Upstart Holdings Inc

Previous wording

•If we are unable to manage the risks associated with the Upstart Macro Index (UMI), which we introduced in 2023 and does not have a long history or proven track record, our credibility, reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Current wording

•If we are unable to manage the risks associated with the Upstart Macro Index (UMI), which we introduced in 2023 and which does not have a long history or proven track record, our credibility, reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Previous wording

Our loan funding arrangements with institutional investors, securitizations and warehouse credit facilities expose us to certain risks, and if we fail to successfully manage such risks, it may result in the reduced supply of loan funding capital or require us to seek more costly or less efficient financing for our marketplace.

Current wording

•Our loan funding arrangements with institutional investors, securitization programs and warehouse credit facilities expose us to certain risks, and if we fail to successfully manage such risks, it may result in the reduced supply of loan funding capital or require us to seek more costly or less efficient financing for our marketplace.

Previous wording

We are continuing to introduce and develop new loan products and services offerings, and if these products are not successful or we are unable to manage the related risks, our growth prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Current wording

•We are continuing to introduce and develop new loan products and services, and if these products and services are not successful or we are unable to manage the related risks, our growth prospects, business, financial, condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Previous wording

Uncertainty, volatility and negative trends in general economic conditions historically have created a difficult operating environment for our industry. Many factors, including factors that are beyond our control, have impacted and will continue to impact our business, financial condition and results of operations by affecting the supply of capital to our marketplace from our lending partners and institutional investors, the demand by borrowers of Upstart-powered loans, and borrowers’ ability and willingness to repay their loans. These factors include, but are not limited to, interest rates, inflation, personal savings rates, U.S. politics and presidential and congressional elections, fiscal and monetary policies, unemployment levels, disruptions in the banking sector, lower consumer confidence, reduced consumer discretionary spending, conditions in the housing market, immigration policies, gas prices, energy costs, government shutdowns, trade wars and delays in tax refunds, as well as events such as natural disasters, acts of war, geopolitical conflicts, terrorism, catastrophes and pandemics. If any of these factors negatively affect borrowers, lending partners or institutional investors, or if we are unable to mitigate the risks associated with them, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Current wording

Uncertainty, volatility and negative trends in general economic conditions historically have created a difficult operating environment for our industry. Many factors, including factors that are beyond our control, have impacted and will continue to impact our business, financial condition and results of operations by affecting the supply of capital to our marketplace from our lending partners and institutional investors, the demand by borrowers for Upstart-powered loans, and borrowers’ ability and willingness to repay their loans. These factors include, but are not limited to, interest rates, inflation, personal savings rates, U.S. politics (including state and federal elections, changes in presidential and gubernatorial administrations and related impact to policy), fiscal and monetary policies, recession or fear of recession, unemployment levels, disruptions in the banking sector, lower consumer confidence, reduced consumer discretionary spending, conditions in the housing market, immigration policies, gas prices, energy costs, government shutdowns, trade wars, tariff increases and delays in tax refunds, as well as events such as natural disasters, acts of war, geopolitical conflicts, terrorism, catastrophes and pandemics. If any of these factors negatively affect borrowers, lending partners or institutional investors, or if we are unable to mitigate the risks associated with them, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Previous wording

In recent years, the United States has experienced historically high levels of inflation. In response, the government has implemented policy interventions. The U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates eleven times in 2022 and 2023. While the goal was to curb inflation, these interventions may have had, and could continue to have, broad macroeconomic implications, including contributing to an economic downturn, higher unemployment rates or disruptions to the banking sector. In response to indications of lower inflation levels, the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered interest rates in September 2024 and is expected to continue lowering interest rates.

Current wording

In recent years, the United States experienced historically high levels of inflation. In response, the government implemented policy interventions. The U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates eleven times in 2022 and 2023. While the goal was to curb inflation, these interventions may have had, and could continue to have, broad macroeconomic implications, including contributing to an economic downturn, higher unemployment rates or disruptions to the banking sector. While the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered interest rates in the second half of 2024 in response to indications of lower inflation levels, the timing of additional interest rate cuts, if any, is uncertain.

Previous wording

•lower approvability of, and acceptance of loan offers by, applicants;

Current wording

•lower approval rates for, and acceptance of loan offers by, applicants;

Previous wording

•increased utilization of our balance sheet to fund Upstart-powered loans;

Current wording

•increased utilization of our balance sheet to purchase Upstart-powered loans;

Previous wording

We offer consumer loans, such as personal and auto loans, on our marketplace, and many consumers that come to our marketplace have poor, limited or no credit history. Such consumers have historically been, and may in the future be, disproportionately affected by adverse macroeconomic conditions. Inflation, higher interest rates, availability of welfare programs, unemployment, bankruptcy, government interventions, such as stimulus measures, major medical expenses, divorce or death may affect borrowers’ ability or willingness to borrow or make payments on loans. The recent macroeconomic trends have negatively impacted borrowers’ ability and willingness to borrow and make repayments. For more information, see the risk factors titled “—If we are unable to approve significant number of borrowers for loans through our marketplace, our growth prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.”

Current wording

We offer consumer loans on our marketplace, and many consumers that come to our marketplace have poor, limited or no credit history. Such consumers have historically been, and may in the future be, disproportionately affected by adverse macroeconomic conditions. Inflation, higher interest rates, recession or fear of recession, availability of government assistance programs, unemployment, bankruptcy, government interventions, such as stimulus measures, major medical expenses, divorce or death may affect borrowers’ ability or willingness to borrow or make payments on loans. Macroeconomic changes have in the past and may in the future negatively impact borrowers’ ability and willingness to borrow and make repayments. For more information, see the risk factors titled “—If we are unable to approve significant number of borrowers for loans through our marketplace, our growth prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.”

Previous wording

During an economic down cycle, there is a greater risk that borrowers will not make payments on loans. Borrowers may not prioritize repayment of unsecured personal loans over loans that are secured by necessities, for example, mortgages or auto loans. Higher interest rates often lead to higher payment obligations, which may reduce the ability of borrowers to remain current on their obligations. These factors lead to increased delinquencies, defaults and bankruptcies declared by borrowers, resulting in more charge-offs and less recoveries, all of which have had, and could continue to have, a material adverse effect on the credit performance of loans facilitated on our marketplace and our business. For example, the vintages of core personal loans that originated in the first quarter of 2021 through the fourth quarter of 2023 are forecasted to underperform relative to the target returns set at the time of loan origination. When a borrower defaults on a loan, it increases our costs to service the loan. Because default rates have been higher than expected, it has negatively impacted, and may continue to negatively impact, demand by our lending partners to originate loans, and institutional investors to fund loans, facilitated through our marketplace. Any sustained decline in applicant approvability or acceptance of loan offers or loan origination volume, or any increase in delinquencies or defaults by borrowers beyond our expectation, would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Current wording

During an economic down cycle, there is a greater risk that borrowers will not make payments on loans. Also, borrowers may not prioritize repayment of unsecured personal loans over loans that are secured by necessities, for example, mortgages, home equity loans or auto loans. Higher interest rates often lead to higher payment obligations, which may reduce the ability of borrowers to remain current on their obligations. These factors may lead to increased delinquencies, defaults and bankruptcies declared by borrowers, resulting in more charge-offs and fewer recoveries, all of which have had, and could continue to have, a material adverse effect on the credit performance of loans facilitated on our marketplace and our business. From time to time, the vintages of core personal loans that originated in prior quarters may underperform relative to the target returns set at the time of loan origination. For example, as of March 31, 2025, the quarterly vintages that originated in the first quarter of 2023 through the first quarter of 2024 were forecasted to underperform. When a borrower defaults on a loan, it increases our costs to service the loan. If default rates exceed our expectations, demand by our lending partners to originate loans, and institutional investors to fund loans, facilitated through our marketplace could be negatively impacted, with such impacts having occurred in the past. Similarly, any sustained decline in applicant approvability or acceptance of loan offers or loan origination volume, or any increase in delinquencies or defaults by borrowers beyond our expectation, would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Previous wording

Our business depends on sourcing and maintaining diverse and resilient loan funding from institutional investors to our marketplace. The institutional investors provide loan funding to our marketplace by purchasing whole loans, pass-through certificates and asset-backed securities. Out of the total principal of loan originations facilitated on our marketplace during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, 67% were purchased by institutional investors. The availability and capacity of loan funding from institutional investors depend on many factors that are outside of our control, such as economic and market conditions, interest rates, liquidity in the capital markets and regulatory reforms. While we have experienced funding constraints since 2022 due to the macroeconomic environment, we believe the market sentiment from institutional investors has started to improve and we have since increased loan funding capacity. We cannot be sure that the existing funding sources will continue to be available, or any new funding source will become available, on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Decreased funding from institutional investors has negatively impacted our business in the past, and may negatively impact us in the future. Any sustained decline in investor demand for Upstart-powered loans or securities secured by such loans for any reason, including due to adverse economic conditions or due to any increase in delinquencies, defaults or losses beyond our expectation, may adversely affect our financial results.

