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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

Form 10-K

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023

or

o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 001-40721

FINWISE BANCORP

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(801)501-7200

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchangeon which registered

Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share FINW The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes oNox

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes oNox

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yesx No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yesx No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. o

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. o

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Yes o No x

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant on the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $93.0 million. The Registrant had 12,818,944 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value, outstanding as of March 20, 2024.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A in connection with the registrant’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed subsequent to the date hereof, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K. Such proxy statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days following the end of the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

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FinWise Bancorp

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Part I

Item 1. Business 4

Item 1A. Risk Factors 19

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 42

Item 1C Cybersecurity 42

Item 2. Properties 44

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 44

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 44

Part II

Item 6. [Reserved] 46

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 75

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 76

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 120

Item 9B. Other Information 120

Part III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 121

Item 11. Executive Compensation 109

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 121

Part IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 122

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Report”) contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current views with respect to, among other things, future events and its financial performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “will likely result,” “expect,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “projection,” “forecast,” “budget,” “goal,” “target,” “would,” “aim” and “outlook,” or the negative version of those words or other comparable words or phrases of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry and management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. The inclusion of these forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that such expectations, estimates and projections will be achieved. Accordingly, we caution you that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, actual results may prove to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause our financial performance to differ materially from that expressed in such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following:

•the success of the financial technology industry, as well as the continued evolution of the regulation of this industry;

•the ability of our Strategic Program or Fintech Banking Solutions service providers to comply with regulatory regimes, and our ability to adequately oversee and monitor our Strategic Program and Fintech Banking Solutions service providers;

•our ability to maintain and grow our relationships with our service providers;

•changes in the laws, rules, regulations, interpretations or policies relating to financial institutions, accounting, tax, trade, monetary and fiscal matters, including the application of interest rate caps or maximums;

•our ability to keep pace with rapid technological changes in the industry or implement new technology effectively;

•system failure or cybersecurity breaches of our network security;

•potential exposure to fraud, negligence, computer theft and cyber-crime and other disruptions in our computer systems relating to our development and use of new technology platforms;

•our reliance on third-party service providers for core systems support, informational website hosting, internet services, online account opening and other processing services;

•general economic and business conditions, either nationally or in our market areas;

•increased national or regional competition in the financial services industry;

•our ability to measure and manage our credit risk effectively and the potential deterioration of the business and economic conditions in our primary market areas;

•the adequacy of our risk management framework;

•the adequacy of our allowance for credit losses (“ACL”);

•the financial soundness of other financial institutions;

•new lines of business or new products and services;

•changes in Small Business Administration (“SBA”) rules, regulations and loan products, including specifically the Section 7(a) program or changes to the status of the Bank as an SBA Preferred Lender;

•the value of collateral securing our loans;

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•our levels of nonperforming assets;

•losses from loan defaults;

•our ability to protect our intellectual property and the risks we face with respect to claims and litigation initiated against us;

•our ability to implement our growth strategy;

•our ability to continue to launch new products or services successfully;

•the concentration of our lending and depositor relationships through Strategic Programs in the financial technology industry generally;

•interest-rate and liquidity risks:

•the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and our ability to remediate any future material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting;

•dependence on our management team and changes in management composition;

•the sufficiency of our capital;

•compliance with laws and regulations, supervisory actions, the Dodd-Frank Act, capital requirements, the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering laws, predatory lending laws, and other statutes and regulations;

•results of examinations of us by our regulators;

•our involvement from time to time in legal proceedings;

•natural disasters and adverse weather, acts of terrorism, pandemics, an outbreak of hostilities or other international or domestic calamities, and other matters beyond our control;

•future equity and debt issuances;

•that the anticipated benefits new lines of business that we may enter or investments or acquisitions we may make are not realized within the expected time frame or at all as a result of such things as the strength or weakness of the economy and competitive factors in the areas where the Company and such other businesses operate; and

•other factors that are discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors,” beginning on page 19.

