BANC OF CALIFORNIA INC

General

Banc of California, Inc., a Maryland corporation, was incorporated in March 2002 and serves as the holding company for its wholly owned subsidiary, Banc of California (the “Bank”), a California state-chartered bank and a member of the FRB. When we refer to the “parent” or the “holding company,” we are referring to Banc of California, Inc., the parent company, on a stand-alone basis. When we refer to “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company,” we are referring to Banc of California, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries including the Bank, collectively. As a bank holding company, the holding company is subject to ongoing and comprehensive supervision, regulation, examination, and enforcement by the FRB. As a California state-chartered bank that is a member of the FRB, the Bank is subject to ongoing and comprehensive supervision, regulation, examination, and enforcement by the DFPI and the FRB.

On November 30, 2023, Banc of California, Inc. completed its transformational merger with PacWest Bancorp (“PacWest”), pursuant to which PacWest merged into Banc of California, Inc., with Banc of California, Inc. continuing as the surviving legal corporation, and, as of December 1, 2023, Banc of California, N.A. merged into Pacific Western Bank, with Pacific Western Bank continuing under the Banc of California name and brand as the Bank. See Note 2. Business Combinations of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information.

Our principal executive office is currently located at 11611 San Vicente Boulevard, Suite 500, Los Angeles, California, and our telephone number is (855) 361-2262. Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “BANC” and our Series F preferred depositary shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “BANC/PF.”

The Bank is one of the nation’s premier relationship-based business banks focused on providing banking and treasury management services to small-, middle-market, and venture-backed businesses. The Bank offers a broad range of loan and deposit products and services through 80 full-service branches located throughout California and in Denver, Colorado, and Durham, North Carolina, as well as through regional offices nationwide. The Bank also provides full-stack payment processing solutions through its subsidiary, Deepstack Technologies, LLC (“Deepstack”). Banc of California also serves the community association management industry nationwide with its technology-forward platform SmartStreet™. The Bank is committed to its local communities by supporting organizations that provide financial literacy and job training, small business support, affordable housing, and more.

The Bank is organized into four business groups – Commercial & Community Banking ("CCB"), Specialty Banking, Deposit Services, and Payment Solutions. CCB provides in-market relationship lending and deposit gathering through regional offices and 80 branch locations throughout California, in Denver, Colorado and in Durham, North Carolina. Specialty Banking is focused on serving clients in niche verticals by industry, including HOA (or homeowner associations), venture banking, lender finance, SBA lending, mortgage warehouse lending, media and entertainment, asset-based lending, and equipment finance. Our Deposit Services provide valuable services through tailored cash management and treasury management solutions along with corporate asset management services through our subsidiary, BAM. Our Payment Solutions includes proprietary merchant processing through our subsidiary, Deepstack, the issuance of credit cards and purchasing cards to our business clients, and transaction processing services.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company had total assets of $33.5 billion, total loans and leases held for investment of $23.8 billion, total deposits of $27.2 billion, and total stockholders’ equity of $3.5 billion.

Our Business Strategy

Our strategic objective is to continue to be one of the nation's premier relationship-based commercial banks by delivering outstanding service to our banking clients through our team's ability to collaborate, execute and perform at a level superior to our competition. This involves listening to our clients to understand their needs so that we can actively develop and deliver customized solutions to meet their business objectives. It also involves executing promptly and holding ourselves accountable to the promises we make our clients. We are focused on fostering relationships with businesses in our markets and verticals and providing an exceptional level of service.

We offer a wide variety of deposit, loan, and other financial services to small and middle-market businesses, venture capital and private equity firms, non-profit organizations, business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals and high-net worth individuals. Our deposit products include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, retirement accounts, and safe deposit boxes. Additional products and services leverage other technology and include automated bill payments, cash and treasury management, master demand accounts, foreign exchange, interest rate swaps, card payment services, remote and mobile deposit capture, automated clearing house origination, wire transfer, and direct deposit. Our lending activities are focused on providing thoughtful financing solutions to our clients. We are consistently investing in our technology infrastructure to gain operating efficiencies and to improve the client experience as we deliver our high standard of service.

We merged with PacWest Bancorp in 2023, and we acquired Deepstack in 2022 (the “Deepstack Acquisition”) and Pacific Mercantile Bancorp in 2021. We will continue to consider acquisitions that are consistent with our business strategy and financial model as opportunities arise.

Depository Products and Services

Deposits are our primary source of funds to support our interest-earning assets and provide a source of stable low-cost funds and deposit-related fee income. We offer traditional deposit products to businesses and other customers with a variety of rates and terms, including demand, money market, and time deposits. We primarily rely on our relationships from our lending activities, competitive pricing policies, marketing, and superior client service to attract and retain deposits. We also provide international banking services, multi-state deposit services, and asset management services. The Bank’s deposits are insured by the DIF of the FDIC up to applicable legal limits. The Bank is a participant in the IntraFi Network, a product that offers deposit placement services such as ICS and CDARS, and other reciprocal deposit networks which offer products that qualify large deposits for FDIC insurance. These products spread a customer's large deposit account among other banks in the network to increase the amount of FDIC insurance for that customer and to help us retain the customer's entire banking relationship.

Our branch network allows us to gather deposits, expand our brand presence, and service our customers’ banking and cash management needs. We also serve our customers through a wide range of non-branch channels, including online, mobile, remote deposit, and telephone banking platforms, all of which allows us to expand our service area to attract new depositors without a commensurate increase in branch locations or branch traffic.

At December 31, 2024, we had ATMsat 69 of our branches located in California and one ATM at our branch in Denver, Colorado. We provide access to customer accounts via a 24-hour seven-day-a-week, toll-free, automated telephone customer service and secure online banking services.

At December 31, 2024, our total deposits were $27.2 billion and consisted of $7.7 billion in noninterest-bearing deposits, $7.6 billion in interest-bearing checking accounts, $5.4 billion in money market accounts, $1.9 billion in savings accounts, and $4.6 billion in time deposits. Our deposits are diversified and are a mix of deposits from small-, middle-market, and venture-backed businesses, HOA management companies and many are related to lending relationships to a diversified client base. The Company is not dependent upon any single or limited number of customers, the loss of which would have a material adverse effect on the Company. As of December 31, 2024, there were no customer relationships that individually represented more than 10% of our total deposits or our revenues.

We face strong competition in gathering deposits from nationwide, regional, and community banks, credit unions, money market funds, brokerage firms, and other non-bank financial services companies that target the same customers as we do. We actively compete for deposits and emphasize solicitation of noninterest-bearing deposits. We seek to provide a higher level of personal service than our larger competitors, many of whom have more assets, capital, and resources than we do and who may be able to conduct more intensive and broader based promotional efforts to reach potential customers. Our cost of funds fluctuates with market interest rates and may be affected by higher rates being offered by other financial institutions. In certain interest rate environments, additional significant competition for deposits may be expected to arise from corporate and government debt securities and money market mutual funds. Competition for deposits is also affected by the ease with which customers can transfer deposits from one institution to another.

Client Investment Funds

In addition to deposit products, we also offer select clients non-depository cash investment options through BAM, our SEC registered investment adviser subsidiary, and third-party money market sweep products. BAM provides customized investment advisory and asset management solutions. At December 31, 2024, total off-balance sheet client investment funds were $1.5 billion, of which $0.7 billion was managed by BAM. At December 31, 2023, total off-balance sheet client investment funds were $0.6 billion, of which $0.2 billion was managed by BAM.

Payment Processing

Payments processing is dedicated to providing comprehensive card issuing, merchant acquiring, and sponsorship programs, while also developing a robust banking-as-a-service offering. We continue to focus on providing streamlined and secure payments solutions. In 2024, we successfully developed and implemented a new card issuing platform, along with delivering a new corporate payments card offering and mobile card application controls. The team enhanced the infrastructure and security measures, which includes transaction monitoring enhancements to ensure robust and reliable processing. We continue to build our products and services, which includes developing point of sales solutions and payments hub process platform that will enable RTP and FedNow.

