Commitments and Contingent Liabilities
In the normal course of business, there are outstanding commitments and contingent liabilities, such as commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit, which are not included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. First Bank’s exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instruments for commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit is represented by the contractual or notional amount of those instruments. First Bank uses the same credit policies in making such commitments as it does for instruments that are included in the consolidated statements of financial condition.
Financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | 2025 | | 2024 |
| | | |
| Commitments to extend credit | $ | 107,415 | | | $ | 126,239 | |
| Standby letters of credit | $ | 2,045 | | | $ | 1,642 | |
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 and may require payment of a fee. 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 subsidiary evaluates each customer's credit worthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the subsidiary upon extension of credit, is based on management's credit evaluation. Collateral held varies, but may include residential real estate, income-producing commercial properties, or other assets of the borrower.
Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the subsidiary to guarantee the performance of the customer to a third party.
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.