HBT Financial, Inc.

HBT Financial, Inc.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this Quarterly Report are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include statements relating to our plans, strategies and expectations, near-term loan growth, net interest margin, mortgage banking profits, wealth management fees, expenses, asset quality, capital levels, continued earnings, and liquidity. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "believe," "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "anticipate," "project," "plan," "propose," "seek," "continue," "predict" or similar terminology and the negative forms of such words. Forward-looking statements are frequently based on assumptions that may or may not materialize and are subject to numerous uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated or projected and which could materially and adversely affect our operating results, financial condition or prospects include, but are not limited to:

•the strength of the local, state, national, and international economies and financial markets (including effects of inflationary pressures, global energy market conditions, the threat or implementation of tariffs, immigration enforcement and changes in foreign policy);

•policy changes in, and the interpretation and prioritization of, local, state and federal laws, regulations and governmental policies, including executive orders;

•the economic impact of any future terrorist threats and attacks, widespread disease or pandemics, acts of war or other threats thereof (including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East), or other adverse events that could cause economic deterioration or instability in credit markets, and the response of the local, state and national governments to any such adverse external events;

•new and revised accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by state and federal regulatory banking agencies, the Financial Accounting Standards Board or the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board;

•the imposition of tariffs or other governmental policies impacting the value of products produced by the Company's commercial borrowers;

•changes in interest rates and prepayment rates of the Company’s assets;

•increased competition in the financial services sector, including from non-bank competitors such as credit unions, private credit firms, fintech companies and digital asset service providers and the inability to attract new customers;

•technological changes implemented by us and other parties, including our third-party vendors, which may have unforeseen consequences to us and our customers, including the development and implementation of tools incorporating artificial intelligence;

•unexpected results of acquisitions, which may include failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and the possibility that transaction costs may be greater than anticipated, including the acquisition of CNB Bank Shares, Inc. ("CNB");

•the loss of key executives and employees, talent shortages and employee turnover;

•changes in consumer spending;

•unexpected outcomes or costs of existing or new litigation or other legal proceedings and regulatory actions involving the Company;

•the economic impact on the Company and its customers of climate change, natural disasters and of exceptional weather occurrences such as tornadoes, floods and blizzards;

•fluctuations in the value of securities held in our securities portfolio, including as a result of changes in interest rates;

•credit risks and risks from concentrations (by type of borrower, geographic area, collateral and industry) within our loan portfolio (including commercial real estate loans) and large loans to certain borrowers;

•the overall health of the local and national real estate market;

•the ability to maintain an adequate level of allowance for credit losses on loans;

•the concentration of large deposits from certain clients who have balances above current FDIC insurance limits and who may withdraw deposits to diversify their exposure;

•the ability to successfully manage liquidity risk, which may increase dependence on non-core funding sources such as brokered deposits, and may negatively impact the Company’s cost of funds;

•the level of nonperforming assets on our balance sheets;

•interruptions involving our information technology and communications systems or those of our third-party servicers;

•the occurrence of fraudulent activity, breaches or failures of our third-party vendors’ information security controls or cybersecurity-related incidents, including as a result of sophisticated attacks using artificial intelligence and similar tools or as a result of insider fraud;

•the effectiveness of the Company’s risk management framework and internal disclosure controls and procedures;

•the ability of the Company to manage the risks associated with the foregoing as well as anticipated; and

•the factors discussed in "Risk Factors", "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" or elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 6, 2026.

These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement in the future, or to reflect circumstances and events that occur after the date on which the forward-looking statement was made.