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such forward-looking statements will be proven to be accurate. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this report and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which the statement was made, except as otherwise required by law.

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PART I

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ITEM 1.BUSINESS

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General

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C&F Financial Corporation (the Corporation) is a bank holding company that was incorporated in March 1994 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Corporation owns all of the stock of Citizens and Farmers Bank (the Bank or C&F Bank), which is an independent commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. C&F Bank originally opened for business under the name Farmers and Mechanics Bank on January 22, 1927. C&F Bank has the following five wholly-owned subsidiaries, all incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia:

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The Corporation operates three principal business segments: (1) community banking through C&F Bank, C&F Wealth Management Corporation (C&F Wealth Management), C&F Insurance Services, Inc. (C&F Insurance) and CVB Title Services, Inc. (CVB Title), (2) mortgage banking through C&F Mortgage Corporation (C&F Mortgage) and (3) consumer finance through C&F Finance Company (C&F Finance). For detailed information about the financial condition and results of operations of these segments, see “Note 20: Business Segments” in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this report.

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The Corporation also owns three non-operating subsidiaries, C&F Financial Statutory Trust II (Trust II) formed in December 2007, C&F Financial Statutory Trust I (Trust I) formed in July 2005, and Central Virginia Bankshares Statutory Trust I (CVBK Trust I) formed in December 2003. These trusts were formed for the purpose of issuing $10.0 million each for Trust II and Trust I and $5.0 million for CVBK Trust I of trust preferred capital securities in private placements to institutional investors. All three trusts are unconsolidated subsidiaries of the Corporation. The principal assets of these trusts are $10.3 million each for Trust II and Trust I and $5.2 million for CVBK Trust I of the Corporation’s junior subordinated debt securities (such securities of the Corporation referred to herein as “trust preferred capital notes”) that are reported as liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet of the Corporation.

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Community Banking

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We provide community banking services through C&F Bank. C&F Bank provides community banking services at its main office in West Point, Virginia, and through its branch network of over 30 branches located throughout Virginia. These branches provide a wide range of banking services to individuals and businesses, including various types of checking and savings deposit accounts, as well as business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity and installment loans. The Bank also offers ATMs, internet and mobile banking, peer-to-peer payment capabilities and debit cards, as well as safe deposit box rentals, notary public, electronic transfer and other customary bank services to its customers. C&F Bank manages its commercial lending portfolio primarily through commercial lending offices located in Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Richmond, Roanoke, and Williamsburg, Virginia. C&F Wealth Management, which was organized in

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April 1995, is a full-service brokerage firm offering a comprehensive range of wealth management services through third-party service providers primarily at C&F Bank branch locations. C&F Insurance and CVB Title were organized for the primary purpose of owning equity interests in an independent insurance agency and a full service title and settlement agency, respectively. Revenues from community banking operations consist primarily of interest earned on loans and investment securities, fees earned on deposit accounts and debit card interchange, net revenues from offering wealth management services and insurance products, and investment income from equity interests. Community banking revenues and operations are not materially affected by seasonal factors; however, municipal deposits tend to increase with tax collections primarily in the fourth quarter of each year and decline with spending thereafter. At December 31, 2025, assets of the community banking segment totaled $2.7 billion. For the year ended December 31, 2025, net income for this segment totaled $27.2 million.

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Mortgage Banking

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We conduct mortgage banking activities through C&F Mortgage, which was organized in September 1995, and its 51%-owned subsidiary, C&F Select LLC, which was organized in January 2019. C&F Mortgage and C&F Select LLC provide mortgage loan origination services through offices located in Virginia and the surrounding states. The mortgage banking segment offers a wide variety of residential mortgage loans, which are originated for sale to investors in the secondary mortgage market. The mortgage banking segment does not securitize loans. C&F Bank also purchases mortgage loans from the mortgage banking segment. The mortgage banking segment originates conventional mortgage loans, mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the FHA), and mortgage loans guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture (the USDA) and the Veterans Administration (the VA). A majority of the conventional loans are conforming loans that qualify for purchase by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). The remainder of the conventional loans are non-conforming in that they do not meet Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines, but are eligible for sale to various other investors. The mortgage banking segment also has a division, Lender Solutions, that provides certain mortgage loan origination functions as a service to third party mortgage lenders, including other community banks, and a subsidiary, Certified Appraisals LLC, which provides ancillary mortgage loan production services to third parties for residential appraisals. Revenues from mortgage banking operations consist principally of gains on sales of loans to investors in the secondary mortgage market, loan origination fee income, interest earned on mortgage loans held for sale and mortgage lender services income through Lender Solutions. Revenues and income from mortgage banking, which are driven primarily by the origination and sale of mortgage loans, are subject to seasonal factors, including the volume of home sales in the residential real estate market, which typically rises during spring and summer months and declines during fall and winter months. However, seasonal trends may be disrupted by cyclical and other economic factors that affect the residential real estate market. At December 31, 2025, assets of the mortgage banking segment totaled $51.3 million. For the year ended December 31, 2025, net income for this segment totaled $2.3 million.

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Consumer Finance

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We conduct consumer finance activities through C&F Finance. C&F Finance is a regional finance company purchasing automobile loans primarily in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southern United States. C&F Finance is an indirect lender that primarily provides automobile financing through lending programs that are designed to serve customers in both the prime and “non-prime” markets, including those who may have limited access to traditional automobile financing due to having experienced prior credit difficulties. C&F Finance generally purchases automobile retail installment sales contracts from manufacturer-franchised dealerships with used-car operations and through selected independent dealerships. C&F Finance selects these dealers based on the types of vehicles sold. Specifically, C&F Finance prefers to finance later model, low mileage used vehicles because the value of new vehicles typically depreciates rapidly. Because C&F Finance serves some customers with higher credit risk, C&F Finance typically charges interest at higher rates than those charged by traditional financing sources. In addition, because C&F Finance provides financing in a relatively higher-risk market compared to that of C&F Bank or other traditional financial institutions, it expects to experience a higher level of credit losses than financing sources that lend primarily to more credit-worthy borrowers. In addition to automobile financing, C&F Finance’s lending portfolio includes marine and recreational vehicle (RV) loan contracts; however, the third-party administrator of this program significantly decreased sales of those loans to outside parties during 2025, which led to the consumer finance segment ending future purchases under the program. The marine

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and RV loan portfolio is expected to run off over the next several years as scheduled borrower payments are made on the existing loans. These contracts were purchased on an indirect basis through a referral program administered by the third-party and were for prime loans made to individuals with higher credit scores and therefore typically priced at rates lower than C&F Finance’s automobile loans and averaged less than $50,000. Revenues from consumer finance operations consist principally of interest earned on automobile, marine and RV loans. While the consumer finance segment’s loans outstanding and interest income are not materially affected by seasonal factors, delinquencies on automobile loans are generally highest in the period from November through January, related in part to seasonal trends affecting borrowers, including consumer spending. At December 31, 2025, assets of the consumer finance segment totaled $469.9 million. For the year ended December 31, 2025, net income for this segment totaled $1.2 million.

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Human Capital Resources

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The Corporation and its subsidiaries foster a culture of respect, teamwork, ownership, responsibility, initiative, integrity, and service. We believe that our officers and employees are our most important assets. Our people are critical to the Corporation’s performance and the achievement of our strategic goals, and they represent a key element of how the Corporation’s businesses compete and succeed.

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Acquiring and retaining strong talent is a top strategic priority for each of the Corporation’s businesses. We provide a competitive compensation and benefits program to help meet the needs of our employees, including benefits that incentivize retention and reward longevity. We support the health and well-being of our employees through a comprehensive program designed to increase employee focus on wellness and prevention, including the benefit plans we offer, health incentives and dedicated healthcare resources for employees and their families provided through onsite health centers located at our offices in Toano and Henrico, Virginia and virtually. We encourage and support the growth and development of our employees and, wherever possible, seek to fill positions by promotion and transfer from within our organization. We have created career paths for specific positions that are designed to encourage an employee’s advancement and growth within our organization, and we aim to provide employees with the skills and opportunities they need to achieve their career goals and become leaders in our businesses.

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At December 31, 2025, we employed 575 total employees. We consider relations with our employees to be excellent. Our selection and promotion processes are without bias. We also aim for our employees to develop their careers in our businesses. At December 31, 2025, 23 percent of our employees have been employed by the Corporation or its subsidiaries for at least 15 years.

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Competition

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Community Banking

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In the Bank’s market area, we compete with large national and regional financial institutions, savings associations and other independent community banks, as well as credit unions, mutual funds, brokerage firms, insurance companies and other lending and deposit platforms offered by non-bank financial technology firms, including those that only operate digitally. Many of these non-bank competitors are not subject to the same extensive federal regulations that govern bank holding companies and federally insured banks, which may allow them to offer greater lending limits and certain products and services that the Bank does not provide. Increased competition has come from out-of-state banks through their acquisition of Virginia-based banks and interstate branching, and expansion of community and regional banks into our service areas.

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The banking business in Virginia is highly competitive for both loans and deposits, is dominated by a relatively small number of large banks with many offices operating over a wide geographic area and is constantly evolving. Among the advantages such large banks have are their ability to finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns, to make larger investments in technological advancements and new products and services, to maximize efficiencies through economies of scale and, by virtue of their greater total capitalization, to have substantially higher lending limits than the Bank.

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Factors such as interest rates offered, the number and location of branches, digital services and the types of products offered, as well as the reputation of the institution, affect competition for deposits and loans. We compete by emphasizing customer service, establishing long-term customer relationships, building customer loyalty and providing traditional and digital products and services to address the specific needs of our customers. Our relationships with customers depend on, among other things, our ability to attract and retain talented community bankers. Our relationships with customers depend on, 7 Table of Contentsamong other things, our ability to attract and retain talented community bankers. We target individual customers, small-to-medium size business customers and commercial and residential real estate investors and developers in our markets.

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No material part of the Bank’s business is dependent upon a single or a few customers, and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Bank’s business.

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Mortgage Banking

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C&F Mortgage competes with large national and regional banks, credit unions, smaller regional mortgage lenders, small local broker operations and internet lending platforms. Due to the increased regulatory and compliance burden, the industry has seen a consolidation in the number of competitors in the marketplace. The agency guidelines for sales of mortgages in the secondary market business continue to be stringent.

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The competitive factors faced by C&F Mortgage continue to evolve because of regulatory reforms and initiatives, including expansion in recent years of consumer protections and related regulation of mortgage lending. While C&F Mortgage has kept pace with changes in such regulations to date, potential future legislative and regulatory initiatives have the potential to affect the operations of C&F Mortgage. Given the far-reaching effect of these regulations on mortgage finance, compliance has required and may continue to require substantial changes to mortgage lending systems and processes and other implementation efforts. These challenges may be compounded by lower mortgage industry volume as a result of the sustained level of mortgage interest rates and decreased inventory of homes for sale.

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To operate profitably in this high interest rate and competitive and regulatory environment, mortgage companies must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and be able to attract and retain top mortgage origination talent. C&F Mortgage competes by attracting the top people in sales and operations in the industry, expanding into new markets that offer strategic growth opportunities, providing an infrastructure that manages regulatory changes efficiently and effectively, utilizing technology to improve efficiency and consistency in its operations and to mitigate compliance risk, offering products that are competitive in both loan parameters and pricing, and providing consistently high quality customer service.

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No material part of C&F Mortgage’s business is dependent upon a single customer and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Mortgage’s business. C&F Mortgage, like all residential mortgage lenders, would be affected by the inability of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA or the VA to purchase or guarantee loans. Although C&F Mortgage sells loans to various third-party investors, the ability of these aggregators to purchase or guarantee loans would be limited if these government-sponsored entities cease to exist or materially limit their purchases or guarantees of mortgage loans or suffer deteriorations in their financial condition.

