DERIVATIVES

The Company is exposed to economic risks arising from its business operations and uses derivatives primarily to manage risk associated with changing interest rates, and to assist customers with their risk management objectives. The Company designates certain derivatives as hedging instruments in a qualifying hedge accounting relationship (cash flow or fair value hedge). The remaining are classified as free-standing derivatives consisting of customer accommodation loan swaps and interest rate lock commitments that do not qualify for hedge accounting.

Cash Flow Hedges

The Company designates derivatives as cash flow hedges when they are used to manage exposure to variability in cash flows related to forecasted transactions on variable rate borrowings such as trust preferred capital notes, FHLB borrowings and certain prime based and commercial loans. The Company uses interest rate swap agreements as part of its hedging strategy by exchanging a notional amount, equal to the principal amount of the borrowings or commercial loans, for fixed-rate interest based on benchmarked interest rates. The original terms and conditions of the interest rate swaps vary and range in length with a maximum hedging time through November 2022. Amounts receivable or payable are recognized as accrued under the terms of the agreements.

All swaps were entered into with counterparties that met the Company’s credit standards, and the agreements contain collateral provisions protecting the at-risk party. The Company believes that the credit risk inherent in the contract is not significant.

The Company assesses the effectiveness of each hedging relationship on a periodic basis using statistical regression analysis. The Company also measures the ineffectiveness of each hedging relationship using the change in variable cash flows method which compares the cumulative changes in cash flows of the hedging instrument relative to cumulative changes in the hedged item’s cash flows. In accordance with ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, the effective portions of the derivatives’ unrealized gains or losses are recorded as a component of other comprehensive income. Based on the Company’s assessment, its cash flow hedges are highly effective, but to the extent that any ineffectiveness exists in the hedge relationships, the amounts would be recorded in interest income or interest expense on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income.

On June 13, 2016, the Company terminated three interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges prior to their respective maturity dates. The unrealized gain of $1.3 million within accumulated other comprehensive income will be reclassified into earnings over a three-year period, the term of the hedged item, using the effective interest method. The estimated net amount of gains expected to be reclassified into earnings within the next twelve months is $297,000.

Fair Value Hedge

Derivatives are designated as fair value hedges when they are used to manage exposure to changes in the fair value of certain financial assets and liabilities, referred to as the hedged items, which fluctuate in value as a result of movements in interest rates.

Loans: During the normal course of business, the Company enters into swap agreements to convert certain long-term fixed-rate loans to floating rates to hedge the Company’s exposure to interest rate risk. The Company pays a fixed interest rate to the counterparty and receives a floating rate from the same counterparty calculated on the aggregate notional amount. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the aggregate notional amount of the related hedged items for certain long-term fixed rate loans totaled $87.6 million and $81.0 million, respectively, and the fair value of the related hedged items was an unrealized loss of $1.6 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

AFS Securities: During the fourth quarter 2018, the Company entered into a swap agreement to hedge the interest rate risk on a portion of its fixed rate available for sale securities. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the aggregate notional amount of the related hedged items of the available for sale securities totaled $50.0 million and the fair value of the related hedged items was an unrealized loss of $1.4 million.

The Company applies hedge accounting in accordance with ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and the fair value hedge and the underlying hedged item, attributable to the risk being hedged, are recorded at fair value with unrealized gains and losses being recorded on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income. Statistical regression analysis is used to assess hedge effectiveness, both at inception of the hedging relationship and on an ongoing basis. The regression analysis involves regressing the periodic change in fair value of the hedging instrument against the periodic changes in fair value of the asset being hedged due to changes in the hedged risk. The Company’s fair value hedges continue to be highly effective and had no material impact on the Consolidated Statements of Income, but if any ineffectiveness exists, portions of the unrealized gains or losses would be recorded in interest income or interest expense on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income.

