WESBANCO INC

GENERAL

Wesbanco, Inc. (“Wesbanco” or the “Company”), a bank holding company incorporated in 1968 and headquartered in Wheeling, West Virginia, offers a full range of financial services including retail banking, corporate banking, personal and corporate trust services, brokerage services, mortgage banking and insurance. Wesbanco offers these services through two reportable segments, community banking and trust and investment services. For additional information regarding Wesbanco’s business segments, please refer to Note 23, “Business Segments” in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

As of December 31, 2023, Wesbanco operated one commercial bank: Wesbanco Bank, Inc. (“Wesbanco Bank” or the “Bank”). The Bank has 192 branches and 183 ATM machines located in West Virginia, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, Kentucky, southern Indiana and Maryland. Total assets of Wesbanco as of December 31, 2023 approximated $17.7 billion. Wesbanco Bank also offers trust and investment services and various alternative investment products including mutual funds and annuities. The market value of assets under management of the trust and investment services segment is approximately $5.4 billion as of December 31, 2023. These assets are held by Wesbanco Bank in fiduciary or agency capacities for its customers and therefore are not included as assets on Wesbanco’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Wesbanco also offers additional services through its non-banking subsidiaries:

Wesbanco Insurance Services, Inc. (“Wesbanco Insurance”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wesbanco Bank, is a multi-line insurance agency specializing in property, casualty, life and title insurance, with benefit plan sales and administration for personal and commercial clients.

Wesbanco Securities, Inc. (“Wesbanco Securities”) is a full service broker-dealer, which also offers discount brokerage services.

Wesbanco Asset Management, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wesbanco Bank, holds certain investment securities and loans in a Delaware-based subsidiary.

Wesbanco Properties, Inc. holds certain commercial real estate properties. The commercial property is leased to Wesbanco Bank and to certain non-related third parties.

FAH, LLC and Flagship Acquisitions Trust, which were acquired in the Old Line Bancshares, Inc. ("OLBK") acquisition and are Maryland limited liability corporations, hold certain real estate properties located in the Maryland area. Each of these entities is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wesbanco Bank.

Wesbanco has eleven capital trusts, which are all wholly-owned trust subsidiaries formed for the purpose of issuing trust preferred securities (“Trust Preferred Securities”) and lending the proceeds to Wesbanco. For more information regarding Wesbanco’s issuance of Trust Preferred Securities, please refer to Note 10, “Subordinated Debt and Junior Subordinated Debt” in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

AMSCO, Inc. (“AMSCO”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wesbanco Bank, which formerly engaged in the management of certain real estate development and construction of 1-4 family residential units. It is in the process of winding up its business activities and will be dissolved.

Wesbanco Bank’s Investment Department also serves as investment adviser to a family of mutual funds, namely the “WesMark Funds.” The fund family is comprised of the WesMark Large Company Fund, the WesMark Balanced Fund, the WesMark Small Company Fund, the WesMark Government Bond Fund, the WesMark West Virginia Municipal Bond Fund, and the WesMark Tactical Opportunity Fund.

As of December 31, 2023, none of Wesbanco’s subsidiaries were engaged in any operations in foreign countries, and only one had any transactions with customers in foreign countries. The Bank also provides letters of credit internationally for certain domestic customers and provides international wire services through a third-party correspondent bank.

WEBSITE ACCESS TO WESBANCO’S FILINGS WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Wesbanco’s electronic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, are made available at no cost on Wesbanco’s website, www.wesbanco.com, through the “Investors” link as soon as reasonably practicable after Wesbanco files such material with, or furnishes it to, the SEC. Wesbanco’s SEC filings are also available through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Wesbanco routinely posts important information on the Company's website in the "Investors" section. Wesbanco may also use its website as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investors section of the website in addition to following Wesbanco's press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, Wesbanco's website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Upon written request of any shareholder of record on December 31, 2023, Wesbanco will provide, without charge, a printed copy of this 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, including financial statements and schedules, as required to be filed with the SEC. To obtain a copy of this report, contact: John Iannone, Wesbanco, Inc., 1 Bank Plaza, Wheeling, West Virginia 26003 (304) 905-7021.

HUMAN CAPITAL RESOURCES

At December 31, 2023, we employed 2,321 full-time equivalent employees. At that date, the average tenure of all of our full-time employees was approximately 10 years while the average tenure of our executive officers was over 16 years. None of our employees are represented by collective bargaining agreements. We believe our relations with our employees are very good. The safety and care of our employees and their families as well as their communities is paramount for us.

Of our total employees, 10% or 235 were minorities with 80 or 34% of those officers. Of our 1,105 total officers, 603 or 55% were women. Our turnover rate for 2023 was 19%. Our turnover rate for officers was 15% for 2023.

Our corporate culture has been established by senior management and overseen by our board of directors. Built upon our ‘Better Banking Pledge’ and our ‘Service & Support Pledge’, our culture, which is both customer and employee-centric, is focused on growing long-term relationships by pledging to serve all personal and business customer needs efficiently and effectively while treating our employees with dignity and respect. Wesbanco completed its first employee engagement survey which focused on employee satisfaction. We were pleased with the number of participants and their feedback. Wesbanco is in the process of rolling out its second survey in the first quarter of 2024 with a focus on Wesbanco culture.

Wesbanco has been a leader in its communities for over 150 years, and we want to continue to take a leadership role by noting our stance for equality. We are a group with diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, and share the same values of dignity and respect for our co-workers, customers, and fellow community members. We have been able to enhance our diversification through the retention of many of the employees we have acquired through our acquisition strategy who bring a strong skill set and a diverse background. Wesbanco ensures diversity in our workforce representation by reflecting the makeup of the communities it serves.

