Catalyst Bancorp, Inc.

NOTE 1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Description of Business

Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. (“Catalyst Bancorp” or the “Company”) is the holding company for Catalyst Bank (the “Bank”). The Bank has been in operation in the Acadiana region of south-central Louisiana since 1922 and offers commercial and retail banking products throughsix full-service locations.

Catalyst Bank, which is the sole subsidiary of the Company, provides a variety of banking services to individuals and businesses within its principal market area consisting of St. Landry Parish, Evangeline Parish, Acadia Parish and Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, and is subject to competition from other financial institutions. The Bank is a federal savings association subject to examination and regulation by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and is also subject to examination by the FDIC as deposit insurer. Effective October 16, 2019, the Bank elected to be a “covered association” pursuant to a provision of the Economic Growth Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act (EGRRCPA), that permits a federal savings association to elect to exercise national bank powers without converting to a national bank charter. The Bank’s primary deposit products are demand and NOW accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts and certificates of deposit. Its primary lending products are single family residential loans, commercial loans, and consumer loans. The Bank is also subject to the regulations of certain federal agencies and undergoes periodic examinations by those agencies.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accounting and reporting policies of the Company conform to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The more significant accounting and reporting policies are as follows:

Principles of Consolidation

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and the Bank. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change relate to the fair value of available-for-sale securities, the determination of the allowance for credit losses on financial assets held at amortized cost and the measurement of the Company’s deferred income tax assets and liabilities. While management uses its best judgment and reviews estimates and related assumptions periodically, actual results could differ from those estimates.

Reclassifications

Certain amounts reported in prior periods may have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Such reclassifications had no effect on previously reported equity or net income.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

For the purpose of reporting cash flows, cash and cash equivalents include cash, interest-bearing deposits in other institutions and highly liquid debt instruments with original maturities of three months or less.

Investment Securities

Securities that management has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity are classified as held-to-maturity and are reported at cost, adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts that are recognized in interest income using methods approximating the interest method over the period to maturity. Available-for-sale securities consist of investment securities not classified as held-to-maturity securities. Non-credit related unrealized holding gains and losses, net of tax, on available-for-sale securities are included in other comprehensive income.

Realized gains and losses on sales of securities are included in earnings and, when applicable, are reported as a reclassification adjustment, net of tax, in other comprehensive income. Gains and losses on the sale of securities are determined using the specific-identification method. The amortization of premiums and the accretion of discounts are recognized in interest income using methods approximating the interest method over the period of maturity.

Expected credit-related losses for available-for-sale debt securities are recorded through an allowance for credit losses, while non-credit related losses are recognized through other comprehensive income. Held-to-maturity debt securities are presented at an amount net of a current estimate of expected credit losses. Consideration is given to the extent to which that fair value is less than cost, the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer, and the intent and ability of the Company to retain its investment in the issuer for a period sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value when estimating credit losses.

Loans Receivable

Loans receivable are carried at the amount of unpaid principal balances, net of deferred loan origination fees and discounts and the allowance for credit losses. Interest income on loans receivable is accrued at the applicable interest rate based on the unpaid principal balance. Loan origination fees and direct costs are deferred and amortized as an adjustment to loan yield (interest income) over the term of the related loans. Unamortized net fees or costs are recognized in interest income upon early repayment of the loans.

The accrual of interest is discontinued (“non-accrual status”) when management determines doubt exists as to the collectibility of the asset due to the borrower’s failure to meet repayment terms, the borrower’s deteriorating or deteriorated financial condition, or the depreciation of underlying collateral. Generally, with certain exceptions, loans are placed on non-accrual status when they are more than 90 days past due. When a loan is placed on non-accrual status, previously accrued and uncollected interest is charged against interest income on loans. Interest payments received on non-accrual loans are applied to reduce the principal balance. Loans are returned to accrual status when all past due payments are received in full and future payments are probable.

The allowance for credit losses on loans is established through a provision for credit losses charged to earnings. Loans, or portions of loans, are charged off against the allowance in the period that such loans, or portions thereof, are deemed uncollectible. Subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance.

Transfers of Financial Assets

The Company engages in the transfer of financial assets, which primarily involves the sale of participation interests in loans that it originates and the purchase of participation interests in loans originated by other financial institutions. A transfer is recognized as a sale when control over the financial asset has been surrendered. Control is considered surrendered when (i) the transferred asset is legally isolated from the Company, even in bankruptcy; (ii) the transferee has the right to pledge or exchange the transferred interest without restriction; and (iii) the Company does not maintain effective control through repurchase agreements, call options, or other arrangements. When a transfer qualifies as a sale, the transferred portion is derecognized and any retained interest is recorded at fair value on the transfer date. The Company generally sells portions of loans that meet the definition of participation interests as defined in ASC 860; accordingly, such transfers typically qualify for sale accounting. The transfers generally occur at amounts that do not result in a gain or loss on the sale of loans.

