Risks and Uncertainties

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]

Risks and Uncertainties

RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

Nature of Operations - Arrow Financial Corporation, a New York corporation, was incorporated on March 21, 1983 and is registered as a bank holding company within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956.  The banking subsidiaries are Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company (Glens Falls National or GFNB) whose main office is located in Glens Falls, New York, and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company (Saratoga National or SNB) whose main office is located in Saratoga Springs, New York.  The two banks provide a full range of services to individuals and small to mid-size businesses in northeastern New York State from Albany, the State's capitol, to the Canadian border. Both banks have wealth management departments which provide investment management and administrative services. An active subsidiary of Glens Falls National is Upstate Agency LLC, offering insurance services including property, and casualty insurance, group health insurance and individual life insurance products. North Country Investment Advisers, Inc., a registered investment adviser that provides investment advice to our proprietary mutual fund, and Arrow Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust, or REIT, are subsidiaries of Glens Falls National. Arrow also owns directly two subsidiary business trusts, organized in 2003 and 2004 to issue trust preferred securities (TRUPs), which are still outstanding.

Concentrations of Credit - With the exception of some indirect auto lending, Arrow's loans are primarily with borrowers in upstate New York.  Although the loan portfolios of the subsidiary banks are well diversified, tourism has a substantial impact on the northeastern New York economy. The commitments to extend credit are fairly consistent with the distribution of loans presented in Note 5, "Loans," generally have the same credit risk and are subject to normal credit policies.  Generally, the loans are secured by assets and are expected to be repaid from cash flow or the sale of selected assets of the borrowers.  Arrow evaluates each customer's creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by Arrow upon extension of credit, is based upon Management's credit evaluation of the counterparty.  The nature of the collateral varies with the type of loan and may include: residential real estate, cash and securities, inventory, accounts receivable, property, plant and equipment, income producing commercial properties and automobiles.

Liquidity - The objective of effective liquidity management is to ensure that Arrow has the ability to raise cash when needed at a reasonable cost.  This includes the capability of meeting expected and unexpected obligations to Arrow's customers at any time. Given the uncertain nature of customer demands and the need to maximize earnings, Arrow must have available reasonably priced sources of funds, both on- and off-balance sheet, that can be accessed quickly in times of need. Arrow’s liquidity position should provide the Company with the necessary flexibility to address any unexpected near-term disruptions such as reduced cash flows from the investment and loan portfolio, unexpected deposit runoff, or increased loan originations.

Arrow's primary sources of available liquidity are overnight investments in federal funds sold, interest bearing bank balances at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and cash flow from investment securities and loans.