Wesbanco has held a Women’s Symposium for over 6 years and in past years, added a Diversity and Inclusion Forum. In 2023, the first, combined and in-person, Wesbanco Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Symposium event was held. This event focused on women, multi-cultural, and LGBTQ+ leadership initiatives as well as allies and sponsors involved in the formation of Employee Resource Groups ("ERGs"). The two-day event included educational information and activities geared toward diversity in leadership and participating in future ERGs. Mentoring, allyship and sponsorship were important focuses in these learning sessions.

In addition, we have engaged in leadership training for senior and middle management supervisors. We annually assess talent through a specific Talent Development Program to identify, promote and build development plans among multiple levels of management. These efforts have resulted in Wesbanco being designated as one of the best workplaces in several markets, including Columbus and Western Pennsylvania.

Our hope is that this not only helps us evolve and grow as a company but that it also spreads to all of our other community efforts. In 2023, Wesbanco provided philanthropic donations totaling $0.9 million in support of worthwhile organizations serving communities across our footprint. Further, our employees provided technical assistance services and financial education to non-profit organizations and area schools that resulted in 11,500 volunteer hours in 2023.

COMPETITION

Competition in the form of price and service from other banks, including local, regional and national banks and financial companies such as savings and loan companies, internet banks, payday lenders, money services businesses, credit unions, finance companies, brokerage firms and other non-banking companies providing various regulated and non-regulated financial services and products, is intense in most of the markets served by Wesbanco and its subsidiaries. Wesbanco’s trust and investment services segment receives competition from commercial banks, trust companies, mutual fund companies, investment advisory firms, law firms, brokerage firms, and other financial services companies. As a result of consolidation within the financial services industry, mergers between, and the expansion of, financial institutions both within and outside of Wesbanco’s major markets have provided significant competitive pressure in those markets. Many of Wesbanco’s competitors have greater resources and, as such, may have higher lending limits and may offer other products and services that are not provided by Wesbanco. Wesbanco generally competes on the basis of superior customer service and responsiveness to customer needs, available loan and deposit products, rates of interest charged on loans, rates of interest paid for deposits, and the availability and pricing of trust, brokerage and insurance services. As a result of Wesbanco’s expansion into certain larger metropolitan markets, it has faced entrenched larger bank competitors with an already existing customer base that may far exceed Wesbanco’s initial entry position into those markets. As a result, Wesbanco may be forced to compete more aggressively for loans, deposits, trust and insurance products to grow its market share, potentially reducing its current and future profit potential from such markets.

SUPERVISION AND REGULATION

As a bank holding company and a financial holding company under federal law, Wesbanco is subject to supervision and examination by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve Board”) under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”), and is required to file with the Federal Reserve Board reports and other information regarding its business operations and the business operations of its subsidiaries. Since Wesbanco is both a bank holding company and a financial holding company, Wesbanco can offer customers virtually any type of service that is financial in nature or incidental thereto, including banking and activities closely related to banking, securities underwriting, insurance (both underwriting and agency) and merchant banking. Wesbanco is subject to additional supervision from the Federal Reserve Board and its primary banking regulators due to its exceeding the $10 billion asset threshold and seeks to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated to safety and soundness compliance with applicable laws, such as the Bank Secrecy Act, anti-money laundering regulations, and the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”), among others, and risk management and internal audit, among other functions, so that the enhanced requirements of the Federal Reserve Board and its primary banking regulators are met.

As indicated above, Wesbanco presently operates one bank subsidiary, Wesbanco Bank, which is a West Virginia-chartered banking corporation which is not a member bank of the Federal Reserve System. It is subject to examination and supervision by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”), the West Virginia Division of Financial Institutions (“WVDFI”), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) because its assets exceed $10 billion. The deposits of Wesbanco Bank are insured by the Deposit Insurance Fund of the FDIC. Wesbanco’s non-bank subsidiaries are subject to examination and supervision by the Federal Reserve Board and specifically, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Ohio (“Federal Reserve”) and examination by other federal and state agencies, including, in the case of certain securities activities, regulation by the SEC, the Financial Institution Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and the Securities Investors Protection Corporation (“SIPC”). Wesbanco Bank maintains one designated financial subsidiary, Wesbanco Insurance, which, as indicated above, is a multi-line insurance agency specializing in property, casualty, life and title insurance, with benefit plan sales and administration for personal and commercial clients. As a result of exceeding the $10 billion asset threshold, Wesbanco Bank is subject to enhanced prudential supervision from both the FDIC and WVDFI as part of their large bank supervision program.

Wesbanco is also under the jurisdiction of the SEC and certain state securities commissions for matters relating to the offering and sale of its securities. Wesbanco is subject to the disclosure and regulatory requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as administered by the SEC. Wesbanco is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (the “Nasdaq”) under the trading symbol “WSBC” and is subject to the rules of the Nasdaq for listed companies.

Under the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994, as amended (the “Riegle-Neal Act”), a bank holding company may acquire banks in states other than its home state, subject to certain limitations. The Riegle-Neal Act also authorizes banks to merge across state lines, thereby creating interstate banking. Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), banks are also permitted to establish de novo branches across state lines to the same extent that a state-chartered bank in each host state would be permitted to open branches.

Under the BHCA, prior Federal Reserve Board approval is required for Wesbanco to acquire more than 5% of the voting stock of any bank. In determining whether to approve a proposed bank acquisition, federal banking regulators will consider, among other factors, the effect of the acquisition on competition, the public benefits expected to be received from the acquisition, the projected capital ratios and levels on a post-acquisition basis, and the acquiring institution’s record of addressing the credit needs of the communities it serves, including the needs of low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound operation of the bank under the CRA.

