FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS INC

ITEM 1. Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we are a party to or otherwise involved in legal proceedings arising out of the normal course of business. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of prosecution, defense and settlement costs, unfavorable awards, diversion of management resources and other factors.

We are party to an action filed against us on May 16, 2017 by Matthew L. Chipego, Charlene Mowry, Constance C. Churchill and Joseph W. Ewing in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Plaintiffs sought class certification to represent classes of consumers in New York and Pennsylvania along with statutory damages, interest and declaratory relief. The plaintiffs sought to represent a putative class of consumers who are alleged to have obtained direct or indirect financing from us for the purchase of vehicles that we later repossessed. The plaintiffs specifically claim that the notices the Bank sent to defaulting consumers after their vehicles were repossessed did not comply with the relevant portions of the Uniform Commercial Code in New York and Pennsylvania. We dispute and believe we have meritorious defenses against these claims and plan to vigorously defend ourselves.

On September 30, 2021, the Court granted plaintiffs’ motion for class certification and certified four different classes (two classes of New York consumers and two classes of Pennsylvania consumers). There are approximately 5,200 members in the New York classes and 300 members in the Pennsylvania classes.

On September 26, 2022, the lower Court denied the plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment for most of the relief they seek and found that there were questions of fact as to whether the members of the class had purchased the subject vehicles for “consumer use” within the meaning of the relevant statutes. The Court also denied our motion for partial summary judgment seeking an offset in the form of recoupment reducing any liability that may be imposed against us by the amounts that the borrowers owe for failing to repay their motor vehicle loans, determining that the Court could not enter a judgment on recoupment – which is a set off from liability – without first determining whether there was liability.

During the July 11, 2024 pretrial conference, the Court instructed the parties to engage in further settlement of non-binding mediation discussions and set a September 11, 2024 deadline to file motions in limine and a bench trial to commence on May 5, 2025.

All depositions and document productions have been completed. Plaintiff did not file a Motion in Limine by September 11, 2024. Plaintiffs however filed a motion for partial judgment on October 8, 2024 asserting that the recoupment claims were barred because they were too distinct from the underlying claims. We intend to file an opposition against the motion for partial summary judgment with the Court by the November 7, 2024 deadline. The parties continue to discuss potential candidates to serve as a mediator in response to the Court’s instruction that they explore further settlement or mediation discussions.

We have not accrued a contingent liability for this matter at this time because, given our defenses, we are unable to conclude whether a liability is probable to occur nor are we able to currently reasonably estimate the amount of potential loss.

If we settle these claims or the action is not resolved in our favor, we may suffer reputational damage and incur legal costs, settlements or judgments that exceed the amounts covered by our insurer. We can provide no assurances that our insurer will cover the full legal costs, settlements or judgments we incur. If we are unsuccessful in defending ourselves from these claims or if our insurer does not cover the full amount of legal costs we incur, the result may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.