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Consumer Finance

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The automobile finance business is highly competitive. The automobile finance market is highly fragmented and is served by a variety of financial entities, including the captive finance affiliates of major automotive manufacturers, banks, savings associations, credit unions and independent finance companies. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources and lower costs of funds than C&F Finance. In addition, competitors often provide financing on terms that are more favorable to automobile purchasers or dealers than the terms C&F Finance offers. Many of these competitors also have long-standing relationships with automobile dealerships and may offer dealerships or their customers other forms of financing, including dealer floor plan financing and leasing, which we do not.

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Over the past several years, a number of financial institutions and other lenders have increased focus on operations in the automobile finance markets resulting in intensified competition for loans and qualified personnel. To continue to

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operate profitably, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and access to competitive costs of funds.

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Providers of automobile financing traditionally have competed on the basis of interest rates charged, the quality of credit accepted, the flexibility of loan terms offered and the quality of service provided to dealers and customers. To establish C&F Finance as one of the principal financing sources for the dealers it serves, we compete predominantly by providing a high level of dealer service, building strong dealer relationships, offering flexible loan terms and quickly funding loans purchased from dealers.

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No material part of C&F Finance’s business is dependent upon any single dealer relationship, and the loss of any single dealer relationship would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Finance’s business.

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Regulation and Supervision

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General

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Bank holding companies, banks and their affiliates are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. Consequently, the growth, financial condition and earnings performance of the Corporation and the Bank can be affected not only by management’s decisions and general economic conditions, but also by the statutes administered by, and the regulations and policies of, various governmental regulatory authorities including, but not limited to, the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions (VBFI), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve Board), the Internal Revenue Service, federal and state taxing authorities, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). Consequently, the growth and earnings performance of the Corporation and the Bank can be affected not only by management’s decisions and general economic conditions, but also by the statutes administered by, and the regulations and policies of, various governmental regulatory authorities including, but not limited to, the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions (VBFI), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve Board), the Internal Revenue Service, federal and state taxing authorities, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC).

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The following summary briefly describes significant provisions of currently applicable federal and state laws and certain regulations and the potential impact of such provisions. This summary is not complete, and we refer you to the particular statutory or regulatory provisions or proposals for more information. Because regulation of financial institutions changes regularly and is the subject of constant legislative and regulatory debate, we cannot forecast how federal and state regulation and supervision of financial institutions may change in the future and affect the Corporation’s and the Bank’s operations. See “Risks Related to the Regulation of the Corporation” below in Item 1A of Part I of Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion.

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Regulatory Environment

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Banking and other financial services statutes, regulations and policies are continually under review by the U.S. Congress, state legislatures and federal and state regulatory agencies.

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Proposals to change the laws, regulations, and policies governing the banking industry are frequently raised at both the state and federal levels. These laws and regulations impose compliance costs and create obligations, including, in some cases, reporting obligations, and compliance with these laws, regulations, and obligations may require us to use significant resources.

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The Corporation continues to experience ongoing regulatory reform and these regulatory changes could have a significant effect on how we conduct business. The specific impacts of regulatory reforms cannot yet be fully predicted and will depend to a large extent on the specific regulations that are likely to be adopted in the future. The specific impacts of regulatory reforms cannot yet be fully predicted 9 Table of Contentsand will depend to a large extent on the specific regulations that are likely to be adopted in the future. In addition to laws and regulations, regulatory agencies may issue policy statements, interpretive letters, and similar written guidance applicable to us. A change in applicable laws, regulations or regulatory guidance, in the manner in which laws, regulations and regulatory guidance are interpreted by regulatory agencies or courts, or in the supervisory environment generally, may have a material impact on our business, operations and earnings.

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Regulation of the Corporation

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As a bank holding company, the Corporation is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the BHCA) and regulation and supervision by the Federal Reserve Board. Pursuant to the BHCA the Federal Reserve Board has the power to order any bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate its ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve Board has reasonable grounds to believe that continuation of such activity or ownership constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness, safety or stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company. The Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have adopted guidelines and released interpretative materials that establish operational and managerial standards to promote the safe and sound operation of banks and bank holding companies. These standards relate to the institution’s key operating functions, including but not limited to capital management, internal controls, internal audit systems, information systems, data and cybersecurity, loan documentation, credit underwriting, interest rate exposure and risk management, vendor management, executive management and its compensation, corporate governance, asset growth, asset quality, earnings, liquidity and risk management.

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The BHCA generally limits the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity that is closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks, and permits interstate banking acquisitions subject to certain conditions, including national and state concentration limits. The Federal Reserve Board has jurisdiction under the BHCA to approve any bank or non-bank acquisition, merger or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. A bank holding company must be “well capitalized” and “well managed” to engage in an interstate bank acquisition or merger, and banks may branch across state lines provided that the law of the state in which the branch is to be located would permit establishment of the branch if the bank were a state bank chartered by such state. Bank holding companies and their subsidiaries are also subject to restrictions on transactions with insiders and affiliates, as further discussed below.

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Each of the Bank’s depository accounts is insured by the FDIC against loss to the depositor to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, and federal law and regulatory policy impose a number of obligations and restrictions on the Corporation and the Bank to reduce potential loss exposure to depositors and to the FDIC Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF). For example, pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act and Federal Reserve Board policy, a bank holding company must commit resources to support its subsidiary depository institutions, which is referred to as serving as a “source of strength.”

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The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA) provides that amounts received from the liquidation or other resolution of any insured depository institution must be distributed, after payment of secured claims, to pay the deposit liabilities of the institution before payment of any other general creditor or stockholder of that institution – including that institution’s parent holding company. This provision would give depositors a preference over general and subordinated creditors and stockholders if a receiver is appointed to distribute the assets of a bank.

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The Corporation also is subject to regulation and supervision by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. The Corporation also must file annual, quarterly and other periodic reports with, and comply with other regulations of, the SEC, as well as the rules of the NASDAQ Global Select Market. The Corporation also must file annual, quarterly and other periodic reports with, and comply with other regulations of, the SEC.

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Capital Requirements

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Regulatory Capital Requirements. All financial institutions are required to maintain minimum levels of regulatory capital. The FDIC establishes risk-based and leveraged capital standards for the financial institutions they regulate. The FDIC also may impose capital requirements in excess of these standards on a case-by-case basis for various reasons, including financial condition or actual or anticipated growth.

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Basel III Capital Framework. The Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have adopted rules to implement the Basel III capital framework as outlined by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and standards for calculating risk-weighted assets and risk-based capital measurements (collectively, the Basel III Final Rules) that apply to banking institutions they supervise. For the purposes of these capital rules, (i) common equity tier 1 capital (CET1) consists principally of common stock (including surplus) and retained earnings; (ii) Tier 1 capital consists principally of CET1 plus non-cumulative preferred stock and related surplus, and certain grandfathered cumulative preferred stocks and trust

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preferred securities; and (iii) Tier 2 capital consists of other capital instruments, principally qualifying subordinated debt and preferred stock, and limited amounts of an institution’s allowance for credit losses. Each regulatory capital classification is subject to certain adjustments and limitations, as implemented by the Basel III Final Rules. The Basel III Final Rules also establish risk weightings that are applied to many classes of assets held by community banks, importantly including applying higher risk weightings to certain commercial real estate (CRE) loans. The Basel III Final Rules also include a requirement that banks maintain additional capital known as the “capital conservation buffer.”

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The Basel III Final Rules and capital conservation buffer require banks and bank holding companies to maintain:

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The Basel III Final Rules provide deductions from and adjustments to regulatory capital measures, primarily to CET1, including deductions and adjustments that were not applied to reduce CET1 under historical regulatory capital rules. For example, mortgage servicing rights, deferred tax assets dependent upon future taxable income, and significant investments in non-consolidated financial entities must be deducted from CET1 to the extent that any one such category exceeds 25 percent of CET1.

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The Basel III Final Rules permanently include in Tier 1 capital trust preferred securities issued prior to May 19, 2010 by bank holding companies with less than $15 billion in total assets, subject to a limit of 25 percent of Tier 1 capital. The Corporation expects that its trust preferred securities will be included in the Corporation’s regulatory capital as Tier 1 capital instruments until their maturity.

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As of December 31, 2025, the Bank met all capital adequacy requirements under the Basel III Final Rules, including the capital conservation buffer.

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Community Bank Leverage Ratio. As required by the EGRRCPA, qualifying banks with less than $10 billion in consolidated assets can elect to be subject to a 9% leverage ratio applied using less complex leverage calculations (the Community Bank Leverage Ratio Framework or CBLRF). Banks that opt into the CBLRF and maintain a leverage ratio of greater than 9% are not subject to other risk-based and leverage capital requirements and are deemed to meet Basel III Final Rules’ well capitalized ratio requirements. In November 2025, the federal banking regulators issued a proposal that would lower the leverage ratio for purposes of the CBLRF from 9% to 8%. As of December 31, 2025, the Bank has not elected to apply the CBLRF, but the Bank continues to assess the potential impact of opting in to CBLRF as part of its ongoing capital management and planning processes. As of December 31, 2024, the Bank has not elected to apply the CBLRF, 11 Table of Contentsbut the Bank continues to assess the potential impact of opting in to CBLRF as part of its ongoing capital management and planning processes.

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Small Bank Holding Company. Bank holding companies with less than $3 billion in assets may rely on the Federal Reserve Board’s Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement. In addition to meeting the asset threshold, a bank holding company must not engage in significant nonbanking activities, not conduct significant off-balance sheet activities, and not have a material amount of debt or equity securities outstanding and registered with the SEC (subject to certain exceptions). The Federal Reserve Board may, in its discretion, exclude any bank holding company from the application of the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement if such action is warranted for supervisory purposes.

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In August 2018, the Federal Reserve Board issued an interim final rule to apply the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement to bank holding companies with consolidated total assets of less than $3 billion, such as the Corporation. The policy statement, which, among other things, exempts certain bank holding companies from minimum consolidated regulatory capital ratios that apply to other bank holding companies. When the Corporation reaches $3 billion in assets, the Corporation will be subject to the Basel III Final Rules independent of the Bank. The Bank remains subject to the regulatory capital requirements described above.

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Limits on Dividends

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The Corporation is a legal entity that is separate and distinct from the Bank. A significant portion of the revenues of the Corporation result from dividends paid to it by the Bank. Both the Corporation and C&F Bank are subject to laws and regulations that limit the payment of dividends, including limits on the sources of dividends and requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. Banking regulators have indicated that Virginia banking organizations should generally pay dividends only (1) from net undivided profits of the bank, after providing for all expenses, losses, interest and taxes accrued or due by the bank and (2) if the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, Federal Reserve Board supervisory guidance indicates that the Federal Reserve Board may have safety and soundness concerns if a bank holding company pays dividends that exceed earnings for the period in which the dividend is being paid. Further, the FDIA prohibits insured depository institutions such as C&F Bank from making capital distributions, including paying dividends, if, after making such distribution, the institution would become undercapitalized as defined in the statute. We do not expect that any of these laws, regulations or policies will materially affect the ability of the Corporation or C&F Bank to pay dividends.

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Insurance of Accounts, Assessments and Regulation by the FDIC

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The Bank’s deposits are insured by the DIF of the FDIC up to the standard maximum insurance amount for each deposit insurance ownership category. The basic limit on FDIC deposit insurance coverage is $250,000 per depositor. Under the FDIA, the FDIC may terminate deposit insurance upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations as an insured institution, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC, subject to administrative and potential judicial hearing and review processes. The FDIC may also suspend deposit insurance temporarily during the hearing process for the permanent termination of insurance if the institution has no tangible capital. If deposit insurance is terminated, the deposits at the institution at the time of termination, less subsequent withdrawals, shall continue to be insured for a period from six months to two years, as determined by the FDIC. Management is aware of no existing circumstances that could result in termination of the Bank’s deposit insurance.