HOLDING COMPANY REGULATIONS

As indicated in “Item 1. Business-General”, Wesbanco has one state-chartered bank subsidiary, Wesbanco Bank, as well as four non-bank subsidiaries (excluding capital trusts). The subsidiary bank is subject to affiliate transaction restrictions under federal law, which limit “covered transactions” by the subsidiary bank with the parent and any non-bank subsidiaries of the parent, which are referred to in the aggregate in this paragraph as “affiliates” of the subsidiary bank. “Covered transactions” include loans or extensions of credit to an affiliate (including repurchase agreements), purchases of or investments in securities issued by an affiliate, purchases of assets from an affiliate, the acceptance of securities issued by an affiliate as collateral for a loan or extension of credit, the issuance of a guarantee, acceptance or letter of credit on behalf of an affiliate, certain transactions that involve borrowing or lending securities, and certain derivative transactions with an affiliate. Such covered transactions between the subsidiary bank and any single affiliate are limited in amount to 10% of the subsidiary bank’s capital and surplus, and, with respect to covered transactions with all affiliates in the aggregate, are limited in amount to 20% of the subsidiary bank’s capital and surplus. Furthermore, such loans or extensions of credit, guarantees, acceptances and letters of credit, and any credit exposure resulting from securities borrowing or lending transactions or derivatives transactions, are required to be secured by collateral at all times in amounts specified by law. In addition, all covered transactions must be conducted on terms and conditions that are consistent with safe and sound banking practices.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires a bank holding company to act as a source of financial strength to its subsidiary bank. Under this source of strength requirement, the Federal Reserve Board may require a bank holding company to make capital infusions into a troubled subsidiary bank, and may charge the bank holding company with engaging in unsafe and unsound practices for failure to commit resources to such a subsidiary bank. A capital infusion conceivably could be required at a time when Wesbanco may not have the resources to provide it.

PAYMENT OF DIVIDENDS

Dividends from the subsidiary bank are a significant source of funds for payment of dividends to Wesbanco’s shareholders. For the year ended December 31, 2023, Wesbanco declared cash dividends to its preferred and common shareholders of approximately $10.1 million and $82.9 million, respectively.

As of December 31, 2023, Wesbanco Bank was “well capitalized” under the definition in Section 324.403 of the FDIC Regulations. Therefore, as long as the Bank remains “well capitalized” or even becomes “adequately capitalized,” there would be no basis under Section 324.403 to limit the ability of the Bank to pay dividends because it had not become undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized or critically undercapitalized. Effective January 1, 2016, Wesbanco Bank and Wesbanco became subject to “capital conservation buffer” rules, phased in over a four year period which ended in 2019, which requires Wesbanco and Wesbanco Bank to have capital levels above the regulatory minimums to pay dividends (discussed below in connection with the Basel III initiative under “Item 1. Business—Capital Requirements”).

All financial institutions are subject to the prompt corrective action provisions set forth in Section 38 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the “FDI Act”) and the provisions set forth in Section 308.201 of the FDIC Regulations. Immediately upon a state non-member bank receiving notice, or being deemed to have notice, that the bank is undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized, or critically undercapitalized, as defined in Section 324.403 of the FDIC Regulations, the bank is precluded from being able to pay dividends to its shareholders based upon the requirements in Section 38(d) of the FDI Act, 12 U.S.C. § 1831o(d).

In addition, with respect to possible dividends by the Bank, under Section 31A-4-25 of the West Virginia Code, the prior approval of the West Virginia Commissioner of Financial Institutions would be required if the total of all dividends declared by the Bank in any calendar year would exceed the total of the Bank’s net profits for that year combined with its retained net profits of the preceding two years. Further, Section 31A-4-25 limits the ability of a West Virginia banking institution to pay dividends until the surplus fund of the banking institution equals the common stock of the banking institution and if certain specified amounts of recent profits of the banking institution have not been carried to the surplus fund.

If, in the opinion of the applicable regulatory authority, a bank under its jurisdiction is engaged in or is about to engage in an unsafe or unsound practice which, depending on the financial condition of the bank, could include the payment of dividends, such authority may require, after notice and hearing, that such bank cease and desist from such practice. The Federal Reserve Board has issued policy statements, which provide that insured banks and bank holding companies should generally only pay dividends out of current operating earnings. Under applicable law, bank regulatory agency approval is required if the total of all dividends declared by a bank in any calendar year exceeds the available retained earnings or exceeds the aggregate of the bank’s net profits (as defined by regulatory agencies) for that year and its retained net profits for the preceding two years. As of December 31, 2023, under West Virginia and FDIC regulations, Wesbanco could receive, without prior regulatory approval, a dividend of up to $135.5 million from Wesbanco Bank. Additional information regarding dividend restrictions is set forth in Note 21, “Regulatory Matters,” in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

On February 24, 2009, the Federal Reserve Division of Banking Supervision and Regulation issued Supervisory Letter SR 09-4, “Applying Supervisory Guidance and Regulations on the Payment of Dividends, Stock Redemptions, and Stock Repurchases at Bank Holding Companies,” providing direction to bank holding companies on the payment of dividends, capital repurchases and capital redemptions. Although the letter largely reiterates longstanding Federal Reserve supervisory policies, it emphasizes the need for a bank holding company to review various factors when considering the declaration of a dividend or taking action that would reduce regulatory capital provided by outstanding financial instruments. These factors include the potential need to increase loan loss reserves, write down assets and reflect declines in asset values in equity. In addition, the bank holding company should consider its past and anticipated future earnings, the dividend payout ratio in relation to earnings, and adequacy of regulatory capital before any action is taken. The consideration of capital adequacy should include a review of all known factors that may affect capital in the future. On July 24, 2020, Attachment C was added to SR 09-4 to provide greater clarity regarding the situations in which holding companies may expect an expedited consultation under the process described in SR 09-4. Generally, a holding company considering paying a dividend in excess of earnings for the period (1) must have net income available over the past year sufficient to fully fund dividends, (2) is not considering stock repurchases or redemptions in the current quarter, (3) does not have any concentrations in commercial real estate lending that exceed supervisory thresholds, and (4) is in good supervisory condition, to receive this expedited consultation.

