18. Commitments and Contingencies

In the normal course of business, the Company enters into financial instruments with off balance sheet risk in order to meet the financing needs of its customers and to reduce its own exposure to fluctuations in interest rates. These instruments include commitments to extend credit, letters of credit, and other types of financial guarantees. The Company had the following off balance sheet commitments as of the dates indicated.

(in thousands)	December 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Commitments to Extend Credit	$	919,982	$	828,539
Letters of Credit		20,346		19,108
Performance Guarantees Under Interest Rate Swap Contracts Entered Into Between Our Borrowing Customers and Third Parties		1,513		-

The Company’s exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party with regard to standby letters of credit, undisbursed loan commitments, and financial guarantees is represented by the contractual notional amount of those instruments. 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. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for recorded balance sheet items. The Company may or may not require collateral or other security to support financial instruments with credit risk. Evaluations of each customer’s creditworthiness are performed on a case-by-case basis.

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Company to guarantee performance of or payment for a customer to a third party. Outstanding standby letters of credit have maturity dates ranging from 1 to 25 months with final expiration in January 2022. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee.

In the ordinary course of business, the Company becomes involved in litigation arising out of its normal business activities. Management, after consultation with legal counsel, believes that the ultimate liability, if any, resulting from the disposition of such claims would not be material in relation to the financial position of the Company.

The Company may be required to maintain average reserves on deposit with the Federal Reserve Bank primarily based on deposits outstanding. Reserve requirements are offset by the Company’s vault cash and deposit balances maintained with the Federal Reserve Bank.