Lending Activities

At December 31, 2024 and 2023, total loans and leases held for investment were $23.8 billion and $25.5 billion. Our lending activities include real estate mortgage loans, real estate construction and land loans, commercial loans and leases, purchased single-family residential mortgage loans, and a small amount of consumer loans. Our commercial real estate loans and real estate construction loans are secured by a range of property types. Included in our commercial real estate loans and real estate construction loans are business-purpose loans secured by non-owner-occupied residential investment properties provided by Civic, a wholly-owned subsidiary. Our commercial loans and leases portfolio is diverse and generally includes various asset-secured loans, equipment-secured loans and leases, venture capital loans to support venture capital firms’ operations and the operations of entrepreneurial and venture-backed companies during the various stages of their early life cycles, warehouse loans, and secured business loans originated through our CCB group.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, we decided to cease originating new loans to finance life insurance premiums and will allow these loans to repay upon maturities. At December 31, 2024, there were $546.4 million of premium finance loans outstanding.

In the second quarter of 2023, we divested non-core loan portfolios, which included selling:

•the National Construction portfolio, including $2.6 billion of loans and $2.3 billion of unfunded commitments,

•the Lender Finance portfolio, including $2.1 billion of loans and $0.2 billion of unfunded commitments,

•and a portion of the Civic portfolio, including $521 million of loans and $24 million of unfunded commitments.

In the third quarter of 2024, we sold an additional $1.95 billion of Civic loans. We also repurchased at par $319 million of the Lender Finance portfolio for which we had retained servicing, moving this back to our core loan portfolio.

We price loans to preserve our interest spread and maintain our net interest margin. Loan interest rates may be floating, fixed, or a combination thereof (“hybrid”) throughout the loan term. The rates on hybrid loans typically are fixed until a “reset” date when the rates then become floating. While we do not actively solicit direct consumer loans, we hold consumer loans, consisting primarily of purchased single-family residential mortgage loans and purchased private student loans for which the servicing is outsourced. We purchased $103 million of single-family residential mortgage loans in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Some of our loans are participations in larger loans, and these participations may be considered shared national credits. A SNC is any loan or commitment to extend credit aggregating $100 million or more at origination, committed under a formal lending arrangement, and shared by three or more unaffiliated supervised institutions. The SNC program is governed by an inter-agency agreement among the FRB, the FDIC, and the OCC. These agencies review a selection of SNCs periodically, with such review conducted at the lead or agent bank, and deliver a credit risk rating to the participants holding the loans. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had SNC loans held for investment to 16 borrowers that totaled $208 million and to 16 borrowers that totaled $187 million. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, SNC loans held for investment comprised 0.9% and 0.7% of total loans and leases held for investment.

Real Estate Mortgage Loans and Real Estate Construction and Land Loans

Our real estate lending activities focus primarily on loans to professional developers and real estate investors for the acquisition, construction, refinancing, renovation, and on-going operation of commercial real estate. We also provide commercial real estate loans to borrowers operating businesses at these sites (owner occupied commercial real estate loans), including loans to municipalities, schools and school districts, and non-profit borrowers as part of our tax-exempt lending business line.

Our real estate secured loans include the following specific lending products:

•Commercial real estate mortgage. Our commercial real estate mortgage loans generally are collateralized by first deeds of trust on specific commercial properties. The most prevalent types of properties securing our commercial real estate loans are office properties, hotels, retail properties, and industrial properties. The properties are typically located in major metropolitan areas across the United States with a significant concentration of collateral properties located in California within our branch footprint. Our commercial real estate loans typically either have interest and principal payments due on an amortization schedule ranging from 25 to 30 years with a lump sum balloon payment due in one to ten years or may have an initial interest-only period followed by an amortization schedule with a lump sum balloon payment due in one to ten years. We also provide commercial real estate secured loans under the SBA's 7(a) Program and 504 Program. Compliant SBA 7(a) loans have an SBA guaranty for 75% of the principal balance. SBA 504 loans are first deed of trust mortgage loans on owner occupied commercial real estate which are 50% loan-to-value at origination where a second deed of trust is also provided by a non-profit certified development company. The SBA 7(a) and 504 mortgage loans repay on a 25-year amortization schedule.

•Residential real estate mortgage. Our residential real estate mortgage loans generally are collateralized by first deeds of trust on multi-family and other residential properties. Multi-family properties comprised 68% of our residential real estate mortgage loans at December 31, 2024. Other types of properties securing these loans include non-owner occupied for-rent residential properties, owner-occupied single-family properties, and mobile home parks. During 2022 and prior years, we directly originated and purchased from other banks multi-family secured real estate mortgage loans. During December 2022, we decided to curtail the amount of multi-family secured real estate mortgage loans we originate and no longer purchase these loans. Multi-family loans either repay on a 30-year amortization schedule or may have an initial interest-only period (typically up to two years) and then repay on a 30-year amortization schedule. During 2022 and prior years, we purchased single-family residential mortgage loans that met our established lending criteria from multiple third-party lenders. Civic, a lending subsidiary, up until the second quarter of 2023 originated business-purpose loans to real estate investors for short-term bridge loans, longer-term loans secured by for-rent residential properties, and, to a lesser extent, loans on multi-family properties. In the second quarter of 2023, we ceased making new originations of Civic loans. We divested a portion of this non-core loan portfolio in 2023 and 2024, and continued to run off the remaining portfolio.

•Real estate construction and land. Our real estate construction and land loans generally are collateralized by first deeds of trust on specific residential and commercial properties. The most prevalent types of properties securing our construction and land loans are multi-family, residential properties undergoing a substantial renovation, and office properties (primarily medical office and life science space). Construction loans typically finance from 60% to 65% of the cost to construct residential and commercial properties. The terms are generally one to three years with short-term, performance-based extension options. Civic, a lending subsidiary, up until the second quarter of 2023 originated business-purpose loans secured by non-owner-occupied residential properties undergoing renovation. In the second quarter of 2023, we ceased making new originations of Civic loans. We divested a portion of this non-core loan portfolio in 2023 and 2024, and continued to run off the remaining portfolio.

Our real estate portfolio is subject to certain risks including, but not limited to, the following:

•increased competition in pricing and loan structure;

•the economic conditions of the United States and in the markets where we lend;

•decreased demand or decreased values as a result of legislative changes such as new rent control laws, and permanent shifts in corporate work environment such as remote working and consumer behavior such as online retail;

•changes in interest rate;

•decreased commercial and residential real estate values in the markets where we lend;

•the borrower's inability to repay our loan due to decreased cash flow or operating losses;

•the borrower’s inability to refinance or payoff our loan upon maturity;

•loss of our loan principal stemming from a collateral foreclosure; and

•various environmental risks, including natural disasters.

In addition to the points above, real estate construction loans are also subject to project-specific risks including, but not limited to, the following:

•construction costs being more than anticipated;

•construction taking longer than anticipated;

•failure by developers and contractors to meet project specifications or timelines;

•disagreement between contractors, subcontractors and developers;

•estimated value and/or demand for completed projects being less than anticipated, particularly in a weaker economy or recession; and

•buyers of the completed projects not being able to secure permanent financing.

Many of the risks outlined above result from market conditions and are not controllable by us. When considering the markets in which to pursue real estate loans, we consider the market conditions, our current loan portfolio concentrations by property type and by market, and our past experiences with the borrower, within the specific market, and with the property type.

When underwriting real estate loans, we seek to mitigate risk by using the following framework:

•requiring borrowers to invest and maintain a meaningful cash equity interest in the properties securing our loans;

•reviewing each loan request and renewal individually;

•using a credit committee approval process for the approval of loan requests (or aggregated credit exposures) over a certain dollar amount;

•adhering to written loan acceptance standards, including among other factors, maximum loan to acquisition or construction cost ratios, maximum loan to as-is or stabilized value ratios, and minimum operating cash flow requirements;

•considering market rental and occupancy rates relative to our underwritten or projected rental and occupancy rates;

•considering the experience of our borrowers and our borrowers’ abilities to operate and manage the properties securing our loans;

•evaluating the supply of comparable real estate and new supply under construction in the collateral's market area;

•obtaining independent third-party appraisals that are reviewed by our appraisal department;

•obtaining environmental risk assessments; and

•obtaining seismic studies where appropriate.

