COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

7. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

     The Bank has financial instruments with off balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit. Those instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit and interest rate risk in excess of the amount recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The Bank’s exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instrument for commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit is represented by the contractual or notional amount of those instruments. The Bank uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as for on-balance sheet instruments.

The following table summarizes the Bank’s off balance sheet unfunded commitments as of the dates shown:

	Contract or		Contract or
	Notional Amount		Notional Amount
(Dollars in thousands)	September 30, 2011		December 31, 2010
Financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk:
Commitments to extend credit in the form of loans
Commercial	$	233,181	$	246,702
Real estate construction		6,138		10,568
Real estate mortgage
Mortgage		3,315		4,265
Home equity loans and lines of credit		152,357		154,073
Total real estate mortgage loans		155,672		158,338
Commercial real estate		9,604		7,756
Installment and consumer		10,480		10,734
Other		19,157		10,395
Standby letters of credit and financial guarantees		9,305		8,531
Account overdraft protection instruments		105,200		118,596
Total	$	548,737	$	571,620

Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer, as long as there is no violation of any condition established in the underlying contracts. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Many of the commitments may expire without being drawn upon; therefore total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. Each customer’s creditworthiness is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary upon extension of credit, is based on the Bank’s credit evaluation of the customer. Collateral held varies, but may include real property, accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, and income-producing commercial properties. The Company maintains a reserve for unfunded commitments as a component of the allowance for credit losses.

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued to support a customer’s performance or payment obligation to a third party. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers.

Interest rates on residential 1-4 family mortgage loan applications are typically rate locked during the application stage for periods ranging from 15 to 60 days, the most typical period being 45 days. These loans are locked with various qualified investors under a best-efforts delivery program. The Company makes every effort to deliver these loans before their rate locks expire. This arrangement generally requires the Bank to deliver the loans prior to the expiration of the rate lock. Delays in funding the loans may require a lock extension. The cost of a lock extension at times is borne by the borrower and at times by the Bank. These lock extension costs paid by the Bank are not expected to have a material impact on results of operations. This activity is managed daily.

Bancorp is periodically party to litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. Based on information currently known to management, although there are uncertainties inherent in litigation, we do not believe there is any legal action to which Bancorp or any of its subsidiaries is a party that, individually or in the aggregate, will have a materially adverse effect on Bancorp’s financial condition and results of operations, cash flows, or liquidity.