Note 13. Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

In the normal course of business there are various commitments and contingent liabilities outstanding pertaining to the granting of loans and the lines of credit, which are not reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

The Bank of Greene County’s unfunded loan commitments and unused lines of credit are as follows at June 30, 2021 and 2020:

(In thousands)	2021		2020
Unfunded loan commitments	$	121,775	$	100,241
Unused lines of credit		86,456		70,333
Standby letters of credit		175		-
Total commitments	$	208,406	$	170,574

Commitments to extend credit in the form of loan commitments and lines of 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 and may require payment of a fee. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire without being fully drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Bank of Greene County evaluates each customer’s credit worthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral, if any, required upon an extension of credit is based on management’s evaluation of customer credit. Commitments to extend mortgage credit are primarily collateralized by first liens on real estate. Collateral on extensions of commercial lines of credit vary but may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, and income producing commercial property.

Risk Participation Agreements

Risk participation agreements (“RPAs”) are guarantees issued by the Company to other parties for a fee, whereby the Company agrees to participate in the credit risk of a derivative customer of the other party. Under the terms of these agreements, the “participating bank” receives a fee from the “lead bank” in exchange for the guarantee of reimbursement if the customer defaults on an interest rate swap. The interest rate swap is transacted such that any and all exchanges of interest payments (favorable and unfavorable) are made between the lead bank and the customer. In the event that an early termination of the swap occurs and the customer is unable to make a required close out payment, the participating bank assumes that obligation and is required to make this payment.

RPAs where the Company acts as the lead bank are referred to as “participations-out,” in reference to the credit risk associated with the customer derivatives being transferred out of the Company. Participations-out generally occur concurrently with the sale of new customer derivatives. The Company had no participations-out at June 30, 2021 or 2020. RPAs where the Company acts as the participating bank are referred to as “participations-in,” in reference to the credit risk associated with the counterparty’s derivatives being assumed by the Company. The Company’s maximum credit exposure is based on its proportionate share of the settlement amount of the referenced interest rate swap. Settlement amounts are generally calculated based on the fair value of the swap plus outstanding accrued interest receivables from the customer. The Company’s estimate of the credit exposure associated with its risk participations-in was $7.2 million and $3.3 million at June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The current amount of credit exposure is spread out over three counterparties, and terms range between five to ten years.