Current wording

Our business depends on sourcing and maintaining diverse and resilient loan funding from institutional investors to our marketplace. The institutional investors provide loan funding to our marketplace by purchasing whole loans, pass-through certificates and asset-backed securities. Out of the total principal of loan originations facilitated on our marketplace during the three months ended March 31, 2025, 60% were purchased by institutional investors. The availability and capacity of loan funding from institutional investors depend on many factors that are outside of our control, such as economic and market conditions, interest rates, liquidity in the capital markets and regulatory requirements or restrictions, which are subject to change. While we have experienced funding constraints since 2022 due to the macroeconomic environment, we have since increased loan funding capacity. We cannot be sure that the existing funding sources will continue to be available, or any new funding source will become available, on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Decreased funding from institutional investors has negatively impacted our business in the past, and may negatively impact us in the future. Any sustained decline in investor demand for Upstart-powered loans or securities secured by such loans for any reason, including due to adverse economic conditions or due to any increase in delinquencies, defaults or losses beyond our expectation, may adversely affect our financial results.

Previous wording

A significant portion of our loan funding from institutional investors comes from committed capital and other co-investment arrangements. These arrangements may include terms that provide downside risk protection, subject to certain limits and conditions. In particular, we have agreed to compensate investors, subject to a limit, if credit performance on the loans under these arrangements deviates from our initial expectations and, subject to certain conditions, if we are unable to sell loans to our committed capital providers at volume. As such, if the loans do not perform as expected due to unexpected shifts in borrower behaviors, ability to pay or otherwise, if we have a decrease in borrower demand for loans on the Upstart platform, or if our models’ expectation for credit performance is inaccurate for any reason, our financial results could be adversely impacted. As of September 30, 2024, our maximum exposure to losses under these committed capital and other co-investment arrangements was approximately $357.9 million. This amount has grown from $66.1 million as of September 30, 2023, as we have entered into more committed capital and other co-investment arrangements. As the amount of our maximum exposure to losses under these arrangements grows and may continue to grow in the future, risks associated with committed capital and other co-investment arrangements could have a greater impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Committed capital and other co-investment arrangements have negatively impacted our financial results through unfavorable fair value adjustments and may continue to do so in the future. We may also experience declines in revenue and transaction volume if existing committed capital or other capital arrangements do not provide funding on the agreed upon terms or we fail to secure additional committed capital or other capital arrangements in the future on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Moreover, the capital arrangements that we have recently entered into during a high interest rate environment, such as the committed capital and other co-investment arrangements, may become more costly if interest rates fall and the terms of such arrangements remain through a full economic cycle. Despite our efforts, we may continue to experience funding constraints and cannot be certain if any measures we have taken, such as committed capital or other co-investment arrangements, or will take to address or mitigate the effects of funding constraints, will be sufficient or successful. In the event of funding constraints, we may not be able to maintain our current loan origination volume without incurring substantially higher funding costs, agreeing to terms that are not favorable to us or relying on our balance sheet to support funding, each of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Current wording

A significant portion of our loan funding from institutional investors comes from committed capital and other co-investment arrangements. These arrangements may include terms that provide downside risk protection, subject to certain limits and conditions. In particular, we have agreed to compensate certain investors, subject to a limit, if credit performance on the loans under these arrangements deviates from our initial expectations and, subject to certain conditions, if we are unable to sell the minimum required volume of loans to our committed capital providers. As such, if the loans do not perform as expected due to unexpected shifts in borrower behaviors, ability to pay or otherwise, if we have a decrease in borrower demand for Upstart-powered loans, or if our models’ expectation for credit performance is inaccurate for any reason, our financial results could be adversely impacted. As of March 31, 2025, our maximum exposure to losses under these committed capital and other co-investment arrangements was approximately $553.6 million. This amount has grown from $169.6 million as of March 31, 2024, as we have entered into more committed capital and other co-investment arrangements. As the amount of our maximum exposure to losses under these arrangements grows and may continue to grow in the future, risks associated with committed capital and other co-investment arrangements could have a greater impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Committed capital and other co-investment arrangements may negatively impact our financial results through unfavorable fair value adjustments, with such impacts having occurred in the past and may occur again in the future. We may also experience declines in revenue and transaction volume if existing committed capital or other capital arrangements do not provide funding on the agreed upon terms or we fail to secure additional committed capital or other capital arrangements in the future on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Moreover, the capital arrangements that we entered into during a high interest rate environment, such as the committed capital and other co-investment arrangements, may become more costly if interest rates continue to fall and the terms of such arrangements remain in place. Despite our efforts, we may continue to experience funding constraints and cannot be certain if any measures we have taken, such as committed capital or other co-investment arrangements, or will take to address or mitigate the effects of funding constraints, will be sufficient or successful. In the event of funding constraints, we may not be able to maintain our current loan origination volume without incurring substantially higher funding costs, agreeing to terms that are not favorable to us or relying on our balance sheet to support funding, each of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Previous wording

Events of default or breaches of financial, performance or other covenants, or worse than expected performance of certain pools of loans underpinning our asset-backed securitizations, debt facilities or other structured and unstructured transactions, have limited in the past and could limit our access to funding from institutional investors. For example, the loans originated in 2021 through mid-2022 that were included in our asset-backed securitizations have underperformed relative to their expected target returns at the time of origination, resulting in negative rating agency actions in several of our asset-based securitizations. We cannot be certain if and when investor demand for securitizations will recover.

Current wording

We cannot be certain about the level of investor demand for securitizations. Events of default or breaches of financial, performance or other covenants, or worse than expected performance of certain pools of loans underpinning our asset-backed securitizations, debt facilities or other structured and unstructured transactions, have limited in the past and could limit our access to funding from institutional investors. For example, as of March 31, 2025, the loans originated in 2021 through 2023 that were included in our asset-backed securitizations had underperformed relative to their expected target returns at the time of origination, resulting in negative rating agency actions in several of our asset-based securitizations.

Previous wording

Our ability to attract potential borrowers, and thus increase loan originations on our marketplace, depends in large part on our ability to effectively evaluate the creditworthiness of borrowers and likelihood of default and, based on that evaluation, offer competitively priced loans. Our overall operating efficiency and margins further depend in part on our ability to maintain a high degree of automation in our loan application process and achieve incremental improvements in the degree of automation. If our AI models fail to adequately predict the creditworthiness of borrowers and the likelihood of default due to the design of our models or programming or any other errors or inaccuracies, and our AI models do not detect or account for such errors or inaccuracies, or any of the other components of our credit decision process fails, we may experience higher than forecasted losses on loans. Any of the foregoing could result in sub-optimally priced loans or incorrect approvals or denials of loans, any of which may lead to lower demand by borrowers and reduce loan originations and our revenue. Moreover, in addition to reduced borrower demand, higher than expected losses on Upstart-powered loans could further harm our ability to attract capital to our marketplace. Our lending partners and institutional investors may decide to limit their funding or reduce the number of loans or types of loans they fund if they experience higher than expected losses on their cost of funds due to underperformance of the loans. The underperformance of Upstart-powered loans as compared to the expectations set by our AI models can have a negative impact on our financial results as while subject to certain limits, we are obligated to provide downside risk protection to our capital partners and compensate them for any deviation in expected credit performance of the loans sold in connection with the committed capital and other co-investment arrangements. It may also hinder our ability to increase the size of, or enter into new, debt facilities or other financing arrangements.

