Off-Balance-Sheet Financial Instruments and Concentrations of Credit Risk

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Off-Balance-Sheet Financial Instruments and Concentrations of Credit Risk

The Bank is party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial instruments include commitments to originate loans, commitments for unused lines of credit, and standby letters of credit. The instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated balance sheets. The contract amounts of those instruments reflect the extent of involvement the Bank has in particular classes of financial instruments.

Commitments for unused lines of credit are agreements to lend to a customer provided 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 Bank evaluates each customer's creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Bank upon extension of credit, is based on Management's credit evaluation of the borrower. The Bank did not incur any losses on its commitments in 2018, 2017 or 2016.

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Bank to guarantee a customer's performance to a third party, with the customer being obligated to repay (with interest) any amounts paid out by the Bank under the letter of credit. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loans to customers.

The Bank's exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instrument for loan commitments and standby letters of credit is represented by the contractual amount of those instruments. The Bank uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for on-balance sheet instruments.

At December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Bank had the following off-balance-sheet financial instruments, whose contract amounts represent credit risk:



As of December 31,	2018		2017
Unused lines, collateralized by residential real estate	$	83,421,000	$	76,887,000
Other unused commitments	60,033,000		62,771,000
Standby letters of credit	3,590,000		3,497,000
Commitments to extend credit	19,268,000		8,724,000
Total	$	166,312,000	$	151,879,000

The Bank grants residential, commercial and consumer loans to customers principally located in the Mid-Coast and Down East regions of Maine. Collateral on these loans typically consists of residential or commercial real estate, or personal property. Although the loan portfolio is diversified, a substantial portion of borrowers' ability to honor their contracts is dependent on the economic conditions in the area, especially in the real estate sector.

Derivative Financial Instruments Designated as Hedges

As part of its overall asset and liability management strategy, the Company periodically uses derivative instruments to minimize significant unplanned fluctuations in earnings and cash flows caused by interest rate volatility. The Company's interest rate risk management strategy involves modifying the re-pricing characteristics of certain assets and/or liabilities so that change in interest rates does not have a significant adverse effect on net interest income. Derivative instruments that Management periodically uses as part of its interest rate risk management strategy may include interest rate swap agreements, interest rate floor agreements, and interest rate cap agreements.

At December 31, 2018, the Company had five outstanding, off-balance sheet, derivative instruments. These derivative instruments were interest rate swap agreements, with notional principal amounts totaling $125,000,000 and an unrealized gain of $1,438,000, net of tax. The notional amounts of the financial derivative instruments do not represent exposure to credit loss. The Company is exposed to credit loss only to the extent the counter-party defaults in its responsibility to pay interest under the terms of the agreements. The credit risk in derivative instruments is mitigated by entering into transactions with highly-rated counterparties that Management believes to be creditworthy and by limiting the amount of exposure to each counter-party. At December 31, 2018, the Company’s derivative instrument counterparties were credit rated “A” by the major credit rating agencies. The interest rate swap agreements were entered into by the Company to limit its exposure to rising interest rates and were designated as cash flow hedges.