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Deposit Insurance Assessments. The DIF is funded by assessments on banks and other depository institutions calculated based on average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity (defined as Tier 1 capital). As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, the FDIC has adopted a large-bank pricing assessment scheme, set a target “designated reserve ratio” (described in more detail below) of 2 percent for the DIF and, in lieu of dividends, provides for a lower assessment rate schedule when the reserve ratio reaches 2 percent and 2.5 percent. An institution's assessment rate is based on a statistical analysis of financial ratios that estimates the likelihood of failure over a three-year period, which considers the institution’s weighted average CAMELS composite rating, and is subject to further adjustments including those related to levels of unsecured debt and brokered deposits. An institution's assessment rate is based on a 12 Table of Contentsstatistical analysis of financial ratios that estimates the likelihood of failure over a three-year period, which considers the institution’s weighted average CAMELS composite rating, and is subject to further adjustments including those related to levels of unsecured debt and brokered deposits. At December 31, 2025, total base assessment rates for institutions that have been insured for at least five years range from 2.5 to 32 basis points (bps) applying to banks with less than $10 billion in assets.

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Regulation and Supervision of the Bank and Other Subsidiaries

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The Bank is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the VBFI and its primary federal regulator, the FDIC. The various laws and regulations issued and administered by the regulatory agencies (including the CFPB) affect corporate practices, such as the payment of dividends, the incurrence of debt and the acquisition of financial institutions and other companies, and affect business practices and operations, such as the payment of interest on deposits, the charging

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of interest on loans, the types of business conducted, the products and terms offered to customers and the location of offices. Prior approval of the applicable primary federal regulator and the VBFI is required for a Virginia chartered bank or bank holding company to merge with another bank or bank holding company, or purchase the assets or assume the deposits of another bank or bank holding company, or acquire control of another bank or bank holding company. In reviewing applications seeking approval of merger and acquisition transactions, the bank regulatory agencies will consider, among other things, the competitive effect and public benefits of the transactions, the financial condition, managerial resources, capital position and any asset concentrations (including CRE loan concentrations) of the constituent organizations and the combined organization, the risks to the stability of the U.S. banking or financial system, the applicant's performance record under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), fair lending laws, and fair housing initiatives, the data security and cybersecurity infrastructure of the constituent organizations and the combined organization, the applicant’s risk management programs and processes, and the applicant’s compliance with and the effectiveness of the subject organizations in combating money laundering activities and complying with Bank Secrecy Act requirements.

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Certain Transactions by Insured Banks with their Affiliates. There are statutory restrictions related to the extent bank holding companies and their non-bank subsidiaries may borrow, obtain credit from or otherwise engage in “covered transactions” with their insured depository institution (i.e., banking) subsidiaries. In general, an “affiliate” of a bank includes the bank’s parent holding company and any subsidiary thereof. However, an “affiliate” does not generally include the bank’s operating subsidiaries. A bank (and its subsidiaries) may not lend money to, or engage in other covered transactions with, its non-bank affiliates if the aggregate amount of covered transactions outstanding involving the bank, plus the proposed transaction, exceeds the following limits: (a) in the case of any one such affiliate, the aggregate amount of covered transactions of the bank and its subsidiaries cannot exceed 10 percent of the bank’s capital stock and surplus; and (b) in the case of all affiliates, the aggregate amount of covered transactions of the bank and its subsidiaries cannot exceed 20 percent of the bank’s capital stock and surplus. “Covered transactions” are defined to include a loan or extension of credit to an affiliate, a purchase of or investment in securities issued by an affiliate, a purchase of assets from an affiliate, the acceptance of securities issued by an affiliate as collateral for a loan or extension of credit to any person or company, the issuance of a guarantee, acceptance or letter of credit on behalf of an affiliate, securities borrowing or lending transactions with an affiliate that creates a credit exposure to such affiliate, or a derivatives transaction with an affiliate that creates a credit exposure to such affiliate. Certain covered transactions are also subject to collateral security requirements.

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Covered transactions as well as other types of transactions between a bank and a bank holding company must be on market terms, which means that the transaction must be conducted on terms and under circumstances that are substantially the same, or at least as favorable to the bank, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with or involving nonaffiliates or, in the absence of comparable transactions, that in good faith would be offered to or would apply to nonaffiliates. Moreover, certain amendments to the BHCA provide that, to further competition, a bank holding company and its subsidiaries are prohibited from engaging in certain tying arrangements in connection with any extension of credit, lease or sale of property of any kind, or furnishing of any service.

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Community Reinvestment Act. The CRA imposes on financial institutions an affirmative and ongoing obligation to meet the credit needs of their local communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with the safe and sound operation of those institutions. A financial institution’s efforts in meeting community credit needs are assessed based on specified factors. These factors also are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. In 2023, the last time that the Bank’s CRA activities were evaluated by the FDIC, the Bank received a “Satisfactory” CRA rating.

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Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Atlanta, which is one of 11 regional FHLBs that provide funding to their members for making housing loans as well as for affordable housing and community development loans. Each FHLB serves as a reserve, or central bank, for the members within its assigned region. Each FHLB makes loans to members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB. As a member, the Bank must purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB. At December 31, 2025, the Bank owned $3.7 million of FHLB stock.

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Consumer Protection. The Bank is subject to a number of federal and state consumer protection laws that extensively govern its relationship with its customers. These laws include, but are not limited to, the Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA), the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA), the Fair Credit and Reporting Act (FCRA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), and the Dodd-Frank Act, and their respective state law counterparts. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we may be subject to various penalties or enforcement actions. Failure to comply with consumer protection requirements may also result in delays in obtaining or failure to obtain any required bank regulatory approval for proposed merger or acquisition transactions.

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The CFPB is the federal regulatory agency that is responsible for implementing, examining and enforcing compliance with federal consumer financial laws for institutions with more than $10 billion of assets and, to a lesser extent, smaller institutions. The CFPB supervises and regulates providers of consumer financial products and services, and has rulemaking authority in connection with numerous federal consumer financial protection laws. The CFPB is specifically authorized by the Dodd-Frank Act, among other things, to take action to prevent companies providing consumer financial products or services and their service providers from engaging in unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices in connection with consumer financial products and services, and to issue rules requiring enhanced disclosures for consumer financial products or services. The CFPB is specifically authorized by the Dodd-Frank Act, among other things, to take action to prevent companies providing consumer financial products or services and their service providers from engaging in unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices in connection with consumer financial products and services, and to issue rules requiring enhanced disclosures for consumer financial products or services.

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Because the Corporation and the Bank are smaller institutions (i.e., with assets of $10 billion or less), most consumer protection aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act will continue to be applied to the Corporation by the Federal Reserve Board and to the Bank by the FDIC. However, the CFPB may include its own examiners in regulatory examinations by a smaller institution’s principal regulators and may require smaller institutions to comply with certain CFPB reporting requirements. In addition, regulatory positions taken by the CFPB and administrative and legal precedents established by CFPB enforcement activities, including in connection with supervision of larger bank holding companies and banks, could influence how the Federal Reserve Board and FDIC apply consumer protection laws and regulations to financial institutions that are not directly supervised by the CFPB. The precise effect of the CFPB’s consumer protection activities on the Corporation and the Bank cannot be determined with certainty.

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On March 30, 2023, the CFPB issued a final rule amending Regulation B to implement Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which amended ECOA to require the collection of certain small business lending data. As a result of ongoing litigation, all deadlines for compliance with the amendments to Regulation B are currently stayed. In November 2025, the CFPB issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that, among other things, would reduce the data points that must be collected and reported and would raise the threshold to be considered a covered financial institution to 1,000 covered credit transactions each year over a two-year period. The Bank is continuing to monitor developments related to the Section 1071 final rule.

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In addition, the current leadership of the CFPB has indicated intentions to rescind or revise many regulations, as well as to narrow its enforcement and supervision. We cannot currently predict the nature and timing of future developments that may potentially impact CFPB rules, proposals, enforcement and supervision. We cannot currently predict the nature and timing of future developments related to the Corporate Transparency Act.

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Mortgage Banking Regulation. In connection with making mortgage loans, the Bank is subject to rules and regulations that, among other things, establish standards for loan origination, prohibit discrimination, provide for inspections and appraisals of property, require credit reports on prospective borrowers, in some cases restrict certain loan features and fix maximum interest rates and fees, require the disclosure of certain basic information to mortgagors concerning credit and settlement costs, limit payment for settlement services to the reasonable value of the services rendered and require the maintenance and disclosure of information regarding the disposition of mortgage applications based on race, gender, geographical distribution and income level. In connection with making mortgage loans, the Bank is subject to rules and regulations that, among other things, establish standards for loan origination, prohibit discrimination, provide for 15 Table of Contentsinspections and appraisals of property, require credit reports on prospective borrowers, in some cases restrict certain loan features and fix maximum interest rates and fees, require the disclosure of certain basic information to mortgagors concerning credit and settlement costs, limit payment for settlement services to the reasonable value of the services rendered and require the maintenance and disclosure of information regarding the disposition of mortgage applications based on race, gender, geographical distribution and income level. The Bank’s mortgage origination activities are subject to ECOA, TILA, HMDA, RESPA and HOEPA, and the regulations promulgated under these acts, among other additional state and federal laws, regulations and rules.

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The Bank’s mortgage origination activities are also subject to Regulation Z, which implements TILA. Certain provisions of Regulation Z require mortgage lenders to make a reasonable and good faith determination, based on verified

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and documented information, that a consumer applying for a mortgage loan has a reasonable ability to repay the loan according to its terms. Alternatively, a mortgage lender can originate “qualified mortgages”, which are generally defined as mortgage loans without negative amortization, interest-only payments, balloon payments, terms exceeding 30 years, and points and fees paid by a consumer equal to or less than 3 percent of the total loan amount. Under the EGRRCPA, most residential mortgage loans originated and held in portfolio by a bank with less than $10 billion in assets will be designated as “qualified mortgages.” Higher-priced qualified mortgages (e.g., sub-prime loans) receive a rebuttable presumption of compliance with ability-to-repay rules, and other qualified mortgages (e.g., prime loans) are deemed to comply with the ability-to-repay rules. The Corporation’s mortgage banking segment predominately originates mortgage loans that comply with Regulation Z’s “qualified mortgage” rules.

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In addition to regulations applicable to the Bank’s mortgage origination activities, C&F Mortgage is subject to the rules and regulations of, and examination by, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the FHA, the USDA, the VA and state regulatory authorities with respect to originating, processing and selling mortgage loans. Those rules and regulations, among other things, establish standards for loan origination, prohibit discrimination, provide for inspections and appraisals of property, require credit reports on prospective borrowers and, in some cases, restrict certain loan features and fix maximum interest rates and fees.

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Consumer Financing Regulation. C&F Finance also is regulated by the states and local jurisdictions in which it operates, and its lending operations are subject to numerous federal regulations over which the CFPB has rulemaking authority and regarding which enforcement authority is shared by the Federal Reserve Board, the FDIC, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. Such rules and regulations generally provide for licensing of sales finance agencies; limitations on amounts, duration and charges, including interest rates, for various categories of loans; requirements as to the form and content of finance contracts and other documentation; and restrictions on collection practices and creditors’ rights. C&F Finance is subject to regulation and supervision by the VBFI, which regulates and enforces Virginia laws relating to consumer lenders and sales finance agencies.

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C&F Finance is subject to many federal, state and local statutes, regulations and ordinances that impact all aspects of its operations, including but not limited to the procedures that C&F Finance must follow regarding repossession of vehicles securing automobile finance installment contracts for purchases of used and new automobiles. C&F Finance is subject to state licensing requirements, which may require C&F Finance to file a notification or obtain a license to acquire automobile installment contracts in each state in which it acquires such contracts. C&F Finance is also subject to extensive federal statutes and regulations, including but not limited to: TILA, which requires C&F Finance and the dealers it does business with to make certain disclosures to customers, including the terms of repayment, the total finance charge and the annual percentage rate charged on automobile finance installment contracts; ECOA, which prohibits creditors from discrimination against loan applicants on the basis of race, color, sex, age or marital status and, pursuant to Regulation B promulgated thereunder, requires creditors to make certain disclosures regarding consumer rights and advise consumers of the reasons for the rejection of their credit applications; the FCRA, which requires C&F Finance to provide certain information to consumers whose credit applications are not approved on the basis of a report obtained from a consumer reporting agency and ensure the accuracy and integrity of consumer information reported to credit reporting agencies; the EFTA, which prohibits C&F Finance from requiring its customers to repay a loan or other credit by electronic funds transfer (EFT), except in limited situations, and requires C&F Finance to provide certain documentation and notifications to customers when an EFT is initiated; and federal bankruptcy and related state laws that may limit or affect C&F Finance’s ability to recover collateral or enforce a deficiency judgment. C&F Finance also generally adheres to the principles of the FDCPA, which prohibits certain debt collectors from contacting borrowers during certain times and at certain places, from using threatening practices and from making false implications when attempting to collect a debt.