With respect to real estate construction loans, in addition to the points above, we attempt to mitigate project-specific risks by:

•considering the experience of our borrowers and our borrowers’ abilities to manage the properties during construction and into the stabilization periods;

•obtaining project completion guaranties from our borrowers;

•including covenants in our construction loan agreements that require the borrowers to fund costs that exceed the initial construction budgets;

•implementing a controlled disbursement process for loan proceeds in accordance with an agreed upon schedule, which usually results in the borrowers' equity being invested before loan advances commence and which ensures the costs to complete the projects are in balance with our remaining unfunded loan commitments;

•conducting project site visits and using construction consultants who review the progress of the project; and

•monitoring the construction costs compared to the budgeted costs and the remaining costs to complete.

SBA 7(a) and 504 program loans are subject to the risks outlined above and the risk that an SBA 7(a) guaranty may be invalid if specific SBA procedures are not followed. We mitigate this risk by adhering to SBA requirements.

Commercial Loans and Leases

Our commercial loans and leases portfolio is diverse and includes various asset-secured loans, equipment-secured loans and leases, venture capital loans to support venture capital firms’ operations and the operations of entrepreneurial and venture-backed companies, warehouse loans, and business loans originated through our CCB group. Commercial loan and lease growth also assists in the growth of our deposits because many commercial loan borrowers establish deposit accounts and utilize treasury management services. Those deposit accounts help us to reduce the overall cost of funds, and those banking service relationships provide a source of noninterest fee income.

Our commercial loans and leases include the following specific lending products:

•Lender finance. These are loans to companies used to purchase finance receivables or extend finance receivables to the underlying obligors and are secured primarily by the finance receivables owed to our borrowers. The borrowers include lenders to small businesses, commercial real estate lenders, consumer lenders, and alternative asset managers. The primary sources of repayment are the operating incomes of the borrowers and the collection of the finance receivables securing the loans. The loans are typically revolving lines of credit with terms of one to three years with contractual borrowing availability as a percentage of eligible collateral.

•Equipment finance. These are loans and leases used to purchase equipment essential to the operations of our borrowers or lessees. Equipment finance loans are secured by the equipment financed, and we own and lease the equipment to the lessees. The primary source of repayment is the operating income of the borrower or lessee. The loan and lease terms are two to ten years and generally amortize to either a full repayment or residual balance or investment that is expected to be collected through a sale of the equipment to the lessee or a third party.

•Other asset-based. These are loans used for working capital and are secured by trade accounts receivable and/or inventories. The primary sources of repayment are the operating incomes of the borrowers, the collection of the receivables securing the loans, and/or the sale of the inventories securing the loans. The loans are typically revolving lines of credit with terms of one to three years with contractual borrowing availability as a percentage of eligible collateral.

•Venture capital. These are loans directly to venture capital firms or loans to venture-backed companies and are composed of two categories: Fund Finance and Portfolio Company lending. Fund Finance loans are loans made directly to venture capital firms, private equity funds, venture capital funds, and venture capital management companies to provide a bridge to the receipt of capital calls and to support the borrowers’ working capital needs, such as the cost of raising a new venture fund or leasehold improvements for new office space. The primary sources of repayment are receipt of capital calls, proceeds from sales of portfolio company investments, and management fees. The loan terms are generally one to four years, and the loans are typically secured by a first position lien on the assets of the business, an assignment of capital call rights and/or an assignment of management fees. Portfolio Company lending involves loans made to venture-backed companies to support the borrowers’ operations, including operating losses, working capital requirements, and fixed asset and other acquisitions. The borrowers are at various stages in their development (early, expansion, or late), and are, generally, reporting operating losses. We typically lend to portfolio companies in two industries: technology, where the portfolio companies are involved in the creation or development of technology or product that has a sizeable market opportunity; and life sciences, where the portfolio companies are involved in the creation and/or development of new medical technology or pharmaceuticals. In each case, the portfolio company has received significant investment from venture capital firms well known to the Bank and lending is customarily a bridge between funding rounds. The primary sources of repayment are future additional venture capital equity investments or the sale of the company or its assets. The loan terms are generally one to four years, and the loans are typically secured by a first priority, secured blanket lien on all corporate assets and/or a lien on intellectual property.

•Secured business. These are secured business loans originated through the CCB group. The primary source of repayment is the cash flow of the borrowers. The loans can be up to five years and are secured by a specific asset or assets of the borrower.

•Warehouse loans. Warehouse lending is a line of credit given to a loan originator, the funds from which are used to originate or purchase mortgage loans. The loans have one year terms and generally renew annually. The primary sources of repayment are the sale in the secondary market, either directly or through securitization, of the mortgage loans funded on the warehouse line.

•Other lending. Loans aggregated into the category of “Other lending” are various commercial loan types including the CCB group business loans, loans to homeowner associations, loans to municipalities and non-profit borrowers, and SBA 7(a) loans for small business expansion. The primary sources of repayments for the CCB group business loans, non-profit borrowers, and SBA 7(a) business expansion loans are the operations of the borrowers. The primary sources of repayment for loans to municipalities are tax collections from their tax jurisdictions.

Our portfolio of commercial loans and leases is subject to certain risks including, but not limited to, the following:

•the economic conditions of the United States;

•changes in interest rate;

•deterioration of the value of the underlying collateral;

•increased competition in pricing and loan structure;

•the deterioration of a borrower’s or guarantor’s financial capabilities; and

•various environmental risks, including natural disasters, which can negatively affect a borrower’s business.

When underwriting commercial loans and leases, we seek to mitigate risk by using the following framework:

•considering the prospects for the borrower's industry and competition;

•considering our past experience with the borrower and with the collateral type;

•considering our current loan and lease portfolio concentration by loan type and collateral type;

•reviewing each loan request and renewal individually;

•using our credit committee approval process for the approval of each loan request (or aggregate credit exposure) over a certain dollar amount; and

•adhering to written loan underwriting policies and procedures including, among other factors, loan structures and covenants.

We actively manage real estate and commercial loans and seek to mitigate credit risk on most loans by using the following framework:

•monitoring the economic conditions in the regions or areas in which our borrowers are operating;

•measuring operating performance of our borrower or collateral and comparing it to our underwriting expectations;

•assessing compliance with financial and operating covenants as set forth in our loan agreements and considering the effects of incidences of noncompliance and taking corrective actions;

•assigning a credit risk rating to each loan and ensuring the accuracy of our credit risk ratings by using an independent credit review function to assess the appropriateness of the credit risk ratings assigned to loans;

•conducting loan portfolio review meetings where senior management and members of credit administration discuss the credit status and related action plans on loans with unfavorable credit risk ratings; and

•subjecting loan modifications and loan renewal requests to underwriting and assessment standards similar to the underwriting and assessment standards applied before closing the loans.

Consumer Loans

Consumer loans are primarily purchased private student loans originated and serviced by third parties and not guaranteed by any program of the U.S. Government. These loans refinanced the outstanding student loan debt of borrowers who met certain underwriting criteria, with terms that fully amortize the debt over terms ranging from five to twenty years. Consumer loans internally originated may also include personal loans, auto loans, home equity lines of credit, revolving lines of credit, and other loans typically made by banks to individual borrowers.

Our consumer loan portfolio is subject to certain risks, including, but not limited to, the following:

•the economic conditions of the United States and the levels of unemployment;

•the amount of credit offered to consumers in the market;

•interest rate increases;

•consumer bankruptcy laws which allow consumers to discharge certain debts (excluding student loans);

•compliance with consumer lending regulations;

•additional regulations and oversight by the CFPB; and

•the ability of the sub-servicers of the Bank’s student loans to service the loans in accordance with the terms of the loan purchase agreements.

We seek to mitigate the exposure to such risks through the direct approval of all internally originated consumer loans by reviewing each new loan request and each renewal individually and adhering to written credit policies. Each purchased pool of loans must meet thresholds we have established for weighted average credit scores, weighted average borrower annual income, and weighted average borrower monthly free cash flow. For all purchased student loans, we monitor the performance of the originator and the enforcement of our rights under the loan purchase agreement.

Loan Concentrations

The following table presents the composition of our loans and leases held for investment by loan portfolio segment and class as of the dates indicated:

(1) Includes land and acquisition and development loans of $223.9 million at December 31, 2024, $228.9 million at December 31, 2023, and $153.5 million at December 31, 2022.

