OUTSTANDING COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

OUTSTANDING COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

NOTE 11. OUTSTANDING COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

Legal Matters

Busey is a party to legal actions which arise in the normal course of its business activities. Legal and administrative proceedings are subject to inherent uncertainties, and while unfavorable outcomes could occur, Busey does not believe at this time that any potential liabilities relating to pending or potential legal matters are likely to have a material impact on Busey's results of operations or financial position.

Credit Commitments and Contingencies

A summary of the contractual amount of Busey’s exposure to off-balance-sheet risk relating to the Company’s commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit follows (dollars in thousands):


	As of
	September 30, 2024		December 31, 2023
Financial instruments whose contract amounts represent credit risk
Commitments to extend credit	$	2,503,727	$	2,132,500
Standby letters of credit	36,612		43,996
Total commitments	$	2,540,339	$	2,176,496

Franchise Tax Matter

In 2021, Busey received an inquiry from the Illinois Secretary of State (“ISOS”), pursuant to which the ISOS asked for additional information regarding certain of our franchise tax filings and the calculation of amounts due thereunder. The franchise tax is established by the Illinois Business Corporation Act (“BCA”) 805 ILCS 5/1 et seq., and is a tax imposed on foreign and domestic corporations for the privilege of conducting business in Illinois. Busey has been cooperating with the inquiry and has agreed to prepare additional BCA forms requested by the ISOS, with a full reservation of rights by Busey, including seeking judicial relief, if necessary, with respect to any potential dispute regarding Busey’s preparation of the BCA forms and the calculation of the franchise taxes due. Where a loss is believed to be reasonably possible, but not probable, or the loss cannot be reasonably estimated, as is the case with this matter, no accrual is required. It is reasonably possible that this matter could require us to pay additional taxes, including potential penalties and interest, or make other expenditures or accrue liabilities in amounts that could not be reasonably estimated as of September 30, 2024. If the likelihood of potential liabilities elevates, requiring an accrual, the potential future liabilities could be material in the period(s) in which they are recorded.