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Note 22 (“Commitments, Contingent Liabilities, and Guarantees”) summarizes contingent liabilities arising from litigation and contingent liabilities arising from guarantees in various agreements with third parties under which we are a guarantor, and the potential effects of these items on the results of our operations. We record a liability for the fair value of the obligation to stand ready to perform over the term of a guarantee. Contingent aspects of guarantees within the scope of ASC 326 are assessed a reserve under CECL. There is a risk that our actual future payments in the event of a default by the guaranteed party could exceed the recorded amount. See Note 22 (“Commitments, Contingent Liabilities, and Guarantees”) for a comparison of the liability recorded and the maximum potential undiscounted future payments for the various types of guarantees that we had outstanding at December 31, 2023.

It is not always clear how the Internal Revenue Code and various state tax laws apply to transactions that we undertake. In the normal course of business, we may record tax benefits and then have those benefits contested by the IRS or state tax authorities. We have provided tax reserves that we believe are adequate to absorb potential adjustments that such challenges may necessitate. However, if our judgment later proves to be inaccurate, the tax reserves may need to be adjusted, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and capital.

Additionally, we conduct quarterly assessments that determine the amount of deferred tax assets that are more-likely-than-not to be realized, and therefore recorded. The available evidence used in connection with these assessments includes a history of pretax income, projected future taxable income, potential tax-planning strategies, and projected future reversals of deferred tax liabilities. These assessments are subjective and may change. Based on these criteria, and all available positive and negative evidence, we establish a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets when we are unable to conclude it is more likely than not that they will be realized. However, if our assessments prove incorrect, they could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which they occur. For further information on our accounting for income taxes, see Note 1 (“Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”) and Note 14 (“Income Taxes”).