The real estate mortgage loan portfolio is diversified among various property types. At December 31, 2024, the three largest property types securing real estate mortgage loans were multi-family properties, single-family residential properties, and industrial properties, which comprised 45%, 18%, and 8% of our real estate mortgage loans, respectively. At December 31, 2023, the three largest property types securing real estate mortgage loans were multi-family properties, single-family residential properties, and office properties, which comprised 38%, 29% and 7% of our real estate mortgage loans, respectively.

At December 31, 2024 and 2023,31%, and 40% of the total commercial real estate mortgage loans were owner occupied (where our borrowers were operating businesses on the premises that collateralize our loans).

The real estate construction and land loan portfolio is diversified among various property types. At December 31, 2024, the three largest property types for real estate construction and land loans were multi-family properties, industrial properties, and office land, which comprised 72%, 8% and 5% of our real estate construction and land loans, respectively. At December 31, 2023, the three largest property types for real estate construction and land loans were multi-family properties, industrial properties, and commercial land, which comprised 72%, 6%, and 5% of our real estate construction and land loans, respectively.

Financing

We depend on deposits, including brokered deposits, and external financing sources to fund our operations. We employ a variety of financing arrangements, including term debt, subordinated debt, and equity. As a member of the FHLB, the Bank had secured financing capacity with the FHLB as of December 31, 2024 of $6.9 billion, collateralized by a blanket lien on $10.5 billion of qualifying loans and $19.8 million of securities. The Bank also had secured financing capacity with the FRBSF of $6.3 billion as of December 31, 2024 collateralized by liens on $5.9 billion of qualifying loans and $1.5 billion of securities.

Information Technology Systems

We devote significant financial and management resources to maintain stable, reliable, efficient, secure, and scalable information technology systems. Where possible, we utilize third-party software systems that are hosted and supported by nationally recognized vendors. We work with our third-party vendors to monitor and maximize the efficiency of our use of their applications. We use integrated systems to originate and process loans and deposit accounts, which reduces processing time, automates numerous internal controls, improves customer experiences and reduces costs. Most customer records are maintained digitally. We also provide online, mobile, and telephone banking services to further improve the overall client experience.

We use an enterprise data warehouse system in order to aggregate, analyze, and report key metrics associated with our customers and products. Data is collected across multiple systems so that standard and ad hoc reports are available to assist with managing our business.

We maintain an information technology strategic plan. This plan defines the overall innovation and technology agenda and vision, tracks information technology and information security trends and priorities, and provides details on information technology initiatives over the next several years. Through our annual information technology budgeting process, we analyze our infrastructure for capacity planning, detail migration plans to replace aging hardware and software, and resource plan for internal and external information technology staffing needs against planned initiatives.

Protecting our systems to ensure the safety of customer information is critical to our business. We use multiple layers of protection to control access, detect unusual activity, and reduce risk. We regularly conduct a variety of audits and vulnerability and penetration tests on our platforms, systems, and applications and maintain comprehensive incident response plans to minimize potential risks, including cyber-attacks. To protect our business operations against disasters, we have a backup off-site core processing system and comprehensive recovery plans.

Risk Oversight and Management

We believe risk management is another core competency of our business. We have a comprehensive risk management process that measures, monitors, evaluates, and manages the risks we assume in conducting our activities. Our oversight of this risk management process is conducted by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and its standing committees. The committees each report to the Board and the Board has overall oversight responsibility for risk management.

Our risk framework is structured to guide decisions regarding the appropriate balance between risk and return considerations in our business. Our risk framework is based upon our business strategy, risk appetite, and financial plans approved by our Board. Our risk framework is supported by an enterprise risk management program. Our enterprise risk management program integrates all risk efforts under one common framework. This framework includes risk policies, procedures, measured and reported limits and targets, and reporting. Our Board approves our risk appetite statement, which sets forth the amount and type of risks we are willing to accept in pursuit of achieving our strategic, business, and financial objectives. Our risk appetite statement provides the context for our risk management tools, including, among others, risk policies, limits, portfolio composition, underwriting standards, and operational processes.

Competition

The banking business is highly competitive. We compete nationwide with other commercial banks and financial services institutions for loans and leases, deposits, and employees. Some of these competitors are larger in total assets and capitalization, with more offices over a wider geographic area and offer a broader range of financial services than our operations. Our most direct competition for loans comes from larger regional and national banks, diversified finance companies, venture debt funds, and community banks that target the same customers as we do. In recent years, competition has increased from institutions not subject to the same regulatory restrictions as domestic banks and bank holding companies. Those competitors include non-bank specialty lenders, insurance companies, private investment funds, investment banks, financial technology companies, and other financial and non-financial institutions.

Competition is based on a number of factors, including interest rates charged on loans and leases and paid on deposits, underwriting standards, loan covenants, required guarantees, the scope and type of banking and financial services offered, convenience of our branch locations, customer service, technological changes, and regulatory constraints. Many of our competitors are large companies that have substantial capital, technological, and marketing resources. Some of our competitors have substantial market positions and have access to a lower cost of capital or a less expensive source of funds. Because of economies of scale, our larger, nationwide competitors may offer loan pricing that is more attractive than what we are willing to offer.

Economic factors, along with legislative and technological changes, will have an ongoing impact on the competitive environment within the financial services industry. We work to anticipate and adapt to dynamic competitive conditions whether it is by developing and marketing innovative products and services, adopting or developing new technologies that differentiate our products and services, cross marketing, or providing highly personalized banking services. We strive to distinguish ourselves from other banks and financial services providers in our marketplace by providing an extremely high level of service to enhance customer loyalty and to attract and retain business.

We differentiate ourselves in the marketplace through the quality of service we provide to borrowers while maintaining competitive interest rates, loan fees and other loan terms. We emphasize personalized relationship banking services and the efficient decision-making of our lending business units. We compete effectively based on our in-depth knowledge of our borrowers' industries and their business needs based upon information received from our borrowers' key decision-makers, analysis by our experienced professionals, and interaction between these two groups; our breadth of loan product offerings and flexible and creative approach to structuring products that meet our borrowers' business and timing needs; and our dedication to superior client service. However, we can provide no assurance as to the effectiveness of these efforts on our future business or results of operations, as to our continued ability to anticipate and adapt to changing conditions, and as to sufficiently improving our services and banking products in order to successfully compete in the marketplace.

Human Capital Management

Our human capital strategy empowers people to build a high-performing culture. Among our core business objectives are talent development and creating an environment where everyone has an opportunity to succeed. Our business strategy is to operate a client-focused, well-capitalized, and profitable nationwide bank dedicated to providing personal service to our business and individual customers. Our team members are our most important assets, and they set the foundation for our ability to achieve our strategic objectives. We believe that we have a competitive advantage in the markets we serve because of our long-standing reputation for providing superior, relationship-based customer service. In order to continue to provide the expertise and customer service for which we are known, it is crucial that we continue to attract, retain, and develop top talent. To facilitate talent attraction and retention, we strive to make the Bank an inclusive and safe workplace, with opportunities for our team members to grow and advance in their careers, supported by strong compensation, benefits, and health and wellness programs.

Oversight and Management

We strive to attract, develop, and retain highly qualified team members for each role in the organization. Working under this principle, our Human Resources Department is tasked with managing employment-related matters, including recruiting and hiring, onboarding and training, compensation planning, performance management, and professional development. Our Board of Directors and Compensation, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee provide oversight on certain human capital matters, including our compensation and benefit programs. As noted in its charter, our Compensation, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for periodically reviewing employee compensation programs and initiatives to ensure they are competitive and aligned with our stockholders’ long-term interests, including incentives and benefits, as well as our succession planning and strategies. Our Compensation, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also works closely with the Enterprise Risk Committee to monitor current and emerging human capital management risks and to mitigate exposure to those risks.

Demographics

At December 31, 2024, we had 1,903 full-time, part-time, and temporary employees, the overwhelming majority of which were full-time employees. None of the Company’s employees are represented by a labor union or by collective bargaining agreements.

Human Capital Management Objectives

Our key human capital management objectives are to attract, retain, and develop the highest quality talent. To support these objectives, our human resources programs are designed to develop talent to prepare them for critical roles and leadership positions for the future, reward and support team members through competitive pay, benefit, and perquisite programs, enhance the Company’s culture through efforts aimed at making the workplace more engaging and inclusive, acquire talent, and facilitate internal talent mobility to create a high-performing, diverse workforce, and evolve and invest in technology, tools and resources to enable team members to effectively and efficiently perform their responsibilities and achieve their full potential.

