COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

NOTE O - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

In the normal course of business, the Corporation makes various commitments that are not reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. These are commonly referred to as off-balance sheet commitments and include firm commitments to extend credit, unused lines of credit, and open letters of credit.On December 31, 2014, firm loan commitments totaled approximately $17.9 million; unused lines of credit totaled $138.5 million; and open letters of credit totaled $9.6 million. The sum of these commitments, $166.0 million, represents total exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by customers with respect to these financial instruments; however the vast majority of these commitments are typically not drawn upon. The same credit policies for on-balance sheet instruments apply for making commitments and conditional obligations and the actual credit losses that could arise from the exercise of these commitments is expected to compare favorably with the loan loss experience on the loan portfolio taken as a whole. Commitments to extend credit on December 31, 2013, totaled $141.8 million, representing firm loan commitments of $27.8 million, unused lines of credit of $105.8 million, and open letters of credit totaling $8.2 million.

Firm commitments to extend credit and unused 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. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. Each customer's creditworthiness is evaluated on an individual basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the extension of credit, is based on management's credit evaluation of the customer. These commitments are supported by various types of collateral, where it is determined that collateral is required.

Open letters of credit are conditional commitments issued to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. Those guarantees are primarily issued to support public and private borrowing arrangements. Most guarantees expire within one year. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loans to customers. While various assets of the customer act as collateral for these letters of credit, real estate is the primary collateral held for these potential obligations.