Current wording

Our ability to attract potential borrowers, and thus increase loan originations on our marketplace, depends in large part on our ability to effectively evaluate the creditworthiness of borrowers and likelihood of default and, based on that evaluation, offer competitively priced loans. Our overall operating efficiency and margins further depend in part on our ability to maintain a high degree of automation in our application process and achieve incremental improvements in the degree of automation. If our AI models fail to adequately predict the creditworthiness of borrowers and the likelihood of default due to the design of our models or programming or any other errors or inaccuracies, and our AI models do not detect or account for such errors or inaccuracies, or any of the other components of our credit decisioning process fails, there could be higher than forecasted losses on Upstart-powered loans. Any of the foregoing could result in sub-optimally priced loans or incorrect approvals or denials of loans, any of which may lead to lower demand by borrowers and reduce loan originations and our revenue. Moreover, in addition to reduced borrower demand, higher than expected losses on Upstart-powered loans could further harm our ability to attract lending partners and/or capital to our marketplace. Our lending partners and institutional investors may decide to limit their funding or reduce the number of loans or types of loans they originate or fund if they experience higher than expected losses due to underperformance of the loans. The underperformance of Upstart-powered loans as compared to the expectations set by our AI models can have a negative impact on our financial results, as while subject to certain limits, we are obligated in certain arrangements to provide downside risk protection to our capital partners and compensate them for any deviation in expected credit performance of the loans sold in connection with the committed capital and other co-investment arrangements. It may also hinder our ability to increase the size of, or enter into new, debt facilities or other financing arrangements.

Previous wording

Our AI models also target and optimize other aspects of the lending process, such as borrower acquisition, fraud detection, default timing, loan stacking and prepayment timing. Our continued improvements to such models have allowed us to facilitate loans inexpensively and virtually instantly, with a high degree of consumer satisfaction while maintaining loan performance. However, such applications of our AI models may prove to be less predictive than we expect, or than they have been in the past, for a variety of reasons, including inaccurate assumptions or other errors made in constructing such models, incorrect interpretations of the results of such models and failure to update model assumptions and parameters in a timely manner. It is also possible that the instant approval process on our marketplace makes us a target for certain borrowers who intend to accumulate as much debt as quickly as possible without regard for the viability of repayment. Additionally, such models may not be able to effectively account for matters that are inherently difficult to predict and beyond our control, such as macroeconomic conditions, credit market volatility and interest rate fluctuations, which often involve complex interactions between a number of dependent and independent variables and factors. Material errors or inaccuracies in such AI models could lead us to make inaccurate or sub-optimal operational or strategic decisions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Current wording

Our AI models also target, optimize or predict other aspects of the lending process, such as borrower acquisition, fraud detection, default timing, loan stacking and prepayment timing. Our continued improvements to such models have allowed us to facilitate loans inexpensively and virtually instantly, with a high degree of consumer satisfaction while maintaining loan performance. However, such applications of our AI models may prove to be less predictive than we expect, or than they have been in the past, for a variety of reasons, including inaccurate assumptions or other errors made in constructing such models, incorrect interpretations of the results of such models and failure to update model assumptions and parameters in a timely manner. It is also possible that the instant approval process on our marketplace makes us a target for certain borrowers who intend to accumulate as much debt as quickly as possible without regard for the viability of repayment. Additionally, such models may not be able to effectively account for matters that are inherently difficult to predict and beyond our control, such as macroeconomic conditions, credit market volatility and interest rate fluctuations, which often involve complex interactions between a number of dependent and independent variables and factors. Material errors or inaccuracies in such AI models could lead us to make inaccurate or sub-optimal operational or strategic decisions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Previous wording

The performance of loans facilitated through our marketplace is significantly dependent on the effectiveness of our proprietary AI models used to evaluate a borrower’s credit profile and likelihood of default. Our AI models have not been extensively tested during economic downturn or recession. Even if credit decisions take into account macroeconomic conditions, there is no assurance that our AI models can accurately predict loan performance during periods of adverse economic conditions or quickly respond to changing economic conditions. If our AI models are unable to accurately reflect the credit risk of loans under such economic conditions, we, our lending partners and our institutional investors would experience greater than expected losses on such loans, which would harm our reputation and erode the trust we have built with our lending partners and institutional investors. We have experienced and may continue to experience high delinquency rates and underperformance of loans originated using our AI models in recent periods. For example, the quarterly vintages of core personal loans that originated in the first quarter of 2021 through the fourth quarter of 2023 are forecasted to underperform relative to the target returns set at the time of loan origination. The fair value of the loans on our balance sheet has declined and may continue to decline. Our business, financial condition and results of operations can continue to be adversely affected if our AI models are not able to accurately and timely assess the impact of macroeconomic conditions on the performance and default rates of loans facilitated through our marketplace.

Current wording

The performance of loans facilitated through our marketplace is significantly dependent on the effectiveness of our proprietary AI models used to evaluate a borrower’s credit profile and likelihood of default. Our AI models have not been extensively tested during different types of economic downturns or recessions. Even if credit decisions take into account macroeconomic conditions, there is no assurance that our AI models can accurately predict loan performance during periods of adverse economic conditions or quickly respond to changing economic conditions. If our AI models are unable to accurately reflect the credit risk of loans under such economic conditions, we, our lending partners and our institutional investors would experience greater than expected losses on such loans, which would harm our reputation and erode the trust we have built with our lending partners and institutional investors. We have experienced and may continue to experience high delinquency rates and underperformance of loans originated using our AI models in recent periods. For example, as of March 31, 2025, the quarterly vintages of core personal loans that originated in the first quarter of 2023 through the first quarter of 2024 were forecasted to underperform relative to the target returns set at the time of loan origination. The fair value of the loans on our balance sheet has declined and may continue to decline. Our business, financial condition and results of operations can continue to be adversely affected if our AI models are not able to accurately and timely assess the impact of macroeconomic conditions on the performance and default rates of loans facilitated through our marketplace.

Previous wording

The vast majority of our revenue comes from platform and referral fees and servicing fees on loans facilitated through our marketplace. Growing our revenue from fees depends in significant part on our ability to increase the transaction volume of consumer loans on our marketplace. To serve more consumer demand for credit and increase transaction volume on our marketplace, we must have an adequate supply of capital from lending partners and institutional investors, we must drive sufficient demand from potential borrowers seeking to take out loans, and the borrowers must satisfy the requirements for approval by our models and our lending partners.

Current wording

The vast majority of our revenue comes from platform and referral fees and servicing fees on loans facilitated through our marketplace. Growing our revenue from fees depends in significant part on our ability to increase the transaction volume of consumer loans on our marketplace. To serve more consumer demand for credit and increase transaction volume on our marketplace, we must have an adequate supply of capital from lending partners and institutional investors, we must drive sufficient demand from potential borrowers seeking loans, and the borrowers must satisfy the requirements for approval established by our models and our lending partners.