Some examples of key programs and initiatives that are focused to attract, develop and retain our workforce include:

Compensation and Benefits. The philosophy and objectives underlying our compensation programs are to employ and retain talented team members to ensure we execute on our business goals, drive short- and long-term profitable growth of the Company, and create long-term stockholder value. In allocating total compensation, we seek to provide competitive levels of fixed compensation (base salary) and, through annual and long-term incentives, provide for increased total compensation when performance objectives are met or exceeded and appropriately lower total compensation if performance objectives are not met. Specifically:

•We provide employee wages that are competitive and consistent with employee positions, skill levels, experience and knowledge. As of December 31, 2024, our minimum starting wage is $20 per hour.

•We engage nationally recognized outside compensation and benefits consulting firms to independently evaluate the effectiveness of our compensation and benefit programs and to provide benchmarking against our peers within the industry. These reviews have resulted in our reducing the employee cost of our health insurance for our plans and providing best in class 401(k) match to be more in-line with our peers and making the match fully vested immediately.

•We align our executives’ long-term equity compensation with our stockholders’ interests by linking realizable pay with Company performance.

•Annual increases and incentive compensation are based on merit, which is communicated to employees at the time of hiring and documented through our talent management process as part of our annual review procedures and upon internal transfer and/or promotion.

•All full-time employees are eligible for health insurance (medical, dental, and vision), paid and unpaid leaves, 401(k) benefits, life and disability/accident coverage, enhanced mental health offerings, and employee assistance programs. We also offer a variety of voluntary benefits that allow employees to select the options that meet their personal and family needs, including health savings and flexible spending accounts, paid parental leave, public transportation reimbursement, personalized wellness programs, and a tuition reimbursement program.

Health, Safety and Wellness. The health, safety, and wellness of our team members is fundamentally connected to the success of our business. We provide our team members and their families with access to a variety of flexible, convenient, and innovative health and wellness programs to help them improve or maintain their physical and mental well-being. The safety of our team members and customers is paramount. We strive to ensure that all team members feel safe in their respective work environment. We closely monitor external developments and governmental regulations regarding workplace safety and employee health and adjust our policies and procedures accordingly.

Talent Development. We believe that creating an environment which encourages continual learning and development is essential for us to maintain a high level of service and to achieve our goal to have every team member feel that they are a valued member of a successful company. This is why we have implemented a variety of learning and development resources for all levels of employees across the Bank. Team members have access to more than 20,000 training resources online to foster personal and professional development with enhanced training centered on building strong relationships and always striving to be client focused. We also offer team members career development resources, including individual development plans, an internship program, a mentorship program, leadership and management programs, and tuition reimbursement. Through our talent management processes of goal setting, performance reviews, succession planning, career development, and encouraging internal mobility, we strive to continually develop our people and meet the dynamic needs of our customers.

Culture of Inclusion. We aspire to have a highly talented workforce that also reflects the diversity of the communities in which we operate and of the clients we serve. We take pride in providing equal employment opportunities and building a workplace culture where all team members feel supported and respected, and have equal access to career and development opportunities without regard to race, religion/creed, color, national origin, age, marital status, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Financial and Statistical Disclosure

Certain of our statistical information is presented within “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.” This information should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements contained in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Supervision and Regulation

General

We are extensively regulated under federal and state laws. As a bank holding company, Banc of California, Inc. (the “Company”) is subject to the BHCA and is subject to ongoing and comprehensive supervision, regulation, examination and enforcement by the FRB. The FRB’s jurisdiction also extends to any company that is directly or indirectly controlled by a bank holding company. The Company has also elected to be a financial holding company under the BHCA. As a California state-chartered bank that is a member of the FRB, the Bank is subject to ongoing and comprehensive supervision, regulation, examination and enforcement by the DFPI and the FRB. In addition, as an FDIC-insured depository institution, the Bank is also subject to regulation by the FDIC.

Federal and state laws and regulations generally applicable to financial institutions regulate the Company’s and the Bank’s scope of business, investments, reserves against deposits, capital levels, the nature and amount of collateral for loans, the establishment of branches, mergers, acquisitions, dividends, and other matters. This regulation and supervision by the banking agencies is intended primarily for the protection of clients and depositors, the public, the stability of the U.S. financial system, and the DIF administered by the FDIC and not for the benefit of stockholders or debt holders. Statutes, regulations and policies govern, among other things, the scope of activities that we may conduct and the manner in which we may conduct them; our business plan and growth; our board, management, and risk management infrastructure; the type, terms, and pricing of our products and services; our loan and investment portfolio; our capital and liquidity levels; our reserves against deposits; our ability to pay dividends, buy-back stock or distribute capital; and our ability to engage in mergers, acquisitions and other strategic initiatives. The legal and regulatory framework is continually under review by legislatures, regulators and other governmental bodies, and changes regularly occur through the enactment or amendment of laws and regulations or through shifts in policy, implementation or enforcement. We expect that the change in presidential administration will result in a regulatory agenda that differs from that of the previous presidential administration, which could lead to significant impacts on the rulemaking, supervision, examination and enforcement priorities of federal agencies, including the federal banking agencies. We will continue to monitor regulatory developments and assess their impacts on the Company.

The description of regulatory requirements below, as well as other descriptions of laws and regulations in this Form 10-K, is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to applicable laws and regulations, is not intended to summarize all laws and regulations applicable to us and our subsidiaries, and is based upon the statutes, regulations, policies, interpretive letters and other written guidance that are in effect as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Banc of California, Inc.

Permissible Activities. In general, the BHCA limits the activities permissible for bank holding companies to the business of banking, managing or controlling banks and such other activities as the FRB has determined to be so closely related to banking as to be properly incidental thereto.

As a bank holding company that has elected to be a financial holding company pursuant to the BHCA, the Company may affiliate with securities firms and insurance companies and engage, directly or indirectly, in other activities that are (i) financial in nature or incidental, or (ii) complementary to activities that are financial in nature and that do not pose a substantial risk to the safety and soundness of depository institutions or the financial system generally. “Financial in nature” activities include securities underwriting, dealing and market making; sponsoring mutual funds and investment companies; insurance underwriting and agency; and merchant banking.

For a bank holding company to be and remain eligible for financial holding company status, the bank holding company and each of its subsidiary U.S. depository institutions must be “well capitalized” and “well managed,” and each of its subsidiary U.S. depository institutions must have received at least a “satisfactory” rating on its most recent assessment under the CRA. If the bank holding company fails to meet applicable standards for financial holding company status, it may be restricted from engaging in new types of financial activities or making certain types of acquisitions or investments in reliance on its status as a financial holding company or other restrictions. If restrictions are imposed on the activities of a financial holding company, such information may not necessarily be available to the public.

The bank regulatory framework requires that we obtain prior approval of one or more regulators for various initiatives or corporate actions, including certain acquisitions or investments and the establishment of branches. Regulators take into account a range of factors in determining whether to grant a requested approval, including the supervisory status of the applicant and its affiliates. Thus, there is no guarantee that a particular proposal by us would receive the required regulatory approvals.

Acquisitions. The BHCA and regulations thereunder require every bank holding company to obtain the prior approval of the FRB before it: (i) may acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of any voting shares of any bank or savings and loan association, if after such acquisition, the bank holding company will directly or indirectly own or control 5% or more of the voting shares of the institution; (ii) or any of its subsidiaries, other than a bank, may acquire all or substantially all of the assets of any bank or savings and loan association; or (iii) may merge or consolidate with any other bank holding company. In reviewing applications seeking approval of merger and acquisition transactions, the bank regulatory authorities will consider, among other things, the competitive effect and public benefits of the transactions, the capital position of the combined organization, the risks to the stability of the U.S. banking or financial system, the applicant’s managerial and financial resources, the applicant’s performance record under the CRA, fair housing laws and other consumer compliance laws, and the effectiveness of the banks in combating money laundering activities.

Capital Requirements. As a bank holding company, the Company is subject to the regulations of the FRB imposing capital requirements for a bank holding company, which establish a capital framework as described in “Capital Requirements and Prompt Corrective Action” below. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had capital ratios in excess of the minimums required to be considered “well capitalized.”

