9.DERIVATIVES

The Company is party to a variety of derivative transactions, including derivative loan commitments, forward loan sale commitments and interest rate swap contracts. The Company enters into derivative contracts in order to meet the financing needs of its customers. The Company also enters into derivative contracts as a means of reducing its interest rate risk and market risk.

All derivatives are recognized in the unaudited interim Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognized in earnings. The Company did not have any fair value hedges or cash flow hedges at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

Derivative Loan Commitments

Mortgage loan commitments qualify as derivative loan commitments if the loan that will result from exercise of the commitment will be held for sale upon funding. The Company enters into commitments to fund residential mortgage loans at specified times in the future, with the intention that these loans will subsequently be sold in the secondary market. A mortgage loan commitment binds the Company to lend funds to a potential borrower at a specified interest rate and within a specified period of time, generally up to 60 days after inception of the rate lock.

Outstanding derivative loan commitments expose the Company to the risk that the price of the loans arising from exercise of the loan commitment might decline from inception of a rate lock to funding of the loan due to increases in mortgage interest rates. If interest rates increase, the value of these loan commitments decreases. Conversely, if interest rates decrease, the value of these loan commitments increases.

Forward Loan Sale Commitments

The Company utilizes both “mandatory delivery” and “best efforts” forward loan sale commitments to mitigate the risk of potential decreases in the values of loans that would result from the exercise of the derivative loan commitments.

With a “mandatory delivery” contract, the Company commits to deliver a certain principal amount of mortgage loans to an investor at a specified price on or before a specified date. If the Company fails to deliver the amount of mortgages necessary to fulfill the commitment by the specified date, it is obligated to pay a “pair-off” fee, based on then-current market prices, to the investor to compensate the investor for the shortfall.

With a “best efforts” contract, the Company commits to deliver an individual mortgage loan of a specified principal amount and quality to an investor if the loan to the underlying borrower closes. Generally, the price the investor will pay the seller for an individual loan is specified prior to the loan being funded (e.g., on the same day the lender commits to lend funds to a potential borrower).

The Company expects that these forward loan sale commitments will experience changes in fair value opposite to the change in fair value of derivative loan commitments.

Interest Rate Swaps

The Company enters into interest rate swap agreements that are transacted to meet the financing needs of its commercial customers. Offsetting interest rate swap agreements are simultaneously transacted with a third-party financial institution to effectively eliminate the Company’s interest rate risk associated with the customer swaps. The primary risks associated with these transactions arise from exposure to the ability of the counterparties to meet the terms of the contract. Mortgage-backed securities with a fair value of $46.3 million are pledged to secure the Company’s liability for the offsetting interest rate swaps (see Note 2). The interest rate swap notional amount is the aggregate notional amount of the customer swap and the offsetting third-party swap.

Risk Participation Agreements

The Company has entered into risk participation agreements with the correspondent institutions and shares in any interest rate swap losses incurred as a result of the commercial loan customers’ termination of a loan level interest rate swap agreement prior to maturity. The Company records these risk participation agreements at fair value. 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 following tables presents the outstanding notional balances and fair values of outstanding derivative instruments:


			Assets			Liabilities
			Balance			Balance
	Notional		Sheet	Fair		Sheet	Fair
	Amount		Location	Value		Location	Value
		(in thousands)

March 31, 2020:
Derivative loan commitments	$	433,743	Other assets	$	8,065	Other liabilities	$	1,663
Forward loan sale commitments		201,711	Other assets		13	Other liabilities		3,817
Interest rate swaps		783,888	Other assets		43,278	Other liabilities		43,278
Risk participation agreements		127,478	Other assets		—	Other liabilities		—
Total				$	51,356		$	48,758

December 31, 2019:
Derivative loan commitments	$	100,938	Other assets	$	1,385	Other liabilities	$	174
Forward loan sale commitments		88,000	Other assets		26	Other liabilities		158
Interest rate swaps		725,332	Other assets		15,092	Other liabilities		15,092
Risk participation agreements		134,346	Other assets		—	Other liabilities		—
Total				$	16,503		$	15,424

The following table presents the recorded net gains and losses pertaining to the Company’s derivative instruments:


		Amount of Gain (Loss)
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	Location of Gain (Loss)	2020		2019
		(in thousands)

Derivative loan commitments	Mortgage banking income	$	5,191	$	544
Forward loan sale commitments	Mortgage banking income		(3,672)		18
Total		$	1,519	$	562