Previous wording

In the current macroeconomic environment with elevated costs of borrowing and risks associated with consumer credit, the pool of qualified borrowers has become smaller, and fewer applicants have received or accepted loan offers on our marketplace than they have in the past. Approving more borrowers on our platform can also be limited as we have historically held the maximum annual percentage rate of Upstart-powered loans to 35.99% or less due to regulatory reasons. Moreover, loan terms have become less borrower-friendly in the current environment with higher interest rates, and we have experienced an overall decrease in borrower demand. These factors have and may continue to negatively affect transaction volume on our marketplace and therefore our revenue. If we are not able to maintain or increase transaction volume on our marketplace, or attract and retain qualified borrowers, our growth prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Current wording

In the current macroeconomic environment with elevated costs of borrowing and risks associated with consumer credit, the pool of qualified borrowers has become smaller, and fewer applicants have received or accepted loan offers on our marketplace than they have in the past. Approving more borrowers can also be limited as we have historically held the maximum annual percentage rate of Upstart-powered loans to 35.99% or less due to regulatory reasons. Moreover, loan terms have become less borrower-friendly in the current environment with higher interest rates, and we have experienced an overall decrease in borrower demand. These factors have and may continue to negatively affect transaction volume on our marketplace and therefore our revenue. If we are not able to maintain or increase transaction volume on our marketplace, or attract and retain qualified borrowers, our growth prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Previous wording

Our success depends in significant part on the participation of our lending partners in our marketplace. In the nine months ended September 30, 2024, 86% of our total revenue was generated from platform, referral and servicing fees that we receive from our lending partners. Our lending partners also provide loan funding to our marketplace by retaining a significant portion of the loans facilitated through our marketplace. Out of the total principal of loan originations facilitated on our marketplace during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, 25% were retained by our lending partners. If we are unable to keep existing lending partners or attract new lending partners to our marketplace, or if we are unable to maintain or increase the portion of loans retained by the lending partners, our financial performance could suffer.

Current wording

Our success depends in significant part on the participation of our lending partners in our marketplace. In the three months ended March 31, 2025, 74% of our total revenue was generated from platform, referral and servicing fees that we receive from our lending partners. Our lending partners also provide loan funding to our marketplace by retaining a significant portion of the loans facilitated through our marketplace. Out of the total principal of loan originations facilitated on our marketplace during the three months ended March 31, 2025, 29% were retained by our lending partners. If we are unable to keep existing lending partners or attract new lending partners to our marketplace, or if we are unable to maintain or increase the portion of loans retained by the lending partners, our financial performance could suffer.

Previous wording

Our lending partners may suspend, limit or cease their participation in our marketplace for a number of reasons. While lending partners’ loan funding to our marketplace has started to improve, we have experienced a reduction of loan originations by lending partners in the past due to disruptions in the banking sector and adverse macroeconomic conditions. If our lending partners continue to suspend, limit or cease their operations or terminate their relationships with us, the number of loans facilitated through our marketplace will decrease and our revenue will be adversely affected. Moreover, new lending partners may find our sales and onboarding process to be long and unpredictable. If we are unable to timely onboard our lending partners, or if our lending partners are not willing to work with us to complete an onboarding process, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Current wording

Our lending partners may suspend, limit or cease their participation in our marketplace for a number of reasons. While lending partners’ loan funding to our marketplace has started to improve, we have experienced a reduction of loan originations by lending partners in the past due to disruptions in the banking sector and adverse macroeconomic conditions. If our lending partners suspend, limit or cease their operations or terminate their relationships with us, the number of loans facilitated through our marketplace will decrease and our revenue will be adversely affected. Moreover, new lending partners may find our sales and onboarding process to be long and unpredictable. If we are unable to timely onboard our lending partners, or if our lending partners are not willing to work with us to complete an onboarding process, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Previous wording

We enter into a separate agreement with each of our lending partners. Our agreements with our lending partners are nonexclusive and may contain minimum fee amounts. Our lending partners could decide to stop working with us, ask to modify their agreement terms in a cost prohibitive manner when their agreement is up for renewal or enter into exclusive or more favorable relationships with our competitors. In addition, their regulators may require that they terminate or otherwise limit their business with us, or impose regulatory pressure limiting their ability to do business with us. See the risk factors titled “—Our business is subject to a wide range of laws and regulations, many of which are evolving, and failure or perceived failure to comply with such laws and regulations could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations” and “—The CFPB has sometimes taken expansive views of its authority to regulate consumer financial services, creating uncertainty as to how the agency’s actions or the actions of any other agency could impact our business” for more information. Moreover, we could in the future have disagreements or disputes with any of our lending partners, which could negatively impact or threaten our relationship with them. In our agreements with lending partners, we make certain representations and warranties and covenants concerning our compliance with specific policies of a lending partner, certain procedures and guidelines related to laws and regulations applicable to our lending partners, as well as the services to be provided by us. If those representations and warranties were not accurate when made or if we fail to perform a covenant, we may be liable for any resulting damages, including potentially any losses associated with impacted loans, and our reputation and ability to continue to attract new lending partners would be adversely affected. Additionally, our lending partners may engage in mergers, acquisitions or consolidations with each other, our competitors or with third parties, any of which could be disruptive to our existing and prospective relationships with our lending partners. If we fail to maintain or grow the number of lending partners, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Current wording

We enter into a separate agreement with each of our lending partners. Our agreements with our lending partners are nonexclusive and may contain minimum fee amounts. Our lending partners could decide to stop working with us, ask to modify their agreement terms in a cost prohibitive manner when their agreement is up for renewal or enter into exclusive or more favorable relationships with our competitors. In addition, federal or state regulators may require that they terminate or otherwise limit their business with us, or impose regulatory pressure limiting their ability to do business with us. See the risk factors titled “—Our business is subject to a wide range of laws and regulations, many of which are evolving, and failure or perceived failure to comply with such laws and regulations could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations” and “—The CFPB has sometimes taken expansive views of its authority to regulate consumer financial services, creating uncertainty as to how the agency’s actions or the actions of any other agency could impact our business” for more information. Moreover, we could in the future have disagreements or disputes with any of our lending partners, which could negatively impact or threaten our relationship with them. In our agreements with lending partners, we make certain representations and warranties and covenants concerning our compliance with specific policies of a lending partner, certain procedures and guidelines related to laws and regulations applicable to our lending partners, as well as the services to be provided by us. If those representations and warranties were not accurate when made or if we fail to perform a covenant, we may be liable for any resulting damages, including potentially any losses associated with impacted loans, and our reputation and ability to continue to attract new lending partners would be adversely affected. Additionally, our lending partners may engage in mergers, acquisitions or consolidations with each other, our competitors or with third parties, any of which could be disruptive to our existing and prospective relationships with our lending partners. If we fail to maintain or grow the number of lending partners, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Previous wording

If we are unable to manage the risks associated with the Upstart Macro Index (UMI), which we introduced in 2023 and does not have a long history or proven track record, our credibility, reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Current wording

If we are unable to manage the risks associated with the Upstart Macro Index (UMI), which we introduced in 2023 and which does not have a long history or proven track record, our credibility, reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Previous wording

For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, we incurred a net loss of $125.8 million. We have expended, and intend to continue to expend, significant funds to develop and improve our proprietary AI models, attract additional borrowers to our marketplace, enhance the features and overall user experience on our platform, expand loan product offerings and otherwise continue to grow our business, and we may not be able to increase our revenue enough to offset these significant expenditures. We have incurred, and expect to incur in the future, significant losses for a number of reasons, including the other risks described in this section, and unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications and delays, macroeconomic conditions and other unknown events. Any failure to increase our revenue sufficiently to keep pace with our investments and other expenses would prevent us from being profitable. If we are unable to successfully address these risks and challenges as we encounter them, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Current wording

For the three months ended March 31, 2025, we incurred a net loss of $2.4 million. We have expended, and intend to continue to expend, significant funds to develop and improve our proprietary AI models, attract additional borrowers to our marketplace, enhance the features and overall user experience on our platform, expand loan product offerings and otherwise continue to grow our business, and we may not be able to increase our revenue enough to offset these significant expenditures. We have incurred, and expect to incur in the future, significant losses for a number of reasons, including the other risks described in this section, and unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications and delays, macroeconomic conditions and other unknown events. Any failure to increase our revenue sufficiently to keep pace with our investments and other expenses would prevent us from being profitable. If we are unable to successfully address these risks and challenges as we encounter them, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Previous wording

We have held more Upstart-powered loans on our balance sheet in recent years and may continue to do so in the future. We have used, and may continue to use, our balance sheet to support our research and development activities for new loan products and borrower segments. In addition to research and development activities, we have used and may continue to use our balance sheet to purchase loans from lending partners to address fluctuations in supply and demand in our marketplace and periodically sell these loans to institutional investors prior to their maturity. Out of the total principal of loan originations facilitated on our marketplace during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, 8% were held on our balance sheet. As of September 30, 2024, we held $537.6 million of loans on our balance sheet, excluding loans held in consolidated securitization. We hold loans on our balance sheet at fair value and estimate fair value using a discounted cash flow methodology. An increase in the market interest rates reduces the fair value of loans held on our balance sheet by increasing the discount rate used to determine fair value under the discounted cash flow methodology. Currently, we are in a high interest rate environment. The high interest rates have negatively affected the fair value of loans held on our balance sheet and may continue to do so in the future. In addition, for these loans and any future loans to be held on our balance sheet, we bear the credit risk in the event of borrower default. Our exposure to rising borrower default rates and their volatility has increased, and may continue to increase, as we hold more Upstart-powered loans on our balance sheet. The R&D loans make up a substantial portion of the loans held on our balance sheet and are generally more risky and more likely to default than the core personal loans.