Repurchases/Redemptions; Dividends. The ability of the Company to buy back stock and make capital distributions is limited by regulatory capital rules and other aspects of the regulatory framework. The Federal Reserve Board's Regulation Y, for example, generally requires a bank holding company to give the FRB prior notice of any purchase or redemption of its equity securities if the consideration for the purchase or redemption, when combined with the consideration for all such purchases or redemptions in the preceding 12 months, is equal to 10% or more of its consolidated net worth. Notice to the FRB would include, but may not be limited to, background information on a redemption, pro forma financial statements that reflect the planned transaction including impact to a bank holding company, and stress testing that incorporates the transaction. The FRB may disapprove such a purchase or redemption if it determines that the proposal would be an unsafe or unsound practice or would violate any law, regulation, FRB order, or condition imposed in writing by the FRB. This notification requirement does not apply to a bank holding company that qualifies as well-capitalized, received a composite rating and a rating for management of satisfactory or better in its last examination and is not subject to any unresolved supervisory issue.

In addition, Federal bank regulators are authorized to determine under certain circumstances relating to the financial condition of a bank holding company that the payment of dividends would be an unsafe or unsound practice and to prohibit payment thereof. It is the policy of the FRB that bank holding companies should pay cash dividends on common stock only out of income available over the past year and only if prospective earnings retention is consistent with the organization's expected future capital needs, asset quality, and overall financial condition. Under the FRB’s policy statement on the payment of cash dividends, a bank holding company generally should not maintain a level of cash dividends that undermines the bank holding company's ability to serve as a source of strength to its banking subsidiaries. FRB policy also provides that a bank holding company should inform the FRB reasonably in advance of declaring or paying a dividend that exceeds earnings for the period for which the dividend is being paid or that could result in a material adverse change to the bank holding company’s capital structure. Regarding dividends, see “Capital Requirements and Prompt Corrective Action” below.

Source of Strength. Under FRB regulations, which were codified by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a bank holding company, such as the Company, must serve as a source of financial and managerial strength for any FDIC-insured depository institution that it controls, such as the Bank. Thus, if the Bank were to be in financial distress or to otherwise be viewed by the regulators as in unsatisfactory condition, then the regulators could require the Company to provide additional capital or liquidity support, or take other action, in support of the Bank—even if doing so is not otherwise in the best interest of the Company.

The Bank

Liquidity. The Bank is subject to a variety of requirements under federal law. The Bank is required to maintain sufficient liquidity to ensure safe and sound operations. For additional information, see Liquidity included in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Safety and Soundness. A principal objective of the U.S. bank regulatory system is to ensure the safety and soundness of banking organizations. Safety and soundness is a broad concept that includes financial, operational, compliance, and reputational considerations, including matters such as capital, asset quality, quality of board and management oversight, earnings, liquidity, and sensitivity to market and interest rate risk.

The banking and financial regulators have broad examination and enforcement authority. The regulators require banking organizations to file detailed periodic reports and regularly examine the operations of banking organizations. Banking organizations that do not meet the regulators’ supervisory expectations can be subjected to increased scrutiny and supervisory criticism. The regulators have various remedies available, which may be public or of a confidential supervisory nature, if they determine that an institution’s condition, management, operations or risk profile are unsatisfactory. The regulators may also take action if they determine that the banking organization or its management is violating or has violated any applicable law or regulation. The regulators have the power to, among other things:

•require affirmative actions to correct any violation or practice;

•issue administrative orders that can be judicially enforced;

•direct increases in capital;

•direct the sale of subsidiaries or other assets;

•limit dividends and distributions;

•restrict growth and activities;

•assess civil monetary penalties;

•remove officers and directors; and

•terminate deposit insurance.

Engaging in unsafe or unsound practices or failing to comply with applicable laws, regulations and supervisory agreements could subject us and our subsidiaries or their officers, directors and institution-affiliated parties to the remedies described above and other sanctions.

Acquisitions. The FRB and the DFPI must approve the Bank’s acquisition of other financial institutions and certain other acquisitions. The acquisition of the Bank is also subject to approval by applicable federal and state bank regulators. For a discussion of the factors generally considered by the bank regulators in connection with such acquisitions, see “—Banc of California, Inc.—Acquisitions” above.

Lending Limits. Our lending activities are subject to a variety of lending limits imposed by law and regulation. In general, the Bank is subject to a legal lending limit on loans to a single borrower based on the Bank’s capital level. The dollar amounts of the Bank’s lending limit increases or decreases as the Bank’s capital increases or decreases. As of December 31, 2024, the Bank has no loans in excess of its loans-to-one borrower limit.

Dividends. The Company’s primary source of liquidity is dividend payments from the Bank. The regulatory regime imposes various restrictions on the ability of the Bank to make capital distributions, which include dividends, stock redemptions or repurchases, and certain other items. For example, taking into account the financial condition of the Bank and other factors, the DFPI may object and therefore prevent the Bank from paying dividends to the Company. Generally, the Bank may declare a dividend without the approval of the DFPI as long as the total dividends declared in a calendar year do not exceed either the retained earnings of the Bank nor the total of net earnings of the Bank for three previous fiscal years less any dividend paid during such period. Dividends can also be restricted if the capital conservation buffer requirement is not met. In general, the Bank may declare a dividend without the approval of the FRB as long as the total of all dividends declared by the Bank during the calendar year, including the proposed dividend, does not exceed the sum of the Bank’s net income during the current calendar year and the retained net income of the prior two calendar years. Regarding dividends, see “Capital Requirements” below.

FDIC Insurance

The Bank’s deposits are insured by the DIF of the FDIC up to applicable legal limits. As an FDIC-insured depository institution, the Bank is subject under certain circumstances to regulation by the FDIC. The FDIC charges deposit insurance assessments to FDIC-insured institutions, including the Bank, to fund and support the DIF. The rate of these deposit insurance assessments is based on, among other things, the risk characteristics of the Bank. The FDIC has the power to terminate the Bank’s deposit insurance if it determines the Bank is engaging in unsafe or unsound practices. Federal banking laws provide for the appointment of the FDIC as receiver in the event the Bank were to fail, such as in connection with undercapitalization, insolvency, unsafe or unsound condition or other financial distress. In a receivership, the claims of the Bank’s depositors (and those of the FDIC as subrogee of the Bank) would have priority over other general unsecured claims against the Bank.

In October 2022, the FDIC finalized a rule to increase the initial base deposit insurance assessment rate schedules for all insured depository institutions by 2.0 basis points, beginning with the first quarterly assessment period of 2023. The increased assessment rate is intended to improve the likelihood that the DIF reserve ratio will reach the required minimum of 1.35% by the statutory deadline of September 30, 2028.

Further, on November 16, 2023, the FDIC issued a final rule to implement a special assessment to recover the loss to the DIF associated with protecting uninsured depositors following the closure of several large banks. Under the final rule, the assessment base for an insured institution will be equal to the institution's estimated uninsured deposits as of December 31, 2022, adjusted to exclude the first $5 billion in estimated uninsured deposits. The FDIC began collecting the special assessment at an annual rate of 13.4 basis points in the first quarterly assessment period of 2024 and will continue to collect special assessments for an anticipated total of ten quarterly assessment periods. As a result of this final rule, our estimated special assessment amount totaled $38.6 million.

Brokered Deposits

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act restricts the use of brokered deposits by certain depository institutions. A well-capitalized insured depository institution may solicit and accept, renew or roll over any brokered deposit without restriction. An adequately capitalized insured depository institution may not accept, renew or roll over any brokered deposit unless it has applied for and been granted a waiver of this prohibition by the FDIC. The FDIC may grant a waiver upon a finding that the acceptance of brokered deposits does not constitute an unsafe or unsound practice with respect to such institution. The rates that an adequately capitalized institution with a waiver may pay on brokered deposits may not exceed certain ceilings. An “undercapitalized insured depository institution” may not accept, renew or roll over any brokered deposit. As of December 31, 2024, the Bank was considered “well capitalized” for this purpose.

