Finward Bancorp

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Bancorp’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) promulgated under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as of December 31, 2023. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that as of December 31, 2023, the Bancorp’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Bancorp in reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and such information is accumulated and communicated to the Bancorp’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

There were no changes in the Bancorp’s internal control over financial reporting during the year ended December 31, 2023, that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to affect, the Bancorp’s internal control over financial reporting.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The management of the Bancorp is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Bancorp’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision of the Bancorp’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the Bancorp’s financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

As of December 31, 2023, management assessed the effectiveness of the Bancorp’s internal control over financial reporting based on the framework established in the “Internal Control - Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on this evaluation, management has determined that the Bancorp’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2023, based on the criteria specified.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of the Bancorp’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management's report was not subject to attestation by the Bancorp’s registered public accounting firm pursuant to Securities and Exchange Commission rules that permit the Bancorp to provide only management's report in this annual report.

Item9B. Other Information

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