Note 7. Fair Value Measurements

FASB ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in U.S. GAAP and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. The definition of fair value focuses on the exit price, i.e., the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date, not the entry price, i.e., the price that would be paid to acquire the asset or received to assume the liability at the measurement date. The statement emphasizes that fair value is a market-based measurement; not an entity-specific measurement. Therefore, the fair value measurement should be determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

Valuation Hierarchy

FASB ASC 820 establishes a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements. The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date. The three levels are defined as follows:

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Level 1 — inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

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Level 2 — inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument.

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Level 3 — inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

A financial instrument’s categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for assets and liabilities measured at fair value, as well as the general classification of such assets and liabilities pursuant to the valuation hierarchy.

Assets

Securities available-for-sale — Where quoted prices are available for identical securities in an active market, securities are classified within Level 1 of the valuation hierarchy. Level 1 securities include highly liquid government securities and certain other financial products. If quoted market prices are not available, then fair values are estimated by using pricing models that use observable inputs or quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics and are classified within Level 2 of the valuation hierarchy. In certain cases where there is limited activity or less transparency around inputs to the valuation and more complex pricing models or discounted cash flows are used, securities are classified within Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy.

Impaired loans — A loan is considered to be impaired when it is probable the Company will be unable to collect all principal and interest payments due in accordance with the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Impaired loans are measured based on the present value of expected payments using the loan’s original effective rate as the discount rate, the loan’s observable market price, or the fair value of the collateral less selling costs if the loan is collateral dependent. If the recorded investment in the impaired loan exceeds the measure of fair value, a valuation allowance may be established as a component of the allowance for loan losses or the expense is recognized as a charge-off. Impaired loans are classified within Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy due to the unobservable inputs used in determining their fair value such as collateral values and the borrower’s underlying financial condition.

Other real estate owned — Other real estate owned (“OREO”) represents real estate foreclosed upon by the Company through loan defaults by customers or acquired in lieu of foreclosure. Substantially all of these amounts relate to construction and land development, other land secured loans, and commercial real estate loans for which the Company believes it has adequate collateral. Upon foreclosure, the property is recorded at the lower of cost or fair value, based on appraised value, less selling costs estimated as of the date acquired with any loss recognized as a charge-off through the allowance for loan losses. Additional OREO losses for subsequent valuation downward adjustments are determined on a specific property basis and are included as a component of noninterest expense along with holding costs. Any gains or losses realized at the time of disposal are also reflected in noninterest expense, as applicable. OREO is included in Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy due to the lack of observable market inputs into the determination of fair value. Appraisal values are property-specific and sensitive to the changes in the overall economic environment.

Mortgage loans held-for-sale — Mortgage loans held-for-sale are carried at the fair value. The fair value of loans held-for-sale is determined using quoted prices for similar assets, adjusted for specific attributes of that loan (Level 2).

Other assets — Included in other assets are certain assets carried at fair value, including the cash surrender value of bank owned life insurance policies and annuity contracts. The Company uses financial information received from insurance carriers indicating the performance of the insurance policies, cash surrender values, and annuity contracts in determining the carrying value. The Company reflects these assets within Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy due to the unobservable inputs included in the valuation of these items. The Company does not consider the fair values of these policies and contracts to be materially sensitive to changes in these unobservable inputs.

The following tables present the financial instruments carried at fair value as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, by caption on the consolidated balance sheet and by FASB ASC 820 valuation hierarchy (as described above) (in thousands):


	Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
					Models with		Models with
	Total Carrying				Significant		Significant
	Value in the		Quoted Market		Observable		Unobservable
	Consolidated		Prices in an		Market		Market
	Balance		Active Market		Parameters		Parameters
	Sheet		(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
June 30, 2015
Investment securities available-for-sale:
U.S. Government sponsored enterprises	$	113,145		—		113,145		—
Mortgage-backed securities		163,158		—		163,158		—
Asset-backed securities		29,117		—		29,117		—
State and municipal securities		23,064		—		23,064		—

Total investment securities available-for-sale		328,484		—		328,484		—
Loans held for sale		10,076		—		10,076		—
Other assets		25,543		—		—		25,543

Total assets at fair value	$	364,103		—		338,560		25,543

December 31, 2014
Investment securities available-for-sale:
U.S. Government sponsored enterprises	$	130,567		—		130,567		—
Mortgage-backed securities		171,069		—		171,069		—
Asset-backed securities		30,520		—		30,520		—
State and municipal securities		14,264		—		14,264		—

Total investment securities available-for-sale		346,420		—		346,420		—
Loans held for sale		9,466		—		9,466		—
Other assets		17,331		—		—		17,331

Total assets at fair value	$	373,217		—		355,886		17,331


	Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Non-Recurring Basis
					Models with		Models with
	Total Carrying				Significant		Significant
	Value in the		Quoted Market		Observable		Unobservable
	Consolidated		Prices in an		Market		Market
	Balance		Active Market		Parameters		Parameters
	Sheet		(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
June 30, 2015
Other real estate owned	$	6,477		—		—		6,477
Impaired loans, net (¹)		11,601		—		—		11,601

Total	$	18,078		—		—		18,078

December 31, 2014
Other real estate owned	$	7,298		—		—		7,298
Impaired loans, net (¹)		8,866		—		—		8,866

Total	$	16,164		—		—		16,164

(¹)	Amount is net of a valuation allowance of $0.9 million at June 30, 2015 and $1.6 million at December 31, 2014 as required by ASC 310, “Receivables.”