Allowance for Credit Losses

Determining the appropriateness of the allowance requires judgment by management about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Changes in factors and forecasts used in evaluating the overall loan portfolio may result in significant changes in the allowance for credit losses and related provision expense in future periods. The allowance level is influenced by loan volumes, loan asset quality ratings, delinquency status, historical credit loss experience, loan performance characteristics, forecasted information and other conditions influencing loss expectations. Changes to the assumptions in the model in future periods could have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

The Company groups loans and unfunded lending commitments with similar risk characteristics into pools or segments and collectively evaluates each pool to estimate the allowance for credit losses. For each loan pool, the Company uses the remaining life method to calculate its current estimate of expected credit losses. The remaining life method applies an estimated average loss rate to the expected future outstanding balances of the relevant pool of loans. The estimated average loss rate is based on historical charge-off rates and the future balances or the remaining life of each pool is based on recent trends in the rate at which existing loans have paid-off or paid-down. We attempt to forecast the average loss rate for each pool over the first two years of the estimated remaining life, then revert to the long-term average after the forecast period. For each pool of loans, management also evaluates and applies qualitative adjustments to the calculated allowance for credit losses based on several factors, including, but not limited to, changes in current and expected future economic conditions, changes in industry experience and loan concentrations, changes in credit quality, changes in lending policies and personnel and changes in the competitive and regulatory environment of the banking industry.

The ultimate loss rates computed for each loan pool (a product of our quantitative calculation and qualitative adjustments) are used to estimate the allowance for credit losses on unfunded lending commitments. The pooled loan loss rates are applied to the portion of the unfunded lending commitments that management expects to fund in the future. These unfunded commitments are segmented into pools consistent with our grouping of outstanding loans and include available portions of lines of credit, undisbursed portions of construction loans and commitments to originate new loans.

The Company has identified the following portfolio segments based on the risk characteristics described below.

One- to four-family residential – This category primarily consists of loans secured by residential real estate located in our market. The performance of these loans may be adversely affected by, among other factors, unemployment rates, local residential real estate market conditions and the interest rate environment. Generally, these loans are for longer terms than commercial and construction loans.

Commercial real estate – This category generally consists of loans secured by retail and industrial use buildings, hotels, strip shopping centers and other properties used for commercial purposes. The performance of these loans may be adversely affected by, among other factors, conditions specific to the relevant industry, the real estate market for the property type and geographic region where the property or borrower is located.

Construction and land – This category consists of loans to finance the ground-up construction and/or improvement of residential and commercial properties and loans secured by land. The performance of these loans is generally dependent upon the successful completion of improvements and/or land development for the end user, the sale of the property to a third party, or a secondary source of cash flow from the owners. The successful completion of planned improvements and development may be adversely affected by changes in the estimated property value upon completion of construction, projected costs and other conditions leading to project delays.

Multi-family residential – This category consists of loans secured by apartment or residential buildings with five or more units used to accommodate households on a temporary or permanent basis. The performance of multi-family loans is generally dependent on the receipt of rental income from the tenants who occupy the subject property. The

occupancy rate of the subject property and the ability of the tenants to pay rent may be adversely affected by the location of the subject property and local economic conditions.

Commercial and industrial – This category primarily consists of secured and unsecured loans to small and mid-sized businesses to fund operations or purchase non-real estate assets. Secured loans are primarily secured by accounts receivable, inventory, equipment and certain other business assets. The performance of these loans may be adversely affected by, among other factors, conditions specific to the relevant industry, fluctuations in the value of the collateral and individual performance factors related to the borrower.

Consumer – This category consists of loans to individuals for household, family and other personal use. The performance of these loans may be adversely affected by national and local economic conditions, unemployment rates and other factors affecting the borrower’s income available to service the debt.

Loans are individually evaluated for credit losses when they do not share similar risk characteristics with our identified loan pools. Generally, management considers loans rated as substandard for individual analysis or when we have identified certain unique characteristics that impact the risk of credit loss. These characteristics include, but are not limited to, the creditworthiness of the borrower, the reliability of the primary source of repayment, the quality of the collateral, the size of the loan or relationship, and the industry of the borrower. The allowance for credit losses on individually evaluated, collateral-dependent loans is based on a comparison of the recorded investment in the loan with the fair value of the underlying collateral. Alternatively, we estimate credit losses on individual loans by comparing the loan’s recorded investment to the loan’s estimated fair value based on discounted cash flows or an observable market price.

Foreclosed Assets

Foreclosed assets include real property and other assets that have been acquired as a result of foreclosure. At the time of foreclosure, foreclosed assets are recorded at fair value, less cost to sell, which becomes the property’s new basis. Any write-downs based on the asset’s fair value at date of acquisition are charged to the allowance for credit losses on loans. After foreclosure, valuations are periodically performed and losses are recognized through a charge to earnings when the carrying amount of the foreclosed asset exceeds the estimate of its fair value, less costs to sell. Costs incurred in maintaining foreclosed assets and subsequent adjustments to the carrying amount of the assets are included in foreclosed assets expense. At December 31, 2025, the Company hadno outstanding loans for which formal foreclosure proceedings were in process. At December 31, 2024, loans secured by residential real estate for which formal foreclosure proceedings were in process totaled$37,000.

Premises and Equipment

Land is carried at cost. Buildings, furniture, fixtures and equipment are carried at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Buildings, furniture, fixtures and equipment are depreciated using the declining balance and straight-line methods over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from 3 to 39 years for buildings and improvements and 3 to 10 years for equipment, fixtures and automobiles.

Stock in Correspondent Banks

As a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) and as a client of First National Bankers Bank (“FNBB”), the Bank purchased and holds shares of capital stock in the FHLB and FNBB. The stock does not have a readily determinable fair value and is carried at cost, which approximates fair value. The Company’s investments in equity securities without readily determinable fair value are assessed for impairment and any impairment losses are included in net income. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, no impairment losses were recognized on stock in correspondent banks.

Bank-owned Life Insurance

The Company purchased single-premium life insurance on certain employees of the Bank. The investments in bank-owned life insurance are reported at their cash surrender and changes in the cash surrender value are classified as non-interest income. The insurance policies can be surrendered without penalties or charges imposed by the insurance carriers. Upon any surrender, a gain would be recognized as ordinary income.