In certain circumstances, defined by regulation relating to levels of earnings and capital, advance notification to, and in some circumstances, approval by the regulator could be required to declare a dividend or repurchase or redeem capital instruments.

FDIC INSURANCE

FDIC insurance premiums are assessed by the FDIC using a risk-based approach that places insured institutions into categories based on capital and risk profiles. Beginning in 2019, Wesbanco Bank is considered to be a large bank for the purposes of the premium calculation because its total assets exceed $10 billion, and it is therefore subject to more continuous oversight by the FDIC. Large banks are subject to a more complex insurance premium calculation with additional loan-related and other risk factors involved which leads to an overall higher rate as compared to that of smaller banks. In 2023, Wesbanco Bank paid deposit insurance premiums of $11.2 million, compared to $7.2 million and $4.5 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in 2023's premiums was due primarily to an increase in initial base deposit insurance assessment rate schedules uniformly by two basis points, beginning in the first quarterly assessment period of 2023. The increase in assessment rate schedules was intended to increase the likelihood that the reserve ratio of the Deposit Insurance Fund reaches the statutory minimum of 1.35% by the statutory deadline of September 30, 2028.

CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS

The Federal Reserve Board had historically issued risk-based capital ratio and leverage ratio guidelines for bank holding companies. The risk-based capital ratio guidelines establish a systematic analytical framework that makes regulatory capital requirements more sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banking organizations, takes off-balance sheet exposures into explicit account in assessing capital adequacy, and minimizes disincentives to holding liquid, low-risk assets. Under the guidelines and related policies, bank holding companies must maintain capital sufficient to meet both a risk-based asset ratio test and a leverage ratio test on a consolidated basis. The risk-based ratio is determined by allocating assets and specified off-balance sheet commitments into several weighted categories, with higher weightings being assigned to categories perceived as representing greater risk. A bank holding company’s capital is then divided by total risk-weighted assets to yield the risk-based ratio. The leverage ratio is determined by relating core capital to total assets adjusted as specified in the guidelines. The Bank is subject to substantially similar capital requirements.

The federal regulatory authorities’ risk-based capital guidelines are currently based upon agreements reached by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the “Basel Committee”). The Basel Committee is a committee of central banks and bank supervisors and regulators from the major industrialized countries that develops broad policy guidelines for use by each country’s supervisors in determining the supervisory policies they apply. In December 2010, the Basel Committee issued a strengthened set of international capital and liquidity standards for banks and bank holding companies, known as “Basel III.” In July 2013, the U.S. federal banking agencies issued a joint final rule that implements the Basel III capital standards and establishes the minimum capital levels required under the Dodd-Frank Act. The rule was effective January 1, 2015, subject to a transition period providing for full implementation on January 1, 2019. The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (the "EGRRCPA"), enacted into law in May 2018, exempts banks with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion that exceed the community bank leverage ratio from the capital requirements under Basel III. Wesbanco Bank’s assets are in excess of $10 billion, however, so the exemption is not applicable.

Generally, under the applicable guidelines, a financial institution’s capital is divided into common equity Tier 1 (“CET1”), total Tier 1 and Tier 2. CET1 includes common shares and retained earnings less goodwill, intangible assets subject to limitation and certain deferred tax assets subject to limitation. In addition, under the final capital rule, an institution may make a one-time, permanent election to continue to exclude accumulated other comprehensive income from capital. If an institution does not make this election, unrealized gains and losses will be included in the calculation of its CET1. Total Tier 1 is comprised of CET1 and certain restricted capital instruments, including qualifying cumulative perpetual preferred stock and qualifying trust preferred securities, in their Tier 1 capital, up to a limit of 25% of Tier 1 capital. (See below within this section for more information regarding the capital treatment of trust preferred securities.)

Tier 2, or supplementary capital, includes, among other things, portions of trust preferred securities and cumulative perpetual preferred stock not otherwise counted in Tier 1 capital, as well as perpetual preferred stock, intermediate-term preferred stock, hybrid capital instruments, perpetual debt, mandatory convertible debt securities, term subordinated debt, unrealized holding gains on equity securities, and the allowance for loan and lease losses, all subject to certain limitations. “Total capital” is the sum of Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital.

The Federal Reserve Board has established the following minimum capital levels banks and bank holding companies are required to maintain as a percentage of risk-weighted assets (including various off-balance sheet items): (i) CET1 of at least 4.5%, (ii) Tier 1 capital ratio of at least 6%, (iii) total capital ratio (Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital) of at least 8%; and (iv) a non-risk-based leverage ratio (Tier 1 capital to average consolidated assets) of 4%. The risk-based capital standards are designed to make regulatory capital requirements more sensitive to differences in credit and market risk profiles among banks and financial holding companies, to account for off-balance sheet exposure, and to minimize disincentives for holding liquid assets. Balance sheet and off-balance sheet exposures are assigned to one of several risk-weights primarily based on relative credit risk. The capital amounts and classifications are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk-weightings, and other factors. Additionally, with the final capital rule fully implemented as of January 1, 2019, an institution is required to maintain a 2.5% common equity Tier 1 capital conservation buffer over the minimum risk-based capital requirements to avoid restrictions on the ability to pay dividends, discretionary bonuses to executive officers, and engage in share repurchases.

Failure to meet applicable capital guidelines could subject a financial institution to a variety of enforcement remedies available to the federal regulatory authorities, including limitations on the ability to pay dividends, the issuance by the regulatory authority of a capital directive to increase capital, and the termination of deposit insurance by the FDIC, as well as to the measures described below under “Prompt Corrective Action” as applicable to undercapitalized institutions.

