Commitments and Contingencies

Financial Instruments with Off-Balance Sheet Risk

The Corporation is a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers and to manage the Corporation’s exposure to fluctuations in interest rates. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit, standby letters of credit, interest rate swap agreements and commitments to originate and commitments to sell fixed rate mortgage loans. These instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of the amount recognized in the Corporation’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. The contract or notional amounts of these instruments reflect the extent of involvement the Corporation has in particular classes of financial instruments. The Corporation’s credit policies with respect to interest rate swap agreements with commercial borrowers, commitments to extend credit, and financial guarantees are similar to those used for loans. The interest rate swaps with other counterparties are generally subject to bilateral collateralization terms.

The contractual and notional amounts of financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk are as follows:



(Dollars in thousands)	Mar 31, 2012		Dec 31, 2011
Financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk:
Commitments to extend credit:
Commercial loans		$231,778		$222,805
Home equity lines	187,675		185,124
Other loans	35,900		35,035
Standby letters of credit	8,610		8,560
Financial instruments whose notional amounts exceed the amount of credit risk:
Forward loan commitments:
Commitments to originate fixed rate mortgage loans to be sold	64,373		56,950
Commitments to sell fixed rate mortgage loans	80,472		76,574
Customer related derivative contracts:
Interest rate swaps with customers	61,273		61,586
Mirror swaps with counterparties	61,273		61,586
Interest rate risk management contract:
Interest rate swap	32,991		32,991

Commitments to Extend Credit

Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as there are no violations 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 some of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. Each borrower’s creditworthiness is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained is based on management’s credit evaluation of the borrower.

Standby Letters of Credit

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers. Under a standby letter of credit, the Corporation is required to make payments to the beneficiary of the letter of credit upon request by the beneficiary contingent upon the customer’s failure to perform under the terms of the underlying contract with the beneficiary. Standby letters of credit extend up to five years. At March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the maximum potential amount of undiscounted future payments, not reduced by amounts that may be recovered, totaled $8.6 million. At March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, there were no liabilities to beneficiaries resulting from standby letters of credit. Fee income on standby letters of credit for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 amounted to $27 thousand and $64 thousand, respectively.

As of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, a substantial portion of the standby letters of credit was supported by pledged collateral. The collateral obtained is determined based on management’s credit evaluation of the customer. Should the Corporation be required to make payments to the beneficiary, repayment from the customer to the Corporation is required.

Forward Loan Commitments

Interest rate lock commitments are extended to borrowers that relate to the origination of readily marketable mortgage loans held for sale. To mitigate the interest rate risk inherent in these rate locks, as well as closed mortgage loans held for sale, best efforts forward commitments are established to sell individual mortgage loans. Both interest rate lock commitments and commitments to sell fixed rate residential mortgage loans are derivative financial instruments.

Leases

As of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the Corporation was obligated under various non-cancellable operating leases for properties used as banking offices and other office facilities. Rental expense under the operating leases amounted to $653 thousand and $422 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, is recorded as a component of net occupancy expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income. There has been no significant change in future minimum lease payments payable since December 31, 2011.

Other Contingencies

Litigation

The Corporation is involved in various claims and legal proceedings arising out of the ordinary course of business. Management is of the opinion, based on its review with counsel of the development of such matters to date, that the ultimate disposition of such matters will not materially affect the consolidated financial position or results of operations of the Corporation.

Other

When selling a residential real estate mortgage loan or acting as originating agent on behalf of a third party, Washington Trust generally makes various representations and warranties. The specific representations and warranties depend on the nature of the transaction and the requirements of the buyer. Contractual liability may arise when the representations and warranties are breached. In the event of a breach of these representations and warranties, Washington Trust may be required to either repurchase the residential real estate mortgage loan (generally at unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest) with the identified defects or indemnify (“make-whole”) the investor for its losses.

In the case of a repurchase, Washington Trust will bear any subsequent credit loss on the residential real estate mortgage loan. Washington Trust has experienced an insignificant number of repurchase demands over a period of many years. As of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the unpaid principal balance of loans repurchased due to representation and warranty claims was $771 thousand and $773 thousand, respectively. Washington Trust has recorded a reserve for its exposure to losses from the obligation to repurchase previously sold residential real estate mortgage loans. This reserve is not material and is included in other liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and any change in the estimate is recorded in net gains on loan sales and commissions on loans originated for others in the Consolidated Statements of Income.