Borrowings

In December of 2020, the Company restructured its long-term borrowings from the FHLB. A portion of the debt was restructured to longer maturities at current market rates and accounted for as a modification or exchange of debt. A prepayment penalty for the restructuring was treated as a discount on the debt. The deferred prepayment penalty is amortized as an adjustment to interest expense using the interest method over the remaining life of the restructured borrowings.

Government Grants

Prior to 2025, the Bank applied for and received grant proceeds from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (“CDFI”) Fund. The CDFI Fund helps promote access to capital and local economic growth in urban and rural low-income communities across the nation through monetary awards and the allocation of tax credits. The Company recognizes government grants as income when it is reasonably probable that conditions of the grant will be met and the grant will be received.

During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Bank didnot apply for or receive anyfederal community development grant income. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Bank received and recognized$280,000 of income due to a grant from the CDFI Fund’s Bank Enterprise Award Program. The Bank met the conditions of the grant by providing loans and financial services directly to residents and businesses located in distressed communities. Income from the federal community development grants are reported in non-interest income.

Income Taxes

Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined using the asset and liability (or balance sheet) method. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the tax effects of the temporary differences between the book and tax bases of the various assets and liabilities and gives current recognition to changes in tax rates and laws. At December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company’s net deferred tax asset totaled $834,000 and $1.5 million, respectively, and is included in other assets on the statement of financial condition. The most significant portions of the net deferred tax asset are the deferred tax benefits related to unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities and the Company’s net operating loss for 2024.

The measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced, if necessary, by the amount of any tax benefits that, based on available evidence, are not expected to be realized. At December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company has not recorded a valuation allowance for its deferred tax assets. Realizing our deferred tax assets principally depends upon our achieving projected future taxable income. We may change our judgments regarding future profitability due to future market conditions and other factors. We may adjust our deferred tax asset balances if our judgments change, which may impact total income tax expense in future periods.

A tax position is recognized or derecognized based on a “more likely than not” threshold. This applies to positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return where there is uncertainty about whether a tax position will ultimately be sustained upon examination. The Company has evaluated its tax position and determined that it does not have any uncertain tax positions.

Off-balance Sheet Financial Instruments

In the ordinary course of business, the Company has entered into off-balance-sheet financial instruments consisting of commitments to extend credit and letters of credit. Such financial instruments are recorded in the financial statements when they are funded.

Fair Values of Financial Instruments

Fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Fair value measurements are not adjusted for transaction costs. The Company applies a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quotes priced in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements).

The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments of which it is practicable to estimate that value:

Cash and cash equivalents

The carrying amounts reported in the statements of financial condition for cash and cash equivalents approximate those assets’ fair values and are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.

Investment securities

The fair market values of investment securities are based on a combination of observed market prices for identical or similar instruments and various matrix pricing programs. The fair market values of investment securities are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Loans receivable, net

The fair value of loans are generally determined by discounting scheduled cash flows using discount rates determined with reference to current market rates at which similar loans would be made. Loans receivable are classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

Loans individually evaluated for credit losses

The fair value of loans individually evaluated for credit losses is measured by the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent. Fair value of the collateral is determined by appraisals or by independent valuation. Loans individually evaluated for credit losses are classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

Bank-owned life insurance

The cash surrender value of bank-owned life insurance approximates its fair value and is classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Non-maturity deposit liabilities

The fair value of deposits with no stated maturity, such as non-interest-bearing and interest-bearing demand deposits, NOW, money market, and savings accounts, is equal to the amount payable on demand at the reporting date. These non-maturity deposit liabilities are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.

Certificates of deposit

Fair values are estimated by discounting scheduled cash flows using the rates currently offered for deposits of similar remaining maturities. Certificates of deposit are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Borrowings

The fair value is estimated by discounting the future contractual cash flows using current market rates at which debt with similar terms could be obtained. Borrowings are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time, based on relevant market information and information about the financial instrument. These estimates do not reflect any premium or discount that could result from offering for sale at one time the Company’s entire holdings of a particular financial instrument. Because no market exists for a significant portion of the Company’s financial instruments, fair value estimates are based on judgments regarding future expected loss experience, current economic conditions, risk characteristics of various financial instruments, and other factors. These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of significant judgment and therefore cannot be determined with precision. Changes in assumptions could significantly affect the estimates.

Fair value estimates are based on existing on and off-balance sheet financial instruments without attempting to estimate the value of anticipated future business and the value of assets and liabilities that are not considered financial instruments.

Stock-Based Compensation

In March 2022, the Board of Directors adopted the 2022 Stock Option Plan and the 2022 Recognition and Retention Plan and Trust Agreement. Under the terms of both plans, officers, employees and directors selected by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors are eligible to receive benefits. The Company measures stock compensation expense based on the fair market value of the instrument as of the grant date and is recognized over the service period, which is usually the vesting period. The Company has elected to account for forfeitures of stock awards as they occur and reverses compensation expense previously recognized in the period the award is forfeited.

Advertising Costs

The Company expenses all advertising costs as incurred. There wereno direct response advertising costs capitalized as of December 31, 2025 or 2024. Advertising and marketing expense totaled$131,000 and$129,000 for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings (loss) per share (“EPS”) represents income available or loss attributable to common shareholders divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. No dilution for any potentially convertible shares is included in the calculation of basic EPS. Diluted EPS reflects additional common shares that would have been outstanding if dilutive potential common shares, in the form of stock options or restricted stock shares, had been issued, as well as any adjustment to income that would result from the assumed issuance. Potentially dilutive common shares are excluded from the computation of diluted EPS in periods in which the effect would be anti-dilutive. Unallocated common shares held by the ESOP are not included in the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for purposes of calculating EPS until they are committed to be released. Unallocated restricted shares are not included in the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for purposes of calculating basic EPS until the awards vest, however these shares are included in the computation of the denominator of diluted EPS using the treasury stock method, if dilutive.