As of December 31, 2023, Wesbanco’s CET1, Tier 1 and total capital to risk-adjusted assets ratios were 10.99%, 12.05% and 14.91%, respectively. Wesbanco made a timely permanent election to exclude accumulated other comprehensive income from regulatory capital. As of December 31, 2023, Wesbanco Bank’s CET1, Tier 1 and total capital to risk-adjusted assets ratios were 12.13%, 12.13% and 12.97%, respectively, all in excess of the minimum requirements. Neither Wesbanco nor the Bank had been advised by the appropriate federal banking regulator of any specific leverage ratio applicable to it. As of December 31, 2023, Wesbanco’s leverage ratio was 9.87% and the Bank’s leverage ratio was 9.93%.

As of December 31, 2023, Wesbanco had $131.0 million in junior subordinated debt on its Consolidated Balance Sheets. For regulatory purposes, Trust Preferred Securities totaling $126.9 million underlying such junior subordinated debt were included in Tier 2 capital as of December 31, 2023, in accordance with regulatory reporting requirements. In 2013, the federal banking agencies amended capital requirements to generally exclude trust preferred securities from Tier 1 capital. A grandfather provision, however, permits bank holding companies with consolidated assets of less than $15 billion, which Wesbanco was through September 30, 2019, to continue counting existing trust preferred securities as Tier 1 capital until they mature. The final Basel III capital rule permanently grandfathers trust preferred securities issued before May 19, 2010 for institutions of less than $15 billion in size, subject to a 25% limit of Tier 1 capital. The amount of trust preferred securities and certain other elements in excess of the 25% limit may be included in Tier 2 capital, subject to restrictions. As of December 31, 2023, Wesbanco’s total assets were above $15 billion; therefore, all such securities are no longer counted as Tier 1 capital but instead are counted as Tier 2 capital subject to limits. For more information regarding trust preferred securities, please refer to Note 10, “Subordinated and Junior Subordinated Debt” in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The risk-based capital standards of the Federal Reserve and the FDIC specify that evaluations by the banking agencies of a bank’s capital adequacy will include an assessment of the exposure to declines in the economic value of the bank’s capital due to changes in interest rates. These banking agencies have issued a joint policy statement on interest rate risk describing prudent methods for monitoring such risk that rely principally on internal measures of exposure and active oversight of risk management activities by senior management.

PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTION

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (“FDICIA”) requires federal banking regulatory authorities to take “prompt corrective action” with respect to depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. For these purposes, FDICIA establishes five capital tiers: well-capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized, and critically undercapitalized.

An institution is deemed to be “well-capitalized” if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of 10% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8% or greater, a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 5% or greater, and a common equity Tier 1 ratio of 6.5% or greater, and is not subject to a regulatory order, agreement, or directive to meet and maintain a specific capital level for any capital measure. An institution is deemed to be “adequately capitalized” if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of 8% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6% or greater, generally a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4% or greater, and a common equity Tier 1 ratio of 4.5% or greater, and the institution does not meet the definition of a “well-capitalized” institution. An institution that does not meet one or more of the “adequately capitalized” tests is deemed to be “undercapitalized.” If the institution has a total risk-based capital ratio that is less than 6%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio that is less than 4%, or a Tier 1 leverage ratio or common equity Tier 1 ratio that is less than 3%, it is deemed to be “significantly undercapitalized.” Finally, an institution is deemed to be “critically undercapitalized” if it has a ratio of tangible equity (as defined in the regulations) to total assets that is equal to or less than 2%. As of December 31, 2023, as noted above in “Capital Requirements,” Wesbanco Bank had capital levels that met the “well-capitalized” standards under FDICIA and its implementing regulations.

FDICIA generally prohibits a depository institution from making any capital distribution, including payment of a cash dividend, or paying any management fee to its holding company, if the depository institution would thereafter be undercapitalized. Undercapitalized institutions are subject to growth limitations and are required to submit a capital restoration plan. If any depository institution subsidiary of a holding company is required to submit a capital restoration plan, the holding company would be required to provide a limited guarantee regarding compliance with the plan as a condition of approval of such plan by the appropriate federal banking agency. If an undercapitalized institution fails to submit an acceptable plan, it is treated as if it is significantly undercapitalized. Significantly undercapitalized institutions may be subject to a number of requirements and restrictions, including orders to sell sufficient voting stock to become adequately capitalized, requirements to reduce total assets, and cessation of receipt of deposits from correspondent banks. Critically undercapitalized institutions may not, beginning 60 days after becoming critically undercapitalized, make any payment of principal or interest on their subordinated debt and/or trust preferred securities. In addition, critically undercapitalized institutions are subject to appointment of a receiver or conservator within 90 days of becoming critically undercapitalized.

GRAMM-LEACH-BLILEY ACT

Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the “GLB Act”), banks are no longer prohibited from associating with, or having management interlocks with, a business organization engaged principally in securities activities. By qualifying as a “financial holding company,” as authorized under the GLB Act, a bank holding company acquires new powers not otherwise available to it. Wesbanco has elected to become a financial holding company under the GLB Act. It also has qualified a subsidiary of the Bank as a financial subsidiary under the GLB Act.

Financial holding company powers relate to “financial activities” that are determined by the Federal Reserve Board, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, to be financial in nature, incidental to an activity that is financial in nature, or complementary to a financial activity, provided that the complementary activity does not pose a safety and soundness risk. The GLB Act itself defines certain activities as financial in nature, including but not limited to: underwriting insurance or annuities; providing financial or investment advice; underwriting, dealing in, or making markets in securities; merchant banking, subject to significant limitations; insurance company portfolio investing, subject to significant limitations; and any activities previously found by the Federal Reserve Board to be closely related to banking.

