Related Parties

The Company’s Chief Executive Officer, its Vice Chairman, and its President are directors of Tower Properties Company (Tower) and, together with members of their immediate families, beneficially own approximately 67% of the outstanding stock of Tower. At December 31, 2016, Tower owned 257,759 shares of Company stock. Tower is primarily engaged in the business of owning, developing, leasing and managing real property.

Payments from the Company and its affiliates to Tower are summarized below. These payments, with the exception of dividend payments, relate to property management services, including construction oversight, on three Company-owned office buildings and related parking garages in downtown Kansas City.



(In thousands)	2016		2015		2014
Leasing agent fees	$	101	$	66	$	502
Operation of parking garages	184		75		86
Building management fees	1,832		1,850		1,824
Property construction management fees	147		322		335
Dividends paid on Company stock held by Tower	221		210		200
Total	$	2,485	$	2,523	$	2,947

Tower has a $13.5 million line of credit with the Bank which is subject to normal credit terms and has a variable interest rate. The line of credit is collateralized by Company stock and real estate property. There were no borrowings outstanding under this line during 2016. The maximum borrowings outstanding during 2015 and 2014 were $1.3 million and $3.0 million, respectively, and there was no balance outstanding at December 31, 2015. There was a balance of $1.3 million outstanding at December 31, 2014. Interest paid on these borrowings during the last three years was not significant. Letters of credit may be collateralized under this line of credit; however, there were no letters of credit outstanding during 2016, 2015 or 2014, and thus, no fees were received during these periods. From time to time, the Bank extends additional credit to Tower for construction and development projects. No construction loans were outstanding during 2016, 2015 and 2014.

Tower leases office space in the Kansas City bank headquarters building owned by the Company. Rent paid to the Company totaled $72 thousand in 2016 and $69 thousand in both 2015 and 2014, at $15.67, $15.42 and $15.17 per square foot, respectively.

Directors of the Company and their beneficial interests have deposit accounts with the Bank and may be provided with cash management and other banking services, including loans, in the ordinary course of business. Such loans were made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with other unrelated persons and did not involve more than the normal risk of collectability.

As discussed in Note 19 on Commitments, Contingencies, and Guarantees, the Company regularly purchases various state tax credits arising from third-party property redevelopment and resells the credits to third parties. During 2016, the Company sold state tax credits to its Chief Executive Officer, his father (a former Chief Executive Officer), its Vice Chairman, and its President, in the amount of $549 thousand, $191 thousand, $244 thousand, and $72 thousand, respectively, for personal tax planning. During 2015, the Company sold state tax credits to its Chief Executive Officer, his father, its Vice Chairman, and its President, in the amount of $478 thousand, $40 thousand, $372 thousand, and $65 thousand, respectively. During 2014, the Company sold state tax credits to its Chief Executive Officer, its Vice Chairman, and its President in the amount of $396 thousand, $155 thousand, and $60 thousand, respectively. The terms of the sales and the amounts paid were the same as the terms and amounts paid for similar tax credits by persons not related to the Company.