FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISK AND CONCENTRATIONS OF CREDIT RISK

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISK AND CONCENTRATIONS OF CREDIT RISK

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISK AND CONCENTRATIONS OF CREDIT RISK

NOTE 8 — FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISK AND CONCENTRATIONS OF CREDIT RISK

Financial Instruments with Off-Balance Sheet Risk

The Company 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. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and standby letters 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 involvement the Company has in particular classes of financial instruments. The Company does not engage in trading activities with respect to any of its financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk.

The Company’s exposure to credit loss in the event of non-performance 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.

The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for on-balance sheet instruments.

The Company may require collateral or other security to support financial instruments with off-balance sheet credit risk.

The contract or notional amounts at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were as follows:

(Dollars in thousands)
	June 30, 2020		December 31, 2019
Financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk:
Commitments to extend credit	$	155,037	$	122,082
Financial standby letters of credit	$	1,325	$	335
Performance standby letters of credit	$	3,290	$	3,230

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 that may require payment of a fee. Since some of the commitments may expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Company evaluates each customer’s creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Company upon extension of credit, is based on management’s credit evaluation of the borrower. Collateral held varies but may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, owner-occupied income-producing commercial properties, and residential real estate.

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Company to guarantee payment to a third party when a customer either fails to repay an obligation or fails to perform some non-financial obligation. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers. The Company may hold collateral (similar to the items held as collateral for commitments to extend credit) to support standby letters of credit for which collateral is deemed necessary.

Financial Instruments with Concentrations of Credit Risk

The Company originates primarily commercial and residential real estate loans to customers in northeastern Pennsylvania. The ability of the majority of the Company’s customers to honor their contractual loan obligations is dependent on the economy and real estate market in this area. At June 30, 2020, the Company had $571,274,000 in loans secured by real estate, which represented 84.4% of total loans. The real estate loan portfolio is largely secured by lessors of residential buildings and dwellings, lessors of non-residential buildings, and lessors of hotels/motels. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, management is of the opinion that there were no concentrations exceeding 10% of total loans with regard to loans to borrowers who were engaged in similar activities that were similarly impacted by economic or other conditions.

As all financial instruments are subject to some level of credit risk, the Company requires collateral and/or guarantees for all loans. Collateral may include, but is not limited to property, plant, and equipment, commercial and/or residential real estate property, land, and pledge of securities. In the event of a borrower’s default, the collateral supporting the loan may be seized in order to recoup losses associated with the loan. The Company also establishes an allowance for loan losses that constitutes the amount available to absorb losses within the loan portfolio that may exist due to deficiencies in collateral values.