Commitments and Contingencies
Off-Balance-Sheet Credit Risk
In the normal course of business, the Company enters into commitments to extend credit such as loan commitments and standby letters of credits. These commitments expose the Company to varying degrees of credit and market risk and are subject to the same credit and market reviews as those instruments recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Loan commitments represent arrangements to lend funds or provide liquidity subject to specified contractual conditions. Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Company to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. These commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or contain termination clauses in the event the customer’s credit quality deteriorates. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future funding requirements.
The Company applies the same credit underwriting criteria to extend loans and commitments to customers. Each customer’s credit worthiness is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Collateral may be obtained based on management’s assessment of a customer’s credit. Collateral may include securities, accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, and income producing commercial or other properties. The majority of these off-balance sheet commitments have a variable interest rate. Management does not anticipate any material losses as a result of these transactions.
The following table presents the distribution of undisbursed credit-related commitments as of December 31, 2025 and 2024:
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| | December 31, |
| ($ in thousands) | | 2025 | | 2024 |
| Loan commitments | | $ | 325,072 | | | $ | 261,446 | |
| Standby letter of credit | | 23,389 | | | 21,059 | |
| Commercial letter of credit | | 63 | | | 49 | |
| Total undisbursed credit related commitments | | $ | 348,524 | | | $ | 282,554 | |
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Investments in low-income housing partnership
The Company invests in qualified affordable housing partnerships. The following table shows the investments and unfunded commitments of the Company's low-income housing partnerships as of December 31, 2025 and 2024:
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| | December 31, |
| ($ in thousands) | | 2025 | | 2024 |
Investments in low-income housing partnerships (1) | | $ | 18,155 | | | $ | 15,191 | |
Unfunded commitments to fund investments for low-income housing partnerships (1) | | 7,137 | | | 7,622 | |
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(1)These balances are reflected in Other assets and Other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company expects to finish fulfilling these commitments during the year ending 2042.
Under the proportional amortization method, the Company amortizes the initial cost of the investment in proportion to the tax credit and other benefits received and recognizes the amortization in income tax expense on the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company recognized amortization expense of $2.0 million, $1.7 million and $1.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. In addition, the Company recognized tax credits and other benefits of $2.9 million, $2.5 million and $1.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Legal Proceedings
From time to time the Company or the Bank are parties to legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business. In accordance with ASC 450, Contingencies, the Company accrues reserves for outstanding lawsuits, claims and proceedings when a loss is probable and its amount can be reasonably estimated with specificity or within a given range. Management estimates the likelihood and the amount of a possible loss using current available information from legal proceedings, advice from legal counsel, and available insurance coverage. Due to the inherent subjectivity of the assessments and unpredictability of the outcomes of the legal proceedings, any amounts accrued or included in this aggregate amount may not represent the ultimate loss to the Company from any legal proceedings. The Company is not presently subject to any legal action for which an accrual is required and, accordingly, no accrual has been recorded; however, actual exposure and ultimate losses may differ from current expectations. While it is impossible to ascertain the ultimate resolution or range of financial liability, based on information known to management as of December 31, 2025, management does not believe there are any pending legal proceedings to which the Company or the Bank is a party that, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.