Segment Reporting

The Company determined that all of its banking operations serve a similar customer base, offer similar products and services, and are managed through similar processes. Therefore, the Company’s banking operations are aggregated intoone reportable segment, which generates income principally from interest on loans and investment securities, as well as from fees charged in connection with various loan and deposit services. The chief operating decision maker

(“CODM”) is the Chief Executive Officer, who for the purposes of assessing performance, making operating decisions, and allocating Company resources, regularly reviews net income as reported in the accompanying consolidated statements of income. The level of disaggregation and amounts of significant segment income and expenses, such as interest income, interest expense, provision for credit losses, salaries and employee benefits expense and other items, that are regularly provided to the CODM are the same as those presented in the accompanying consolidated statements of income. Likewise, the measure of segment assets is reported on the accompanying consolidated statements of financial condition as total assets.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Standards Adopted in 2025

ASU No. 2023-09**.**On January 1, 2025, the Company adopted ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, using the retrospective method. The amendments in this ASU require further granularity on the disclosure of specific categories in the income tax rate reconciliation and provide additional qualitative information for reconciling items that meet a quantitative threshold, as well as disclosure of the amount of income taxes paid disaggregated by federal, state, and foreign taxes and disaggregated by individual jurisdictions. There was no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial condition or results of operations upon adoption.

Accounting Standards Updates Issued, but Not Adopted

ASU No. 2024-03**.**In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income – Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses. The amendments in this ASU require disclosure, in the notes to the financial statements, of specified qualitative and quantitative information about certain costs and expenses, such as employee compensation, depreciation, and intangible asset amortization. Disclosure requirements also include a qualitative description of the amounts remaining in relevant expense captions that are not separately disaggregated quantitatively, among other items. The Company expects to adopt the amendments in ASU 2024-03 for periods beginning after December 31, 2026. As the update contains only amendments to disclosure requirements, adoption will have no impact on the Company’s consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

ASU No. 2025-08**.**In November 2025, the FASB issued ASU 2025-08, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Purchased Loans. This ASU expands the population of acquired financial assets subject to the gross-up approach in Topic 326. Under the guidance in this ASU, loans acquired without credit deterioration (“non-PCD loans”) and deemed “seasoned” are referred to as “purchased seasoned loans” and accounted for using the gross-up approach at acquisition. All non-PCD loans that are acquired in a business combination are deemed seasoned under the ASU. The gross-up approach results in recognizing loans at their purchase price plus an allowance for credit losses. Under previous guidance, the allowance for credit losses on non-PCD loans was recognized with a corresponding charge to earnings through the provision for credit losses at the acquisition date. ASU 2025-08 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The guidance is required to be applied prospectively to loans that are acquired on or after the initial application date. The Company early adopted ASU 2025-08 beginning January 1, 2026. Since ASU 2025-08 only affects prospective loan acquisitions and the Company has not purchased loans, there was no effect of adoption on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

ASU No. 2025-10**.**In December 2025, the FASB issued ASU 2025-10, Government Grants (Topic 832): Accounting for Government Grants Received by Business Entities. The ASU provides guidance on how business entities should recognize, measure, and present government grants received. ASU 2025-10 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2028, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in this update may be applied using a modified prospective, modified retrospective, or retrospective approach. The Company does not expect to receive government grants in the future, however if the guidance becomes applicable, we expect to apply the amendments prospectively. We will continue to assess the effects of adopting ASU 2025-10 on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

NOTE 2. EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE

Earnings (loss) per common share was computed based on the following:

Diluted earnings per share was computed using the treasury stock method. The following table presents the weighted average of potentially dilutive common shares attributable to outstanding stock options and restricted stock that were anti-dilutive and excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share.

NOTE 3. INVESTMENT SECURITIES

Investment securities have been classified according to management’s intent. The amortized cost of securities and their approximate fair values are as follows:

There wereno securities transferred between classifications during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024. There wereno sales of investment securities during the year ended December 31, 2025. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company sold 50 available-for-sale investment securities for a total pre-tax loss of $5.5 million.

Accrued interest receivable on the Company’s investment securities totaled $183,000 and $142,000 at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Investment securities with a carrying amount of $25.3 million and $15.1 million were pledged to secure public deposits as required or permitted by law at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The Company also uses a custodial letter of credit granted by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas to collateralize public fund deposits. At December 31, 2025 and 2024, $20.0 million and $25.0 million, respectively, of the custodial letter of credit was pledged as collateral for pubic deposits.

At December 31, 2025 and 2024, other than securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises, we had no investments in a single issuer which had an aggregate book value in excess of 10% of the Company’s shareholders’ equity.

The following is a summary of maturities of securities available-for-sale and held-to-maturity at December 31, 2025:

Securities, other than mortgage-backed securities, are classified according to their contractual maturities without consideration of principal amortization, potential prepayments, or call options. The expected maturities may differ from contractual maturities because of the exercise of call options and potential paydowns. Accordingly, actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities.