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The CFPB has the authority to issue and enforce regulations under many federal consumer protection laws, including (subject to certain statutory limitations) TILA, ECOA, FDCPA, FCRA, EFTA and the prohibition on unfair, deceptive and abusive acts and practices. Failure by C&F Finance to comply with any of these laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation. As of December 31, 2025, the Corporation and C&F Finance were not subject to supervision by the CFPB.

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Certain federal regulatory agencies, and in particular, the CFPB, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Reserve Board, as well as certain state agencies, have recently become more active in investigating the products, services and operations of banks and other finance companies engaged in auto finance activities. These investigations have extended to banks that engage in indirect automobile lending.

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Real Estate Lending Standards and Guidance. The federal regulatory agencies have adopted regulations setting forth standards for extensions of credit that are secured by real estate. Under these regulations, the Bank must adopt and maintain written policies establishing appropriate limits and standards for extensions of credit that are secured by real estate. These policies must establish loan portfolio diversification standards, prudent underwriting standards (including loan-to-value limits) that are clear and measurable, loan administration procedures and documentation, approval and reporting requirements.

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The federal regulatory agencies have also jointly issued guidance on “Concentrations in Commercial Real Estate Lending,” which defines CRE loans as exposures secured by raw land, land development and construction (including 1-4 family residential construction), multi-family property, and non-farm nonresidential property where the primary or a significant source of repayment is derived from rental income or the proceeds of the sale, refinancing, or permanent financing of the property. The guidance requires that appropriate processes be in place to identify, monitor and control risks associated with real estate lending concentrations. If a concentration is present, management must employ heightened risk management practices that address key elements, including board and management oversight and strategic planning, portfolio management, development of underwriting standards, risk assessment and monitoring through market analysis and stress testing, and maintenance of increased capital levels as needed to support the level of CRE lending. The guidance states that the following metrics may indicate a concentration of CRE loans, but that these metrics are neither limits nor a safe harbor: (1) total reported loans for construction, land development, and other land represent 100% or more of total risk-based capital; or (2) total reported loans secured by multi-family properties, nonfarm non-residential properties (excluding those that are owner-occupied), and loans for construction, land development, and other land represent 300% or more of total risk-based capital and the bank’s CRE loan portfolio has increased 50% or more during the prior 36 months.

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Brokered Deposits. Section 29 of the FDIA and FDIC regulations generally limit the ability of any bank to accept, renew or roll over any brokered deposit unless it is “well capitalized” or, with the FDIC’s approval, “adequately capitalized.” On December 15, 2020, the FDIC issued rules to revise brokered deposit regulations in light of modern deposit-taking methods. The rules established a new framework for certain provisions of the “deposit broker” definition and amended the FDIC’s interest rate methodology for calculating rates and rate caps. The rules became effective on April 1, 2021 and, to date, there has been no material impact to either the Corporation or the Bank from the rules.

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Other Regulations

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Prompt Corrective Action. The federal banking agencies have broad powers under current federal law to take prompt corrective action to resolve problems of insured depository institutions. The extent of these powers depends upon whether the institution in question is “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized” or “critically undercapitalized.” These terms are defined under uniform regulations issued by each of the federal banking agencies regulating these institutions. An insured depository institution which is less than adequately capitalized must adopt an acceptable capital restoration plan, is subject to increased regulatory oversight and is increasingly restricted in the scope of its permissible activities. As of December 31, 2025, the Bank was considered “well capitalized.”

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Incentive Compensation. The Dodd-Frank Act requires the federal banking agencies and the SEC to establish joint regulations or guidelines prohibiting incentive-based payment arrangements at specified regulated entities with at least $1 billion in total consolidated assets, that encourage inappropriate risks by providing an executive officer, employee, director, or principal stockholder with excessive compensation, fees, or benefits that could lead to material financial loss to the entity.

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In 2016, the SEC and the federal banking agencies proposed rules that prohibit covered financial institutions (including bank holding companies and banks) from establishing or maintaining incentive-based compensation

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arrangements that encourage inappropriate risk taking by providing covered persons (consisting of senior executive officers and significant risk takers, as defined in the rules) with excessive compensation, fees or benefits that could lead to material financial loss to the financial institution. It is unclear whether or when this rule will be finalized.

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Confidentiality and Required Disclosures of Customer Information. The Corporation is subject to various laws and regulations that address the privacy of nonpublic personal financial information of consumers. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and certain regulations issued thereunder protect against the transfer and use by financial institutions of consumer nonpublic personal information. A financial institution must provide to its customers, at the beginning of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution’s policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers’ nonpublic personal financial information. These privacy provisions generally prohibit a financial institution from providing a customer’s personal financial information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that the information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure. Certain exceptions may apply to the requirement to deliver an annual privacy notice based on how a financial institution limits sharing of nonpublic personal information and whether the institution’s disclosure practices or policies have changed in certain ways since the last privacy notice that was delivered.

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The Corporation is also subject to various laws and regulations that attempt to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The Bank Secrecy Act (the BSA) requires all financial institutions to, among other things, create a system of controls designed to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and imposes recordkeeping and reporting requirements. The USA PATRIOT Act added regulations to facilitate information sharing among governmental entities and financial institutions for the purpose of combating terrorism and money laundering, and requires financial institutions to establish anti-money laundering programs. Regulations adopted under the BSA impose on financial institutions customer due diligence requirements, and the federal banking agencies expect that customer due diligence programs will be integrated within a financial institution’s broader BSA and anti-money laundering compliance program. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is a division of the U. S. Department of the Treasury, is responsible for helping to ensure that United States entities do not engage in transactions with “enemies” of the United States, as defined by various Executive Orders and Acts of Congress. If the Bank finds the name of an “enemy” of the United States on any transaction, account or wire transfer that is on an OFAC list, it must freeze such account or place transferred funds into a blocked account, and report it to OFAC.

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Although these laws and programs impose compliance costs and create privacy obligations and, in some cases, reporting obligations, and compliance with all of the laws, programs, and privacy and reporting obligations may require significant resources of the Corporation and the Bank, these laws and programs do not materially affect the Bank’s products, services or other business activities.

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Corporate Transparency Act. On January 1, 2021, as part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress enacted the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), which required by January 1, 2022, that the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issue regulations implementing reporting requirements for “reporting companies” (as defined in the CTA) to disclose beneficial ownership interests of certain U.S. and foreign entities. The CTA imposes additional reporting requirements on entities not previously subject to such beneficial ownership disclosure regulations and also contains exemptions for several different types of entities, including among others: (i) certain banks, bank holding companies, and credit unions; (ii) money transmitting businesses registered with FinCEN; and (iii) certain insurance companies.

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On September 29, 2022, FinCEN issued the final rule (the Reporting Rule) to implement the beneficial ownership reporting requirements of the CTA, which was effective January 1, 2024, and would have required reporting of beneficial ownership for entities that were formed or first registered prior to 2024 by January 1, 2025. In March 2025, FinCEN issued an interim final rule removing the requirements for U.S. companies and U.S. persons to report such beneficial ownership information and indicated that it would issue a modified set of regulations regarding beneficial ownership disclosures.

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The Corporation will continue to monitor regulatory developments related to the CTA, including future FinCEN rulemakings, and will continue to assess the ultimate impact of the CTA on the Corporation and the Bank. We cannot currently predict the nature and timing of future developments related to the CTA.

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Cybersecurity. The federal banking agencies have adopted guidelines for establishing information security standards and cybersecurity programs for implementing safeguards under the supervision of a financial institution’s board of directors. These guidelines, along with related regulatory materials, increasingly focus on risk management and processes related to information technology and the use of third parties in the provision of financial products and services. The federal banking agencies expect financial institutions to establish lines of defense and ensure that their risk management processes also address the risk posed by compromised customer credentials, and also expect financial institutions to maintain sufficient business continuity planning processes to ensure rapid recovery, resumption and maintenance of the institution’s operations after a cyber-attack. If the Corporation or the Bank fails to meet the expectations set forth in this regulatory guidance, the Corporation or the Bank could be subject to various regulatory actions and any remediation efforts may require significant resources of the Corporation or the Bank. In addition, federal and state banking agencies continue to increase focus on cybersecurity programs and risks as part of regular supervisory exams. In addition, all federal and state banking agencies continue to increase focus on cybersecurity programs and risks as part of regular supervisory exams.

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The federal bank regulatory agencies adopted rules to improve the sharing of information about cybersecurity incidents that may affect the U.S. banking system. A banking organization must notify its primary federal regulator of any significant computer-security incident that may pose a threat to the stability of the U.S. financial sector as soon as possible and no later than 36 hours after the banking organization determines that a notification incident has occurred. A bank service provider must also notify affected banking organization customers as soon as possible when the provider determines that it has experienced a computer-security incident that has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect banking organization customers for four or more hours. In addition, the rule requires a bank service provider to notify affected banking organization customers as soon as possible when the provider determines that it has experienced a computer-security incident that has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect banking organization customers for four or more hours.

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With increased focus on cybersecurity, we are continuing to monitor legislative, regulatory and supervisory developments related thereto. We had no material cybersecurity incidents in 2025.

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Stress Testing. The federal banking agencies have implemented stress testing requirements for certain large or risky financial institutions, including bank holding companies and state-chartered banks. Although these requirements do not apply to the Corporation and the Bank, the federal banking agencies emphasize that all banking organizations, regardless of size, should have the capacity to analyze the potential effect of adverse market conditions or outcomes on the organization’s financial condition. Based on existing regulatory guidance, the Corporation and the Bank will be expected to consider the institution’s interest rate risk management, CRE loan concentrations and other credit-related information, and funding and liquidity management during this analysis of adverse market conditions or outcomes. Based on existing regulatory guidance, the Corporation and the Bank will be expected to consider the institution’s interest rate risk management, commercial real estate loan concentrations and other credit-related information, and funding and liquidity management during this analysis of adverse market conditions or outcomes.

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Volcker Rule. The Dodd-Frank Act prohibits bank holding companies and their subsidiary banks from engaging in proprietary trading except in limited circumstances, and places limits on ownership of equity investments in private equity and hedge funds (the Volcker Rule). The EGRRCPA, and final rules adopted to implement the EGRRCPA, exempt all banks with less than $10 billion in assets (including their holding companies and affiliates) from the Volcker Rule, provided that the institution has total trading assets and liabilities of 5 percent or less of total assets, subject to certain limited exceptions. The Corporation believes that its financial condition and its operations are not affected by the Volcker Rule, amendments thereto, or its implementing regulations.

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Call Reports and Examination Cycle. All institutions, regardless of size, submit a quarterly call report that includes data used by federal banking agencies to monitor the condition, performance, and risk profile of individual institutions and the industry as a whole. The EGRRCPA contained provisions expanding the number of regulated institutions eligible to use streamlined call report forms. In June 2019, consistent with the provisions of the EGRRCPA, the federal banking agencies issued a final rule to permit insured depository institutions with total assets of less than $5 billion that do not engage in certain complex or international activities to file the most streamlined version of the quarterly call report, and to reduce data reportable on certain streamlined call report submissions.