Loan Swaps

During the normal course of business, the Company enters into interest rate swap loan relationships (“loan swaps”) with borrowers to meet their financing needs. Upon entering into the loan swaps, the Company enters into offsetting positions with a third party in order to minimize interest rate risk. These back-to-back loan swaps qualify as financial derivatives with fair values as reported in “Other Assets” and “Other Liabilities” on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Interest Rate Lock Commitments

During the normal course of business, the Company enters into commitments to originate mortgage loans whereby the interest rate on the loan is determined prior to funding (“rate lock commitments”). Rate lock commitments on mortgage loans that are intended to be sold in the secondary market are considered to be derivatives. The period of time between issuance of a loan commitment, closing, and sale of the loan generally ranges from 30 to 120 days. The Company protects itself from changes in interest rates through the use of best efforts forward delivery commitments, whereby the Company commits to sell a loan at the time the borrower commits to an interest rate with the intent that the buyer has assumed interest rate risk on the loan. The correlation between the rate lock commitments and the best efforts contracts is high due to their similarity.

The market values of rate lock commitments and best efforts forward delivery commitments is not readily ascertainable with precision because rate lock commitments and best efforts contracts are not actively traded in stand-alone markets. The Company determines the fair value of rate lock commitments and best efforts contracts by measuring the change in the value of the underlying asset, while taking into consideration the probability that the rate lock commitments will close. The fair value of the rate lock commitments is reported as a component of “Assets of discontinued operations" on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets; the fair value of the Company’s best efforts forward delivery commitments is recorded as a component of “Liabilities of discontinued operations” on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. Any impact to income is recorded in current period earnings as a component of “Income (loss) on discontinued operations” on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income. At December 31, 2018, there were no outstanding rate lock commitments due to the wind down of UMG throughout 2018.

The following table summarizes key elements of the Company’s derivative instruments as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, segregated by derivatives that are considered accounting hedges and those that are not (dollars in thousands):



	December 31, 2018						December 31, 2017
			Derivative ⁽²⁾						Derivative⁽²⁾
	Notional or Contractual Amount ⁽¹⁾		Assets		Liabilities		Notional or Contractual Amount ⁽¹⁾		Assets		Liabilities
Derivatives designated as accounting hedges:
Interest rate contracts:
Cash flow hedges	$	152,500	$	—	$	4,786	$	152,500	$	49	$	8,005
Fair value hedges	137,596		1,872		1,684		80,973		1,598		76
Derivatives not designated as accounting hedges:
Loan Swaps
Pay fixed-receive floating interest rate swaps	878,446		10,120		9,306		529,736		—		1,350
Pay floating-receive fixed interest rate swaps	878,446		9,306		10,120		529,736		1,350		—
Other contracts:
Interest rate lock commitments	—		—		—		34,314		559		—
Best efforts forward delivery commitments	—		—		—		73,777		12		—

(1) Notional amounts are not recorded on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheet and are generally used only as a basis on which interest and other payments are determined.

(2) Balances represent fair value of derivative financial instruments.

The following table summarizes the carrying value of the Company’s hedged assets in fair value hedges and the associated cumulative basis adjustments included in those carrying values as of December 31, 2018 (dollars in thousands):



	December 31, 2018
	Carrying Amount of Hedged Assets/(Liabilities)		Cumulative Amount of Basis Adjustments Included in the Carrying Amount of the Hedged Assets/(Liabilities)
Line items on the Consolidated Balance Sheets in which the hedged item is included:
Securities available-for-sale ^{(1) (2)}	$	224,241	$	1,399
Loans	87,596		(1,572		)

(1) These amounts include the amortized cost basis of the investment securities designated in hedging relationships for which the hedged item is the last layer expected to be remaining at the end of the hedging relationship. At December 31, 2018, the amortized cost basis of this portfolio was $224 million, the amount of the designated hedged item was $50 million, and the cumulative basis adjustment associated with this hedge was $1.4 million.

(2) Carrying value represents amortized cost.