Information pertaining to securities with gross unrealized losses at December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous loss position, follows:

At December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company held 47 and 41 securities, respectively, with an unrealized loss. The securities with unrealized losses consisted of mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by the government-sponsored enterprises that have a credit rating consistent with the U.S. Government, and debt obligations guaranteed by federal, state and local government entities and are generally considered to be risk-free. These unrealized losses relate principally to noncredit related factors, including changes in current interest rates for similar types of securities. The Company does not intend to sell these securities, and it is more likely than not that the Company will not be required to sell the securities before recovery of their amortized cost basis. Based on management’s evaluation of the securities portfolio, the Company did not establish an allowance for credit losses for its available-for-sale or held-to-maturity securities at December 31, 2025 or 2024.

NOTE 4. LOANS RECEIVABLE AND ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES

Loans receivable at December 31, 2025 and 2024 are summarized as follows:

At December 31, 2025 and 2024, real estate loans totaling $87.5 million and $80.6 million, respectively, were pledged as collateral to the FHLB of Dallas for borrowings under a blanket lien agreement.

Accrued interest receivable on the Company’s loans totaled $715,000 and $704,000 at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Accrued interest receivable is excluded from the Company’s estimate of the allowance for credit losses.

The following tables outline the changes in the allowance for credit losses for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.

During the year ended December 31, 2025, the primary drivers of the change in the allowance for credit losses were increases in construction loan commitments and outstanding loan balances. The impact of the increases was offset by a decline in the estimated allowance for credit losses on individually evaluated loans. The decline in the estimated allowance for credit losses on individually evaluated loans was largely due to a charge-off of a residential loan and improvement in the credit quality of a land loan during 2025.

During the year ended December 31, 2024, the primary drivers of the change in the allowance for credit losses were commercial loan growth and net charge-offs of residential and commercial loans. Net loan charge-offs of commercial and industrial loans were primarily related to three commercial lines of credit.

The following tables outline the allowance for credit losses and the balance of loans by method of loss evaluation at December 31, 2025 and 2024.

At December 31, 2025 and 2024, all loans individually evaluated for credit losses were considered collateral-dependent financial assets. Loans are considered collateral-dependent and individually evaluated when, based on management’s assessment as of the reporting date, the borrower is experiencing financial difficulty and repayment is expected to be provided substantially through the operation or sale of the collateral. The following describes the types of collateral that secure collateral dependent loans:

A summary of current and past due loans as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 follows:

Loans are considered past due if the required principal and interest payments have not been received as of the date such payments were due based on the contractual terms of the loan.

A summary of total non-accrual loans and accruing loans 90 days or more past due as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 follows:

The Company was not committed to lend any additional funds on non-accrual loans at December 31, 2025 or 2024. The Company does not recognize interest income while loans are on non-accrual status. All payments received while on non-accrual status are applied against the principal balance of non-accrual loans.

At December 31, 2025, the Company hadno outstanding loans for which formal foreclosure proceedings were in process. At December 31, 2024, loans secured by residential real estate for which formal foreclosure proceedings were in process totaled$37,000.

Occasionally loans are modified to assist borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. We consider modifications such as term extensions, principal forgiveness, payment delays or alternate payment schedules, and alternate interest rate terms. At December 31, 2025 and 2024, loans with modifications for borrowers experiencing financial difficulty totaled $719,000 and $583,000, respectively.

During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company grantedtwo loan modifications to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty that resulted in a more than minor change in the timing or amount of contractual cash flows. The Company consolidated the debt oftwo related borrowers into a new residential mortgage loan totaling $131,000 to extend the maturity date and lower the monthly payment. The second modification in 2025 involved altering the payment schedule for a $101,000 residential mortgage loan to comply with the borrower’s bankruptcy plan. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company grantedone loan modification to a borrower experiencing financial difficulty that resulted in a more than minor change in the timing or amount of contractual cash flows. The maturity date was extended bythree years for a residential mortgage loan with a balance of $20,000. The loans modified in 2025 and 2024 for borrowers experiencing financial difficulty have performed in accordance with their terms after modification. The Company was not committed to lend any additional funds to borrowers with modified terms and experiencing financial difficulty at December 31, 2025 or 2024.

Loans are categorized by credit quality indicators based on relevant information about the ability of borrowers to service their debt, such as current financial information, historical payment experience, credit documentation, public information, and current economic trends, among other factors. Credit quality classifications follow regulatory guidelines and can generally be described as follows:

Pass – Loans in this category have strong asset quality and liquidity along with a multi-year track record of profitability.

Special Mention – Loans classified as special mention have a potential weakness that deserves management’s close attention. If left uncorrected, these potential weaknesses may result in deterioration of the repayment prospects for the loan or of the institution’s credit position at some future date.

Substandard – Loans classified as substandard are inadequately protected by the current net worth and paying capacity of the obligor or the collateral pledged, if any. Loans so classified have a well-defined weakness or weaknesses that jeopardize the liquidation of the debt. They are characterized by the distinct possibility that the institution will sustain some loss if the deficiencies are not corrected.

Doubtful – Loans classified as doubtful have all the weaknesses inherent in those classified as substandard, with the added characteristic that the weaknesses make collection or liquidation in full, on the basis of currently existing facts, conditions, and values, highly questionable and improbable.

Loss – Loans classified as loss have been identified as uncollectible and are generally charged-off in the period identified.

The information for each of the credit quality indicators is updated at least quarterly in conjunction with the determination of the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses.

The following tables present the Company’s loan portfolio by credit quality classification and origination year as of December 31, 2025 and 2024. The Company uses the latter of origination or renewal date to classify term loans into vintages. The gross charge-offs presented in the tables that follow are for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024.

