Commitments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Commitments and Legal Proceedings [Abstract]

Commitments

8.) Commitments:

The Company currently does not enter into derivative financial instruments including futures, forwards, interest rate risk swaps, option contracts, or other financial instruments with similar characteristics. The Company also does not participate in any partnerships or other special purpose entities that might give rise to off-balance sheet liabilities.

The Company, through its subsidiary bank, 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, standby letters of credit and financial guarantees. Such instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of the amount recognized on the consolidated balance sheets. The contract or notional amounts of those instruments reflect the extent of involvement the Company has in particular classes of financial instruments.

In the event of nonperformance by the other party, the Company’s exposure to credit loss on these financial instruments is represented by the contract or notional amount of the instrument. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for instruments recorded on the balance sheet. The amount and nature of collateral obtained, if any, is based on management’s credit evaluation.

The following is a summary of such contractual commitments:

	September 30,		December 31,
	2011		2010
Commitments to extend credit:
Fixed rate	$	6,195	$	7,395
Variable rate		56,080		36,717
Standby letters of credit		429		444

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. Generally these financial arrangements have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Company to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Company evaluates each customer’s creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Bank 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. The increase in commitments is in line with the Company’s increased focus on commercial and industrial lending, and specifically lines of credit.

The Company also offers limited overdraft protection as a non-contractual courtesy which is available to businesses as well as individually/jointly owned accounts in good standing for personal or household use. The Company reserves the right to discontinue this service without prior notice. The available amount of overdraft protection on depositors’ accounts at September 30, 2011 totaled $10,170 and $10,333 at December 31, 2010. The total average daily balance of overdrafts used at September 30, 2011 was $119 and $126 at December 31, 2010, or less than 2% of the total aggregate overdraft protection available to depositors. The balance at September 30, 2011 of all deposit overdrafts included in total loans was $103 and $147 at December 31, 2010.