The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with the other cautionary statements included in this Report, including those discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors.” If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from our forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this Report, and we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict their occurrence. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each risk and uncertainty on our business or the extent to which any risk or uncertainty, or combination of risks and uncertainties, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

PART I

Item 1. Business

In this Report, unless we state otherwise or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “the Company” and “FinWise Bancorp” refer to FinWise Bancorp and its wholly owned subsidiaries, FinWise Bank (which we sometimes refer to as “FinWise Bank,” “FinWise,” “the Bank” or “our Bank,”) and FinWise Investments, LLC. References to “common stock” refer to our voting common stock.

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Overview

We are FinWise Bancorp, a Utah bank holding company headquartered in Murray, Utah. We operate through our wholly-owned subsidiary, FinWise Bank, a Utah state-chartered bank. We currently operate one full-service banking location in Sandy, Utah. We are a nationwide lender to consumers and small businesses. We believe that traditional barriers to servicing banking customers have been substantially lowered due to technological advances in the distribution and management of banking products and services. We seek to capitalize on these advances by leveraging strategic relationships, as well as proprietary loan origination systems and data analytics technology, to expand our reach in marketing channels utilized and credit products offered. As a technology-focused bank, we have utilized technology-oriented loan origination platforms in our Strategic Programs, SBA lending, Residential & Owner Occupied Commercial Real Estate, and Equipment Financing business lines. We have also deployed our own in-house technology to deliver loan and deposit solutions to our customers directly and through third parties.

The Company was formed in 2002 and acquired 100% of the stock of Utah Community Bank, a local community bank founded in 1999 focusing on real estate lending in and around the Salt Lake City, Utah MSA. While the Bank is our primary asset we also have a 20% membership interest in BFG, a Connecticut limited liability company, a nationally significant referral source for SBA loans and a legal lending facilitator. As described below, we have a right of first refusal to purchase additional interests in BFG from any selling member along with an option to purchase all of the interests from the remaining members through January 1, 2028. See “Our Relationship with Business Funding Group.”

We originate, sell or hold loans in four main lending areas: (i) nationwide Strategic Programs, (ii) a multi-state SBA 7(a) lending program, (iii) residential and owner occupied commercial real estate lending, and (iv) multi-state equipment financing. We have principally relied on core deposits, including Institutional Deposits, to fund our lending activities but also have used brokered deposits, Health Savings Account (HSA) sourced through a third party, and borrowings when we deem appropriate.

FinWise Bancorp serves as a registered bank holding company with respect to the Bank, subject to regulation and examination by the Utah Department of Financial Institutions (“UDFI”) and the Federal Reserve Board. FinWise Bancorp currently does not engage in any material business activity other than those relating to owning all of the capital stock of FinWise Bank.

Our Relationship with Business Funding Group

BFG is a nationally significant referral source of small business loans. Included in these loans are SBA loans to be funded by financial institutions and other SBA lenders. BFG works alongside a network of over 50 banks to refer business loans to small, independent businesses across various industries. Our relationship with BFG is an important component of our diversification strategy. Since the launch of our SBA lending program in 2014, BFG has been the primary source of SBA loan referrals for the Bank. In consideration of marketing and referral services provided to the Bank, BFG receives a fee for SBA loans referred to the Bank that are closed and funded by the Bank. The fees on each SBA loan referred to the Bank by BFG are determined on a loan-by-loan basis and based on the amount and terms of the principal SBA loan. The methodology for determining such fees has been substantially consistent since 2019. Such fees are disclosed on SBA Form 159 and filed with SBA for each funded loan.

Between March 2018 and July 2018, in exchange for cash proceeds, we sold 1,476,090 shares representing approximately 23.4% of our issued and outstanding common stock at the time of such sale to four individuals associated with BFG and one individual not associated with BFG pursuant to change in control applications filed with the Federal Reserve Bank and UDFI. The Federal Reserve Bank determined that these five individuals were acting in concert, but that the shares purchased by the five individuals were not attributable to BFG for purposes of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended.