NOTE 5. PREMISES AND EQUIPMENT

Premises and equipment at December 31, 2025 and 2024 are summarized as follows:

Depreciation expense totaled $422,000 and $412,000 for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

NOTE 6. DEPOSITS

Deposits at December 31, 2025 and 2024 are summarized as follows:

The estimated amount of our total uninsured deposits (that is, deposits in excess of the FDIC’s insurance limit) was $50.1 million and $53.7 million at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Certificates of deposit and other time deposits issued in denominations that exceed FDIC insurance limit of $250,000 totaled $19.5 million and $17.3 million at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, and are included in interest-bearing deposits in the statements of financial condition.

At December 31, 2025 scheduled maturities of certificates of deposits were as follows:

NOTE 7. BORROWED FUNDS

Borrowed funds and the weighted-average contractual interest rate on borrowings at December 31, 2025 and 2024 are summarized as follows:

In December of 2020, the Bank restructured$10.0 million of its long-term borrowings from the FHLB. The debt was restructured to longer maturities at current interest rates and accounted for as modification or exchange of debt. A fee for the restructuring of$1.2 million was deferred and amortized as an adjustment to interest expense using the interest method over the life of the restructured borrowings.

Interest payments are due monthly for FHLB advances. A schedule of maturities for borrowings outstanding at December 31, 2025 are as follows:

At December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company had $49.7 million and $45.7 million, respectively, in available borrowing capacity with the FHLB. Borrowings from the FHLB are secured though a blanket floating lien on real estate loans. Refer to Note 4 for more detail on loans pledged to the FHLB. The Company has a $20.0 million custodial letter of credit outstanding from the FHLB as of December 31, 2025, which is included in the calculation of our available capacity with the FHLB. The Company can allocate portions of this letter of credit to collateralize certain deposit balances in excess of the FDIC’s insurance limit as an alternative to pledging investment securities for the same purpose. At December 31, 2025, the Company used $20.0 million of the FHLB custodial letter of credit to collateralize public fund deposits.

Other available funding includes an Unsecured Federal Funds Master Purchase Agreement with First National Bankers Bank for $17.8 million. At December 31, 2025 and 2024, the credit facility was unused.

NOTE 8. INCOME TAXES

Income tax expense (benefit) for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 are summarized as follows:

Total income tax expense differed from the amounts computed by applying the U.S. federal income tax rate of 21 percent in 2025 and 2024 to income before income taxes as a result of the following:

Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. (holding company only) is subject to Louisiana income tax but has not incurred state income tax expense because of the absence of taxable income. Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. is also subject to the Louisiana Corporation Franchise Tax based on the Company’s capital not attributable to the Bank. The Bank is subject to the Louisiana Shares Tax which is imposed on the assessed value of the Bank’s capital stock. Louisiana franchise and shares tax expense are reported in aggregate within non-interest expense on the consolidated statements of income.

Income tax payments reported on the consolidated statements of cash flows reflect federal income taxes paid. No state income taxes were paid or incurred during the years ended December 31, 2025 or 2024.

Deferred taxes are recorded based upon differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities. The net deferred tax assets and liabilities in the accompanying statements of financial condition include the following components:

The net operating loss carryforward for income tax purposes totaled$924,000 and$3.6 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The carryforward does not expire and is available to offset 80% of taxable income annually.

Retained earnings at December 31, 2025 and 2024 include approximately$1.9 million accumulated prior to January 1, 1987, for whichno deferred federal income tax liability has been recognized. This amount represents an allocation of income to bad-debt deductions for tax purposes only. Reduction of amounts so allocated for purposes

other than tax bad-debt losses or adjustments arising from carryback of net operating losses would create income for tax purposes only, which would be subject to the then-current corporate income tax rate.

NOTE 9. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY AND REGULATORY MATTERS

Description of Capital Stock

The Company was incorporated by the Bank in February 2021 as part of the conversion of the Bank from the mutual to the stock form of organization (the “Conversion”). The Conversion was completed on October 12, 2021. Concurrently with consummation of the Conversion, the Company completed its initial public offering and issued 5,290,000 shares of its common stock. At December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company had common shares outstanding of 4,074,911 and 4,278,150, respectively.

The Company is authorized to issue 35,000,000 shares of capital stock, of which 30,000,000 are shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share (the “Common Stock”) and 5,000,000 are shares of preferred stock, par value $.01 per share (the “Preferred Stock”). No shares of Preferred Stock have been issued. Such preferred stock may be issued with such preferences and designations as the board of directors may from time to time determine. Our board of directors can, without shareholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting, dividend, liquidation and conversion rights which could dilute the voting strength of the holders of the Common Stock and may assist management in impeding an unfriendly takeover or attempted change in control. If we issue Preferred Stock, the holders thereof may have priority over the holders of the Common Stock with respect to dividends, liquidation, or dissolution. Holders of the Preferred Stock may also possess voting rights.

Each share of Common Stock has the same relative rights as, and are identical in all respects with, each other share of Common Stock issued. We can pay dividends if, as and when declared by our board of directors, subject to compliance with limitations which are imposed by law. The holders of Common Stock possess exclusive voting rights in the Company. They elect our board of directors and act on such other matters as are required to be presented to them under Louisiana law or our articles of incorporation or as are otherwise presented to them by the board of directors. Holders of Common Stock are not entitled to preemptive rights with respect to any shares which may be issued in the future. Common Stock is not subject to any required redemption.