National and state banks are permitted under the GLB Act, subject to capital, management, size, debt rating, and CRA qualification factors, to have “financial subsidiaries” that are permitted to engage in financial activities not otherwise permissible. However, unlike financial holding companies, financial subsidiaries may not engage in insurance or annuity underwriting; developing or investing in real estate; merchant banking (for at least five years); or insurance company portfolio investing.

DODD-FRANK ACT

The Dodd-Frank Act, enacted on July 21, 2010, and the rules implementing its provisions have resulted in numerous and wide-ranging reforms to the structure of the U.S. financial system. This includes, among other things, rules to promote financial stability and prevent or mitigate the risks that may arise from the material distress or failure of a large bank holding company; enhance consumer protections; prohibit proprietary trading; and implement enhanced prudential requirements for large bank holding companies regarding risk-based capital and leverage, risk and liquidity management, stress testing, and recovery and resolution planning. The Dodd-Frank Act, including current and future rules implementing its provisions and the interpretation of those rules, have affected, and management expects will continue to affect, most of Wesbanco’s businesses in some way, either directly through regulation of specific activities or indirectly through regulation of concentration risks, capital or liquidity.

Certain bank holding companies are subjected to increased capital requirements (discussed above under “Item 1. Business—Capital Requirements”).

The Volcker Rule and the final rules jointly issued by federal banking agencies implementing the rule’s provisions limit Wesbanco’s ability to engage in proprietary trading, as well as its ability to sponsor or invest in hedge funds or private equity funds. The Volcker Rule also includes certain compliance program requirements that apply to banking entities that engage in permissible proprietary trading or permitted covered fund activities. The federal banking agencies recently revised the Volcker Rule compliance requirements, effective January 1, 2020. Under the new rule, banking entities that, together with their affiliates and subsidiaries, have an average gross sum of trading assets and liabilities (excluding obligations of or guaranteed by the United States or an agency of the United States) of less than $1 billion for four (4) consecutive quarters are presumed to be in compliance with the Volcker Rule’s restrictions on proprietary trading and acquisition or retention of ownership interests in covered funds. Consequently such banking entities do not have an affirmative obligation to demonstrate compliance with such restrictions (“limited trading compliance presumption”). Wesbanco meets the limited trading compliance presumption because its gross consolidated trading assets and liabilities have been below $1 billion for four consecutive quarters.

An interim final rule was issued in January 2014 that exempts investments in certain collateralized debt obligations backed primarily by trust preferred securities from the provisions of the Volcker Rule. This interim final rule was effective April 1, 2014 and did not have a material impact on Wesbanco for the year ended December 31, 2023.

The Federal Reserve Board revised the Volcker Rule, issuing a final rule in November 2019. Under the new rule, banking entities with gross consolidated trading assets and liabilities between $1 billion and $20 billion are subject to a simplified compliance program because they are considered to have “moderate” trading assets. The new rule was effective January 1, 2020; however, Wesbanco is not subject to the moderate trading compliance program because Wesbanco has gross consolidated trading assets and liabilities below $1 billion.

Passed in 2011, the Durbin Amendment requires the Federal Reserve to limit fee charges to retailers for debit card processing. The Federal Reserve Board promulgated Regulation II (Debit Card Interchange Fees and Routing) that limits the interchange fees paid by merchants to issuers when their debit cards are used as payment. An issuer is defined as “any person that authorizes the use of the debit card to perform an electronic debit transaction.” The application of the Durbin Amendment is determined by whether the issuer, together with its affiliates, has $10 billion in assets as of the end of the calendar year preceding the date of the electronic debit transaction. An affiliate is defined as “any company that controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with another company.” Therefore, if an insured institution issues a debit card and it, together with its affiliates, has assets exceeding $10 billion, it is subject to this rule. The rule caps debit card interchange fees (also known as swipe fees) at $0.21 plus an additional 0.05% of the value of the transaction. Previously, the average interchange fee was approximately $0.44 per transaction for an insured institution. Financial institutions with more than $10 billion in assets by the year-end assessment deadline are subject to the cap on interchange income in July of the following year. Wesbanco and the Bank were subject to the requirements imposed by the Durbin Amendment because, for purposes of determining whether an issuer has $10 billion in assets, the assets of the institution and its affiliates are combined, effective for transactions beginning in July 2019.

Additionally, section 165(i)(2) of the Dodd-Frank Act, as amended by the EGRRCPA, requires annual company-run stress tests for bank holding companies with total consolidated assets greater than $100 billion.

The Federal Reserve Board regulates bank holding companies, and therefore, if a bank holding company has total consolidated assets of $100 billion or more, it will be required to conduct the Federal Reserve Board stress-tests. Wesbanco Bank, a subsidiary state nonmember bank, is governed by the FDIC. Under the FDIC rule, a covered bank includes “any state nonmember bank . . . with average total consolidated assets . . . that are greater than $10 billion but less than $50 billion.” However, the FDIC proposed a rule in December 2018 to conform this definition to Section 165 of the Dodd-Frank Act, as amended by the EGRRCPA, to state that a “covered bank” is a nonmember bank or state savings association with average total consolidated assets that are greater than $250 billion. Wesbanco Bank has less than $100 billion in average total consolidated assets, and therefore, is not subject to the Federal Reserve Board’s or the FDIC’s stress-test rules.

If the Dodd-Frank Act stress test rules were to apply at some point in the future, Wesbanco would have to assess the potential impact of a minimum of three macroeconomic scenarios—baseline, adverse, and severely adverse—on its consolidated losses, revenues, balance sheets (including risk-weighted assets) and capital. Each scenario includes economic variables, including macroeconomic activity, unemployment, exchange rates, prices, incomes and interest rates. The adverse and severely adverse scenarios are not forecasts, but rather hypothetical scenarios designed to assess the strength and resilience of financial institutions. Additionally, Wesbanco would have to publicly disclose these test results on an annual basis. The required summary of results could be published on Wesbanco’s web site or in any other forum that is reasonably accessible to the public.

