Commitments and Contingencies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into financial commitments to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial commitments include commitments to extend credit and letters of credit. Those instruments involve to varying degrees, elements of credit, and interest rate risk not recognized in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company had the following outstanding financial commitments whose contractual amount represents credit risk:


($ in thousands)	June 30, 2020		December 31, 2019
Commitments to extend credit	$	194,431	$	171,608
Standby letters of credit	4,300		3,300
Commercial letters of credit	416		292
Total	$	199,147	$	175,200

The Company’s exposure to loan loss in the event of nonperformance on commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit is represented by the contractual amount of those instruments. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments as it does for the loans reflected in the consolidated financial statements. The Company maintained reserve for off-balance sheet items of $270 thousand and $301 thousand, respectively, at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, in Accrued Interest Payable and Other Liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

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. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Company evaluates each client’s credit worthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained if deemed necessary by the Company is based on management’s credit evaluation of the customer.

Litigation

The Company is involved in various matters of litigation, which have arisen in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the disposition of pending matters of litigation will not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

COVID-19 Pandemic

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and governmental and societal responses thereto, have had a severe impact on global economic and market conditions, including significant disruption of, and volatility in, financial markets; global supply chain disruptions; and the institution of social distancing and shelter-in-place requirements that have resulted in temporary closures of many businesses, lost revenues, and increased unemployment throughout the U.S., but also specifically in California, where most of the Company’s operations and a large majority of its customers are located. These conditions have impacted and are expected in the future to impact its business, results of operations, and financial condition negatively.