In the case of the bond portfolio, the Company monitors the valuation technique utilized by various pricing agencies to ascertain when transfers between levels have been affected. The nature of the remaining assets and liabilities is such that transfers in and out of any level are expected to be rare. For the six months ended June 30, 2015, there were no transfers between Levels 1, 2 or 3.

The table below includes a rollforward of the balance sheet amounts for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 (including the change in fair value) for financial instruments classified by the Company within Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy for assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. When a determination is made to classify a financial instrument within Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy, the determination is based upon the significance of the unobservable factors to the overall fair value measurement. However, since Level 3 financial instruments typically include, in addition to the unobservable or Level 3 components, observable components (that is, components that are actively quoted and can be validated to external sources), the gains and losses in the table below include changes in fair value due in part to observable factors that are part of the valuation methodology (in thousands):


	For the Six Months Ended June 30,
	2015				2014
	Other		Other		Other		Other
	Assets		Liabilities		Assets		Liabilities
Fair value, January 1	$	17,331		—	$	11,390		—
Total realized gains included in income		558		—		186		—
Change in unrealized gains/losses included in other comprehensive income for assets and liabilities still held at June 30		—		—		—		—
Purchases, issuances and settlements, net		7,654		—		5,000		—
Transfers out of Level 3		—		—		—		—

Fair value, June 30	$	25,543		—	$	16,576		—

Total realized gains included in income related to financial assets and liabilities still on the consolidated balance sheet at June 30	$	558		—		186		—

The following methods and assumptions were used by the Company in estimating its fair value disclosures for financial instruments that are not measured at fair value. In cases where quoted market prices or observable components are not available, fair values are based on estimates using discounted cash flow models. Those models are significantly affected by the assumptions used, including the discount rates, estimates of future cash flows and borrower creditworthiness. The fair value estimates presented herein are based on pertinent information available to management as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014. Such amounts have not been revalued for purposes of these consolidated financial statements since those dates and, therefore, current estimates of fair value may differ significantly from the amounts presented herein.

Held-to-maturity securities — Estimated fair values for investment securities are based on quoted market prices where available. If quoted market prices are not available, then fair values are estimated by using pricing models that use observable inputs or quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics.

Loans — The fair value of our loan portfolio includes a credit risk factor in the determination of the fair value of our loans. This credit risk assumption is intended to approximate the fair value that a market participant would realize in a hypothetical orderly transaction. Our loan portfolio is initially fair valued using a segmented approach. We divide our loan portfolio into the following categories: variable rate loans, impaired loans and all other loans. The results are then adjusted to account for credit risk.

For variable-rate loans that reprice frequently and have no significant change in credit risk, fair values approximate carrying values. Fair values for impaired loans are estimated using discounted cash flow models or based on the fair value of the underlying collateral. For other loans, fair values are estimated using discounted cash flow models, using current market interest rates offered for loans with similar terms to borrowers of similar credit quality. The values derived from the discounted cash flow approach for each of the above portfolios are then further discounted to incorporate credit risk to determine the exit price.

Deposits and Securities sold under agreements to repurchase — Fair values for deposits are estimated using discounted cash flow models, using current market interest rates offered on deposits with similar remaining maturities.

Off-Balance Sheet Instruments — The fair values of the Company’s off-balance-sheet financial instruments are based on fees charged to enter into similar agreements. However, commitments to extend credit do not represent a significant value to the Company until such commitments are funded.

The following table presents the carrying amounts, estimated fair value and placement in the fair valuation hierarchy of the Company’s financial instruments at June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014. This table excludes financial instruments for which the carrying amount approximates fair value. For short-term financial assets such as cash and cash equivalents, the carrying amount is a reasonable estimate of fair value due to the relatively short time between the origination of the instrument and its expected realization.


							Models with		Models with
					Quoted Market		Significant		Significant
					Prices in		Observable		Unobservable
	Carrying/				an Active		Market		Market
	Notional		Estimated		Market		Parameters		Parameters
(in Thousands)	Amount		Fair Value (¹)		(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
June 30, 2015
Financial assets:
Securities held-to-maturity	$	26,204		26,251		—		26,251		—
Loans, net		1,411,049		1,420,561		—		—		1,420,561
Financial liabilities:
Deposits and securities sold under agreements to repurchase		1,714,560		1,554,841		—		—		1,554,841
Off-balance sheet instruments:
Commitments to extend credit		—		—		—		—		—
Standby letters of credit		—		—		—		—		—
December 31, 2014
Financial assets:
Securities held-to-maturity	$	28,123		28,400		—		28,400		—
Loans, net		1,329,865		1,346,569		—		—		1,346,569
Financial liabilities:
Deposits and securities sold under agreements to repurchase		1,663,707		1,530,607		—		—		1,530,607
Off-balance sheet instruments:
Commitments to extend credit		—		—		—		—		—
Standby letters of credit		—		—		—		—		—

(¹)	Estimated fair values are consistent with an exit-price concept. The assumptions used to estimate the fair values are intended to approximate those that a market-participant would realize in a hypothetical orderly transaction.