Current wording

We have held more Upstart-powered loans on our balance sheet in recent years and may continue to do so in the future. We have used, and may continue to use, our balance sheet to support our research and development activities for new loan products and borrower segments. In addition to research and development activities, we have used and may continue to use our balance sheet to purchase Upstart-powered loans from lending partners to address fluctuations in supply and demand in our marketplace and periodically sell these loans to institutional investors prior to their maturity. Out of the total principal of loan originations facilitated on our marketplace during the three months ended March 31, 2025, 11% were held on our balance sheet. As of March 31, 2025, we held $725.8 million of loans on our balance sheet, excluding loans held in consolidated securitization. We hold loans on our balance sheet at fair value and estimate fair value using a discounted cash flow methodology. An increase in the market interest rates reduces the fair value of loans held on our balance sheet by increasing the discount rate used to determine fair value under the discounted cash flow methodology. Currently, we are in a high interest rate environment. The high interest rates have negatively affected the fair value of loans held on our balance sheet and may continue to do so in the future. In addition, for these loans and any future loans to be held on our balance sheet, we bear the credit risk in the event of borrower default. Our exposure to rising borrower default rates and their volatility has increased, and may continue to increase, as we hold more Upstart-powered loans on our balance sheet. The R&D loans make up a substantial portion of the loans held on our balance sheet and are generally more risky and more likely to default than the core personal loans.

Previous wording

Recently, the default rates and charge-offs for these loans have been higher than expected for certain loan categories, and consequently, we had to make unfavorable fair value adjustments to the loans on our balance sheet. These unfavorable fair value adjustments have negatively impacted our revenue, and if we continue to experience higher than expected default rates or the loans otherwise fail to perform as expected, we would need to make additional unfavorable fair value adjustments in the future, which would negatively impact our revenue. It is also possible that we may recognize a loss if we sell the loans held on our balance sheet, such as the R&D loans, at an unfavorable price. Furthermore, a portion of our revenue is interest income derived from the loans held on our balance sheet, and if we increase the amount of loans held on our balance sheet, we become more dependent on interest income as a source of revenue and become more vulnerable to credit risk and borrower defaults associated with these loans. From a liquidity perspective, the growing amount of loans on our balance sheet increases our liquidity risk. We cannot be certain whether we will be able to sell these loans, or any future loans to be put on our balance sheet, on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we are unable to do so, it is possible that our ability to meet our operational needs and obligations may be disrupted. Moreover, the use of our balance sheet diverts financial resources from other uses, such as improving our products and services, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Current wording

At times, the default rates and charge-offs for these loans have been higher than expected for certain loan categories, and consequently, we had to make unfavorable fair value adjustments to the loans on our balance sheet. Unfavorable fair value adjustments have negatively impacted our revenue in the past, and if we experience higher than expected default rates or the loans otherwise fail to perform as expected, we would need to make unfavorable fair value adjustments in the future, which would negatively impact our revenue. It is also possible that we may recognize a loss if we sell the loans held on our balance sheet, such as the R&D loans, at an unfavorable price. Furthermore, a portion of our revenue is interest income derived from the loans held on our balance sheet, and if we increase the amount of loans held on our balance sheet, we become more dependent on interest income as a source of revenue and become more vulnerable to credit risk and borrower defaults associated with these loans. From a liquidity perspective, a growing amount of loans on our balance sheet increases our liquidity risk. We cannot be certain whether we will be able to sell loans currently on our balance sheet, or any future loans to be put on our balance sheet, on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we are unable to do so, it is possible that our ability to meet our operational needs and obligations may be disrupted. Moreover, the use of our balance sheet diverts financial resources from other uses, such as improving our products and services, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Previous wording

We grew rapidly in the past, and our historical revenue growth rate and financial performance may not be indicative of our future performance. Our revenue for any previous quarterly or annual periods should not be relied upon as any indication of our revenue or revenue growth in future. Our revenue may continue to decline in the future for a number of reasons, which may include: adverse macroeconomic conditions, changing interest rates, slowing demand for or reduced funding through our lending marketplace, sales of loans held on our balance sheet at a loss, increasing competition, credit market volatility, increasing regulatory costs and challenges and our failure to capitalize on growth opportunities.

Current wording

We grew rapidly in the past, and our historical revenue growth rate and financial performance may not be indicative of our future performance. Our revenue for any previous quarterly or annual periods should not be relied upon as any indication of our revenue or revenue growth in the future. Our revenue may decline in the future for a number of reasons, which may include: adverse macroeconomic conditions, changing interest rates, slowing demand for or reduced funding through our lending marketplace, sales of loans held on our balance sheet at a loss, losses from our committed capital and co-investment arrangements with institutional capital partners, increasing competition, credit market volatility, increasing regulatory costs and challenges and our failure to capitalize on growth opportunities.

Previous wording

We believe our growth was driven in large part by our AI models and our continued improvements to our AI models. Future incremental improvements to our AI models may not lead to the same level of growth as they did in the past. In addition, we believe our past growth was driven in part by our ability to rapidly streamline and automate the loan application and origination process on our platform. We expect the Percentage of Loans Fully Automated to level off and remain relatively stable in the long term. However, the expansion of our loan offerings beyond unsecured personal loans, such as auto loans and home equity lines of credit, may cause fluctuations of such percentage from period to period depending on the loan offering mix. As a result of these factors, our revenue may further decline, and our financial performance may continue to be adversely affected.

Current wording

We believe our growth was driven in large part by our AI models and our continued improvements to our AI models. Future incremental improvements to our AI models may not lead to the same level of growth as they did in the past. In addition, we believe our past growth was driven in part by our ability to rapidly streamline and automate the loan application and origination process on our platform. We expect the Percentage of Loans Fully Automated to level off and remain relatively stable in the long term. However, the expansion of loan offerings on our platform beyond unsecured personal loans, such as auto financing and home equity lines of credit, may cause fluctuations of such percentage from period to period depending on the loan offering mix. As a result of these factors, our revenue may further decline, and our financial performance may continue to be adversely affected.

Previous wording

•changes in laws and regulations that impact our business; and

Current wording

•changes in laws and regulations, or interpretations of such laws and regulations, that impact our business; and

Previous wording

We have facilitated securitizations, and may in the future facilitate additional securitizations, of Upstart-powered loans to allow our institutional investors, certain lending partners and/or ourselves to liquidate or finance such loans through the asset-backed securities markets or through other capital markets products. In asset-backed securities transactions, we sell and convey pools of loans to a special purpose entity, or SPE. We likewise fund certain loans on our balance sheet by selling loans to warehouse trust SPEs and drawing on the associated warehouse credit facilities. Each securitization SPE issues notes and/or certificates pursuant to the terms of indentures and trust agreements, or in the case of the warehouse credit facilities, the warehouse trust SPE borrows money from banks pursuant to credit and security agreements. The securities issued by the SPEs in asset-backed securitization transactions and the lines of credit borrowed by the warehouse SPEs are each secured by the pool of loans owned by the applicable SPE. We, our institutional investors who have purchased whole loans or pass-through certificates, and/or our lending partners contribute loans to the SPE and in exchange, receive cash and/or securities representing debt and/or equity interests in such SPE.

