Commitments and Contingencies
In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into financial commitments to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial commitments include commitments to extend credit and letters of credit. Those instruments involve to varying degrees, elements of credit, and interest rate risk not recognized in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
The following table presents outstanding financial commitments whose contractual amount represents credit risk as of the dates indicated:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | December 31, |
| | 2025 | | 2024 |
| ($ in thousands) | | Fixed Rate | | Variable Rate | | Fixed Rate | | Variable Rate |
| Unused lines of credit | | $ | 12,663 | | | $ | 348,287 | | | $ | 12,923 | | | $ | 370,313 | |
| Unfunded loan commitments | | — | | | 7,132 | | | — | | | 17,339 | |
Standby letters of credit | | 5,705 | | | 1,625 | | | 5,279 | | | 1,516 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Total | | $ | 18,368 | | | $ | 357,044 | | | $ | 18,202 | | | $ | 389,168 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Unfunded loan commitments are generally made for periods of 90 days or less, except for SBA loans that are generally made for periods of 180 days or less.
The Company applies an expected credit loss estimation methodology applied to each respective loan segment for determining the ACL on off-balance sheet credit exposures. The loss estimation process includes assumptions for utilization at default. These assumptions are based on the Company’s own historical internal loan data. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company maintained an ACL on off-balance sheet credit exposures of $1.5 million and $1.2 million in Accrued Interest Payable and Other Liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, respectively.
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. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Company evaluates each client’s credit worthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained if deemed necessary by the Company is based on management’s credit evaluation of the customer.
Litigation
The Company is involved in various matters of litigation, which have arisen in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the disposition of pending matters of litigation will not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
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.