As required by Section 165 of the Dodd-Frank Act, the Federal Reserve issued a rule that strengthens the supervision and regulation of large U.S. bank holding companies and foreign banking organizations by establishing a number of enhanced prudential standards. These standards include liquidity, risk management, and capital. Under the rule, a publicly traded bank holding company with $10 billion or more in consolidated assets is required to establish an enterprise-wide risk committee. However, the EGRRCPA raised the threshold to $50 billion. To conform the rule to the EGRRCPA, the Federal Reserve Board proposed a rule in November 2018 to increase the threshold to $50 billion. Wesbanco is therefore, currently not subject to the Federal Reserve Enhanced Prudential Standards.

The Dodd-Frank Act made several changes affecting the securitization markets, which may affect a bank’s ability or desire to use those markets to meet funding or liquidity needs. One of these changes calls for federal regulators to adopt regulations requiring the sponsor of a securitization to retain at least 5% of the credit risk, with exceptions for “qualified residential mortgages.”

Publicly traded companies are required by the Dodd-Frank Act to give shareholders an advisory vote on executive compensation, and, in some cases, golden parachute arrangements. Further, SEC and Nasdaq rulemaking under the Dodd-Frank Act requires Nasdaq-listed companies to have a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors. Wesbanco’s Compensation Committee members currently satisfy the independence criteria. The Dodd-Frank Act also called for regulators to issue new rules relating to incentive-based compensation arrangements deemed excessive, and authorized the SEC to adopt rules related to proxy access by shareholders. The SEC has issued proposed rules relating to excessive compensation arrangements that have not been finalized.

All banks and other insured depository institutions now have increased authority to open new branches across state lines (discussed above under “Item 1. Business—Supervision and Regulation”). A provision authorizing insured depository institutions to pay interest on certain business checking accounts may increase Wesbanco’s interest expense. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency created by the Dodd-Frank Act, has the authority to write rules implementing numerous consumer protection laws applicable to all banks (discussed below under “Item 1. Business—Consumer Protection Laws”).

CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS

In connection with its lending and leasing activities, all banks are subject to a number of federal and state laws designed to protect consumers and promote lending and other financial services to various sectors of the economy and population. These laws include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”), the Truth in Savings Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”), the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, and, in some cases, their respective state law counterparts. The CFPB has consolidated the authority to write regulations implementing these and other laws. Wesbanco’s other subsidiaries that provide services relating to consumer financial products and services are subject to the CFPB’s regulations. As an institution formerly with assets of less than $10 billion, Wesbanco Bank historically had been examined by the FDIC for compliance with these rules. Through its acquisitions, the Bank’s assets exceeded $10 billion for four consecutive quarters, and in 2019 it came under CFPB supervision and examination. Relating to mortgage lending, the Dodd-Frank Act authorized the CFPB to issue new regulations governing the ability to repay, qualified mortgages, mortgage servicing, appraisals and compensation of mortgage lenders, all of which have been issued and have taken effect. They limit the mortgage products offered by the Bank and have an impact on timely enforcement of delinquent mortgage loans.

The Dodd-Frank Act also directed the CFPB to integrate the mortgage loan disclosures under TILA and RESPA. The CFPB issued new integrated disclosures rules (“TRID”), which became effective October 3, 2015 and have combined the prior good faith estimate and truth in lending disclosure form into a new form, the loan estimate. They have also combined the HUD-1 and final truth in lending disclosure forms into a new form, the closing disclosure. The rule is extremely complex, contains significant uncertainties as to penalties, some of which can be quite material, contains prohibitions against correcting even technical mistakes, creates uncertainty regarding last minute changes in the transaction and has triggered significant ambiguity in compliance. Thus for covered transactions and most closed-end consumer credit transactions secured by real property, the TRID rules have presented significant and ongoing challenges to real estate lenders. The CFPB issued an interpretive rule in August 2021 providing greater flexibility under the TRID rules, which helped ease some of the challenges that real estate lenders like the Bank face. The rule, however, relates only to the on-going COVID pandemic.

Federal law currently contains extensive customer privacy protection provisions. Under these provisions, a financial institution must provide to its customers, at the inception of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution’s policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers’ nonpublic personal financial information. These provisions also provide that, except for certain limited exceptions, an institution may not provide such personal information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that such information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure. Federal law makes it a criminal offense, except in limited circumstances, to obtain or attempt to obtain customer information of a financial nature by fraudulent or deceptive means.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Wesbanco strives to be a leader in community development by positively impacting the communities it serves. We have developed responsible strategies to provide targeted investment, deployment of capital, financial education, technical assistance, and innovative products and solutions that will achieve financial inclusion for all. Our vision is to create greater economic opportunities that provide the dignity of affordable housing, the empowerment of financial inclusion, the strength of successful businesses, and the sustainability of vibrant communities.

Wesbanco has proven to be a leader in its communities by providing loans, deposits and other banking services that are responsive to financial needs. The CRA requires Wesbanco Bank’s primary federal bank regulatory agency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), to assess the Bank’s record in meeting the credit needs of the communities served by the Bank, including low and moderate-income neighborhoods and persons. Institutions are assigned one of four ratings: “Outstanding,” “Satisfactory,” “Needs to Improve” or “Substantial Noncompliance.” This assessment is reviewed when a bank applies to merge or consolidate with or acquire the assets or assume the liabilities of an insured depository institution, or to open or relocate a branch office. On November 14, 2022, the FDIC assigned a rating of “Outstanding” for Wesbanco Bank’s community development performance for the period of July 2019 through November 2022. The 2022 exam represented the Bank’s eighth consecutive “Outstanding” CRA rating, spanning a period of more than twenty years.

