Note 21. Fair Value Measurements and Fair Values of Financial Instruments

Management uses its best judgment in estimating the fair value of the Corporation’s financial instruments; however, there are inherent weaknesses in any estimation technique. Therefore, for substantially all financial instruments, the fair value estimates herein are not necessarily indicative of the amounts the Corporation could have realized in a sales transaction on the dates indicated. The estimated fair value amounts have been measured as of their respective year-ends and have not been re-evaluated or updated for purposes of these financial statements subsequent to those respective dates. As such, the estimated fair values of these financial instruments subsequent to the respective reporting dates maybe different than the amounts reported at each year-end.

FASB ASC Topic 820, “Financial Instruments”, requires disclosure of the fair value of financial assets and liabilities, including those financial assets and liabilities that are not measured and reported at fair value on a recurring and nonrecurring basis. The Corporation does not report any nonfinancial assets at fair value. FASB ASC Topic 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation methods used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy under FASB ASC Topic 820 are as follows:

Level 1: Valuation is based on unadjusted, quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Valuation is based upon quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active, and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant assumptions are observable in the market. There may be substantial differences in the assumptions used for securities within the same level. For example, prices for U.S. Agency securities have fewer assumptions and are closer to level 1 valuations than the private label mortgage backed securities that require more assumptions and are closer to level 3 valuations.

Level 3: Valuation is generated from model-based techniques that use significant assumptions not observable in the market. These unobservable assumptions reflect the Corporation’s assumptions regarding what market participants would assume when pricing a financial instrument.

An asset’s or liability’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The level within the hierarchy does not represent risk.

The following information regarding the fair value of the Corporation’s financial instruments should not be interpreted as an estimate of the fair value of the entire Corporation since a fair value calculation is only provided for a limited portion of the Corporation’s assets and liabilities. Due to a wide range of valuation techniques and the degree of subjectivity used in making the estimates, comparisons between the Corporation’s disclosures and those of other companies may not be meaningful.

The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair values of the Corporation’s financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring and nonrecurring basis at December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Equity Securities: Equity securities are valued using quoted market prices from nationally recognized markets (Level 1). Equity securities are measured at fair value on a recurring basis.

Investment securities: Fair values of investment securities available-for-sale were primarily measured using information from a third-party pricing service. This service provides pricing information by utilizing evaluated pricing models supported with market data information. Standard inputs include benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, issuer spreads, two-sided markets, benchmark securities, bids, offers, and reference data from market research publications. Level 2 investment securities are primarily comprised of debt securities issued by states and municipalities, corporations, mortgage-backed securities issued by government agencies, and government-sponsored enterprises. Fair values were estimated primarily by obtaining quoted prices for similar assets in active markets or through the use of pricing models. Investment securities are measured at fair value on a recurring basis.

Impaired Loans: The fair value of impaired loans with specific allocations of the allowance for loan losses is generally based on recent real estate appraisals conducted by an independent, licensed appraiser, less cost to sell. These appraisals may utilize a single valuation approach or a combination of approaches including comparable sales and the income approach (Level 2). If the appraiser makes an adjustment to account for differences between the comparable sales and income data available for similar loans, or if management adjusts the appraised value, then the fair value is considered Level 3. Non-real estate collateral may be valued using an appraisal, net book value per the borrower’s financial statements, or aging reports, adjusted or discounted based on management’s historical knowledge, changes in market conditions from the time of the valuation, and management’s expertise and knowledge of the client and client’s business, resulting in a Level 3 fair value classification. Impaired loans are evaluated on a quarterly basis for additional impairment and adjusted in accordance with the allowance policy. Partial charge-offs on impaired loans were $412 thousand in 2019, year to date. Impaired loans are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.

Other Real Estate Owned: Assets acquired through or instead of loan foreclosure are initially recorded at the lower of cost or the fair value less costs to sell when acquired. These assets are subsequently accounted for at lower of cost or fair value less estimated costs to sell. Fair value is commonly based on recent real estate appraisals which are updated no less frequently than annually. These appraisals may utilize a single valuation approach or a combination of approaches including comparable sales and the income approach with data from comparable properties (Level 2). If the appraiser makes an adjustment to account for differences between the comparable sales and income data available for similar loans, or if management adjusts the appraised value, then the fair value is considered Level 3. In connection with the measurement and initial recognition of other real estate owned, losses are recognized through the allowance for loan losses. Subsequent charge-offs are recognized as an expense. Other real estate owned properties are evaluated on a quarterly basis for additional impairment and adjusted accordingly.

Recurring Fair Value Measurements

For financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, the fair value measurements by level within the fair value hierarchy used at December 31, 2019 and 2018 are as follows:



(Dollars in Thousands	Fair Value at December 31, 2019
Asset Description	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Equity securities, at fair Value	$	440	$	—	$	—	$	440

Available for sale:
U.S. Government and Agency securities		—		8,428		—		8,428
Municipal securities		—		91,286		—		91,286
Trust Preferred Securities		—		3,967		—		3,967
Agency mortgage-backed securities		—		58,704		—		58,704
Private-label mortgage-backed securities		—		429		—		429
Asset-backed securities		—		24,619		—		24,619
Total assets	$	440	$	187,433	$	—	$	187,873

The fair value of derivative liabilities measured at fair value at December 31, 2019 is $19 thousand and is considered immaterial.



(Dollars in Thousands)	Fair Value at December 31, 2018
Asset Description	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Equity securities, at fair value	$	374	$	—	$	—	$	374

Available for sale"
U.S. Government and Agency securities		—		9,076		—		9,076
Municipal securities		—		67,647		—		67,647
Trust Preferred Securities		—		3,758		—		3,758
Agency mortgage-backed securities		—		44,658		—		44,658
Private-label mortgage-backed securities		—		488		—		488
Asset-backed securities		—		5,845		—		5,845
Total assets	$	374	$	131,472	$	—	$	131,846

Nonrecurring Fair Value Measurements

For financial assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis, the fair value measurements by level within the fair value hierarchy used at December 31, 2019 and 2018 are as follows:



(Dollars in Thousands)	Fair Value at December 31, 2019
Asset Description	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Impaired Loans (1)	$	—	$	—	$	1,080	$	1,080
Total assets	$	—	$	—	$	1,080	$	1,080



(Dollars in Thousands)	Fair Value at December 31, 2018
Asset Description	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Other real estate owned (1)	$	—	$	—	$	71	$	71
Total assets		—	$	—	$	71	$	71

(1) Includes assets directly charged-down to fair value during the year-to-date period.

The Corporation did not record any liabilities at fair value for which measurement of the fair value was made on a nonrecurring basis at December 31, 2019. For financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, there were no transfers of financial assets or liabilities between Level 1 and Level 2 during the period ending December 31, 2019.

The following table presents additional quantitative information about Level 3 assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis:


(Dollars in Thousands)		Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements Range
December 31, 2019		Fair Value	Valuation Technique	Unobservable Input	(Weighted Average)
Impaired Loans	$	1,080	Appraisal	Appraisal Adjustment	0% - 100% (48%)


					Range
December 31, 2018		Fair Value	Valuation Technique	Unobservable Input	(Weighted Average)
Other real estate owned	$	71	Appraisal	Cost to sell	8% (8%)