Share Repurchase Plans

The Company repurchased 203,239 shares of its common stock at an average cost per share of $12.72 during the year ended December 31, 2025. Of those shares,187,150 shares were repurchased under the Company’s fifth repurchase plan announced in November 2024, and another 16,089 shares were repurchased under the Company’s sixth repurchase plan announced in November 2025 (the “November 2025 Repurchase Plan”). Since the announcement of our first share repurchase plan on January 26, 2023 and through December 31, 2025, the Company has repurchased a total of 1,215,089 shares of its common stock, or approximately 23% of the common shares originally issued, at an average cost per share of $12.06.

The Company announced the November 2025 Repurchase Plan on November 20, 2025, which authorized the Company to purchase up to 205,000 shares, or approximately 5%, of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Under the November 2025 Repurchase Plan,188,911 shares of the Company’s common stock were available for repurchase at December 31, 2025.

Regulatory Capital

The Bank is subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by its primary federal regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”). Failure to meet minimum regulatory capital requirements can result in certain mandatory and possibly additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on the financial statements of the Company and the Bank. Under the regulatory capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, the Bank must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of the Bank’s assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance-sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting

practices. The Bank’s capital amounts and classification under the prompt corrective action guidelines are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings, and other factors.

Quantitative measures established by regulation to ensure capital adequacy require the Bank to maintain minimum amounts and ratios of total risk-based capital, Tier 1 Capital to risk-weighted assets, and Tier 1 Capital to adjusted total assets. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Bank met all of the capital adequacy requirements to which it is subject.

At December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Bank was categorized as well capitalized under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action. There are no conditions or events since the most recent notification that management believes have changed the Bank’s prompt corrective action category. The following table presents actual and required capital ratios for the Bank.

NOTE 10. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

In the ordinary course of business, the Company has and expects to continue to have transactions, including borrowings, with its officers and directors. Loans to such borrowers at December 31, 2025 and 2024 are summarized as follows:

Deposits from directors and executive officers totaled $5.3 million and $5.1 million at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

NOTE 11. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

In the ordinary course of business, the Company has various outstanding commitments and contingent liabilities that are not reflected in the accompanying financial statements. In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of these matters is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial statements.

The Company is not involved in any pending legal proceedings as a plaintiff or defendant other than routine legal proceedings occurring in the ordinary course of business, and at December 31, 2025, we were not involved in any legal proceedings, the outcome of which would be material to our financial condition or results of operations.

The Company is a party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial instruments consist of unfunded commitments to extend credit. These instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of the amounts recognized in the statement of financial position. The contract or notional amounts of these instruments reflect the extent of the Company’s involvement in particular classes of instruments.

The Company’s exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instrument for commitments to extend credit is represented by the contractual notional amount of those instruments. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for on-balance-sheet instruments.

The following table summarizes the Company’s financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk as of the dates indicated.

Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as there is no violation of any condition established in the contract. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses. Since some of the commitments may possibly expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Company evaluates each customer’s creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if it is deemed necessary by the Company upon extension of credit, is based on management’s credit evaluation of the counterparty. Collateral usually consists of a first mortgage on the underlying properties.

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Company to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. Those guarantees are primarily issued to support private borrowing arrangements and are secured by passbook accounts or certificates of deposit. All letters of credit are required to be renewed annually, if applicable. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers.

The allowance for credit losses on unfunded lending commitments is recorded within “other liabilities” on the statement of financial condition. The related provision for credit losses for unfunded lending commitments is recorded with the provision for credit losses on the income statement. At December 31, 2025, the allowance for credit losses for unfunded lending commitments totaled $211,000. Refer to Note 4 for more information on changes to the allowance for credit losses for unfunded lending commitments during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.

NOTE 12. BENEFIT PLANS

401(k) Plan

The Company’s 401(k) defined contribution plan allows active participants to elect to contribute, on a tax deferred basis, a portion of their compensation not to exceed the dollar limit set by law. The plan allows employees to become eligible participants after completingone month of service and enter the 401(k) plan monthly. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, participants were permitted to make salary deferral contributions in any percentage up to 100% of the participant’s plan salary. Total contributions by each participant during each year were limited to the amount allowed by law. The Company made matching percentage contributions up to 4% of the participant’s plan salary during 2025 and 2024.

The Company incurred expense of$135,000 and$118,000 due to matching contributions during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, in connection with the plan, which are included in salaries and employee benefits expense in the statements of income.

Employee Stock Ownership Plan

In October 2021, the Company established an employee stock ownership plan (“ESOP”) for the benefit of all employees of the Company. Employees of the Company who have worked at least 500 hours in the first six months of employment and who have attained the age of 18 are eligible to participate in the ESOP. The Company made a loan to the ESOP in the amount of$4.2 million, which the ESOP used to purchase 423,200 shares. It is anticipated that contributions will be made to the ESOP in amounts necessary to amortize the debt to the Company over a period of 20 years.

Unearned or unallocated ESOP shares are not considered outstanding for financial reporting purposes and are shown as a reduction of shareholders’ equity as unallocated shares held by benefit plans. At December 31, 2025 and 2024, unallocated ESOP shares had a carrying value of $3.3 million and $3.5 million, respectively.

The Company recognizes compensation cost equal to the fair value of the ESOP shares during the periods in which they are committed to be released. To the extent that the fair value of the Company’s ESOP shares differs from the cost of such shares, the differential is credited to shareholders’ equity. The Company receives a tax deduction equal to the cost of the shares released. As the loan is internally leveraged, the loan receivable from the ESOP to the Company is not reported as an asset nor is the debt of the ESOP shown as a Company liability. For each of the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the ESOP allocated 21,160 shares. Compensation expense related to the ESOP totaled $267,000 and $247,000 for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. At December 31, 2025 and 2024, there were 333,270 and 354,430 unallocated ESOP shares, respectively, with fair values of approximately $5.2 million and $4.2 million, respectively, based on closing quoted market price per share as of such dates.

