NOTE 7 — FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISK AND CONCENTRATIONS OF CREDIT 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. 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 Corporation has in particular classes of financial instruments. The Corporation does not engage in trading activities with respect to any of its financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk.

The Corporation’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.

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

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

The contract or notional amounts at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, were as follows:

(Dollars in thousands)
	September 30, 2014		December 31, 2013
Financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk:
Commitments to extend credit	$	85,014	$	73,700
Financial standby letters of credit	$	561	$	418
Performance standby letters of credit	$	6,832	$	4,449

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 Corporation evaluates each customer’s creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Corporation 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 Corporation 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 Corporation may hold collateral to support standby letters of credit for which collateral is deemed necessary.

The Corporation grants commercial, agricultural, real estate mortgage and consumer loans to customers primarily in the counties of Columbia, Luzerne, Montour and Monroe, Pennsylvania. The concentrations of credit by type of loan are set forth in Note 4 – Loans and Allowance for Loan Losses. It is management’s opinion that the loan portfolio was well balanced and diversified at September 30, 2014, to the extent necessary to avoid any significant concentration of credit risk. However, it is the debtor’s ability to honor their contracts, which may be influenced by the region’s economy.