warranty provisions.

Risks Relating to Residential Mortgage Loan Servicing Activities

In addition to servicing loans in the Company’s portfolio, substantially all of the loans the Company sells to investors are sold with servicing rights retained. The Company also services loans originated by other mortgage loan originators. As servicer, the Company’s primary duties are to: (1) collect payments due from borrowers; (2) advance certain delinquent payments of principal and interest; (3) maintain and administer any hazard, title, or primary mortgage insurance policies relating to the mortgage loans; (4) maintain any required escrow accounts for payment of taxes and insurance and administer escrow payments; and (5) foreclose on defaulted mortgage loans or, to the extent consistent with the documents governing a securitization, consider alternatives to foreclosure, such as loan modifications or short sales. Each agreement under which the Company acts as servicer generally specifies a standard of responsibility for actions taken by the Company in such capacity and provides protection against expenses and liabilities incurred by the Company when acting in compliance with the respective servicing agreements. However, if the Company commits a material breach of obligations as servicer, the Company may be subject to termination if the breach is not cured within a specified period following notice. The standards governing servicing and the possible remedies for violations of such standards vary by investor. These standards and remedies are determined by servicing guides issued by the investors as well as the contract provisions established between the investors and the Company. Remedies could include repurchase of an affected loan. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, there were no loans repurchased related to loan servicing activities. As of September 30, 2019, there were no pending repurchase requests related to loan servicing activities.

Although to date repurchase requests related to representation and warranty provisions and servicing activities have been limited, it is possible that requests to repurchase mortgage loans may increase in frequency as investors more aggressively pursue all means of recovering losses on their purchased loans. However, as of September 30, 2019, management believes that this exposure is not material due to the historical level of repurchase requests and loss trends and thus has not established a liability for losses related to mortgage loan repurchases. As of September 30, 2019, 99% of the Company’s residential mortgage loans serviced for investors were current. The Company maintains ongoing communications with investors and continues to evaluate this exposure by monitoring the level and number of repurchase requests as well as the delinquency rates in the loans sold to investors.