Current wording

We have facilitated securitizations, and may in the future facilitate additional securitizations, of Upstart-powered loans to allow our institutional investors, certain lending partners and/or ourselves to liquidate or finance such loans through the asset-backed securities markets or through other capital markets products. In asset-backed securities transactions, we sell and convey pools of loans to a special purpose entity, or SPE. We likewise fund certain loans on our balance sheet by selling loans to warehouse trust SPEs and drawing on the associated warehouse credit facilities. Each securitization SPE issues notes and/or certificates pursuant to the terms of indentures and trust agreements. In the case of the warehouse credit facilities, the warehouse trust SPE borrows money from banks pursuant to credit and security agreements. The securities issued by the SPEs in asset-backed securitization transactions and the lines of credit borrowed by the warehouse SPEs are each secured by the pool of loans owned by the applicable SPE. We, our institutional investors who have purchased whole loans or pass-through certificates, and/or our lending partners contribute loans to the SPE and in exchange, receive cash and/or securities representing debt and/or equity interests in such SPE.

Previous wording

When we are the sole sponsor of securitizations, we are required under Regulation RR to retain at least five percent of the credit risk in such transactions for a specific period of time, depending on the type of asset that is securitized. We have in the past and may choose to retain additional securities, such as notes or certificates, issued in asset-backed securitization transactions we sponsor or facilitate. The certificates represent residual equity interests in the SPEs and are subordinated to the notes and thus are exposed to greater credit risk. In 2023, we acted as a sole retaining sponsor to asset-backed securitizations and, in one instance, retained not only the securities required for risk retention purposes under Regulation RR, but also additional residual equity interests, exposing us to greater credit risk. The securities we retain may lose value, including becoming worthless. In the future, we may retain securities issued as part of our securitizations beyond risk retention requirements again. In addition, other matters, such as capital and leverage requirements applicable to banks and other regulated financial institutions holding asset-backed securities or increasing competition from other issuers of asset-backed securities, could negatively impact our business by decreasing institutional investor demand for securities issued through our securitization transactions. In addition, compliance with certain regulatory requirements, including the Dodd-Frank Act, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act, and the so-called “Volcker Rule,” may affect the type of securitizations that we are able to complete.

Current wording

When we are the sole sponsor of securitizations, we are required under Regulation RR to retain at least five percent of the credit risk in such transactions for a specific period of time, depending on the type of asset that is securitized. We have in the past and may choose in the future to retain additional securities, such as notes or certificates, issued in asset-backed securitization transactions we sponsor or facilitate. The certificates represent residual equity interests in the SPEs and are subordinated to the notes and thus are exposed to greater credit risk. In 2023 and 2024, we acted as a sole retaining sponsor to asset-backed securitizations and, in one instance, retained not only the securities required for risk retention purposes under Regulation RR, but also additional residual equity interests, exposing us to greater credit risk. The securities we retain may lose value, including becoming worthless. In the future, we may retain securities issued as part of our securitizations beyond risk retention requirements again. In addition, other matters, such as capital and leverage requirements applicable to banks and other regulated financial institutions holding asset-backed securities, macroeconomic factors impacting allocations of funds or increasing competition from other issuers of asset-backed securities, could negatively impact our business by decreasing institutional investor demand for securities issued through our securitization transactions. In addition, compliance with certain regulatory requirements, including the Dodd-Frank Act, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act, the so-called “Volcker Rule,” and states licensing requirement changes to include SPEs, may affect the type of securitizations that we are able to complete.

Previous wording

The servicing fees generated by our loan servicing activities for the loans sold to institutional investors and contributed to asset-based securitizations and pass-through certificate transactions also represent a material portion of our earnings. There is no assurance that our institutional investors will continue to purchase loans or securities (either through whole loan sales, asset-backed securities, pass-through certificate issuances or other direct or indirect purchase arrangements) or that they will continue to purchase loans in transactions that generate the same spreads and/or fees that we have historically obtained. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, we sold loans that had been originated in an earlier, lower interest rate environment. We recognized losses on these sales which reduced our revenue. As we hold more loans on our balance sheet, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected, including further reductions in revenue. Factors that may affect demand by institutional investors for Upstart-powered loans include:

Current wording

The servicing fees generated by our loan servicing activities for the loans sold to institutional investors and contributed to asset-based securitizations and pass-through certificate transactions also represent a material portion of our earnings. There is no assurance that our institutional investors will continue to purchase loans or securities (either through whole loan sales, asset-backed securities, pass-through certificate issuances or other direct or indirect purchase arrangements) or that they will continue to purchase loans in transactions that generate the same spreads and/or fees that we have historically obtained. In the past, we sold loans that had been originated in an earlier, lower interest rate environment. We recognized losses on these sales which reduced our revenue. As we purchase and hold more loans on our balance sheet, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected, including further reductions in revenue. Factors that may affect demand by institutional investors for Upstart-powered loans include:

Previous wording

•the actual or perceived credit performance of loan products offered on our marketplace;

Current wording

•the actual or perceived credit performance of loan products offered through our marketplace;

Previous wording

In connection with our committed capital and other co-investment arrangements, we have agreed to compensate our loan buyers/co-investors, subject to a limit, if credit performance on the loans deviates from expectations. As of September 30, 2024, our maximum exposure to losses under these committed capital and other co-investment arrangements was approximately $357.9 million. See “Note 5. Beneficial Interests” for more information. Committed capital and other co-investment arrangements could negatively impact our financial results. We may also experience declines in revenue and loan volume if existing committed capital or other capital arrangements do not provide funding on the agreed upon terms or we fail to secure additional committed capital or other capital arrangements on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.

Current wording

In connection with our committed capital and other co-investment arrangements, we have agreed to compensate our loan buyers/co-investors, subject to a limit, if credit performance on the loans deviates from expectations. As of March 31, 2025, our maximum exposure to losses under these committed capital and other co-investment arrangements was approximately $553.6 million. See “Note 4. Beneficial Interests” for more information. Committed capital and other co-investment arrangements could negatively impact our financial results. We may also experience declines in revenue and loan volume if existing committed capital or other co-investment arrangements do not provide funding on the agreed upon terms or we fail to secure additional committed capital or other capital arrangements on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.

Previous wording

Our top three lending partners originate a significant portion of loans on our marketplace. In the nine months ended September 30, 2024, our top three lending partners collectively originated 86% of the Transaction Volume, Number of Loans and accounted for 71% of our total revenue. There are no minimum commitments to originate any loans under the agreements we have with our lending partners. If our top three lending partners were to suspend, limit or cease their operations or otherwise terminate their relationship with us, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected. As of September 30, 2024, we had more than 100 lending partners participating on our marketplace, and we continue to expand our lending partnerships to new participants. If we are unable to continue to increase the participation by other lending partners on our marketplace, we will continue to be reliant on a small number of lending partners for a significant portion of loan originations and revenue, which could harm our business.

Current wording

Our top three lending partners originate a significant portion of loans on our marketplace. In the three months ended March 31, 2025, our top three lending partners collectively originated 83% of the Transaction Volume, Number of Loans and accounted for 57% of our total revenue. There are no minimum commitments for our lending partners to originate any volume of loans under our agreements. If our top three lending partners were to suspend, limit or cease their operations or otherwise terminate their relationship with us, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected. As of March 31, 2025, we had more than 100 lending partners participating on our marketplace, and we continue to expand our lending partnerships to new participants. If we are unable to continue to increase the participation by other lending partners on our marketplace, we will continue to be reliant on a small number of lending partners for a significant portion of loan originations and revenue, which could harm our business.

