FIRST BUSEY CORP NV

We believe that making sound and profitable loans is a necessary and desirable means of employing funds available for investment. Busey maintains lending policies and procedures designed to focus lending efforts on the types, locations, and duration of loans most appropriate for its business model and markets. M&M’s policies were similar in nature to Busey Bank’s policies, and we are migrating the legacy M&M portfolio toward Busey Bank’s policies. While not specifically limited, we attempt to focus our lending on short to intermediate-term (0-10 years) loans in geographic areas within 125 miles of our lending offices. Loans originated outside of these areas are generally to existing customers of Busey Bank. We attempt to utilize government-assisted lending programs, such as the SBA and U.S. Department of Agriculture lending programs, when prudent. Generally, loans are collateralized by assets, primarily real estate, and guaranteed by individuals. Loans are expected to be repaid primarily from cash flows of the borrowers or from proceeds from the sale of selected assets of the borrowers.

Management reviews and approves Busey Bank’s lending policies and procedures on a regular basis. Management routinely—at least once per quarter—reviews the ACL in conjunction with reports related to loan production, loan quality, concentrations of credit, loan delinquencies, non-performing loans, and potential problem loans. Our underwriting standards are designed to encourage relationship banking rather than transactional banking. Relationship banking implies a primary banking relationship with the borrower that includes, at a minimum, an active deposit banking relationship in addition to the lending relationship. Significant underwriting factors, in addition to location, duration, a sound and profitable cash flow basis, and the borrower’s character, include the quality of the borrower’s financial history, the liquidity of the underlying collateral, and the reliability of the valuation of the underlying collateral.

At no time is a borrower’s total borrowing relationship permitted to exceed Busey Bank’s regulatory lending limit. We generally limit such relationships to amounts substantially less than the regulatory limit. Loans to related parties, including executive officers and directors of First Busey Corporation and its subsidiaries, are reviewed for compliance with regulatory guidelines.

Busey maintains an independent loan review department that reviews loans for compliance with our loan policy on a periodic basis. In addition, the loan review department reviews risk assessments made by our credit department, lenders, and loan committees. Results of these reviews are presented to management and the audit committee at least quarterly.

Busey Bank’s lending activities can be summarized into two primary categories: commercial and retail. Lending is further classified into five primary areas: commercial loans, commercial real estate loans, real estate construction loans, retail real estate loans, and retail other loans. A description of each of the five primary areas can be found in“Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Portfolio Loans” of Busey’s 2023 Annual Report.

The composition of our loan portfolio as of the dates indicated, as well as changes in portfolio loan balances, were as follows(dollars in thousands):

Portfolio loan growth in 2024 was due to the M&M acquisition. As has been our practice, we remain steadfast in our conservative approach to underwriting and disciplined approach to pricing, particularly given our outlook for the economy in the coming quarters. This posture will continue to impact loan growth, which we expect to remain modest over the next several quarters.