NOTE 16 —

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISK AND CONCENTRATIONS OF CREDIT RISK

Financial Instruments with Off Balance Sheet Risk

The Corporation is a 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. 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 involvement the Corporation has in particular classes of financial instruments. The Corporation does not engage in trading activities with respect to any of its financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk.

The Corporation’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.

The Corporation uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for on-balance sheet instruments.

The Corporation may require collateral or other security to support financial instruments with off-balance sheet credit risk.

The contract or notional amounts at December 31, 2016 and 2015 were as follows:

(Dollars in thousands)
	2016		2015
Financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk:
Commitments to extend credit	$	84,519	$	72,552
Financial standby letters of credit	$	453	$	475
Performance standby letters of credit	$	5,341	$	4,692

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 that may require payment of a fee. Since some of the commitments may expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Corporation evaluates each customer’s creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Corporation upon extension of credit, is based on management’s credit evaluation of the borrower. Collateral held varies but may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, owner-occupied income-producing commercial properties, and residential real estate.

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Corporation to guarantee payment to a third party when a customer either fails to repay an obligation or fails to perform some non-financial obligation. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers. The Corporation may hold collateral to support standby letters of credit for which collateral is deemed necessary.

Financial Instruments with Concentrations of Credit Risk

The Corporation originates primarily commercial and residential real estate loans to customers in northeastern Pennsylvania. The ability of the majority of the Corporation’s customers to honor their contractual loan obligations is dependent on the economy and real estate market in this area. At December 31, 2016, the Corporation had $432,554,000 in loans secured by real estate, which represented 82.8% of total loans. The real estate loan portfolio is largely secured by lessors of residential buildings and dwellings, lessors of non-residential buildings, and lessors of hotels/motels. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, management is of the opinion that there were no concentrations exceeding 10% of total loans with regard to loans to borrowers who were engaged in similar activities that were similarly impacted by economic or other conditions.

As all financial instruments are subject to some level of credit risk, the Corporation requires collateral and/or guarantees for all loans. Collateral may include, but is not limited to property, plant, and equipment, commercial and/or residential real estate property, land, and pledge of securities. In the event of a borrower’s default, the collateral supporting the loan may be seized in order to recoup losses associated with the loan. The Corporation also establishes an allowance for loan losses that constitutes the amount available to absorb losses within the loan portfolio that may exist due to deficiencies in collateral values.