On August 23, 2024, the FDIC published a proposed rule that would revise the FDIC’s regulations governing the classification and treatment of brokered deposits. Among other changes, the proposal would broaden the definition of deposit broker and thereby expand the scope of deposits classified as brokered. We are evaluating the potential impact of the proposed rule and if the rule is finalized as proposed then it may require the Bank to classify a greater amount of its deposits obtained with the involvement of third parties as brokered deposits. An increase in the amount of brokered deposits could, among other things, increase the Bank’s deposit insurance assessment costs. The current status of the proposed rule remains uncertain, as the acting chairman of the FDIC released a statement in January 2025 noting withdrawal of proposed rulemaking on brokered deposits among the FDIC's priorities for the near term.

Capital Requirements and Prompt Corrective Action

The bank regulators view capital levels as important indicators of an institution’s financial soundness. As a general matter, FDIC-insured depository institutions and their holding companies are required to maintain a specified level of capital relative to the amount and types of assets they hold. While capital can serve as an important cushion against losses, higher capital requirements can also adversely affect an institution’s ability to grow and/or increase leverage through deposit-gathering or other sources of funding.

The Company and the Bank are each subject to generally similar capital regulations adopted by the FRB. These regulations establish required minimum ratios for common equity Tier 1 (the “CET1”) capital, Tier 1 capital and total capital and a leverage ratio; set risk-weighting for assets and certain other items for purposes of the risk-based capital ratios; require an additional capital conservation buffer over the minimum required capital ratios in order to avoid certain limitations on paying dividends, engaging in share repurchases, and paying discretionary bonuses; and define what qualifies as capital for purposes of meeting the capital requirements.

In 2020, the federal bank regulatory authorities approved a rule that delays the estimated impact on regulatory capital resulting from the adoption of CECL. The rule provides banking organizations that implemented CECL before the end of 2020 the option to delay for two years the estimated impact of CECL on regulatory capital relative to regulatory capital determined under the prior incurred loss methodology, followed by a three-year transition period to phase out the aggregate amount of capital benefit provided during the initial two-year delay. We adopted this phase in option and elected to phase in the full effect of CECL on regulatory capital over the five-year transition period. The add-back as of December 31, 2024 ranged from 0 basis points to 3 basis points on our various capital ratios.

As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with the minimum CET1, Tier 1, total capital, and leverage ratios and the minimum capital conservation buffer set forth in these generally applicable regulations. These capital requirements are the minimum ratios generally applicable to banking organizations. The regulators assess any particular institution’s capital adequacy based on numerous factors. The regulators may require a particular banking organization to maintain capital at levels higher than the generally applicable minimums.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act provides for a system of “prompt corrective action” (the “PCA”). The PCA guidelines provide for capitalization categories ranging from “well capitalized” to “critically undercapitalized.” An institution’s PCA category is determined primarily by its regulatory capital ratios. The PCA requires remedial actions and imposes limitations that become increasingly stringent as an institution’s condition deteriorates and its PCA capitalization category declines. Among other things, institutions that are less than well capitalized become subject to increasingly stringent restrictions on their ability to accept and/or rollover brokered deposits. As of December 31, 2024, the Bank was considered “well capitalized” for purposes of the PCA.

In addition to capital requirements, depository institutions are required to maintain noninterest bearing reserves at specified levels against their transaction accounts and certain non-personal time deposits.

Anti-Money Laundering and Suspicious Activity

We are subject to several federal laws related to anti-money laundering (“AML”), economic sanctions, and prevention of financial crime, including the Bank Secrecy Act, the Money Laundering Control Act, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (“Patriot Act”), and economic sanctions programs. We are required to, among other things, maintain an effective AML and counter-terrorist compliance program, identify and file suspicious activity and currency transaction reports, and block transactions with sanctioned persons or jurisdictions. Compliance with these laws requires significant investment of management attention and resources. These laws are enforced by a number of regulatory authorities, including the FRB, OFAC, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Internal Revenue Service. Failure to comply with these laws, or to meet our regulators’ supervisory expectations in connection with these laws, could subject us to supervisory or enforcement action, significant financial penalties, criminal liability, and/or reputational harm.

The Bank is also subject to regulation under economic or financial sanctions imposed, administered, or enforced from time to time by the U.S. government, including as administered by OFAC (such regulations, “Sanctions Laws”). The Sanctions Laws are intended to restrict transactions with persons, companies or foreign governments sanctioned by U.S. authorities. An institution that fails to meet these standards may be subject to civil or criminal enforcement actions. The Bank has established compliance programs designed to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act, the Patriot Act and applicable Sanctions Laws.

Community Reinvestment Act

The Bank is subject to the provisions of the CRA. The CRA requires federal banking regulators, in their review of certain applications by banking organizations, to take into account the applicant’s record in helping meet the credit needs of its community, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions, and does not limit an institution’s discretion to develop the types of products and services that it believes are best suited to its particular community in a manner consistent with the CRA. The Bank is subject to periodic examination under the CRA by the FRB, which will assign ratings based on the methodologies set forth in its regulations and guidance. Less favorable CRA ratings, or concerns raised under the CRA, may adversely affect the Bank’s ability to obtain approval for certain types of applications.

The FRB regularly assesses the Bank on its record in meeting the credit needs of the communities it serves, including low-income and moderate-income neighborhoods. Performance under the CRA also is considered when the FRB reviews applications to acquire, merge or consolidate with another banking institution or its holding company. Also, in the case of a bank holding company applying for approval to acquire a bank, the FRB will assess the records of each subsidiary depository institution of the applicant bank holding company, and that record may be the basis for denying the application.

On October 23, 2023, the FRB, FDIC, and the OCC issued a final rule revising the agencies’ CRA regulations, including with respect to the delineation of assessment areas, the overall evaluation framework and performance standards and metrics, the definition of community development activities, and data collection and reporting. Most of the final rule’s new requirements become effective on January 1, 2026, and the others on January 1, 2027. The final rule would adjust CRA evaluations based on bank size and type, with many of the proposed changes applying only to banks with over $2 billion in assets and several applying only to banks with over $10 billion in assets, such as the Company.

Financial Privacy Under the Requirements of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act

We are subject to various laws related to the privacy of consumer information. The Company and its subsidiaries are required under federal law to periodically disclose to their retail clients the Company’s policies and practices with respect to the sharing of nonpublic client information with its affiliates and others, and the confidentiality and security of that information. Under the Gramm‑Leach‑Bliley Act of 1999 (the “GLBA”), in some cases, the Bank must obtain a consumer’s consent before sharing information with an unaffiliated third party, and the Bank must give a consumer the opportunity to “opt out” of the Bank’s sharing of information with its affiliates for marketing and certain other purposes. In some cases, the Bank must obtain a consumer’s consent before sharing information with an unaffiliated third party, and the Bank must allow a consumer to opt out of the Bank’s sharing of information with its affiliates for marketing and certain other purposes.

Limitations on Transactions with Affiliates and Loans to Insiders

Banks are subject to restrictions on their ability to conduct transactions with affiliates and other related parties under federal banking laws. For example, federal banking laws impose quantitative limits, qualitative requirements, and collateral standards on certain extensions of credit and other transactions by an insured depository institution with, or for the benefit of, its affiliates. In addition, most types of transactions by an insured depository institution with, or for the benefit of, an affiliate be on terms substantially the same or at least as favorable to the insured depository institution as if the transaction were conducted with an unaffiliated third party.

In addition, subject to certain exceptions, the Federal Reserve Act and related regulations place quantitative and other restrictions on the extension of credit to executive officers, directors and principal stockholders (including the Company) and their related interests of the Bank and its affiliates, including a requirement that loans to directors, executive officers and principal stockholders be made on terms substantially the same as those offered in comparable transactions to other persons, and not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features. In addition, purchases and sales of assets between an insured depository institution and its executive officers, directors, and principal stockholders may also be limited under such laws. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act generally prohibits loans by public companies to their executive officers and directors. However, there is a specific exception for loans by financial institutions, such as the Bank, to its executive officers and directors that are made in compliance with federal banking laws.

The Company and its affiliates, including the Bank, maintain programs to comply with the limitations on transactions with affiliates and restrictions on loans to insiders and the Company believes it and the Bank are currently in compliance with these requirements.

