Commitments and Contingencies
The Company’s credit commitments as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| | | | | | | | |
| (dollars in thousands) | December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 |
| Unfunded Commitments to Extend Credit | $ | 3,183,221 | | $ | 3,128,272 | |
| Standby Letters of Credit | 99,692 | | 96,484 | |
| Commercial Letters of Credit | 7,047 | | 9,339 | |
| Total Credit Commitments | $ | 3,289,960 | | $ | 3,234,095 | |
Unfunded Commitments to Extend Credit
Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as there is no violation of the terms or conditions established in the contract. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Since commitments may expire without being drawn, the total commitment amount does not necessarily represent future cash requirements.
Standby and Commercial Letters of Credit
Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Company to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. Standby letters of credit generally become payable upon the failure of the customer to perform according to the terms of the underlying contract with the third party, while commercial letters of credit are issued specifically to facilitate commerce and typically result in the commitment being drawn on when the underlying transaction is consummated between the customer and a third party. The contractual amount of these letters of credit represents the maximum potential future payments guaranteed by the Company. The Company has recourse against the customer for any amount it is required to pay to a third party under a standby letter of credit, and generally holds cash or deposits as collateral on those standby letters of credit for which collateral is deemed necessary. Assets valued at $78.1 million secured certain specifically identified standby letters of credit as of December 31, 2025. As of December 31, 2025, the standby and commercial letters of credit had remaining terms ranging from 1 to 12 months.
Contingencies
The Company is subject to various pending and threatened legal proceedings arising out of the normal course of business or operations. On at least a quarterly basis, the Company assesses its liabilities and contingencies in connection with outstanding legal proceedings utilizing the most recent information available. On a case-by-case basis, reserves are established for those legal claims for which it is probable that a loss will be incurred and the amount of such loss can be reasonably estimated. Based on information currently available, management believes that the eventual outcome of these claims against the Company will not be materially in excess of such amounts reserved by the Company. However, in the event of unexpected future developments, it is possible that the ultimate resolution of these matters may result in a loss that materially exceeds the reserves established by the Company.
About Commitments Disclosures
Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.
Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.