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In December 2018, consistent with the provisions of the EGRRCPA, the federal banking agencies jointly adopted final rules that permit banks with up to $3 billion in total assets, that received a composite CAMELS rating of “1” or “2,” and that meet certain other criteria (including not having undergone any change in control during the previous 12-month period, and not being subject to a formal enforcement proceeding or order), to qualify for an 18-month on-site examination cycle.

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Effect of Governmental Monetary Policies. As with other financial institutions, the earnings of the Corporation and the Bank are affected by general economic conditions as well as by the monetary policies of the Federal Reserve Board. Such policies, which include regulating the national supply of bank reserves and bank credit, can have a major effect upon the source and cost of funds and the rates of return earned on loans and investments. The Federal Reserve Board exerts a substantial influence on interest rates and credit conditions, primarily through establishing target rates for federal funds, open market operations in U.S. Government securities, varying the discount rate on member bank borrowings and setting cash reserve requirements against deposits. Changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates, will influence the origination of loans, the purchase of investments, the generation of deposits, and rates received on loans and investment securities and paid on deposits. Fluctuations in the Federal Reserve Board’s monetary policies have had a significant impact on the operating results of the Corporation and the Bank in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future.

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Future Regulation

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From time to time, various legislative and regulatory initiatives are introduced in Congress and state legislatures, as well as by regulatory agencies. Such initiatives may include proposals to expand or contract the powers of bank holding companies and depository institutions or proposals to substantially change the financial institution regulatory system. Such legislation could change banking statutes and the operating environment of the Corporation in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The Corporation cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted, and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on the financial condition or results of operations of the Corporation. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries could have a material effect on the business of the Corporation.

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Available Information

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The Corporation’s SEC filings are filed electronically and are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Corporation’s SEC filings also are available through our website at http://www.cffc.com under “Investor Relations/Financials/SEC Filings” as of the day they are filed or furnished with the SEC.com under “Investor Relations/Financial Documents/SEC Filings” as of the day they are filed with the SEC. The information contained on our website is not part of this Form 10-K nor incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K or of any other filing with the SEC. Copies of documents also can be obtained free of charge by writing to the Corporation’s secretary at 3600 La Grange Parkway, Toano, VA 23168 or by calling 804-843-2360.

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ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS

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Investments in the Company’s securities involve risks. In addition to the other information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the information addressed under “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” investors in the Company’s securities should carefully consider the risk factors discussed below. The following discussion highlights the risks that we believe are material to the Company, but the following discussion does not necessarily include all risks that we may face, and an investor in the Company’s securities should not interpret the disclosure of a risk in the following discussion to state or imply that the risk has not already materialized. These factors could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, and capital position, and could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from its historical results or the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, in which case the trading price of the Company’s common stock could decline.

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Risk Factors Related to our Lending Activities and Economic Conditions

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Our business is subject to various lending and other economic risks that could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

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Deterioration in economic conditions could adversely affect our business. Our business is directly affected by general economic and market conditions; broad trends in industry and finance; legislative and regulatory changes; changes in governmental monetary and fiscal policies, including trade policies and tariffs; level and volatility of interest rates; and inflation, all of which are beyond our control. Prolonged periods of inflation may impact our profitability by negatively impacting our fixed costs and expenses, including increasing funding costs and expenses related to talent acquisition and retention, and negatively impacting the demand for our products and services. Additionally, inflation and supply chain disruptions for our consumers and clients may lead to an increase in default rates on our loans. Additionally, inflation may lead to a decrease in consumer and client’s purchasing power and an increase in default rates on our loans. Any deterioration in economic conditions, in particular a prolonged economic slowdown within our geographic region or a broader disruption in the economy, possibly as a result of a pandemic or other widespread public health emergency, acts of terrorism or outbreak of domestic or international hostilities (including the military conflict with Iran), could result in the following consequences, any of which could hurt our business materially: an increase in loan delinquencies; an increase in problem assets and foreclosures; a decline in demand for our products and services; a deterioration in the value of collateral for loans made by our various business segments; and changes in the fair value of financial instruments held by the Corporation or its subsidiaries. Any deterioration in economic conditions, in particular a prolonged economic slowdown within our geographic region or a broader disruption in the economy, possibly as a result of a pandemic or other widespread public health emergency, acts of terrorism or outbreak of domestic or international hostilities (including the ongoing military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East), could result in the following consequences, any of which could hurt our business materially: an increase in loan delinquencies; an increase in problem assets and foreclosures; a decline in demand for our products and services; a deterioration in the value of collateral for loans made by our various business segments; and changes in the fair value of financial instruments held by the Corporation or its subsidiaries.

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Our earnings are significantly affected by the fiscal and monetary policies of the federal government and its agencies.

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The policies of the Federal Reserve affect us significantly. The Federal Reserve regulates the supply of money and credit in the U.S. Its policies directly and indirectly influence the rate of interest earned on loans and paid on borrowings and interest-bearing deposits and can also affect the value of financial instruments we hold. Those policies determine to a significant extent our cost of funds for lending and investing. Changes in those policies are beyond our control and are difficult to predict. Federal Reserve policies can also affect our borrowers, potentially increasing the risk that they may fail to repay their loans. For example, a tightening of the money supply by the Federal Reserve could reduce the demand for a borrower's products and services. This could adversely affect the borrower’s earnings and ability to repay a loan, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Alternatively, an expansion of the money supply could make it easier for a borrower to obtain a loan from another financial institution at a lower interest rate, resulting in a payoff of that borrower’s higher rate loan with us, and which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. If interest rates were to decline quickly, our net interest margin could be adversely affected in the short term as our assets typically reprice downward more quickly than our deposits and borrowings.

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Adverse changes in economic conditions in our market areas or adverse conditions in an industry on which a local market in which we do business is dependent could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

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We provide full-service banking and other financial services throughout eastern and central Virginia, mortgage banking in Virginia and the surrounding states, and consumer finance activities primarily throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southern United States. Our lending and deposit activities are directly affected by, and our financial success depends on, economic conditions within these markets, as well as conditions in the industries on which those markets are economically dependent. Our lending and deposit activities are directly affected by, and our financial success 21 Table of Contentsdepends on, economic conditions within these markets, as well as conditions in the industries on which those markets are economically dependent. A deterioration in local economic conditions or in the condition of an industry on which a local market depends, such as the U.S. federal government and related contractors or the U.S. military and related defense contractors and industries, could adversely affect such factors as unemployment rates, business formations and expansions and housing market conditions. Adverse developments in any of these factors could result in among other things, a decline in loan demand, a reduction in the number of credit-worthy borrowers seeking loans, an increase in delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures, an increase in classified and nonaccrual loans, a decrease in the value of loan collateral, and a decline in the financial condition of borrowers and guarantors, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition or business.

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The level of the Corporation’s allowance for credit losses is particularly sensitive to changes in the actual and forecasted national unemployment rate and changes in current conditions or reasonably expected future conditions affecting the collectability of loans. The allowance for credit losses is inherently subjective because it requires estimates that are susceptible to significant revision as more information becomes available. In evaluating the level of the allowance for credit losses, we consider a range of possible assumptions and outcomes, however, current economic conditions and forecasts can change and future events are inherently difficult to predict. The anticipated amount of estimated credit losses on loans, and therefore the appropriateness of the allowance for credit losses and related provision for credit losses charged against earnings, could change significantly and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

The Corporation also invests in the debt securities of corporate issuers, primarily financial institutions, that the Corporation views as having a strong financial position and earnings potential. However, a deterioration in economic or other conditions in the localities in which these institutions do business could adversely affect their financial condition and results of operations, and therefore adversely affect the value of our investments. However, a deterioration in economic or other conditions in the localities in which these institutions do business in could adversely affect their financial condition and results of operations, and therefore adversely affect the value of our investments. Additionally, a portion of the debt securities in which we have invested remained in an unrealized loss position as of December 31, 2025, due primarily to increases in interest rates after we purchased those debt securities. Additionally, the majority of the debt securities in which we have invested remained in an unrealized loss position as of December 31, 2024, due primarily to increases in interest rates after we purchased those debt securities. If the Corporation is forced to sell debt securities in an unrealized loss position for liquidity or other needs or it determines that there is credit loss with respect to any of the Corporation’s debt securities, the Corporation may be forced to recognize those losses or an impairment charge in net income.

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The concentration of commercial real estate loans, including construction loans, and consumer finance automobile loans in our loan portfolio increases credit risk.

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At December 31, 2025, 46 percent of our loan portfolio consisted of commercial real estate loans and commercial real estate construction loans, which includes both owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied loans secured by apartment complexes, retail properties, and office and warehouse properties. These loans generally carry larger loan balances and involve a greater degree of financial and credit risk than home equity and residential loans. The increased financial and credit risk associated with these types of loans is a result of several factors, including the concentration of principal in a limited number of loans and to borrowers in similar lines of business, the size of loan balances, the effects of general economic conditions on income-producing properties and the increased difficulty of evaluating and monitoring these types of loans. The repayment of these loans may be dependent upon the profitability and cash flows of the business or project and therefore, events beyond our control, such as a downturn in the local economy, could adversely affect the performance of the commercial real estate loan portfolio. In addition, banking regulators examine commercial real estate lending activity with heightened scrutiny due to these reasons and may require banks with higher levels of commercial real estate loans to implement more stringent underwriting, internal controls, risk management policies, and portfolio stress testing. In addition, banking regulators 23 Table of Contentsexamine commercial real estate lending activity with heightened scrutiny due to these reasons and may require banks with higher levels of commercial real estate loans to implement more stringent underwriting, internal controls, risk management policies, and portfolio stress testing. If our banking regulators determine that our commercial real estate lending activities are particularly risky and are subject to such heightened scrutiny, we may incur significant additional costs or be required to restrict certain of our commercial real estate lending activities. Banking regulators may also require us to maintain higher levels of capital due to our commercial real estate lending activity than we would otherwise be expected to maintain, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

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At December 31, 2025, 20 percent of our loan portfolio consisted of consumer finance automobile loans, which includes loans to customers who may have limited access to traditional automobile financing due to increased credit risk. During periods of high inflation, economic slowdown or recession, delinquencies, defaults, repossessions and losses may increase in this portfolio. Significant increases in the inventory of used automobiles during periods of economic recession may also depress the prices at which we may sell repossessed vehicles or delay the timing of these sales. The number of delinquent loans, fluctuations in wholesale values of used automobiles and the availability of repossession agencies may impact the amount of net charge-offs experienced within the consumer finance automobile portfolio. In addition, our servicing costs may increase without a corresponding increase in our finance charge income. While we manage the higher risk inherent in loans made to these borrowers through our underwriting criteria for installment sales contracts we purchase and collection methods, we cannot guarantee that these criteria or methods will ultimately provide adequate protection against these risks.

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Weakness in the secondary residential mortgage loan markets or demand for mortgage loans may adversely affect income from C&F Mortgage.

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Our mortgage banking segment has historically provided a significant portion of our noninterest income by generating gains on sales of mortgage loans that we originate. Interest rates, housing inventory, housing demand, inflation, cash buyers, new mortgage lending regulations and other market conditions, such as the number of third-party investors and their demand to purchase mortgage loans, have a direct effect on loan originations across the industry. In particular, in the current higher interest rate environment (when compared to 2020 to 2022), our originations of mortgage loans have decreased, resulting in fewer loans available to be sold to investors, which has resulted in a decrease in noninterest income that may continue into future periods, and which may occur during other periods of rising interest rates. In particular, in the current higher interest rate environment (when compared to 2020 to 2022), our originations of mortgage loans decreased, resulting in fewer loans available to be sold to investors, which has resulted in a decrease in noninterest income that may continue into future periods, and which may occur during other periods of rising interest rates. In addition, our results of operations are affected by the amount of noninterest expenses (including for personnel and systems infrastructure) associated with mortgage banking activities. During periods of reduced loan demand, our results of operations may be adversely affected if we are unable to reduce expenses commensurate with the decline in mortgage loan origination activity.