Acquisition of a Significant Interest in the Company

Banking laws impose various regulatory requirements on parties that may seek to acquire a significant interest in the Company. For example, the Change in Bank Control Act of 1978 would generally require that any party file a formal notice with, and obtain non-objection of, the FRB prior to acquiring (directly or indirectly, whether alone or acting in concert with any other party) 10% or more of any class of voting securities of the Company. Further approval requirements and significant ongoing regulatory consequences would apply to any company that (directly or indirectly, whether alone or as part of an association with another company) seeks to acquire “control” of the Company or the Bank for purposes of the BHCA. The determination whether a party “controls” a depository institution or its holding company for purposes of these laws is based on applicable regulations and all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the investment.

Identity Theft

Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (the “FACT Act”), the Bank is required to develop and implement a written Identity Theft Prevention Program (the “Program”) to detect, prevent and mitigate identity theft “red flags” in connection with the opening of certain accounts or certain existing accounts. Under the FACT Act, the Bank is required to adopt reasonable policies and procedures to: (i) identify relevant red flags for covered accounts and incorporate those red flags into the Program; (ii) detect red flags that have been incorporated into the Program; (iii) respond appropriately to any red flags that are detected to prevent and mitigate identity theft; and (iv) ensure the Program is updated periodically, to reflect changes in risks to clients or to the safety and soundness of the financial institution or creditor from identity theft.

The Bank maintains a Program to meet the requirements of the FACT Act and the Bank believes it is currently in compliance with these requirements.

Consumer Protection Laws and Regulations

We are subject to a broad array of federal, state and local consumer protection laws and regulations that govern almost every aspect of our business relationships with consumers, including but not limited to the Truth-in-Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Secure and Fair Enforcement in Mortgage Licensing Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Service Members Civil Relief Act, the Right to Financial Privacy Act, the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act, the Consumer Leasing Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act, the Homeowners Protection Act, the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, laws governing flood insurance, federal and state laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive business practices, foreclosure laws and various regulations that implement the foregoing. Among other things, these laws and regulations relate to the content and adequacy of disclosures, pricing and fees, fair lending, anti-discrimination, privacy, cybersecurity, usury, mortgages and housing finance, lending to service members, escheatment, debt collection, loan servicing, collateral secured lending, and unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practice, and regulate the manner in which financial institutions must deal with clients when taking deposits, making loans, servicing loans and providing other services. If the Bank fails to comply with these laws and regulations, it may be subject to significant penalties, judgments, other monetary or injunctive remedies, lawsuits (including putative class action lawsuits and actions by state and local attorney generals), customer recession rights, supervisory or enforcement actions, and civil or criminal liability.

The CFPB is generally responsible for rulemaking with respect to certain federal laws related to the provision of financial products and services to consumers. In addition, the CFPB has supervision, examination and primary enforcement authority with respect to federal consumer financial protection laws with respect to banking organizations with assets of $10 billion or more. The Bank has assets in excess of $10 billion; therefore, we are subject to the supervision, examination and primary enforcement jurisdiction of the CFPB with respect to federal consumer financial protection laws.

With the recent change in presidential administration and control of Congress, the scope of regulation by the CFPB and other federal agencies remains uncertain. In February 2025, the acting director of the CFPB directed the CFPB’s staff to cease all supervision and examination activity and stakeholder engagement, stop all work on proposed rulemaking, suspend the effective dates of any finalized but not yet effective rules, and halt other actions relating to investigations, enforcement and litigation. The extent to which these recent or other future developments will ultimately impact the CFPB’s regulation of our business remains uncertain.

Information Technology and Cybersecurity

We are subject to laws and regulatory requirements related to information technology and cybersecurity. For example, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (the “FFIEC”), which is a council comprised of the primary federal banking regulators, has issued guidance and supervisory expectations for banking organizations with respect to information technology and cybersecurity. In addition, state regulators have also been increasingly active in implementing privacy and cybersecurity standards and regulations. Recently, several states have adopted regulations requiring certain financial institutions to implement cybersecurity programs and providing detailed requirements with respect to these programs, including data encryption requirements. Many states have also recently implemented or modified their data breach notification and data privacy requirements. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act became effective on January 1, 2020, and key provisions of an additional law strengthening the protection, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, became effective on January 1, 2023. We expect this trend of state-level activity and consumer expectations in those areas to continue to heighten, and we are continually monitoring for developments in the states in which our clients are located. Our regulators regularly examine us for compliance with applicable laws, and adherence to industry best practices, with respect to these topics. For example, they will evaluate our security of user and customer credentials, business continuity planning, and the ability to identify and thwart cyber-attacks.

On November 18, 2021, the federal banking agencies announced the adoption of a final rule providing for new notification requirements for banking organizations and their service providers for significant cybersecurity incidents. Specifically, the new rule requires a banking organization to notify its primary federal regulator as soon as possible, and no later than 36 hours after, the banking organization determines that a “computer-security incident” rising to the level of a “notification incident” has occurred. Notification is required for incidents that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the viability of a banking organization’s operations, its ability to deliver banking products and services, or the stability of the financial sector. Service providers are required under the rule to notify affected banking organization customers as soon as possible when the provider determines that it has experienced a computer-security incident that has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect the banking organization’s customers for four or more hours. Compliance with the new rule was required by May 1, 2022. The Company believes it and the Bank are currently in compliance with these requirements.

Other Regulations

The Bank is a member of the FHLB, which makes loans or advances to members. All advances are required to be fully secured by sufficient collateral as determined by the FHLB. To be a FHLB member, financial institutions must demonstrate that they originate and/or purchase long-term home mortgage loans or mortgage-backed securities. The Bank is required to purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB. At December 31, 2024, the Bank had $30.2 million in FHLB stock, which was in compliance with this requirement.

Volcker Rule

The so-called “Volcker Rule” imposes certain restrictions on the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries, including the Bank, to sponsor, invest in, or conduct certain other activities with private funds or to engage in certain types of short-term proprietary trading. Under the regulations, FDIC-insured depository institutions, their holding companies, subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, banking entities), are generally prohibited, subject to certain exemptions, from short-term proprietary trading of securities and other financial instruments and from acquiring or retaining an ownership interest in, or conducting certain other activities with, a “covered fund.” These requirements do not currently have a material impact and are not expected to have a future material impact on the Company’s investing and trading activities.

Trading in certain government obligations is not prohibited by the Volcker Rule. These include, among others, obligations of or guaranteed by the United States, an agency of the United States, or GSE, obligations of a State of the United States or a political subdivision thereof, and municipal securities. Also, among other types of transactions, the Volcker Rule generally does not prohibit transactions under repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements, securities lending transactions, purchases and sales for the purpose of liquidity management if the liquidity management plan meets specified criteria, and transactions undertaken in a fiduciary capacity.

Effect on Economic Environment

The policies of regulatory authorities, including the monetary policy of the FRB, have a significant effect on the operating results of bank holding companies and their subsidiaries. Among the means available to the FRB to affect the money supply are open market operations in U.S. government securities, changes in the discount rate on borrowings and changes in reserve requirements with respect to deposits. These means are used in varying combinations to influence overall growth and distribution of bank loans, investments and deposits, and their use may affect interest rates charged on loans or paid for deposits. The FRB monetary policies have materially affected the operating results of commercial banks in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future. We cannot predict the nature of future monetary policies and the effect of such policies on our business and earnings.

Regulation of Certain Subsidiaries

BAM is registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and is subject to its rules and regulations. Following the completion of various studies on investment advisers and broker-dealers required by the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC has, among other things, recommended to Congress that it consider various means to enhance the SEC’s examination authority over investment advisers, which may have an impact on BAM that we cannot currently assess.

Future Legislation or Regulation

Federal, state and local governments, legislators and regulators regularly introduce measures or take actions that would modify the regulatory requirements applicable to banks, their holding companies and other financial institutions. Changes in laws, regulations or regulatory policies could adversely affect the operating environment for us in substantial and unpredictable ways, increase our cost of doing business, impose new restrictions on the way in which we conduct our operations or add significant operational constraints that might impair our profitability. We cannot predict whether new policies or legislation will be enacted or adopted and, if enacted or adopted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on us and our subsidiaries’ business, financial condition or results of operations. The full effect that these changes will have on us and our subsidiaries remains uncertain at this time and may have a material adverse effect on our business, our operations or financial condition.

For more information on how the regulatory environment, enforcement actions, findings and ratings could also have an impact on our strategies, the value of our assets, or otherwise adversely affect our business see Item 1A. – Risk Factors of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.