Wesbanco Bank received the “America Saves Designation of Savings Excellence for Banks,” a designation from the national America Saves initiative that recognizes banks that went above and beyond to encourage people to save money during America Saves Week 2023. Wesbanco has been an active participant in America Saves Week since its inception in 2007 and this was Wesbanco’s eighth consecutive designation for savings excellence. The Wesbanco Bank Community Development Corporation (“Wesbanco CDC”), an affiliate of Wesbanco Inc., was nationally recognized by the American Bankers Association Foundation ("ABA Foundation") with a Community Commitment Award for its New Markets Loan Program, an innovative revolving loan fund for small businesses. The Wesbanco CDC has received four allocations of New Markets Tax Credits to fund the New Markets Loan Program, and has leveraged those funds to make over 231 loans totaling over $178 million for the benefit of businesses located in low-income, economically distressed communities, and creating over 6,800 jobs.

To achieve this level of success, in addition to providing a wide variety of conventional loan and deposit products, the Bank partners with a number of governmental and non-profit agencies to provide special programs to assist customers, especially low- and moderate-income consumers and small businesses, achieve their financial goals. For example, Wesbanco Bank leverages its membership in the Federal Home Loan Bank to sponsor Affordable Housing Program grant applications for non-profit organizations and housing developers, to provide down payment assistance for home mortgage borrowers through the First Front Door program, and to provide flexible financing options for small businesses, including women- and minority-owned businesses, through the Banking on Business and Banking on Business Inclusion and Equity loan programs. Additionally, Wesbanco has developed its own loan and deposit products to provide financing and savings options with innovative and flexible terms to meet identified needs for underserved persons and in underserved communities. Wesbanco has also been recognized as a leader in community development lending. In the past five years, Wesbanco originated over $2 billion in community development loans, returning credit and capital to communities throughout its footprint. At the heart of the Bank’s successful community development program is its commitment of time and resources to the communities it serves. Employees provide thousands of hours of technical assistance and financial education to organizations and agencies that promote community development and Wesbanco has deployed hundreds of thousands of dollars in philanthropic donations to worthy organizations serving local communities in Wesbanco’s service area.

In October 2023, the federal banking agencies, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve Board, and the FDIC, released an interagency final rule amending the Community Reinvestment Act. The new rule seeks to adapt to changes in the banking industry, such as the digital delivery of financial products and services, and to enhance economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income persons and communities. The amendments have tiered implementation dates, with the majority of the changes effective January 1, 2026. Wesbanco Bank continues to be categorized as a “large bank” under the amended CRA rules.

SECURITIES REGULATION

Wesbanco’s full service broker-dealer subsidiary, Wesbanco Securities, is registered as a broker-dealer with the SEC and in the states in which it does business. Wesbanco Securities also is a member of FINRA. Wesbanco Securities is subject to regulation by the SEC, FINRA and the securities administrators of the states in which it is registered. Wesbanco Securities is a member of the SIPC, which in the event of the liquidation of a broker-dealer, provides protection for customers’ securities accounts held by Wesbanco Securities of up to $500,000 for each eligible customer, subject to a limitation of $250,000 for claims for cash balances.

In addition, Wesbanco Bank’s Investment Department serves as an investment adviser to a family of mutual funds and is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC and in some states.

On September 10, 2019, the SEC adopted a new rule, Regulation Best Interest, which establishes a standard of conduct for broker-dealers when they make a recommendation to a retail customer of any securities transaction or investment strategy involving securities. Regulation Best Interest enhances the broker-dealer standard of conduct beyond existing suitability obligations, and aligns the standard of conduct with retail customers’ reasonable expectations by requiring broker-dealers, among other things, to: act in the best interest of the retail customer at the time the recommendation is made, without placing the financial or other interest of the broker-dealer ahead of the interests of the retail customer; and address conflicts of interest by establishing, maintaining, and enforcing policies and procedures reasonably designed to identify and fully and fairly disclose material facts about conflicts of interest, and in instances where we have determined that disclosure is insufficient to reasonably address the conflict, to mitigate or, in certain instances, eliminate the conflict. The effective date for implementation of the new rule was June 30, 2020.

On December 22, 2020, the SEC adopted a new rule to govern investment adviser advertisements and payments to solicitors. The rule replaces the current advertising rule’s broadly drawn limitations with principles-based provisions designed to accommodate the continual evolution and interplay of technology and advice, and includes tailored requirements for certain types of advertisements. For example, the rule requires advisers to standardize certain parts of a performance presentation in order to help investors evaluate and compare investment opportunities, and includes tailored requirements for certain types of performance presentations. Advertisements that include third-party ratings are required to include specific disclosures to prevent them from being misleading. The rule also permits the use of testimonials and endorsements, which include traditional referral and solicitation activity, subject to certain conditions.

THE USA PATRIOT AND BANK SECRECY ACT

The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (the “USA Patriot Act”) imposes significant compliance and due diligence obligations, material penalties, and provides for extra-territorial jurisdiction of the United States. The U.S. Treasury Department has issued various implementing regulations, which apply certain requirements of the USA Patriot Act to financial institutions, such as Wesbanco Bank and Wesbanco’s broker-dealer subsidiary. These regulations impose obligations on financial institutions to maintain appropriate policies, procedures and controls to detect, prevent and report money laundering and terrorist financing, to verify the identity of their customers, including beneficial owners, and to report suspicious activities and currency transactions of a certain size. Failure of Wesbanco and its subsidiaries to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, or to comply with all of the relevant laws or regulations, could have serious legal and reputational consequences for Wesbanco and its subsidiaries.