Note 12 - Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

NOTE 12. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Lease Commitments – We lease seven sites under non-cancelable operating leases. The leases contain various provisions for increases in rental rates, based on predetermined escalation schedules. Substantially all of the leases include the option to extend the lease term one or more times following expiration of the initial term.

The following table sets forth rent expense and rent income for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015.

	Three Months Ended March 31,
(Amounts in thousands)	2016		2015
Rent income	$	10	$	4
Rent expense		145		142
Net rent expense	$	135	$	138

The following table sets forth, as of March 31, 2016, the future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases.

(Amounts in thousands)
Amounts due in:
2016	$	483
2017		584
2018		467
2019		438
2020		449
Thereafter		1,345
Total	$	3,766

Financial Instruments with Off-Balance Sheet Risk 

Our consolidated financial statements do not reflect various commitments and contingent liabilities that arise in the normal course of our business and involve elements of credit, liquidity, and interest rate risk.

The following table presents a summary of our commitments and contingent liabilities at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015.

(Amounts in thousands)	March 31, 2016		December 31, 2015
Commitments to extend credit	$	197,605	$	224,757
Standby letters of credit		2,098		2,477
Affordable Housing Grant Sponsorship		3,344		3,356
Total commitments	$	203,047	$	230,590

In the normal course of business, we are party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet credit risk to meet the financing needs of our customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit, standby letters of credit and financial guarantees. These instruments involve elements of credit and interest rate risk similar to the amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The contract or notional amounts of these instruments reflect the extent of our involvement in particular classes of financial instruments.

Our exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instrument for commitments to extend credit, standby letters of credit, and financial guarantees, is represented by the contractual notional amount of those instruments. We use the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as we use for on-balance sheet instruments.

Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as there is no violation of any covenant or condition established in the contract. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements.

While most standby letters of credit are not utilized, a significant portion of such utilization is on an immediate payment basis. We evaluate each customer’s creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if it is deemed necessary by the Bank upon extension of credit, is based on our credit evaluation of the counterparty. Collateral varies but may include cash, accounts receivable, inventory, premises and equipment and income-producing commercial properties.

Standby letters of credit and financial guarantees are conditional commitments issued by the Bank to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. These guarantees are primarily issued to support public and private borrowing arrangements, including international trade finance, commercial paper, bond financing and similar transactions. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers.

We hold cash, marketable securities, or real estate as collateral supporting those commitments for which collateral is deemed necessary. We were not required to perform on any financial guarantees for the three months ended March 31, 2016, and the year ended December 31, 2015. At March 31, 2016, approximately $133 thousand of standby letters of credit expire within one year, and $2.0 million expire thereafter.

The reserve for unfunded commitments, which is included in Other Liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, was $695 thousand at March 31, 2016 and $695 thousand at December 31, 2015. The adequacy of the reserve for unfunded commitments is reviewed on a quarterly basis, based upon changes in the amount of commitments, loss experience, and economic conditions. During the three months ended March 31, 2016, we made no additional provision to the reserve for unfunded commitments. When necessary, the provision expense is recorded in other noninterest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Legal Proceedings – We are involved in various pending and threatened legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. We maintain reserves for losses from legal actions, which are both probable and estimable. In our opinion, the disposition of claims currently pending will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.

Concentrations of Credit Risk – We grant real estate construction, commercial, and installment loans to customers throughout northern California. In our judgment, a concentration exists in real estate related loans, which represented approximately 74% of our gross loan portfolio at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015.

Commercial real estate concentrations are managed to assure wide geographic and business diversity. Although management believes such concentrations have no more than the normal risk of collectability, a substantial decline in the economy in general, material increases in interest rates, changes in tax policies, tightening credit or refinancing markets, or a decline in real estate values in our principal market areas in particular, could have an adverse impact on the repayment of these loans. Personal and business incomes, proceeds from the sale of real property, or proceeds from refinancing, represent the primary sources of repayment for a majority of these loans.

We recognize the credit risks inherent in dealing with other depository institutions. Accordingly, to prevent excessive exposure to other depository institutions in aggregate or to any single correspondent, we have established general standards for selecting correspondent banks as well as internal limits for allowable exposure to other depository institutions in aggregate or to any single correspondent. In addition, we have an investment policy that sets forth limitations that apply to all investments with respect to credit rating and concentrations with an issuer.