Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Adoption of ASC 326

As disclosed in Note 2, ASC 326 requires the measurement of expected lifetime credit losses for unfunded commitments that are considered off-balance sheet credit exposures. The Corporation adopted the provisions of ASC 326 effective January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective method. Therefore, the prior period comparative information has not been adjusted and continues to be reported under the GAAP in effect prior to the adoption of ASC 326. As a result of adopting ASC 326, the Corporation recognized an increase in the ACL on unfunded commitments of $1.5 million on January 1, 2020.

Financial Instruments with Off-Balance 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, forward loan commitments, loan related derivative contracts and interest rate risk management contracts. 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.

Financial Instruments Whose Contract Amounts Represent Credit Risk (Unfunded Commitments)

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, 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. These standby letters of credit are primarily issued to support the financing needs of the Bank’s commercial customers. The credit risk involved in issuing standby letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers. The collateral supporting those commitments is essentially the same as for other commitments. Most standby letters of credit extend for one year. The maximum potential amount of undiscounted future payments, not reduced by amounts that may be recovered totaled $11.7 million and $13.7 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019. At December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there were no liabilities to beneficiaries resulting from standby letters of credit. Fee income on standby letters of credit was insignificant for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018.

A substantial portion of the standby letters of credit were 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.

Financial Instruments Whose Notional Amounts Exceed the Amount of Credit Risk

Mortgage Loan Commitments

Interest rate lock commitments are extended to borrowers and relate to the origination of mortgage loans held for sale. To mitigate the interest rate risk and pricing risk associated with these rate locks and mortgage loans held for sale, the Corporation enters into forward sale commitments. Both interest rate lock commitments and forward sale commitments are derivative financial instruments.

Loan Related Derivative Contracts

The Corporation’s credit policies with respect to interest rate swap agreements with commercial borrowers are similar to those used for loans. The interest rate swaps with other counterparties are generally subject to bilateral collateralization terms.

The following table presents the contractual and notional amounts of financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk:


(Dollars in thousands)
December 31,	2020	2019
Financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk:
Commitments to extend credit:
Commercial loans	$453,493	$471,338
Home equity lines	319,744	295,687
Other loans	89,078	88,613
Standby letters of credit	11,709	13,710
Financial instruments whose notional amounts exceed the amount of credit risk:
Mortgage loan commitments:
Interest rate lock commitments	167,671	51,439
Forward sale commitments	279,653	94,829
Loan related derivative contracts:
Interest rate swaps with customers	991,002	813,458
Mirror swaps with counterparties	991,002	813,458
Risk participation-in agreements	92,717	72,866

Interest rate risk management contracts:
Interest rate swaps	60,000	60,000

See Note 14 for additional disclosure pertaining to derivative financial instruments.

The ACL on unfunded commitments amounted to $2.4 million at December 31, 2020, compared to $293 thousand at December 31, 2019.

The activity in the ACL on unfunded commitments for the year ended December 31, 2020 is presented below:


(Dollars in thousands)	Commercial				Consumer
	CRE	C&I	Total Commercial	Residential Real Estate	Home Equity	Other	Total Consumer	Total
Beginning Balance	$136	$144	$280	$6	$—	$7	$7	$293
Adoption of ASC 326	817	626	1,443	34	—	6	6	1,483
Provision	(46)	632	586	14	—	6	6	606
Ending Balance	$907	$1,402	$2,309	$54	$—	$19	$19	$2,382

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 balance sheets or statements of income 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, the Corporation 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 December 31, 2020 and 2019, the carrying value of loans repurchased due to representation and warranty claims was $1.1 million and $1.7 million, respectively. Washington Trust has recorded a reserve for its exposure to losses for premium recapture and the obligation to repurchase previously sold residential real estate mortgage loans. The reserve balance amounted to $300 thousand and $170 thousand at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and is included in other liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Any change in the estimate is recorded in mortgage banking revenues in the Consolidated Statements of Income.