The Company utilizes interest rate swap agreements as part of its asset liability management strategy to help manage its interest rate risk position. The notional amount of the interest rate swaps does not represent amounts exchanged by the parties. The amount exchanged is determined by reference to the notional amount and the other terms of the individual interest rate swap agreements.

Interest Rate Swaps Designated as Cash Flow Hedges: Interest rate swaps with a notional amount of $230.0 million as of March 31, 2022 and $230.0 million as of December 31, 2021 were designated as cash flow hedges of certain interest-bearing deposits. On a quarterly basis, the Company performs a qualitative hedge effectiveness assessment. This assessment takes into consideration any adverse developments related to the counterparty’s risk of default and any negative events or circumstances that affect the factors that originally enabled the Company to assess that it could reasonably support, qualitatively, an expectation that the hedging relationship was and will continue to be highly effective. As of March 31, 2022, there were no events or market conditions that would result in hedge ineffectiveness. The aggregate fair value of the swaps is recorded in other assets/liabilities with changes in fair value recorded in other comprehensive income. The amount included in accumulated other comprehensive income would be reclassified to current earnings should the hedges no longer be considered effective. The Company expects the hedges to remain fully effective during the remaining terms of the swaps.

In March 2022, the Company entered into four forward starting interest rate swaps with a total notional amount of $100.0 million. These swaps will effectively extend the interest rate protection of four existing swaps that are maturing in 2023 for an additional five years. As such, they are designated as cash flow hedges of certain interest-bearing deposits. The Company will receive variable amounts and pay fixed amounts. The weighted-average fixed pay rate on these forward swaps was 2.25% as of March 31, 2022. As of March 31, 2022, an unrealized loss of $18,000 was recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income related to these forward starting swaps. The tables below do not include the impact of these forward swaps.

The following table presents information about the interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021:

(Dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2022			December 31, 2021
Notional amount	$	230,000		$	230,000
Weighted average pay rate		1.99	%		1.99	%
Weighted average receive rate		0.23	%		0.20	%
Weighted average maturity	0.79 years			1.04 years
Unrealized loss, net	$	(665	)	$	(3,479	)

Number of contracts		11			13

	March 31, 2022
	Notional		Fair
(In thousands)	Amount		Value
Interest rate swaps related to interest-bearing deposits	$	230,000	$	(665	)

Total included in other assets			80,000				234
Total included in other liabilities			150,000				(899	)

	December 31, 2021
	Notional		Fair
(In thousands)	Amount		Value
Interest rate swaps related to interest-bearing deposits	$	230,000	$	(3,479	)
Total included in other assets		—		—
Total included in other liabilities		230,000		(3,479	)

The following table presents the net gain/(loss) recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) and the consolidated financial statements relating to the cash flow derivative instruments for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021:

	For the Three Months Ended March 31,
(In thousands)	2022		2021
Interest rate contracts
Gain/(loss) recognized in other comprehensive income (effective portion)	$	2,796	$	1,450
Gain/(loss) reclassified from other comprehensive income to interest expense		—		—
Gain/(loss) recognized in other noninterest income		—		—

Net interest expense recorded on these swap transactions totaled $999,000 and $1.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Company offers facility specific/loan level swaps to its customers and offsets its exposure from such contracts by entering mirror image swaps with a financial institution/swap counterparty (loan level / back-to-back swap program). The customer accommodations and any offsetting swaps are treated as non-hedging derivative instruments which do not qualify for hedge accounting (“standalone derivatives”). The notional amount of the swaps does not represent amounts exchanged by the parties. The amount exchanged is determined by reference to the notional amount and the other terms of the individual contracts. The fair value of the swaps is recorded as both an asset and a liability, in other assets and other liabilities, respectively, in equal amounts for these transactions.

The Company maintains a valuation allowance on these loan level swaps of $126,000 at both March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. The accrued interest receivable and payable related to these swaps of $3.6 million and $4.8 million at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, is recorded in other assets and other liabilities. At December 31, 2021, the Company recorded a total swap valuation provision of $2.1 million related to a commercial real estate loan placed on nonaccrual status during the third quarter of 2021. This swap was terminated during the first quarter of 2022.

(Dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2022			December 31, 2021
Notional amount	$	677,502		$	702,210
Fair value	$	9,034		$	32,326
Weighted average pay rates		3.98	%		4.00	%
Weighted average receive rates		2.20	%		1.83	%
Weighted average maturity	5.2 years			5.5 years

Number of contracts		85			86