EAST WEST BANCORP INC

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Form 10-Q”) contain “forward-looking statements” that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for such statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. East West Bancorp, Inc. (referred to herein on an unconsolidated basis as “East West” and on a consolidated basis as the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” or “EWBC”) may make forward-looking statements in other documents that it files with, or furnishes to, the United States (“U.S.”) Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and management may make forward-looking statements to analysts, investors, media members and others. Forward-looking statements are those that do not relate to historical facts and that are based on current assumptions, beliefs, estimates, expectations and projections, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond the Company’s control. Forward-looking statements may relate to various matters, including the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance, business or industry, and usually can be identified by the use of forward-looking words, such as “anticipates,” “assumes,” “believes,” “can,” “continues,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “goal,” “intends,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “objective,” “plans,” “potential,” “projects,” “remains,” “should,” “target,” “trend,” “will,” “would,” or similar expressions or variations thereof, and the negative thereof, but these terms are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as they are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described below. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind these risks and uncertainties, as well as any cautionary statements the Company may make.

There are various important factors that could cause future results to differ materially from historical performance and any forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences, include, but are not limited to:

•changes in the global economy, including an economic slowdown, capital or financial market disruption, supply chain disruption, level of inflation, interest rate environment, residential and commercial property prices, employment levels, rate of growth and general business conditions, which could result in, among other things, reduced demand for loans, reduced availability of funding or increased funding costs, declines in asset values and/or recognition of allowance for credit losses;

•changes in local, regional and global business, economic and political conditions and geopolitical events, such as political unrest, wars and acts of terrorism;

•the soundness of other financial institutions and the impacts related to or resulting from bank failures and other economic and industry volatility, including potential increased regulatory requirements, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance premiums and assessments, deposit withdrawals, or other adverse consequences of negative market perceptions of the banking industry or us;

•changes in laws or the regulatory environment, including regulatory reform initiatives and policies of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”), the FDIC, the SEC, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation— Division of Financial Institutions, the People’s Bank of China, China’s National Administration of Financial Regulation, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore;

•changes and effects thereof in trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including the ongoing trade, economic and political disputes between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China and the monetary policies of the Federal Reserve;

•changes in the commercial and consumer real estate markets;

•changes in consumer or commercial spending, savings and borrowing habits, and patterns and behaviors;

•the impact from changes to income tax laws and regulations, federal spending and economic stimulus programs;

•the impact of any future U.S. federal government shutdown and uncertainty regarding the U.S. federal government’s debt limit and credit rating;

•the Company’s ability to compete effectively against financial institutions and other entities, including as a result of emerging technologies;

•the success and timing of the Company’s business strategies;

•the Company’s ability to retain key officers and employees;

•the impact on the Company’s funding costs, net interest income and net interest margin from changes in key variable market interest rates, competition, regulatory requirements and the Company’s product mix;

•changes in the Company’s costs of operation, compliance and expansion;

•the Company’s ability to adopt and successfully integrate new initiatives or technologies into its business in a strategic manner;

•the impact of communications or technology disruption, failure in, or breach of, the Company’s operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of third-party vendors with which the Company does business, including as a result of cyber-attacks, and other similar matters which could result in, among other things, confidential, proprietary, or personally identifiable information being disclosed or misused, and materially impact the Company’s ability to provide services to its clients;

•the adequacy of the Company’s risk management framework, disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting;

•future credit quality and performance, including the Company’s expectations regarding future credit losses and allowance levels;

•the impact of adverse changes to the Company’s credit ratings from major credit rating agencies;

•the impact of adverse judgments or settlements in litigation and other proceedings;

•the impact of political developments, pandemics, wars, civil unrest, terrorism or other hostilities that may disrupt or increase volatility in securities or otherwise affect business and economic conditions on the Company and its customers;

•heightened regulatory and governmental oversight and scrutiny of the Company’s business practices, including dealings with consumers;

•the impact of reputational risk from negative publicity, fines, penalties and other negative consequences from regulatory violations, legal actions and the Company’s interactions with business partners, counterparties, service providers and other third parties;

•the impact of regulatory investigations, regulatory agreements, supervisory criticisms, and enforcement actions;

•changes in accounting standards as may be required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other regulatory agencies and their impact on the Company’s critical accounting policies and assumptions;

•the Company’s capital requirements and its ability to generate capital internally or raise capital on favorable terms;

•the impact on the Company’s liquidity due to changes in the Company’s ability to receive dividends from its subsidiaries;

•any strategic acquisitions or divestitures and the introduction of new or expanded products and services;

•changes in the equity and debt securities markets;

•fluctuations in the Company’s stock price;

•fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

•the impact of increased focus on social, environmental and sustainability matters, which may affect the operations of the Company and its customers and the economy more broadly; and

•the impact of climate change, natural or man-made disasters or calamities, such as wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, flooding and earthquakes or other events that may directly or indirectly result in a negative impact on the financial performance of the Company and its customers.

For a more detailed discussion of some of the factors that might cause such differences, see the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 29, 2024 (the “Company’s 2023 Form 10-K”) under the heading Item 1A. Risk Factors. You should treat forward-looking statements as speaking only as of the date they are made and based only on information then actually known to the Company. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of events or circumstances after the date of such statements except as required by law.