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If our allowance for credit losses becomes inadequate, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

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Making loans is an essential element of our business. The risk of nonpayment is affected by a number of factors, including but not limited to: the duration of the credit; credit risks of a particular customer; inflation; changes in economic and industry conditions; and, in the case of a collateralized loan, risks resulting from uncertainties about the future value of the collateral. Although we seek to mitigate risks inherent in lending by adhering to specific underwriting practices, our loans may not be repaid. We attempt to maintain an appropriate allowance for credit losses to provide for losses in our loan portfolio. The process to determine the allowance for credit losses uses models and assumptions that require us to make difficult and complex judgments that are often interrelated. This includes forecasting how borrowers will perform in changing and unprecedented economic conditions. The ability of our borrowers to repay their obligations will likely be impacted by changes in future economic conditions, which in turn could impact the accuracy of our loss forecasts and allowance estimates. There is also the possibility that we have failed or will fail to accurately identify the appropriate economic indicators, to accurately estimate the timing of future changes in economic conditions, or to estimate accurately the impacts of future changes in economic conditions to our borrowers, which similarly could impact the accuracy of our loss forecasts and allowance estimates. If the models, estimates, and assumptions we use to establish reserves or the judgments we make in extending credit to our borrowers prove inaccurate in predicting future events, we may suffer unexpected losses. The allowance for credit losses is our best estimate of expected credit losses; however, there is no guarantee that it will be sufficient to address credit losses, particularly if the economic outlook deteriorates significantly and quickly. In such an event, we may increase our allowance for credit losses, which would reduce our earnings. Additionally, to the extent that economic conditions worsen, impacting our consumer and commercial borrowers or underlying collateral, and credit losses are worse than expected, as may be caused by inflation, an economic recession or otherwise, we may increase our provision for loan losses, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Although we believe our allowance for credit losses is adequate to absorb expected losses in our loan portfolio, we cannot predict the timing or severity of such losses nor give any assurance that our allowance will be adequate in the future.

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Our banking regulators, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the allowance for credit losses and may require us to increase our allowance by recognizing additional provision for credit losses charged to expense, or to decrease the allowance by recognizing loan charge-offs. Any such required additional provisions for credit losses or charge-offs could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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An increase in mortgage loan defaults or prepayments may result in losses related to loans sold by C&F Mortgage.

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Deterioration in economic conditions may cause borrowers to default on their mortgages, which may result in losses to investors who purchased residential mortgage loans originated by C&F Mortgage and sold in the secondary market, especially if accompanied by declines in the value of residential real estate securing those loans. This may result in potential repurchase or indemnification obligations for C&F Mortgage. Such obligations may arise in the event of claims by investors of borrower misrepresentation, fraud, early-payment default, or underwriting error, as investors attempt to minimize their losses. We cannot be assured that a prolonged period of payment defaults and foreclosures will not result in an increase in requests for repurchases or indemnifications. Alternatively, during periods of low or falling interest rates, our customers may find opportunities to refinance shortly after obtaining a mortgage loan from C&F Mortgage, which may result in unexpected prepayments on loans that have been sold into the secondary market. This may result in obligations of C&F Mortgage to return a portion of the sales proceeds from such loans to investors pursuant to the terms of the sale. Moreover, prolonged periods of inflation may also lead to increased loan defaults and losses, which may result in losses incurred by secondary market investors for which C&F Mortgage may have an indemnification or repurchase obligation. We attempt to maintain an appropriate reserve for indemnification losses and for prepayment obligations. Although we believe our reserves for indemnification losses and prepayment obligations are adequate, these estimates are inherently subjective and actual indemnification losses and prepayment obligations will depend on future events that are often not within our control. Therefore, we can give no assurance that established reserves will be adequate. Additional provision for indemnification losses or additional obligations arising from prepayments would have an adverse effect on the Corporation’s net income.

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Risk Factors Related to our Industry and Financial Markets

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We are subject to interest rate risk and fluctuations in interest rates may negatively affect our financial performance.

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Our profitability depends in substantial part on our net interest margin, which is the difference between the interest earned on loans, securities and other interest-earning assets, and interest paid on deposits and borrowings divided by total interest-earning assets. Changes in interest rates will affect our net interest margin in diverse ways, including the pricing of loans and deposits, the levels of prepayments and asset quality. Changes in interest rates will affect our net interest margin in diverse ways, including the pricing 24 Table of Contentsof loans and deposits, the levels of prepayments and asset quality. We are unable to predict actual fluctuations of market interest rates because many factors influencing interest rates, including changes in economic conditions and the policies of the Federal Reserve and other governmental and regulatory agencies, are beyond our control. We are unable to predict actual fluctuations of market interest rates because many factors influencing interest rates, including changes in economic conditions, are beyond our control. We believe that our current interest rate exposure is manageable. We believe that our current interest rate exposure is manageable and does not indicate any significant exposure to interest rate changes. Following a period of aggressive rate hikes aimed at curbing inflation in 2022 and 2023, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve reduced the target range for the federal funds rate by a total of 100 bps from September 2024 to December 2024. From September 2025 to December 2025, the FOMC further reduced the target range for the federal funds rate by a total of 75 bps. In January 2026, the FOMC held the target federal funds rate at an upper limit of 3.75 percent, but noted that uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated. Although the Federal Reserve has shifted toward reducing the target range, the economic and inflationary outlook in the U.S. remains uncertain and the Corporation cannot predict the timing or magnitude of future Federal Reserve monetary policy actions. If market rates rise, or remain elevated for an extended period of time, we may experience more competitive pressures to increase the rates we pay on deposits, which may result in a decrease in our net interest income, a change in the mix of noninterest and interest-bearing accounts, reduced demand for loans or increases in the rate of default on existing loans. Conversely, if market interest rates continue to decline, or if the Federal Reserve lowers the target federal funds rate further, such lower rates could limit our interest rate spread and cause yields on loans and investments to fall, which may not be fully offset by lower rates paid on deposits and adversely affect our business forecasts. Additionally, the Corporation could experience net interest margin compression if it is unable to maintain its current level of loans outstanding by continuing to originate new loans or if it experiences a decrease in deposit balances, which would require the Corporation to seek funding from other sources at relatively higher rates of interest. Additionally, the Corporation could experience further net interest margin compression if it is unable to maintain its current level of loans outstanding by continuing to originate new loans or if it experiences a decrease in deposit balances, which would require the Corporation to seek funding from other sources at relatively higher rates of interest. It is possible that significant or unexpected changes in interest rates may take place in the future, and we cannot always accurately predict the nature or magnitude of such changes or how such changes may affect our business or results of operations.

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The Corporation’s investment portfolio consists of fixed income debt securities, classified as available for sale, whose market values fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Available for sale debt securities are carried at estimated fair

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value with the corresponding unrealized gains and losses recognized in other comprehensive income. Gains or losses are only recognized in net income upon the sale of the security. Under Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 326, a loss is recognized when the Corporation does not expect to recover its investment in a debt security, calculated as the amount that the carrying value of the security exceeds its market value. Increases in market interest rates has in the past, and may in the future, cause the market value of the Corporation’s investment portfolio to decline significantly. While the Corporation does not intend to sell any of its securities, the portfolio serves as a source of liquidity and consists of securities available for sale, which may be sold in response to changes in market interest rates, changes in prepayment risk, increases in loan demand, general liquidity needs and other similar factors. If the Corporation is forced to sell any of its securities while in an unrealized loss position, the loss would be recognized in net income. Additionally, while the regulatory capital of the Corporation or the Bank is not expected to be impacted by unrealized losses on securities, tangible common equity, a non-GAAP financial measure, is reduced for unrealized losses on securities, and regulatory capital would be reduced for any losses recognized in net income.

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We rely substantially on deposits obtained from customers in our target markets to provide liquidity and support growth.

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Our business strategies are based on access to funding from local customer deposits. Deposit levels may be affected by a number of factors, including interest rates paid by competitors, general interest rate levels, returns available to customers on alternative investments and general economic conditions that affect savings levels and the amount of liquidity in the economy, including government stimulus efforts in response to economic crises. If our deposit levels fall, we could lose a relatively low-cost source of funding and our interest expense would likely increase as we obtain alternative funding to replace lost deposits. If our deposit levels fall, we could lose a relatively low cost source of funding and our interest expense would likely increase as we obtain alternative funding to replace lost deposits. If local customer deposits are not sufficient to fund our normal operations and growth, or if we lose a significant portion of our local customer deposits or a significant deposit relationship, we will look to outside sources, such as borrowings from the FHLB, which is a secured funding source, and our liquidity and/or profitability could be adversely impacted. Our ability to access borrowings from the FHLB will be dependent upon whether and the extent to which we can provide collateral to secure FHLB borrowings. We may also look to federal funds purchased and brokered deposits, although the use of brokered deposits may be limited or discouraged by our banking regulators. We may also seek to raise funds through the issuance of shares of our common stock, or other equity or equity-related securities, or debt securities including subordinated notes as additional sources of liquidity. If we are unable to access funding sufficient to support our business operations and growth strategies or are unable to access such funding on attractive terms, we may not be able to implement our business strategies which may negatively affect our financial performance.

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Consumers may increasingly decide not to use banks to complete their financial transactions, which could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and operations.

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Technology and other changes are allowing parties to complete financial transactions through alternative methods that historically have involved banks. For example, consumers can now maintain funds that would have historically been held as bank deposits in brokerage accounts, mutual funds, general-purpose reloadable prepaid cards, or in other types of assets, including crypto currencies, stablecoins or other digital assets. Consumers can also complete transactions such as paying bills or transferring funds directly without the assistance of banks. Trends toward digital financial transactions have accelerated, and we may face increased competition from fintech companies. The process of eliminating banks as intermediaries, known as “disintermediation,” could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of customer deposits and the related income generated from those deposits. The loss of these revenue streams and the loss of deposits as a lower cost source of funds could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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There has also been a significant increase in digital asset adoption globally over the past several years. For example, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act of 2025 (GENIUS Act), which was enacted in July 2025, provides a legal framework for stablecoins and their issuers in the United States. Depending on consumer and business interest in payment stablecoins, and the characteristics and utility of payment stablecoins, the passage of the GENIUS Act could result in increased competition with respect to our deposit products. However, the GENIUS Act requires the U.S. Treasury Department and federal regulators to issue regulations on numerous topics to interpret and implement the statute, so the effect of the GENIUS Act will depend on what those regulations provide. Digital asset service providers, which, at present, are not subject to the same degree of scrutiny and oversight as bank holding companies and federally insured banks, are becoming active competitors, and customers could move their deposits from traditional federal

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insured banks into digital currencies, which would have a negative effect on our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition.

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Competition from other financial institutions and financial intermediaries may adversely affect our profitability.

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We face substantial competition in originating loans and in attracting deposits, which can greatly affect pricing for our products and services and could adversely affect our cost of funds. Our competition in originating loans and attracting deposits comes principally from other banks, mortgage banking companies, consumer finance companies, savings associations, credit unions, brokerage firms, insurance companies and other institutional lenders and purchasers of loans, and includes firms that attract customers primarily through digital and online products which may offer greater convenience to customers than traditional banking products and services. Many of these financial institutions are significantly larger and have established customer bases, greater financial resources, and higher lending limits. In addition, as customer preferences and expectations continue to evolve, technology has lowered barriers to entry and made it possible for nonbanks to offer products and services traditionally provided by banks, such as automatic transfer and automatic payment systems. Many of these nonbank competitors are not subject to the same extensive federal regulation that govern bank holding companies and federally insured banks. As a result, some of our competitors can offer products and services that we are unable to offer or to offer such products and services at more competitive rates, which could require us to increase the rates we pay on deposits or lower the rates we offer on loans, which could adversely affect our profitability.

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Our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected by developments impacting the financial services industry, such as bank failures or concerns involving liquidity.