Previous wording

We believe maintaining a strong brand and trustworthy reputation is critical to our success and our ability to attract borrowers to our marketplace, attract new lending partners, maintain diverse and resilient loan funding and sustain good relations with regulators. Factors that affect our brand and reputation include: perceptions of AI, our industry and our company, including the quality and reliability of our AI lending marketplace; the accuracy of our AI models; characterizations of our company as a traditional lending company due to the amount of loans held on our balance sheet; perceptions regarding the application of AI to consumer lending specifically and that algorithmic lending is inherently biased; perceptions of rate exportation and the bank partnership model; the reputation of the vehicle dealerships with which we partner; loan funding to our marketplace; changes to the Upstart marketplace; our ability to effectively manage and resolve borrower complaints; collection practices; privacy and security practices; litigation, such as class action and shareholder derivative lawsuits described in“Legal” section under“Note 12. Commitments and Contingencies”; regulatory activity; and the overall user experience of our marketplace. Negative publicity or negative public perception of these factors, even if inaccurate, could adversely affect our brand and reputation.

Current wording

We believe maintaining a strong brand and trustworthy reputation is critical to our success and our ability to attract borrowers to our marketplace, attract new lending partners, maintain diverse and resilient loan funding and sustain good relations with regulators. Factors that affect our brand and reputation include: perceptions of AI, our industry and our company, including the quality and reliability of our AI lending marketplace; the accuracy of our AI models; characterizations of our company due to our novel business model; perceptions regarding the application of AI to consumer lending specifically and that algorithmic-based lending is inherently biased; perceptions of rate exportation and the bank partnership model; the reputation of the vehicle dealerships with which we partner; loan funding to our marketplace; changes to the Upstart marketplace; our ability to effectively manage and resolve borrower complaints; collection practices; privacy and data security practices; litigation, such as class action and shareholder derivative lawsuits described in“Legal” section under“Note 11. Commitments and Contingencies”; regulatory activity; and the overall user experience of our marketplace. Negative publicity or negative public perception of these factors, even if inaccurate, could adversely affect our brand and reputation.

Previous wording

For example, consumer advocacy groups, state legislatures, politicians and certain government and media reports have advocated governmental action to prohibit or severely restrict consumer loan arrangements where banks contract with a third-party platform such as ours to provide origination assistance services to bank customers. These arrangements have sometimes been criticized as “renting-a-bank charter” or “rent-a-bank”. Such criticism has frequently been levied in the context of payday loan marketers, though other entities operating programs through which loans similar to Upstart-powered loans are originated have also faced criticism. The same groups, as well as state legislative bodies, are now challenging the right of state-chartered banks to export their rates to other states, which sometimes allows out-of-state banks to charge consumers higher rates than in-state lenders. While Iowa decided in the 1980’s to prevent rate exportation, a few states have more recently proposed legislation prohibiting out-of-state, state-chartered banks from lending at rates higher than the state usury limit or at rates set by the states’ licensed-lending laws, and at least one state has passed such legislation. For example, Colorado passed legislation to opt out of the federal law that allows out-of-state, state-chartered banks to export their rates to Colorado. While Colorado’s opt-out is currently enjoined from becoming effective, at least three additional states have followed Colorado and proposed legislation to end the rate exportation in their states allowed under federal law for out-of-state, state-chartered banks. The high-interest loans that have been subject to more frequent criticism and challenge are fundamentally different from Upstart-powered consumer loans in many ways, including that Upstart-powered loans typically have lower interest rates and longer terms, and Upstart-powered loans do not renew. In particular, interest rates of Upstart-powered loans have always been and are currently less than 36% APR, as compared to the triple-digit interest rates of many payday or small dollar loans that have been subject to such criticism. However, states that are addressing their rent-a-bank and rate exportation concerns through legislation may impact our marketplace if the state rate limit is below 36%. Where that happens, our state-chartered lending partners may need to scale back lending on our marketplace to comply with state laws or terminate their participation in our marketplace, leading to a reduction in origination volume. It could also negatively impact demand for Upstart-powered loans, our ability to attract new lending partners, our ability to attract loan funding to our marketplace or reduce the number of potential borrowers to our marketplace. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Current wording

For example, consumer advocacy groups, state legislatures, politicians and certain government and media reports have advocated governmental action to prohibit or severely restrict consumer loan arrangements where banks contract with a third-party platform such as ours to provide origination assistance services to bank customers. Such criticism has frequently been levied in the context of high-interest “payday” loans, although other entities operating programs through which loans similar to Upstart-powered loans are originated have also faced criticism. In addition, some state legislatures are now challenging the right of state-chartered banks to export their home-state rates to other states by proposing, threatening to propose, or passing laws that opt out of the federal Depository Institution Deregulation Monetary Control Act, or DIDMCA. Opting out purportedly prevents out-of-state, state-chartered banks from exporting the rates from their home state for loans made to residents of the state that opted out. Iowa opted out of DIDMCA in the 1980s and in 2023, Colorado passed a law to opt out. The Colorado law is currently subject to an injunction that prevents enforcement, pending outcome of litigation regarding the effectiveness of such opt out. The high-interest loans that have been subject to more frequent criticism and challenge are fundamentally different from Upstart-powered consumer loans in many ways, including that Upstart-powered loans typically have lower interest rates and longer terms, and are not refinanced. In particular, interest rates of Upstart-powered consumer loans have always been and are currently less than 36% APR, as compared to the triple-digit interest rates of many payday or small dollar loans that have been subject to such criticism. However, states that are addressing their marketplace lending and rate exportation concerns through legislation may impact our marketplace if the state rate limit is below 36%. Where that happens, our state-chartered lending partners may need to scale back lending on our marketplace to comply with state laws or may terminate their participation in our marketplace, leading to a reduction in origination volume. These challenges to the marketplace lending model could also negatively impact demand for Upstart-powered loans, our ability to attract new lending partners, our ability to attract loan funding to our marketplace or reduce the number of potential borrowers to our marketplace. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Previous wording

Any negative publicity or public perception of Upstart-powered loans or other similar consumer loans or the consumer lending service we provide may also result in us being subject to more restrictive laws and regulations and potential investigations and enforcement actions. For example, some unfair or deceptive practices by vehicle dealerships can be attributed to us as a purchaser of retail installment contracts under the FTC Holder Rule, which allows a vehicle purchaser to bring any claim against the dealership to the holder of a retail installment contract. In addition, regulators may decide they are no longer supportive of our AI lending marketplace if there is enough negative perception surrounding such practices. We may also become subject to lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, or other challenges such as government enforcement or arbitration, against our lending partners or us for loans originated by our lending partners on our marketplace, loans we service or have serviced, loans we hold for sale or investment on our balance sheet, or retail installment contracts we have purchased. If there are changes in the laws or in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws affecting consumer loans similar to those offered on our marketplace, or our marketing and servicing of such loans, or if we become subject to such lawsuits, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Current wording

Any negative publicity or public perception of Upstart-powered loans or other similar consumer loans or the consumer lending services we provide may also result in us being subject to more restrictive laws and regulations and potential investigations and enforcement actions. For example, some unfair or deceptive practices by vehicle dealerships can be attributed to us as a purchaser of retail installment contracts under the FTC Holder Rule, which allows a vehicle purchaser to bring any claim it has against the dealership against the current holder of the retail installment contract. Borrowers may complain about our data sharing practices, even though such practices are described in our privacy policy and comply with applicable laws and regulations. In addition, regulators may decide they are no longer supportive of our AI lending marketplace if there is enough negative perception surrounding the use of AI or the bank partnership model. We may also become subject to lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, or other challenges such as government enforcement or arbitration, against our lending partners or us for loans originated by our lending partners on our marketplace, loans we service or have serviced, loans we hold for sale or investment on our balance sheet, or retail installment contracts we have purchased. If there are changes in the laws or in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws affecting consumer loans similar to those offered on our marketplace, or our marketing and servicing of such loans, or if we become subject to such lawsuits, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Previous wording

