Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (In Thousands)

The following table presents the notional amount and fair value of Arrow's off-balance sheet commitments to extend credit and commitments under standby letters of credit as of September 30, 2021, December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020:

Commitments to Extend Credit and Letters of Credit
	September 30, 2021		December 31, 2020		September 30, 2020
Notional Amount:
Commitments to Extend Credit	$	431,452	$	399,882	$	364,861
Standby Letters of Credit	3,392		3,703		3,330
Fair Value:
Commitments to Extend Credit	$	—	$	—	$	—
Standby Letters of Credit	21		28		30

Arrow is party to 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.  Commitments to extend credit include home equity lines of credit, commitments for residential and commercial construction loans and other personal and commercial lines 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 contract or notional amounts of those instruments reflect the extent of the involvement Arrow has in particular classes of financial instruments.

Arrow'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 notional amount of those instruments.  Arrow uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does 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 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 not expected to be fully drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements.  Arrow evaluates each customer's creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis.  Home equity lines of credit are secured by residential real estate.  Construction lines of credit are secured by underlying real estate.  For other lines of credit, the amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by Arrow upon extension of credit, is based on management's credit evaluation of the counterparty.  Collateral held varies, but may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, and income-producing commercial properties.  Most of the commitments are variable rate instruments.

Arrow does not issue any guarantees that would require liability-recognition or disclosure, other than its standby letters of credit. Arrow has issued conditional commitments in the form of standby letters of credit to guarantee payment on behalf of a customer and guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party.  Standby letters of credit generally arise in connection with commercial lending relationships. The credit risk involved in issuing these instruments is essentially the same as that involved in extending loans to customers. Contingent obligations under standby letters of credit at September 30, 2021, December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020 represent the maximum potential future payments Arrow could be required to make.  Typically, these instruments have terms of 12 months or less and expire unused; therefore, the total amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements.  Each customer is evaluated individually for creditworthiness under the same underwriting standards used for commitments to extend credit and on-balance sheet instruments. Company policies governing loan collateral apply to standby letters of credit at the time of credit extension.  Loan-to-value ratios will generally range from 50% for movable assets, such as inventory, to 100% for liquid assets, such as bank CD's.  Fees for standby letters of credit range from 1% to 3% of the notional amount.  Fees are collected upfront and amortized over the life of the commitment. The carrying amount and fair value of Arrow's standby letters of credit at September 30, 2021, December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, were insignificant.  The fair value of standby letters of credit is based on the fees currently charged for similar agreements or the cost to terminate the arrangement with the counterparties.

The fair value of commitments to extend credit is determined by estimating the fees to enter into similar agreements, taking into account the remaining terms and present creditworthiness of the counterparties, and for fixed rate loan commitments, the difference between the current and committed interest rates.  Arrow provides several types of commercial lines of credit and standby letters of credit to its commercial customers.  The pricing of these services is not isolated as Arrow considers the customer's complete deposit and borrowing relationship in pricing individual products and services.  The commitments to extend credit also include commitments under home equity lines of credit, for which Arrow charges no fee.  The carrying value and fair value of commitments to extend credit are not material and Arrow does not expect to incur any material loss as a result of these commitments.

In the normal course of business, Arrow and its subsidiary banks become involved in a variety of routine legal proceedings.  At present, there are no legal proceedings pending or threatened, which in the opinion of management and counsel, would result in a material loss to Arrow, except as noted below.

Except as noted below, Arrow, including its subsidiary banks, is not currently the subject of any material pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation occurring in the normal course of their business. On an ongoing basis, Arrow is often the subject of, or a party to, various legal claims by other parties against Arrow, by Arrow against other parties, or involving Arrow, which arise in the normal course of business. Except as noted below, the various pending legal claims against Arrow will not, in the opinion of management based upon consultation with counsel, result in any material liability.

On July 1, 2020, Daphne Richard, a customer of GFNB filed a putative class action complaint against GFNB in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. The complaint alleges that GFNB assessed overdraft fees on certain transactions drawn on her checking account without having sufficiently disclosed its overdraft-fee practices in its account agreement. Ms. Richard, on behalf of two purported classes, seeks compensatory damages, disgorgement of profits, statutory damages, treble damages, enjoinment of the conduct complained of, and costs and fees. The complaint is similar to complaints filed against other financial

institutions pertaining to overdraft fees. Arrow denies any wrongdoing. The parties engaged in an initial mediation session in September 2021. Settlement discussions are ongoing.