Events in the financial services industry, including bank closures, can cause general uncertainty and concern regarding the adequacy of liquidity of the financial services industry generally. While we rely on different sources of funding to meet potential liquidity needs, our business strategies are largely based on access to funding from customer deposits and supplemental funding provided by wholesale or other secondary liquidity sources. Deposit levels may be affected by various industry factors, including interest rates paid by competitors, general interest rate levels, returns available to customers on alternative investments, conditions in the financial services industry specifically and general economic conditions that impact the amount of liquidity in the economy and savings levels, and also by factors that impact customers’ perception of our financial condition and capital and liquidity levels. Events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry, or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar events, have in the past and may in the future lead to erosion of customer confidence in the banking system, deposit volatility, liquidity issues, stock price volatility, increased regulatory scrutiny, and other adverse developments. The response to bank closures by the U.S. Government, including the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the FDIC, and the Federal Reserve, cannot be predicted and the policies and regulations implemented in response to past bank closures cannot be expected to be extended or repeated in response to a future bank closure. The Corporation cannot predict to what extent any such steps taken by the banking regulators will be effective in calming the financial markets and financial services industry generally, preventing further bank closures, or reducing the risk of deposit outflows, and particularly sudden deposit outflows, from banks. As a result of this uncertainty, we face the potential for deposit outflows, increased borrowing and funding costs, and increased competition for liquidity, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our financial performance or financial condition.

Accounting for business combinations may expose us to intangible asset risk, which could affect our results of operations.

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In connection with accounting for prior acquisitions, we recorded assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their fair value, which resulted in the recognition of certain intangible assets, including goodwill. Adverse conditions in our business climate, including a significant decline in future operating cash flows, changes in interest rates that may lead to net interest margin compression, changes in demand for loans or our ability to originate and hold loans, a sustained period of elevated loan losses, a significant decrease in valuations or stock prices of the Corporation or other bank holding companies, or a deviation from our expected growth rate and performance, may significantly affect the fair value of the Corporation’s reporting units and may trigger impairment losses on intangible assets, which could be materially adverse to our results of operations.

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Risk Factors Related to our Operations and Technology

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Our risk management framework may not be effective in mitigating risk and loss.

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We maintain an enterprise risk management program that is designed to identify, quantify, monitor, report and control the risks we face. These risks include, but are not limited to, interest rate, credit, liquidity, operational, reputation, legal, compliance, economic and litigation risk. Although we assess our risk management program on an ongoing basis and make identified improvements to it, we can give no assurance that this approach and risk management framework (including related controls) will effectively mitigate the risks listed above or limit losses that we may incur. If our risk management program has flaws or gaps, or if our risk management controls do not function effectively, our results of operations, financial condition or business may be adversely affected.

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We are subject to security and operational risks, including cybersecurity risks and cybersecurity attacks, relating to our use of technology that could damage our reputation and our business.

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In the ordinary course of business, the Corporation collects and stores sensitive data, including proprietary business information and personally identifiable information of our customers and employees, in systems and on networks, including those hosted by third-party vendors. The secure processing, maintenance and use of this information is critical to operations and the Corporation’s business strategy. The Corporation has invested in information security technologies and continually reviews processes and practices that are designed to protect its networks, computers and data from damage or unauthorized access, including periodically those employed by third-party vendors that host the Corporation’s data and applications. Despite these security measures, the Corporation’s computer systems and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or may be breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. We, our customers, regulators and other third parties, including other financial services institutions and companies engaged in data processing, have been subject to, and are likely to continue to be the target of, cyber-attacks. Any security breach that we experience could result in legal claims, regulatory penalties, disruption in operation, remediation expenses, costs associated with customer notification and credit monitoring services, increased insurance premiums, loss of customers and business partners and damage to the Corporation’s reputation. Any security breach that we experience could result in legal claims, regulatory penalties, disruption in operation, remediation expenses, costs associated with customer notification and credit monitoring services, increased insurance premiums, loss of customers and business partners and damage to the Corporation’s reputation. We rely on customary security systems and procedures to provide the security and authentication necessary to effect secure collection, transmission and storage of sensitive data. These systems and procedures include but are not limited to (i) regular penetration testing of our network, (ii) regular employee training programs on sound security practices and awareness of security threats, (iii) deployment of tools to monitor our network including intrusion prevention and detection systems, electronic mail spam filters, anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-ransomware, resource logging and patch management, (iv) multifactor authentication for customers using treasury management tools and employees who access our network from outside of our premises, and (v) enforcement of security policies and procedures for the additions and maintenance of user access and rights to resources. However, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, or to disable or degrade systems change frequently and are often not recognized until launched against a target, even with all reasonable security efforts, the Corporation may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate protective measures. Additionally, as cyber threats continue to evolve, the Corporation may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities or incidents.

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Certain key applications, including our core data processing are outsourced to third-party providers. If our third- party providers encounter difficulties or if we have difficulty in communicating with such third parties, it will significantly affect our ability to adequately process and account for customer transactions, which would significantly affect our business operations and reputation. Additionally, in recent years banking regulators have focused on the responsibilities of financial institutions to supervise vendors and other third-party service providers. We may have to dedicate significant resources to manage risks and regulatory burdens presented by our relationship with vendors and third-party service providers, including our data processing and cybersecurity service providers.

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We rely on other companies to provide key components of our business infrastructure.

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Third parties provide key components of our businesses’ operations such as data processing, recording and monitoring transactions, online banking interfaces and services, internet connections, and network access. In addition,

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each of these third parties faces the risk of a cyber-attack, information breach or loss, or technology failure and there is no assurance that they have not or will not experience a system or network breach. While we have selected these third-party vendors carefully, we do not control their actions, and any failure to maintain performance, reliability and security of these systems could have a significant adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Any problem caused by these third parties, such as poor performance of services, failure to provide services, disruptions in communication services provided by a vendor, a cyber-attack, information breach or loss, or failure to handle current or higher volumes could adversely affect the Corporation’s ability to deliver products and services to its customers and otherwise conduct its business, and may harm its reputation. Financial or operational difficulties of a third-party vendor could also hurt the Corporation’s operations if those difficulties affect the vendor’s ability to serve the Corporation. Replacing these third-party vendors could also create significant delay and expense, and we cannot provide any assurance that we could negotiate terms with alternative service sources that are as favorable or could obtain similar services as found in our existing systems without expending substantial resources. Accordingly, use of such third parties creates an unavoidable inherent risk to our businesses’ operations.

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Our business is technology dependent, and an inability to successfully implement technological improvements may adversely affect our ability to be competitive and our results of operations and financial condition.

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The financial services industry is undergoing rapid technological changes with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products, systems and services, which may require substantial initial investment to be implemented, including the cost of modifying or adapting existing products, systems and services, and we anticipate that new technologies will continue to emerge. The Corporation invests in new technology to enhance customer service, and to increase efficiency and reduce operating costs. Our future success will depend in part upon our ability to create synergies in our operations through the use of technology and to facilitate the ability of customers to engage in financial transactions in a manner that enhances the customer experience. We cannot give any assurance that technological improvements will increase operational efficiency or that we will be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products, systems and services or be successful in marketing new products and services to our customers. A failure to maintain or enhance a competitive position with respect to technology, whether because of a failure to anticipate customer expectations, substantially fewer resources to invest in technological improvements than larger competitors, or because our technological developments fail to perform as desired or are not implemented in a timely manner, could result in higher operating costs, decreased customer satisfaction, and lower market share. An inability to effectively implement new technology and realize operational efficiencies could result in the loss of initial investments in such projects and higher operating costs. Either of these outcomes could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

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The development and use of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) presents risks and challenges that may adversely impact our business.

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We and our third-party vendors, clients or counterparties have begun to develop and incorporate and will likely continue to develop or incorporate AI technology in certain business processes, services, or products. The development and use of AI present several potential risks and challenges to our business. The development and use of AI presents several potential risks and challenges to our business. The legal and regulatory environment relating to AI is uncertain and rapidly evolving in the U.S. and internationally, and includes regulatory schemes targeted specifically at AI as well as provisions in intellectual property, privacy, consumer protection, employment, and other laws applicable to the use of AI. These evolving laws and regulations could require changes in our implementation of AI technology and increase our compliance costs and the risk of non-compliance. AI models, particularly generative AI models, may produce output or take action that is incorrect, that reflects biases included in the data on which they are trained, that results in the release of private, confidential, or proprietary information, that infringes on the intellectual property rights of others, or that is otherwise harmful. In addition, the complexity of many AI models makes it difficult to understand why they are generating particular outputs. This limited transparency increases the challenges associated with assessing the proper operation of AI models, understanding and monitoring the capabilities of the AI models, reducing erroneous output, eliminating bias, and complying with regulations that require documentation or explanation of the basis on which decisions are made. Further, we may rely on AI models developed by third parties, and, to that extent, would be dependent in part on the manner in which those third parties develop and train their models, including risks arising from the inclusion of any unauthorized material in the training data for their models and the effectiveness of the steps these third parties have taken to limit the risks associated with the output of their models, matters over which we may have limited

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visibility. Additionally, malicious actors are increasingly using AI, including generative AI, to create sophisticated scams, deepfakes, and phishing attacks, which may result in unauthorized account access or financial losses. Any of these risks could expose us to liability or adverse legal or regulatory consequences and harm our reputation and the public perception of our business or the effectiveness of our security measures.

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We are subject to losses due to errors, omissions or fraud by our employees, clients, counterparties or other third parties.

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We are exposed to many types of operational risk, including the risk of fraud by third parties, customers and employees, clerical recordkeeping errors, and transactional errors. Such fraudulent activity may take many forms, including check fraud, electronic fraud, wire fraud, social engineering, phishing and other dishonest acts. While our procedures and systems are designed to follow customary, industry-specific security precautions and while we provide employees with ongoing training and regular communications and guidance to combat fraud, our efforts might not be successful in mitigating or reducing fraudulent attempts resulting in financial losses, increased litigation risk and reputational harm.

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Our business also depends on our employees, as well as third-party service providers, to process a large number of increasingly complex transactions. We could be materially and adversely affected if employees, clients, counterparties, or other third parties caused an operational breakdown or failure, either from human error, fraudulent manipulation, or purposeful damage to any of our operations or systems.

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We use models in our business, and we could be adversely affected if our design, implementation, or use of models is flawed.

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The use of statistical and quantitative models and other quantitatively-based analyses is central to bank decision-making and regulatory compliance processes, and the employment of such analyses is becoming increasingly widespread in our operations. We use quantitative models to measure risk, calculate the quantitative portion of our allowance for loan losses, estimate asset and liability values, assess capital and liquidity, manage our balance sheet, create financial forecasts, and otherwise conduct our business and operations. We anticipate that model-derived insights will penetrate further into bank decision-making, and particularly risk management efforts. While these quantitative techniques and approaches improve our decision-making, they also create the possibility that faulty data or flawed quantitative approaches could yield adverse outcomes or regulatory scrutiny. Additionally, because of the complexity inherent in these approaches, misunderstanding or misuse of their outputs could similarly result in suboptimal decision-making. We also rely on model inputs that are provided by third parties. To the extent that any flawed models or inaccurate model outputs are used in reports to banking agencies or the public, we could be subjected to supervisory actions, private litigation, and other proceedings that may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The Corporation cannot predict to what extent any such steps taken by the banking regulators will be effective in calming the financial markets and financial services industry generally, preventing further bank closures, or reducing the risk of deposit outflows, and particularly sudden deposit outflows, from banks.

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Risks Related to the Regulation of the Corporation

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Compliance with laws, regulations and supervisory guidance, both new and existing, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We are subject to numerous laws, regulations and supervision from both federal and state agencies. Our compliance with these laws is costly and potentially restricts certain of our activities, including payment of dividends, mergers and acquisitions, investments, loans and interest rates charged, interest rates paid on deposits and locations of our offices. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in financial, structural and operational penalties, including receivership. In addition, establishing systems and processes to achieve compliance with these laws and regulations may increase our costs and/or limit our ability to pursue certain business opportunities.

