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ARROW FINANCIAL CORP

For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Mar 11, 2024.

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A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.

FY2023 · Filed Mar 11, 2024

AROW$38.68-1.1%Stored close · as of Nov 10, 2026

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Item 3. Legal Proceedings

Except as noted below, Arrow, including its subsidiary banks, is not currently the subject of any material pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation occurring in the normal course of their business. On an ongoing basis, Arrow is often the subject of, or a party to, various legal claims by other parties against Arrow, by Arrow against other parties, or involving Arrow, which arise in the normal course of business. The various pending legal claims against Arrow will not, in the opinion of management based upon consultation with counsel, result in any material liability. Legal expenses incurred in connection with loss contingencies are expensed as incurred.

On June 23, 2023, Robert C. Ashe filed a putative class action complaint (the "Ashe Lawsuit") against the Company in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. In addition to the Company, the complaint names as defendants Thomas J. Murphy, the Company’s former CEO and from September 30, 2022 to February 20, 2023, its interim CFO, Edward J. Campanella, the Company’s former CFO, and Penko Ivanov, the Company’s current CFO (“Individual Defendants” and, together with the Company, the "Defendants"). The complaint alleges that the Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business, operations and compliance policies in the Company’s public filings between March 12, 2022 and May 12, 2023. The complaint further alleges that the Individual Defendants are liable for these materially false and misleading statements as "controlling persons" of the Company. Based on these allegations, the complaint brings two claims for violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder and of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. Mr. Ashe, on behalf of a purported class of shareholders, seeks compensatory damages as well as recovery of the costs and fees associated with the litigation.. On December 5, 2023, plaintiff Ashe filed an amended complaint that changed the putative class period to the period from August 5, 2022 through May 12, 2023, but challenged substantially the same statements on the same basis. On February 9, 2024, the Company moved to dismiss the action in its entirety. That motion is scheduled to be fully briefed on May 6, 2024. All discovery in the action is stayed pending a decision on that motion. The Company continues to believe the lawsuit to be without merit and expressly denies any wrongdoing in connection with the matters claimed in the complaint and intends to vigorously defend the lawsuit.

On December 12, 2023 the Company become aware that Stephen Bull filed a complaint (Shareholder Derivative Complaint or Derivative Case) on behalf of Arrow against the three individual defendants in the Ashe Lawsuit as well as against all members of Arrow’s board of directors during the class period in Ashe. The Company is named solely as a nominal defendant in the action and would be the beneficiary of any recovery. The Shareholder Derivative Complaint alleges breaches of fiduciary duty (i) by the Ashe individual defendants based on substantially the same allegedly misleading statements pleaded in the Ashe complaint; and (ii) the director defendants by failing adequately to oversee the individual defendants and maintain internal and disclosure controls. Plaintiffs seek (i) unspecified damages (which would be payable to the Company) for costs incurred as a result of the alleged misstatements, including costs of investigation, remediation, and litigation, (ii) repayment of the director defendants’ compensation on an unjust enrichment theory, and (iii) an order directing the Company to take all necessary actions to reform and improve its corporate governance, and (iv) the recovery of costs and fees associated with the litigation. The Shareholder Derivative Complaint also asserts various federal securities claims based on the same alleged misrepresentations as set forth in the Ashe Lawsuit. On March 5, 2024, the parties filed a stipulation under which the defendants accepted service and the case will be stayed pending disposition of the motion to dismiss the Ashe action.

The Company intends to vigorously defend itself against the class action and derivative claims

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