In December of 2019, we acquired directly from four of the five individuals who acquired our shares in 2018, a 10% ownership interest in BFG in exchange for 950,784 newly issued shares of our common stock, representing 10.9% of the Company’s outstanding common stock at the time of purchase. The UDFI approved the acquisition of the additional shares of our common stock in the exchange by the four individuals and the Federal Reserve Bank did not object, provided that no individual owns more than 9.9% of our issued and outstanding common stock (as calculated in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Federal Reserve Bank).

To strengthen our relationship with BFG, we negotiated a right of first refusal and an option to acquire 100% of BFG. Subject to the terms of that certain Right of First Refusal and Option Agreement, dated as of March 31, 2020, we were granted an option to acquire all of the ownership interests in BFG at any time from January 1, 2021, to January 1, 2028, at

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an earnings multiple of 10 to 15 times BFG’s net profit based on the fiscal year ended immediately prior to the exercise of the option. In addition, we have a right of first refusal, prior to our exercise of our option, to acquire any ownership interests that any individual owner of BFG wishes to sell. As consideration for the right of first refusal and option, we issued warrants to each BFG member (other than the Company) with the right to acquire shares of our common stock on a pro rata basis according to each such person’s percentage ownership in BFG, not exceeding an aggregate of 270,000 shares, at an exercise price of $6.67 per share. Unless otherwise exercised, the warrants will expire on March 31, 2028. Other than the Right of First Refusal and Option Agreement and the Standstill Agreement, there are no other agreements between us and BFG or among our respective shareholders.

On July 25, 2023, the Company entered into a Membership Purchase Agreement, as amended (the "Purchase Agreement") with BFG and four members of BFG ("Sellers"). Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Company acquired an additional 10% non-voting ownership interest in BFG (the "Transaction"). On February 5, 2024, the Transaction was consummated and the Company issued in the aggregate 339,176 shares of Common Stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share, in a private placement to the Sellers in exchange for their 10% aggregate non-voting ownership interest in BFG When combined with the Company’s existing 5.3% non-voting ownership interest and 4.7% voting ownership interest in BFG, the Company has a 20% ownership interest in BFG comprising a 4.7% voting ownership and a 15.3% nonvoting ownership interest.

BFG is not an affiliate of the Bank as defined under the Federal Reserve Act and Regulation W promulgated thereunder. Accordingly, we are not subject to restrictions imposed by Regulation W with respect to transactions with BFG, and we are not aware of any other regulatory restrictions on the business relationship between the Bank and BFG.

Lending Activities

Overview. We maintain a diversified loan portfolio in terms of the types of loan products it contains and customer characteristics, with a focus on individual consumers and small businesses.

The following table presents the composition of our loan held for investment portfolio by lending program, as of December 31, 2023:

($ in thousands) Total Loans % of Loans inCategory ofTotal Loans

Commercial, non-real estate 2,457 0.7 %

Strategic Program loans 19,408 5.2 %

Commercial real estate:

Note: SBA loans in the table above include $131.7 million of SBA 7(a) loan balances that are guaranteed by the SBA.

SBA 7(a) Loans. Since 2014, we have utilized relationships with third parties (primarily BFG) to originate loans partially guaranteed by the SBA, to small businesses and professionals. Once originated, we will either retain the loans or sell the SBA-guaranteed portion (generally 75% of the principal balance) of the loans we originate at a premium in the secondary market while retaining all servicing rights and the unguaranteed portion. Loan terms generally range from 120 to 300 months and interest rates generally range from the prime rate plus 200 basis points to the prime rate plus 275 basis points, as adjusted quarterly. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we originated approximately $122.9 million in SBA 7(a) loans and held approximately $239.9 million of SBA 7(a) loans on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2023 of which $131.7 million was guaranteed by the SBA and $108.2 million was unguaranteed. As of December 31, 2023, our loan portfolio is comprised of 29.1% in unguaranteed portions of SBA 7(a) loans and 35.4% in guaranteed portions of SBA 7(a) loans.

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The SBA’s 7(a) program provides 75%, 85% and 90% guarantees for eligible SBA 7(a) loans. The maximum 7(a) loan amount is $5 million. The guaranty is conditional and covers a portion of the risk of payment default by the borrower, but not the risk of improper closing and servicing by the lender.

