Note 14: Fair Value Measurements

The fair value of an asset or liability is the price that would be received by selling that asset or paid in transferring that liability in an orderly transaction occurring in the principal market (or most advantageous market in the absence of a principal market) for such asset or liability. In estimating fair value, the Company utilizes valuation techniques that are consistent with the market approach, the income approach and/or the cost approach. Such valuation techniques are consistently applied. Inputs to valuation techniques include the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. FASB ASC Topic 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy for valuation inputs that gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs. The fair value hierarchy is as follows:

Level 1 Inputs - Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date.

Level 2 Inputs - Inputs other than quoted prices included in level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These might include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability (such as interest rates, volatilities, prepayment speeds, credit risks, etc.) or inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by market data by correlation or other means.

Level 3 Inputs - Unobservable inputs for determining the fair values of assets or liabilities that reflect the Company’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the assets or liabilities.

A description of the valuation methodologies used for instruments measured at fair value, as well as the general classification of such instruments pursuant to the valuation hierarchy, is set forth below. These valuation methodologies were applied to those Company assets and liabilities that are carried at fair value.

Cash and due from banks were transferred to level 1 during the second quarter of 2015 as the carrying amount approximates fair value. There were no additional transfers between levels during the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

In general, fair value is based upon quoted market prices, when available. If such quoted market prices are not available, fair values are measured utilizing independent valuation techniques of identical or similar securities for which significant assumptions are derived primarily from or corroborated by observable data. Valuation adjustments may be made to ensure that financial instruments are recorded at fair value. These adjustments may include amounts to reflect, among other things, counterparty credit quality and the company’s creditworthiness as well as unobservable parameters. Any such valuation adjustments are applied consistently over time. The Company’s valuation methodologies may produce a fair value calculation that may not be indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values. While management believes the Company’s valuation methodologies are appropriate and consistent with other market participants, the use of different methodologies or assumptions to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different estimate of fair value at the reporting date. Furthermore, the reported fair value amounts have not been comprehensively revalued since the presentation dates and, therefore, estimates of fair value after the balance sheet date may differ significantly from the amounts presented herein.

Securities Available for Sale. Securities classified as available for sale are reported at fair value utilizing level 1 and level 2 measurements. For mutual funds and other equity securities, unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets are utilized to determine fair value at the measurement date and have been classified as level 1 in the ASC 820 fair value hierarchy. For all other securities, the Company obtains fair value measurements from an independent pricing service. The independent pricing service evaluations are based on market data. The independent pricing service utilizes evaluated pricing models that vary by asset class and incorporate available trade, bid and other market information. Because many fixed income securities do not trade on a daily basis, the independent pricing service applies available information as appropriate through processes such as benchmark curves, benchmarking of like securities, sector groupings, and matrix pricing, to prepare evaluations. In addition, the independent pricing service uses model processes, such as the Option Adjusted Spread model, to assess interest rate impact and develop prepayment scenarios. The models and processes take into account market conventions. For each asset class, a team of evaluators gathers information from market sources and integrates relevant credit information, perceived market movements and sector news into the evaluated pricing applications and models.

The market inputs that the independent pricing service normally seeks for evaluations of securities, listed in approximate order of priority, include: benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, issuer spreads, two-sided markets, benchmark securities, bids, offers and reference data including market research publications. The independent pricing service also monitors market indicators, industry and economic events. Information of this nature is a trigger to acquire further market data. For certain security types, additional inputs may be used or some of the market inputs may not be applicable. Evaluators may prioritize inputs differently on any given day for any security based on market conditions, and not all inputs listed are available for use in the evaluation process for each security evaluation on a given day. Because the data utilized was observable, the securities have been classified as level 2 in the ASC 820 fair value hierarchy.

Derivative Assets and Derivative Liabilities. Derivative assets and derivative liabilities are reported at fair value utilizing level 2 measurements. Derivative instruments with positive fair values are reported as an asset and derivative instruments with negative fair value are reported as liabilities. The fair value of derivative assets and liabilities is determined based on prices obtained from a third party. Values of derivative assets and liabilities are primarily based on observable inputs and are classified as level 2 in the ASC 820 fair value hierarchy.

