the goldman sachs group , inc .and subsidiaries notes to consolidated financial statements the table below presents a summary of level 3 financial assets. .
[['$ in millions', 'as of december 2018', 'as of december 2017'], ['cash instruments', '$ 17227', '$ 15395'], ['derivatives', '4948', '3802'], ['other financial assets', '6', '4'], ['total', '$ 22181', '$ 19201']]
level 3 financial assets as of december 2018 increased compared with december 2017 , primarily reflecting an increase in level 3 cash instruments .see notes 6 through 8 for further information about level 3 financial assets ( including information about unrealized gains and losses related to level 3 financial assets and financial liabilities , and transfers in and out of level 3 ) .note 6 .cash instruments cash instruments include u.s .government and agency obligations , non-u.s .government and agency obligations , mortgage-backed loans and securities , corporate debt instruments , equity securities , investments in funds at nav , and other non-derivative financial instruments owned and financial instruments sold , but not yet purchased .see below for the types of cash instruments included in each level of the fair value hierarchy and the valuation techniques and significant inputs used to determine their fair values .see note 5 for an overview of the firm 2019s fair value measurement policies .level 1 cash instruments level 1 cash instruments include certain money market instruments , u.s .government obligations , most non-u.s .government obligations , certain government agency obligations , certain corporate debt instruments and actively traded listed equities .these instruments are valued using quoted prices for identical unrestricted instruments in active markets .the firm defines active markets for equity instruments based on the average daily trading volume both in absolute terms and relative to the market capitalization for the instrument .the firm defines active markets for debt instruments based on both the average daily trading volume and the number of days with trading activity .level 2 cash instruments level 2 cash instruments include most money market instruments , most government agency obligations , certain non-u.s .government obligations , most mortgage-backed loans and securities , most corporate debt instruments , most state and municipal obligations , most other debt obligations , restricted or less liquid listed equities , commodities and certain lending commitments .valuations of level 2 cash instruments can be verified to quoted prices , recent trading activity for identical or similar instruments , broker or dealer quotations or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency .consideration is given to the nature of the quotations ( e.g. , indicative or firm ) and the relationship of recent market activity to the prices provided from alternative pricing sources .valuation adjustments are typically made to level 2 cash instruments ( i ) if the cash instrument is subject to transfer restrictions and/or ( ii ) for other premiums and liquidity discounts that a market participant would require to arrive at fair value .valuation adjustments are generally based on market evidence .level 3 cash instruments level 3 cash instruments have one or more significant valuation inputs that are not observable .absent evidence to the contrary , level 3 cash instruments are initially valued at transaction price , which is considered to be the best initial estimate of fair value .subsequently , the firm uses other methodologies to determine fair value , which vary based on the type of instrument .valuation inputs and assumptions are changed when corroborated by substantive observable evidence , including values realized on sales .valuation techniques and significant inputs of level 3 cash instruments valuation techniques of level 3 cash instruments vary by instrument , but are generally based on discounted cash flow techniques .the valuation techniques and the nature of significant inputs used to determine the fair values of each type of level 3 cash instrument are described below : loans and securities backed by commercial real estate .loans and securities backed by commercial real estate are directly or indirectly collateralized by a single commercial real estate property or a portfolio of properties , and may include tranches of varying levels of subordination .significant inputs are generally determined based on relative value analyses and include : 2030 market yields implied by transactions of similar or related assets and/or current levels and changes in market indices such as the cmbx ( an index that tracks the performance of commercial mortgage bonds ) ; 118 goldman sachs 2018 form 10-k .

Question: for level 3 financial assets in millions , for 2018 and 2017 , what was the largest balance of cash instruments?
Answer: 17227