Our existing SBA 7(a) lending program is supported by referrals from BFG and others. BFG refers SBA loan applicants to the Bank for review and consideration. Only the Bank in its sole capacity has the authority to approve SBA loan applications. In all circumstances, the Bank has the right to decline an SBA loan referred by BFG that is deemed not to meet its credit standards. The Bank in its sole capacity has the discretion to determine whether to sell or retain the guaranteed portion of any or all SBA loans it funds. Fees are not paid based on the secondary market premium received or the amount sold.

Strategic Programs. We have established Strategic Programs with various third-party consumer and commercial loan origination platforms that use technology to streamline the origination of consumer and small commercial loans. We currently have twelve Strategic Program relationships. The terms of our Strategic Programs generally require each Strategic Program platform to establish a reserve deposit account with the Bank or another financial institution, intended to protect the Bank in the event a purchaser of loan receivables originated through our Strategic Programs cannot meet its contractual obligation to purchase. This amount is usually set at a 1:1 ratio but may be restructured in certain circumstances as the relationship seasons or if the Strategic Program platform is an established company. Collateral may include deposits held at the Bank, at another institution where the Bank has control of the account or a combination of deposits and other vehicles such as letters of credit. Our Strategic Programs also cover a wide range of borrower credit profiles, loan terms and interest rates. Loan terms range from 1 month to 72 months. Interest rates currently range from 8% to 160%. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we originated approximately $4.1 billion in Strategic Program loans and had approximately $19.4 million in Strategic Program loans held for investment on our balance sheet at December 31, 2023. Business checking and money market demand accounts associated with Strategic Program relationships held balances of approximately $68.1 million (including $29.8 million held as collateral) as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, our Strategic Program held-for-investment loans comprised of 5.2% of the Bank’s loan portfolio.

Residential and Commercial Real Estate Loans. We operate a single branch location in Sandy, Utah. From this branch, we offer commercial and consumer banking services throughout the greater Salt Lake City, Utah MSA. These products are delivered using a high-touch service, relationship banking approach. The majority of the lending product consists of residential non-speculative construction loans which generate both non-interest income and interest income. Construction loan terms generally range from 9 to 12 months and interest rates currently range from the prime rate to the prime rate plus 200 basis points. All the loans generated through this branch are held on our balance sheet. As of December 31, 2023, our branch-based banking operations consisted of approximately $68.9 million in loans (including approximately $60.9 million of residential and commercial real estate loans).

Primarily, our loans secured by real estate are made to established builders to construct residential properties, loans to developers of commercial real estate investment properties and residential developments and loans to individual consumers for construction of single-family homes in our market areas. Our commercial real estate loans primarily include owner-occupied and investment real estate deeds of trust. We also make loans for the acquisition of undeveloped land. As of December 31, 2023, our residential real estate loans comprised 10.2% of the Bank’s loans held for investment portfolio, and our commercial real estate loans comprised 6.1% of the Bank’s loans held for investment portfolio. The majority of our commercial real estate loans are owner occupied commercial real estate loans which comprise 5.6% of the Bank's loans held for investment portfolio. Construction loans are typically disbursed as construction progresses and carry variable interest rates. Our construction and development loans typically have terms that range from six months to nine months but may be extended depending on factors such as the type and size of the development and the financial strength of the borrower/guarantor. Loans are typically structured with an interest only construction period and mature at the completion of construction.

Commercial Leases. Underwriting is generally based on commercial credit metrics where the primary repayment source is borrower cash flow, secondary is personal guarantor cash flow (when applicable) and tertiary is the sale of collateral pledged. These leases are generally secured by liens on business assets. Historically, we have retained these leases on our balance sheet for investment. As of December 31, 2023, our commercial leases comprised 10.2% of the Bank’s loans held for investment portfolio.