Stock-based Compensation Plans

In March 2022, the Board of Directors adopted the 2022 Stock Option Plan and the 2022 Recognition and Retention Plan and Trust Agreement (“2022 Recognition and Retention Plan”). Under the terms of both plans, officers, employees and directors selected by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors are eligible to receive benefits. The Company granted the initial awards under the 2022 Stock Option Plan and 2022 Recognition and Retention Plan on September 1, 2022.

Stock Options

A total of 529,000 shares of common stock, or 10% of the shares sold in the conversion offering, were reserved for the future issuance pursuant to the 2022 Stock Option Plan. Options to acquire shares of common stock will be awarded with an exercise price no less than the fair market value of the common stock on the grant date. All stock options granted have been issued with afive-year vesting period.

The Company estimates the fair value of each option granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The following key management assumptions were used to value the options granted during the years ended December 31:

The following table summarizes stock option activity for the periods indicated.

Total stock option expense, allocated between salaries and employee benefits expense and directors’ fees, was $283,000 and $255,000 for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. At December 31, 2025, there was $685,000 of unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options which is expected to be recognized over a period of 2.8 years.

Restricted Stock

Under the terms of the 2022 Recognition and Retention Plan, the Company contributed sufficient funds to the Recognition and Retention Plan Trust for the purchase of 211,600 shares of common stock, or 4.0% of the shares sold in the conversion offering. At December 31, 2025,142,112 shares of unallocated restricted stock were held by the 2022 Recognition and Retention Plan Trust with a carrying value of $1.8 million. At December 31, 2024,165,772 shares of unallocated restricted stock were held by the 2022 Recognition and Retention Plan Trust with a carrying value of $2.2 million. Unallocated shares of restricted stock awards are not considered outstanding for financial reporting purposes and are shown as a reduction of shareholders’ equity as unallocated shares held by benefit plans. All restricted stock awards granted have been issued with afive-year vesting period.

The following table summarizes restricted stock award activity for the periods indicated.

Total restricted stock expense, allocated between salaries and employee benefits expense and directors’ fees, was $347,000 and $310,000 for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. At December 31, 2025, there was $844,000 of unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted stock awards which is expected to be recognized over a period of 2.8 years.

NOTE 13. CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT

The largest segment of the Company’s total loan portfolio consists of one- to four-family residential real estate loans, the majority of which are secured by residential properties located in rural communities of the Acadiana region. Accordingly, the ultimate collectibility of a substantial portion of the Company’s loan portfolio and the recovery of the carrying amount of foreclosed assets are dependent upon local economic conditions.

The Company maintains deposit accounts at other financial institutions which periodically exceed the federally insured limits. Management believes that the risk is limited because of the nature and financial strength of the institutions involved.

NOTE 14. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

In accordance with fair value guidance, the Company groups its financial assets and financial liabilities generally measured at fair value in three levels, based on the markets in which the assets and liabilities are traded and the reliability of the assumptions used to determine fair value.

Level 1 — Valuation is based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 1 assets and liabilities generally include debt and equity securities that are traded in an active exchange market. Valuations are obtained from readily available pricing sources for market transactions involving identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 — Valuation is based on inputs other than quoted prices included with Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. The valuation may be based on quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term for the asset or liability.

Level 3 — Valuation is based on unobservable income inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include financial instruments whose value is determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques, as well as instruments for which determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.

Fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Fair value measurements are not adjusted for transaction costs. A fair value hierarchy is used that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quotes priced in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements).

Fair values of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis at December 31, 2025 and 2024 follow:

Fair values of assets and liabilities measured on a nonrecurring basis at December 31, 2025 and 2024 follow:

At December 31, 2025 and 2024, individually evaluated loans with a recorded investment of $147,000 and $452,000, respectively, have been written down to their fair value by a charge to the allowance for credit losses. Foreclosed assets are adjusted to fair value by recording a related gain or loss through foreclosed asset expense. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company recorded write-downs of $18,000 to adjust foreclosed assets to fair value and $102,000 in net losses on the sales of foreclosed assets. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company recorded write-downs of $37,000 to adjust foreclosed assets to fair value and $20,000 in net losses on the sales of foreclosed assets.

The fair value of foreclosed assets is estimated using third-party appraisals of the asset held less estimated costs to sell and discounts to reflect current conditions. The fair value of collateral-dependent loans individually evaluated for credit losses is estimated using third-party appraisals of the collateral less estimated costs to sell and discounts to reflect current conditions. The fair value of loans individually evaluated for credit losses that are not collateral-dependent is estimated by discounting expected cash flows using discount rates determined with reference to current market rates at which similar loans would be made.

The following table shows significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of Level 3 assets. The weighted average presented in the following table was weighted based on the undiscounted result of the valuation technique.

The methods and assumptions used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments of which it is practicable to estimate that value are described in Note 1.

The estimated fair values of the Company’s financial instruments as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 are as follows:

The carrying amounts in the preceding tables are included in the statement of financial condition under the applicable captions. It is not practical to estimate the fair value of stock in correspondent banks because the equity securities are not marketable. The carrying amount of investments without readily determinable fair value are reported in the statements of financial condition at historical cost.

NOTE 15. CONDENSED PARENT COMPANY ONLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Condensed financial statements of Catalyst Bancorp, Inc. (parent company only) are shown below.