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Laws and regulations, and any interpretations and applications with respect thereto, generally are intended to benefit consumers, borrowers and depositors, but not stockholders. The legislative and regulatory environment is beyond our control, may change rapidly and unpredictably and may negatively influence our revenues, costs, earnings, and capital levels. Our success depends on our ability to maintain compliance with both existing and new laws and regulations.

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Further, the financial services industry faces more aggressive enforcement of laws at federal, state and local levels, particularly in connection with practices that may harm consumers or the financial system more generally.

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Future legislation, regulation and government policy, particularly following changes in political leadership and policymakers in the federal government, could affect the banking industry as a whole, including the Corporation’s business and results of operations, in ways that are difficult to predict. In addition, the Corporation’s results of operations could be adversely affected by changes in the way in which existing statutes and regulations are interpreted or applied by courts and government agencies, or as a result of changes in supervision, examination and enforcement priorities and policies of government agencies. In addition, the Corporation’s results of operations could be adversely affected by changes in the way in which existing statutes and regulations are interpreted or applied by courts and government agencies. See “Regulation and Supervision” included in Item 1. Business, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a more detailed description of the certain regulatory requirements applicable to the Corporation.

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The financial services industry may be subject to new or changing legislation, regulation, and government policy, which could affect the banking industry and the broader economy.

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At this time, it is difficult to predict the legislative and regulatory changes that will result from the combination of the current presidential administration and both Houses of Congress having majority memberships from the same political party. It appears that the current presidential administration is seeking to implement a regulatory reform agenda that is significantly different than that of the previous administration, impacting the rulemaking, supervision, examination and enforcement priorities of the federal banking agencies. It appears that the new presidential administration will seek to implement a regulatory reform agenda that is significantly different than that of the previous administration, impacting the rulemaking, supervision, examination and enforcement priorities of the federal banking agencies. Furthermore, the change in presidential administration has, and is expected to continue to, result in certain changes in the leadership and senior staffs of the federal banking agencies. Such changes are likely to impact the rulemaking, supervision, examination and enforcement priorities and policies of the agencies. In addition, changes in key personnel at the agencies that regulate such banking organizations, including the federal banking agencies, may result in differing interpretations of existing rules and guidelines and potentially different enforcement priorities. The potential impact of any changes in agency personnel, policies, priorities, regulations and interpretations on the financial services sector, including us, cannot be predicted.

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The current presidential administration and Congress also may cause broader economic changes due to changes in governing ideology and governing style, as well as changes to the size, scope and operations of the federal government. These changes could have varied effects on the economy that are difficult to predict. For example, changes in trade and fiscal policy could affect broader patterns of trade and economic growth. Additionally, comprehensive changes to the federal government could be materially adverse to the regional and local economies where we conduct business and to our customers, which, in turn, could be materially adverse to our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Increased scrutiny and evolving expectations from customers, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders with respect to environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices may impose additional costs on the Corporation or expose it to new or additional risks.

As a regulated financial institution and a publicly traded company, we may face increasing scrutiny from customers, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders related to ESG practices and disclosure. Often these stakeholders have differing, and sometimes conflicting, priorities and expectations regarding ESG issues. In addition, certain federal and state laws and regulations related to ESG issues may include provisions that conflict with other laws and regulations, which may increase our costs or limit our ability to conduct business in certain jurisdictions. Specifically, changing views and scrutiny against certain ESG and corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) matters has gained momentum across the United States at national, state and local levels. Failing to comply with legal or regulatory requirements or expectations and standards from customers, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders regarding ESG-related issues, or taking action in conflict with one or another of those stakeholder’s expectations, could also lead to loss of business, adverse publicity, an adverse impact on our reputation, customer complaints, or public protests, as well as governmental enforcement or private litigation. Any adverse publicity or adverse impact on our reputation in connection with ESG, any shifts in investing priorities among investors, or any loss of business resulting from any of the foregoing, may result in adverse effects on the trading price of our common stock and/or our business, operations and earnings.

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The CFPB may increase our regulatory compliance burden and could affect the consumer financial products and services that we offer.

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The CFPB influences consumer financial laws, regulation and policy through rulemaking related to enforcement of the Dodd-Frank Act’s prohibitions against unfair, deceptive and abusive consumer finance products or practices, which directly affect the business operations of financial institutions offering consumer financial products or services, including the Corporation. This agency’s broad rulemaking authority includes identifying practices or acts that are unfair, deceptive or abusive in connection with any consumer financial transaction, financial product or service. Although the CFPB has jurisdiction over banks with $10 billion or greater in assets, rules, regulations and policies issued by the CFPB may also apply to the Corporation or its subsidiaries by virtue of the adoption of such policies and practices by the Federal Reserve and the FDIC. Further, the CFPB may include its own examiners in regulatory examinations by the Corporation’s primary regulators. The limitations and restrictions imposed by the CFPB may produce significant, material effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations. There is ongoing uncertainty as to the CFPB’s regulations and approach to enforcement and supervision; although, the current leadership of the CFPB has indicated intentions to rescind or revise many regulations, as well as to narrow its enforcement and supervision. We cannot currently predict the impact of such changes on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

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Risks Related to Owning the Corporation’s Common Stock

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The trading volume of our common stock may not provide adequate volume for investors, and future sales of our common stock by shareholders or the perception that those sales could occur may cause our common stock price to decline.

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Although our common stock is listed for trading on NASDAQ Global Select Market, the trading volume in our common stock may be lower than that of other larger financial institutions. A public trading market having the desired characteristics of depth, liquidity and orderliness depends on the presence in the marketplace of willing buyers and sellers of the common stock at any given time. This presence depends on the individual decisions of investors and general economic and market conditions over which we have no control. Given these factors, a shareholder may have difficulty selling shares of our common stock at an attractive price (or at all). Additionally, shareholders may not be able to sell a substantial number of our common stock shares for the same price at which shareholders could sell a smaller number of shares. Given the potential for lower relative trading volume in our common stock, significant sales of the common stock in the public market, or the perception that those sales may occur, could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline or to be lower than it otherwise might be in the absence of these sales or perceptions.

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The Corporation’s dividends may not be sustained.

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Although the Corporation has historically paid cash dividends to holders of its common stock, holders of common stock are not entitled to receive dividends. Financial, regulatory or economic factors may cause the Corporation’s Board of Directors to consider, among other actions, the suspension or reduction of dividends paid on the Corporation’s common stock. Furthermore, the Corporation is a bank holding company that conducts substantially all of its operations through its subsidiaries, including the Bank. As a result, the Corporation relies on dividends from the Bank for substantially all of its revenues. There are various regulatory restrictions on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends or make other payments to the Corporation, and the Corporation’s right to participate in a distribution of assets upon the Bank’s liquidation or reorganization is subject to the prior claims of the Bank’s creditors. For information on these regulatory restrictions on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends to the Corporation, see Part I – Item I – “Regulation and Supervision – Limits on Dividends.” If the Bank is unable to pay dividends to the Corporation, the Corporation may not be able to service its outstanding borrowings and other debt, pay its other obligations or pay a cash dividend to the holders of the Corporation’s common stock, and the Corporation’s business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

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Our common stock price may be volatile, which could result in losses to our investors.

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Our common stock price has been volatile in the past, and several factors could cause the price to fluctuate in the future. These factors include, but are not limited to, actual or anticipated variations in earnings, changes in analysts’ recommendations or projections with regard to our common stock or the markets and businesses in which we operate, operations and stock performance of other companies deemed to be our peers, reports of trends and concerns and other issues related to the financial services industry, changes in government regulations, geopolitical conditions such as acts or threats of terrorism, military conflicts, the effects (or perceived effects) of pandemics and trade relations, and the realization of any of the other risks presented in this Form 10-K. These factors include, but are not limited to, actual or anticipated variations in earnings, changes in analysts’ recommendations or projections with regard to our common stock or the markets and businesses in which we operate, operations and stock performance of other companies deemed to be our peers, and reports of trends and concerns and other issues related to the financial services industry. Fluctuations in our common stock price may be unrelated to our performance. General market declines or market volatility in the future, especially in the financial institutions sector, could adversely affect the price of our common stock, and the current market price may not be indicative of future market prices.

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Future issuances of our common stock could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and could be dilutive.

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We may issue additional shares of common stock or securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, shares of our common stock. Issuances of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, or the expectation that such issuances might occur, including in connection with acquisitions, could materially adversely affect the market price of the shares of our common stock and could be dilutive to shareholders. Any decision we make to issue common stock in the future will depend on market conditions and other factors, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, or nature of possible future issuances of our common stock. Accordingly, our shareholders bear the risk that future issuances of our securities will reduce the market price of the common stock and dilute their stock holdings in the Corporation.

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General Risk Factors

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We rely heavily on our management team and the unexpected loss of key officers may adversely affect our operations.

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We believe that our growth and future success will depend in large part on the skills of our executive officers. We also depend upon the experience of the officers of our subsidiaries and on their relationships with the communities they serve. The loss of the services of one or more of these officers could disrupt our operations and impair our ability to implement our business strategy, and we may not be able to find adequate replacements, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The loss of the services of one or more of these officers could disrupt our operations and impair our ability to implement our business strategy, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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The success of our business strategies depends on our ability to identify, recruit and retain individuals with experience and relationships in our primary markets.

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The successful implementation of our business strategy will require us to continue to attract, hire, motivate and retain skilled personnel to develop new customer relationships as well as new financial products and services. The market for qualified management personnel is competitive, which has contributed to salary and employee benefit costs that have risen and are expected to continue to rise, which may have an adverse effect on the Corporation’s net income. In addition, the process of identifying and recruiting individuals with the combination of skills and attributes required to carry out our strategy is often lengthy, and we may not be able to effectively integrate these individuals into our operations. Our inability to identify, recruit and retain talented personnel to manage our operations effectively and in a timely manner could limit our growth or impair our ability to implement our business strategy effectively and efficiently, which could materially adversely affect our business.

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The Corporation or any of its subsidiaries is a defendant from time to time in a variety of litigation and other actions.

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From time to time, the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries or their respective directors and management are or may become involved in a variety of litigation arising out of its business, and the Corporation operates in a legal and regulatory environment that exposes it to potential significant litigation risk. The Corporation’s insurance may not cover all claims that may be asserted against it in legal or administrative actions or costs that it may incur defending such actions,

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and any claims asserted against it, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, may harm the Corporation’s reputation. Should the ultimate judgments or settlements and/or costs incurred in any litigation exceed any applicable insurance coverage, they could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s financial condition and results of operation for any period.

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We are subject to physical and financial risks associated with climate change and other weather and natural disaster impacts

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We are subject to the growing risk of climate change. Among the risks associated with climate change are more frequent severe weather events. Severe weather events such as hurricanes, tropical storms, tornados, winter storms, freezes, flooding and other large-scale weather catastrophes in our markets subject us to significant risks and more frequent severe weather events magnify those risks. Large-scale weather catastrophes or other significant climate change effects that either damage or destroy residential or multifamily real estate underlying mortgage loans or real estate collateral, could decrease the value of our real estate collateral or increase our delinquency rates in the affected areas and thus diminish the value of our loan portfolio. In addition, the effects of climate change may have a significant effect on our geographic markets and could disrupt our operations or the operations of our customers, third-party service providers, or supply chains more generally. Those disruptions could result in declines in economic conditions in our geographic markets or industries in which our borrowers operate and impact their ability to repay loans or maintain deposits. Climate change could also impact our assets or employees directly or lead to changes in customer preferences that could negatively affect our growth or business strategies. In addition, our reputation and customer relationships could be damaged due to our practices related to climate change, including our or our customers’ involvement in certain industries or projects. In recent years, the federal banking regulators have focused on the physical and financial risks to financial institutions associated with climate change; although, expectations with respect to these matters has been changing, and it is difficult to predict changes in priorities and requirements with respect to these matters, including any changes in compliance costs relating to such changes.

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ITEM 1B.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

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The Corporation has no unresolved comments from the SEC staff.

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ITEM 1C.CYBERSECURITY

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