. Stock-Based Compensation

Under the Company’s equity incentive plans, directors and eligible employees may be granted incentive or non-statutory stock options and/or restricted stock units, or awarded non-vested stock.

As of September 30, 2016, the only options granted by the Company were non-statutory stock options to selected Bank officers and non-employee directors at exercise prices equal to the fair market value of a share of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Such options have a maximum ten-year term and vest in 20% annual increments (subject to early termination in certain events) except certain options granted to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company in 2005 and 2008. There were no options granted during the first nine months of 2016 or 2015.

Option compensation expense was zero for the three months and for the nine months ended September 30, 2016, and September 30, 2015. Stock-based compensation was fully recognized over the requisite service period for all awards. There were 2,110 and 147,350 stock option shares exercised in the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The Company received $49,000 with an aggregate intrinsic value of $9,000 from the exercise of stock options during the nine months ended September 30, 2016 compared to $3.4 million with an aggregate intrinsic value of $1.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2015. The table below summarizes stock option activity for the periods indicated:

	Shares			Weighted-average Exercise Price		Weighted-average Remaining Contractual Life (in years)		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands)

Balance, December 31, 2015		1,031,170		$	31.27		0.9	$	3,268
Exercised		(2,110	)		23.37
Forfeited		(608,670	)		36.46
Balance, March 31, 2016		420,390		$	23.80		1.8	$	2,026
Forfeited		(12,000	)		38.26
Balance, June 30, 2016		408,390		$	23.37		1.6	$	1,973
Exercised		-			-
Forfeited		-			-
Balance, September 30, 2016		408,390		$	23.37		1.4	$	3,026

Exercisable, September 30, 2016		408,390		$	23.37		1.4	$	3,026

In addition to stock options, the Company also grants restricted stock units to eligible employees that vest subject to continued employment at the vesting dates.

The Company granted restricted stock units for 88,693 shares at an average closing price of $30.37 per share in the first nine months of 2016. The Company granted restricted stock units for 72,900 shares at an average closing price for $28.11 per share in the first nine months of 2015

In December 2013, the Company granted performance share unit awards in which the number of units earned is calculated based on the relative total shareholder return (TSR) of the Company’s common stock as compared to the TSR of the KBW Regional Banking Index. In addition, the Company granted performance share unit awards in which the number of units earned is determined by comparison to the targeted earnings per share (EPS) as defined in the award for the 2014 to 2016 period. Performance TSR restricted stock units for 119,840 shares and performance EPS restricted stock units for 116,186 shares were granted to eight executive officers in 2013. In December 2014, the Company granted additional performance TSR restricted stock units for 60,456 shares and performance EPS restricted stock units for 57,642 shares to seven executive officers. In December 2015, the Company granted additional performance TSR restricted stock units for 61,209 shares and performance EPS restricted stock units for 57,409 shares to seven executive officers. Both the performance TSR and performance EPS units awarded are scheduled to vest three years from grant date.

The following table presents restricted stock unit activity during the nine months ended September 30, 2016:

	Units
Balance at December 31, 2015		542,375
Granted		88,693
Vested		(13,780	)
Forfeited		(3,290	)
Balance at September 30, 2016		613,998

The compensation expense recorded for restricted stock units was $1.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2016

, compared to $1.2 million in the same period a year ago. For the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, compensation expense recorded related to the restricted stock units was $3.3 million and $3.4 million, respectively. Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to restricted stock units was $6.9 million as of September 30, 2016, and is expected to be recognized over the next 2.1 years.

As of September 30, 2016, 3,716,379 shares were available under the Company’s 2005 Incentive Plan (as Amended and Restated) for future grants.

The following table summarizes the tax benefit (short-fall) from share-based payment arrangements:

	Three months ended September 30,				Nine months ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands)	2016		2015		2016			2015
Tax benefit/(short-fall) of tax deductions in excess of grant-date fair value	$	-	$	17	$	(3,366	)	$	(5,602	)
Benefit of tax deductions on grant-date fair value		-		275		3,370			6,421
Total benefit of tax deductions	$	-	$	292	$	4		$	819

The short-fall amount from share-based payment arrangements was charged against income tax expense. In addition, as of September 30, 2016, $140,000 was offset against additional paid-in capital that resulted from previously realized excess tax benefits.