Commitments and Contingencies Commitments: The Company is a party to credit-related 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 extend credit, standby letters of credit, and commercial letters of credit. Such commitments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit and interest rate risk in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated balance sheets. The Companys exposure to credit loss is represented by the contractual amount of these commitments. The Company follows the same credit policies in making commitments as it does for on-balance-sheet instruments. At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , the following financial instruments were outstanding, the contractual amounts of which represent off-balance sheet credit risk (in thousands): Contractual Amount September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 Commitments to extend credit: Home equity lines $ 191,427 $ 203,922 Other commitments 4,033,841 4,073,044 Letters of credit: Standby 173,565 161,014 Commercial 1,564 2,248 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 a payment of a fee. The commitments for home equity lines of credit may expire without being drawn upon. Therefore, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The amount of collateral obtained, if it is deemed necessary by the Company, is based on managements credit evaluation of the customer. The Company, in the normal course of its business, regularly offers standby and commercial letters of credit to its bank customers. Standby and commercial letters of credit are a conditional but irrevocable form of guarantee. Under letters of credit, the Company typically guarantees payment to a third party beneficiary upon the default of payment or nonperformance by the bank customer and upon receipt of complying documentation from that beneficiary. Both standby and commercial letters of credit may be issued for any length of time, but normally do not exceed a period of five years. These letters of credit may also be extended or amended from time to time depending on the bank customers needs. As of September 30, 2018 , the maximum remaining term for any standby letters of credit was December 31, 2025 . A fee is charged to the bank customer and is recognized as income over the life of the letter of credit, unless considered non-rebatable under the terms of a letter of credit application. At September 30, 2018 , the aggregate contractual amount of these letters of credit, which represents the maximum potential amount of future payments that the Company would be obligated to pay, increased $11.9 million to $175.1 million from $163.3 million at December 31, 2017 . Of the $175.1 million in commitments outstanding at September 30, 2018 , approximately $116.7 million of the letters of credit have been issued or renewed since December 31, 2017 . Letters of credit issued on behalf of bank customers may be done on either a secured or unsecured basis. If a letter credit is secured, the collateral can take various forms including bank accounts, investments, fixed assets, inventory, accounts receivable or real estate. The Company takes the same care in making credit decisions and obtaining collateral when it issues letters of credit on behalf of its customers as it does when making other types of loans. As of September 30, 2018 , the Company had approximately $1.9 million in capital expenditure commitments outstanding which relate to various projects to renovate the corporate office space and branches. Concentrations of credit risk: As of September 30, 2018 , approximately 20% of our investments in securities issued by states and political subdivisions were within the state of Illinois. We did not hold any direct exposure to the state of Illinois as of September 30, 2018 . Our commitments to extend credit are primarily related to commercial credits. Standby and commercial letters of credit are granted primarily to commercial borrowers. Our asset-based loans are made to borrowers located throughout the United States. Lease banking provides banking services to lessors located throughout the United States. Our leasing subsidiaries originate leases to companies located throughout the United States. In addition, our indirect vehicle lenders originate loans to borrowers located throughout the United States. Contingencies: In the normal course of business, the Company is involved in various legal proceedings. In the opinion of management, any liability resulting from pending proceedings would not be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Companys consolidated financial statements.