Off- Balance Sheet Financial Instruments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2025

Off- Balance Sheet Financial Instruments

Off- Balance Sheet Financial Instruments

(8) Off- Balance Sheet Financial Instruments. The Company is party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial instruments are commitments to extend credit, unused lines of credit, and standby letters of credit and may involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit and interest-rate risk in excess of the amount recognized in the condensed consolidated balance sheet. The contract amounts of these instruments reflect the extent of involvement the Company has in these financial instruments.

The Company’s exposure to credit loss in the event of non-performance by the other party to the financial instrument for commitments to extend credit is represented by the contractual amount of those instruments. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments as it does for on-balance-sheet 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. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Because some of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Company evaluates each customer’s credit worthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Company, upon extension of credit, is based on management’s credit evaluation of the counterparty.

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Bank to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit to customers is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers. The Bank generally holds collateral supporting those commitments. Standby letters of credit generally have expiration dates within one year.

Commitments to extend credit, unused lines of credit, and standby letters of credit typically result in loans with a market interest rate when funded. A summary of the contractual amounts of the Company’s financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk at March 31, 2025 follows (Dollars in thousands):

Commitments to extend credit	$	19,393
Unused lines of credit	$	51,479
Standby letters of credit	$	4,547