Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (In Thousands)

The following table presents the notional amount and fair value of Arrow's off-balance sheet commitments to extend credit and commitments under standby letters of credit as of March 31, 2024, December 31, 2023 and March 31, 2023:


Commitments to Extend Credit and Letters of Credit
	March 31, 2024		December 31, 2023		March 31, 2023
Notional Amount:
Commitments to Extend Credit	$	443,960	$	444,256	$	478,253
Standby Letters of Credit	3,401		3,824		3,424
Fair Value:
Commitments to Extend Credit	$	—	$	—	$	—
Standby Letters of Credit	2		—		6

Arrow is party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit. Commitments to extend credit include home equity lines of credit, commitments for residential and commercial construction loans and other personal and commercial lines of credit. Those instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit and interest rate risk in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated balance sheets. The contract or notional amounts of those instruments reflect the extent of the involvement Arrow has in particular classes of financial instruments.

Arrow's exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instrument for commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit is represented by the contractual notional amount of those instruments. Arrow uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for on-balance sheet instruments.

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 many of the commitments are not expected to be fully drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. Arrow evaluates each customer's creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. Home equity lines of credit are secured by residential real estate. Construction lines of credit are secured by underlying real estate. For other lines of credit, the amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by Arrow upon extension of credit, is based on management's credit evaluation of the counterparty. Collateral held varies, but may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, and income-producing commercial properties. Most of the commitments are variable rate instruments.

Arrow does not issue any guarantees that would require liability-recognition or disclosure, other than its standby letters of credit. Arrow has issued conditional commitments in the form of standby letters of credit to guarantee payment on behalf of a customer and guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. Standby letters of credit generally arise in connection with commercial lending relationships. The credit risk involved in issuing these instruments is essentially the same as that involved in extending loans to customers. Contingent obligations under standby letters of credit at March 31, 2024, December 31, 2023 and March 31, 2023 represent the maximum potential future payments Arrow could be required to make. Typically, these instruments have terms of 12 months or less and expire unused; therefore, the total amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. Each customer is evaluated individually for creditworthiness under the same underwriting standards used for commitments to extend credit and on-balance sheet instruments. Arrow's policies governing loan collateral apply to standby letters of credit at the time of credit extension. Loan-to-value ratios will generally range from 50% for movable assets, such as inventory, to 100% for liquid assets, such as bank CD's. Fees for standby letters of credit range from 1% to 3% of the notional amount. Fees are collected upfront and amortized over the life of the commitment. The carrying amount and fair value of Arrow's standby letters of credit at March 31, 2024, December 31, 2023 and March 31, 2023, were insignificant. The fair value of standby letters of credit is based on the fees currently charged for similar agreements or the cost to terminate the arrangement with the counterparties.

The fair value of commitments to extend credit is determined by estimating the fees to enter into similar agreements, taking into account the remaining terms and present creditworthiness of the counterparties, and for fixed rate loan commitments, the difference between the current and committed interest rates. Arrow provides several types of commercial lines of credit and standby letters of credit to its commercial customers. The pricing of these services is not isolated as Arrow considers the customer's complete deposit and borrowing relationship in pricing individual products and services. The commitments to extend credit also include commitments under home equity lines of credit, for which Arrow charges no fee. The carrying value and fair value of commitments to extend credit are not material and Arrow does not expect to incur any material loss as a result of these commitments.

Except as noted below, Arrow, including its subsidiary banks, is not currently the subject of any material pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation occurring in the normal course of their business. On an ongoing basis, Arrow is often the subject of, or a party to, various legal claims by other parties against Arrow, by Arrow against other parties, or involving Arrow, which arise in the normal course of business. Except as noted below, the various pending legal claims against Arrow will not, in the opinion of management based upon consultation with counsel, result in any material liability. Legal expenses incurred in connection with loss contingencies are expensed as incurred.

As previously disclosed in certian of the Company's filings with the SEC, on June 23, 2023, Robert C. Ashe filed a putative class action complaint (the "Ashe Lawsuit") against the Company in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. In addition to the Company, the complaint names as defendants Thomas J. Murphy, the Company’s former CEO and from September 30, 2022 to February 20, 2023, its interim CFO, Edward J. Campanella, the Company’s former CFO, and Penko Ivanov, the Company’s current CFO (“Individual Defendants” and, together with the Company, the "Defendants"). The complaint alleges that the Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business, operations and compliance policies in the

Company’s public filings between March 12, 2022 and May 12, 2023. The complaint further alleges that the Individual Defendants are liable for these materially false and misleading statements as "controlling persons" of the Company. Based on these allegations, the complaint brings two claims for violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder and of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. Mr. Ashe, on behalf of a purported class of shareholders, seeks compensatory damages as well as recovery of the costs and fees associated with the litigation. On December 5, 2023, plaintiff Ashe filed an amended complaint that changed the putative class period to the period from August 5, 2022 through May 12, 2023, but challenged substantially the same statements on the same basis. On February 9, 2024, the Company moved to dismiss the action in its entirety. On April 22, 2024, the parties reached an agreement in principle to settle the matter, subject to final documentation and court approval. Management believes that the terms of the proposed settlement will not have a material adverse impact on the Company's financial results. In the event that the parties are not able to finalize a settlement, the Company intends to continue to vigorously defend against the claims asserted in the Ashe Lawsuit.

On December 12, 2023 the Company become aware that Stephen Bull filed a complaint (the "Shareholder Derivative Complaint") on behalf of Arrow against the three individual defendants in the Ashe Lawsuit as well as against all members of Arrow’s board of directors during the class period in Ashe. The Company is named solely as a nominal defendant in the action and would be the beneficiary of any recovery. The Shareholder Derivative Complaint alleges breaches of fiduciary duty (i) by the Ashe individual defendants based on substantially the same allegedly misleading statements pleaded in the Ashe complaint; and (ii) the director defendants by failing adequately to oversee the individual defendants and maintain internal and disclosure controls. Plaintiffs seek (i) unspecified damages (which would be payable to the Company) for costs incurred as a result of the alleged misstatements, including costs of investigation, remediation, and litigation, (ii) repayment of the director defendants’ compensation on an unjust enrichment theory, and (iii) an order directing the Company to take all necessary actions to reform and improve its corporate governance, and (iv) the recovery of costs and fees associated with the litigation. The Shareholder Derivative Complaint also asserts various federal securities claims based on the same alleged misrepresentations as set forth in the Ashe Lawsuit. On March 5, 2024, the parties filed a stipulation under which the defendants accepted service and the case will be stayed pending disposition of the motion to dismiss filed in the Ashe Lawsuit.

The Company intends to continue to vigorously defend itself against the Shareholder Derivative Complaint.