The following table summarizes financial assets and financial liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, segregated by the level of the valuation inputs within the fair value hierarchy utilized to measure fair value:

	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
	Inputs		Inputs		Inputs		Fair Value
	(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2015
Securities available for sale
U.S. Treasury securities	$	—	$	65,763	$	—	$	65,763
Obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	—		150,433		—		150,433
Obligations of states and political subdivisions	—		192,597		—		192,597
Residential mortgage-backed securities	—		328,832		—		328,832
Corporate debt securities	—		152,901		—		152,901
Mutual funds and other equity securities	12,240		—		—		12,240
Derivative assets
Foreign currency forward contracts	—		15		—		15

	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
	Inputs		Inputs		Inputs		Fair Value
	(dollars in thousands)
December 31, 2014
Securities available for sale
U.S. Treasury securities	$	—	$	50,606	$	—	$	50,606
Obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	—		167,010		—		167,010
Obligations of states and political subdivisions	—		220,161		—		220,161
Residential mortgage-backed securities	—		235,636		—		235,636
Corporate debt securities	—		79,307		—		79,307
Mutual funds and other equity securities	6,345		—		—		6,345
Derivative assets
Foreign currency forward contracts	—		15		—		15

Certain financial assets and financial liabilities are measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis; that is, the instruments are not measured at fair value on an ongoing basis but are subject to fair value adjustments in certain circumstances (for example, when there is evidence of impairment).

Impaired Loans. The Company does not record loans at fair value on a recurring basis. However, periodically, a loan is considered impaired and is reported at the fair value of the underlying collateral, less estimated costs to sell, if repayment is expected solely from the collateral. Impaired loans measured at fair value typically consist of loans on non-accrual status and restructured loans in compliance with modified terms. Collateral values are estimated using a combination of observable inputs, including recent appraisals, and unobservable inputs based on customized discounting criteria. Due to the significance of the unobservable inputs, all impaired loan fair values have been classified as level 3 in the ASC 820 fair value hierarchy.

OREO. Non-financial assets and non-financial liabilities measured at fair value include OREO (upon initial recognition or subsequent impairment). OREO properties are measured using a combination of observable inputs, including recent appraisals, and unobservable inputs based on customized discounting criteria. Due to the significance of the unobservable inputs, all OREO fair values have been classified as level 3 in the ASC 820 fair value hierarchy.

The following table summarizes assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, segregated by the level of the valuation inputs within the fair value hierarchy utilized to measure fair value:

	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
	Inputs		Inputs		Inputs		Fair Value
	(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2015
Impaired loans	$	—	$	—	$	953	$	953
OREO(1)	—		—		—		—

December 31, 2014
Impaired loans	$	—	$	—	$	2,129	$	2,129
OREO(1)	—		—		—		—

The following table presents additional quantitative information about assets measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis for which the Company has utilized level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

	Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements
	Fair Value		Valuation	Unobservable	Range
	Estimate		Techniques	Input	(Weighted Average)
	(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2015
Impaired loans	$	953	Appraisal of collateral	Appraisal adjustments	-5.2% to -100.0% (-59.0)%
OREO(1)	—		Appraisal of collateral	Appraisal adjustments	-100.0% (-100.0)%
December 31, 2014

Impaired loans	$	2,129	Appraisal of collateral	Appraisal adjustments	-7.7% to -100.0% (-54.3)%
OREO(1)	—		Appraisal of collateral	Appraisal adjustments	-100.0% (-100.0)%

(1)OREO fair value was less than one thousand dollars.

The estimated fair values of financial instruments that are reported at amortized cost in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets, segregated by the level of the valuation inputs within the fair value hierarchy utilized to measure fair value, were as follows:

	September 30, 2015				December 31, 2014
	Carrying		Fair		Carrying		Fair
	Amount		Value		Amount		Value
	(dollars in thousands)
Financial assets:
Level 1 inputs:
Cash and due from banks	$	175,145	$	175,145	$	—	$	—
Level 2 inputs:
Cash and due from banks	—		—		339,438		339,438
Securities held to maturity	49,812		50,288		2,373		2,425
Loans held for sale	15,694		16,007		10,400		10,634
Accrued interest receivable	13,187		13,187		11,187		11,187
Level 3 inputs:
Loans, net	2,518,108		2,522,316		2,357,837		2,360,000

Financial liabilities:
Level 2 inputs:
Deposits	$	3,110,530	$	3,110,047	$	2,900,848	$	2,900,763
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase	176,961		176,961		198,893		198,893
Long-term debt	50,000		50,000		50,000		50,000
Junior subordinated debt owed to unconsolidated trusts	55,000		55,000		55,000		55,000
Accrued interest payable	443		443		507		507

The fair value of loans, net reflects general changes in the interest rate curve used to calculate fair values based on cash flows.

FASB ASC Topic 825 requires disclosure of the fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities, including those financial assets and financial liabilities that are not measured and reported at fair value on a recurring basis or non-recurring basis. A detailed description of the valuation methodologies used in estimating the fair value of financial instruments is set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.