AI and related technologies are subject to public debate and heightened regulatory scrutiny. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) recently indicated that AI remains a regulatory hot topic for the agency including the use of complex credit scoring models as part of the loan underwriting process. The agency has taken several steps to increase regulatory scrutiny of financial technology companies that rely on AI. In April 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), the CFPB, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released a joint statement on AI demonstrating their interest in monitoring the development and use of automated systems and enforcement of their respective laws and regulations, and in October 2023, President Biden signed an Executive Order aimed at protecting consumers against harms caused by AI. The Congressional Research Service released a report on April 3, 2024 on the use of AI and machine learning in financial services, noting that financial industry policymakers face competing pressures of providing beneficial technology and avoiding any consumer harm from such technology. In addition, recently, the SEC cautioned companies against “AI washing” and took enforcement actions against companies for their claims about the use of AI in their products and services. In June 2024, the Treasury Department also issued a request for information seeking public comments on the use of AI in the financial services sector and the opportunities and risks presented by developments and applications of AI within the sector. Any negative publicity or negative public perception of AI could negatively impact demand for our AI lending marketplace, hinder our ability to attract new lending partners or slow the rate at which lending partners adopt our AI lending marketplace. From time to time, certain advocacy groups have made claims that unlawful or unethical discriminatory effects may result from the use of AI technology by various companies, including ours. Such claims, whether or not accurate, and whether or not concerning us or our AI lending marketplace, may harm our ability to attract prospective borrowers to our marketplace, retain existing and attract new lending partners and achieve regulatory acceptance of our business.

Current wording

AI and related technologies are subject to public debate and heightened regulatory scrutiny. Although policy prerogatives of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) have changed with the recent change in the U.S. presidential administration, the CFPB previously indicated that AI was a regulatory hot topic for the agency, including the use of complex credit scoring models as part of the loan underwriting process. The agency previously took several steps to increase regulatory scrutiny of financial technology companies that rely on AI. In April 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), the CFPB, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released a joint statement on AI demonstrating their interest in monitoring the development and use of automated systems and enforcement of their respective laws and regulations. The Congressional Research Service released a report on April 3, 2024 on the use of AI and machine learning in financial services, noting that financial industry policymakers face competing pressures of providing beneficial technology and avoiding any consumer harm from such technology. In addition, recently, the SEC cautioned companies against “AI washing” and took enforcement actions against companies for their claims about the use of AI in their products and services. In June 2024, the Treasury Department also issued a request for information seeking public comments on the use of AI in the financial services sector and the opportunities and risks presented by developments and applications of AI within the sector. In August 2024, the CFPB also responded to a Department of Treasury Request For Information regarding the use of AI in financial services, reinforcing their expectation that companies using emerging technologies including AI comply with existing consumer protection laws and regulations. States have also started to regulate the use of AI, with Colorado passing the first comprehensive AI bill in June 2024. That same month, Colorado passed its AI Act, creating duties for developers of AI and persons using AI to use reasonable care to protect consumers from any known or reasonably foreseeable risks of algorithmic discrimination arising from the use of "high-risk AI systems”. California attempted to pass a similar law, but was not successful. Other states have begun proposing and passing legislation addressing the use of AI and automated decision making, and we expect the number of states with similar legislation to grow. Any negative publicity or negative public perception of AI could negatively impact demand for our AI lending marketplace, hinder our ability to attract new lending partners or slow the rate at which lending partners adopt our AI lending marketplace. From time to time, certain advocacy groups have made claims that unlawful or unethical discriminatory effects may result from the use of AI technology by various companies, including ours. Such claims, whether…

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Previous wording

In 2020, we entered into an agreement with the NAACP Legal Defense Education Fund (the “LDF”), and the Student Borrower Protection Center (the “SBPC”), to participate in fair lending reviews of our AI underwriting models by an independent third-party firm, Relman Colfax LLC (“Relman”). The fair lending testing was designed to determine if our AI underwriting models have caused or resulted in a disparate impact on any protected class, and if so, whether there are any alternative, less discriminatory practices without sacrificing the models’ predictiveness. In March 2024, following a number of quantitative assessments and prior reports, Relman published a final report that summarized developments during the monitorship as well as industry fair lending recommendations. The Relman final report marked the conclusion of our agreement with the LDF and the SBPC and the fair lending reviews by Relman. If the conclusion of the Relman monitorship or any of the final report’s findings are viewed negatively for any reason, our brand and reputation and the overall market acceptance of, and trust in, our AI lending marketplace could suffer, and we could be subject to increased regulatory and litigation risk. In addition, the publication of information arising from our agreement with the LDF and the SBPC, including the reports published by Relman, could lead to additional regulatory scrutiny for us or our lending partners.

Current wording

In 2020, we entered into an agreement with the NAACP Legal Defense Education Fund (the “LDF”), and the Student Borrower Protection Center (the “SBPC”), to participate in fair lending reviews of our AI underwriting models by an independent third-party firm, Relman Colfax LLC (“Relman”). The fair lending testing was designed to determine if our AI underwriting models have caused or resulted in a disparate impact on any protected class, and if so, whether there are any alternative, less discriminatory practices that could be employed without sacrificing the models’ predictiveness. In March 2024, following a number of quantitative assessments and prior reports, Relman published a final report that summarized developments during the monitorship as well as industry fair lending recommendations. The Relman final report marked the conclusion of our agreement with the LDF and the SBPC and the fair lending reviews by Relman. If the conclusion of the Relman monitorship or any of the final report’s findings are viewed negatively for any reason, our brand and reputation and the overall market acceptance of, and trust in, our AI lending marketplace could suffer, and we could be subject to increased regulatory and litigation risk. In addition, the publication of information arising from our agreement with the LDF and the SBPC, including the reports published by Relman, could lead to additional regulatory scrutiny for us or our lending partners.

Previous wording

We have been subject to other governmental inquiries on this topic. See the risk factor titled “—We have been in the past and may in the future be subject to federal and state regulatory inquiries regarding our business” for more information. The CFPB issued a final rule in June 2024 that will require us and other non-bank entities to report any public regulatory or court orders related to violations of consumer protection laws in a registry that will be available to the public, which can impact our public perception and reputation. Negative public perception, actions by advocacy groups or legislative and regulatory interest groups could lead to lobbying for and enactment of more restrictive laws and regulations that impact the use of AI technology in general, AI technology as applied to lending operations generally or as used in our applications more specifically. Any of the foregoing could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Current wording

We have been subject to other governmental inquiries on this topic. See the risk factor titled “—We have been in the past and may in the future be subject to federal and state regulatory inquiries regarding our business” for more information. The CFPB issued a final rule in June 2024 that will require us and other non-bank entities to report any public regulatory or court orders related to violations of consumer protection laws in a registry that will be available to the public, which can impact our public perception and reputation. While the rule is still in effect, in April 2025, the CFPB announced it would not prioritize enforcement or supervision for entities that do not register, and it is considering rescinding or narrowing the scope of this regulation. Negative public perception, actions by advocacy groups or legislative and regulatory interest groups could lead to lobbying for and enactment of more restrictive laws and regulations that impact the use of AI technology in general, AI technology as applied to lending operations generally or as used in our applications more specifically. Any of the foregoing could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Previous wording

The legal and regulatory environment surrounding our AI lending marketplace is relatively new, susceptible to change and may require clarification or interpretive guidance with respect to existing laws and regulations. The body of laws and regulations applicable to our business are complex and subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to the lack of specificity regarding the application of AI and related technologies to the already highly regulated consumer lending industry. As a result, the application of such laws and regulations in practice may change or develop over time as more products are offered on our marketplace, and through judicial decisions or as new guidance or interpretations are provided by regulatory and governing bodies, such as federal, state and local administrative agencies.

Current wording

We are subject to numerous laws and regulations at a federal, state and local level, that are aimed at providing consumer protections in the financial services industry. This body of laws and regulations applicable to our business is complex, evolving and subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to the lack of specificity regarding the application of AI and related technologies to the already highly regulated consumer lending industry or to changing sentiments about the bank partnership model. As a result, the application of such laws and regulations in practice may change or develop over time as more products are offered on our marketplace, and through judicial decisions or as new guidance or interpretations are provided by regulatory and governing bodies, such as federal, state and local administrative agencies.