Commercial Non-Real Estate Loans. Commercial non-real estate includes loans made to commercial enterprises that are not secured by real estate. Any loan, line of credit, or letter of credit (including any unfunded commitments), and any interest the Bank obtains in such loans made by another lender, to individuals, sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, or other business enterprises for commercial, industrial, agricultural, or professional purposes, but not for

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personal expenditure purposes are included in this category. Underwriting is generally based on commercial credit metrics where the primary repayment source is borrower cash flow, secondary is personal guarantor cash flow (when applicable) and tertiary is the sale of collateral pledged. These loans are generally secured by liens on business assets. Historically, we have retained these loans on our balance sheet for investment. As of December 31, 2023, our commercial non-real estate loans comprised 0.7% of the Bank’s loans held for investment portfolio.

Consumer Loans. Consumer loans consist primarily of loans originated through our Point of Sale ("POS") program. Since 2011, the Bank has offered collateralized and uncollateralized loans without prepayment penalties to finance the purchase of retail goods and services. Loan applications are submitted at the point-of-sale through an online portal. Historically, all of the loans originated through our POS lending program have been held on our balance sheet. We target super prime (FICO score of 720 and higher), prime (FICO score of 661 through 719) and near-prime (FICO score of 640 through 660) borrowers. Loan terms are generally 60 months and interest rates current range from 7.0% to 14.5%. We utilize a high degree of automation in this program and track loan applications, analyze credit and approve loans by deploying a combination of internal and “off-the-shelf” technology solutions. The majority of the approximately $11.4 million in consumer loans outstanding as of December 31, 2023, that were not generated through our Strategic Programs were originated in connection with our POS lending program. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we originated approximately $8.4 million in POS loans and held approximately $9.7 million of POS loans on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, our consumer loans comprised 3.1% of the Bank’s total loans held for investment portfolio.

Strategic Program Loans Held For Sale. The majority of originations of Strategic Program loans are not maintained by the Company as loans held for investment. We have selectively retained a portion of the Strategic Program loans or receivables based on the capacity and risk appetite of the Bank with the majority of Strategic Program originations being sold to investors. At December 31, 2023, the Company had $47.5 million in Strategic Program loans held-for-sale.

Credit Administration and Loan Review

We maintain asset quality through an emphasis on market knowledge, long-term customer relationships, analysis of data, consistent and thorough underwriting for all loans, surveillance and monitoring of our loan portfolio and a risk-based credit culture. We seek to maintain a broadly diversified loan portfolio in terms of type of loan product, credit demographic, geographic area and in respect of our commercial customers, the industries in which they are engaged. We control credit risk both through disciplined underwriting of each transaction, as well as active credit management processes and procedures to manage risk and minimize loss throughout the life of a loan, and our loan policies establish the basic guidelines governing our lending operations.

Underwriting. In evaluating credit, we use both judgmental and statistically based approaches, depending on the specific credit product.

In taking the judgmental approach, we evaluate each potential loan relationship and adhere to a disciplined underwriting evaluation process that includes the following:

•understanding the customer’s financial condition and ability to repay the loan;

•evaluating management performance and expertise and industry experience;

•verifying that the primary and secondary sources of repayment are adequate in relation to the amount and structure of the loan;

•observing appropriate loan-to-value guidelines for collateral secured loans;

•maintaining our targeted levels of diversification for the loan portfolio, both as to type of borrower and type of collateral; and

•ensuring that each loan is properly documented with perfected liens on collateral.

In taking the statistical approach, we rely on data and automation to inform our credit decision-making. We create standardized underwriting criteria that are uniformly and consistently applied to each product. When originating with a third party, we review and approve the credit approval models prior to the launch of the lending program. These models are also periodically validated by independent third parties in accordance with regulatory guidance. For retained portfolios, we conduct vintage analyses to ensure credit is performing as expected.

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Loan Approval Authority. Our lending activities follow written, non-discriminatory underwriting standards and loan origination procedures established by our board of directors and management. We have established several levels of lending authority that have been delegated by the board of directors to our loan committee and other personnel in accordance with our loan policy. The thresholds associated with lending authorities vary by loan product. Our loan committee is comprised of our Chief Executive Officer, our President, our Chief Credit Officer, our Chief Financial Officer, certain other members of management and select senior loan officers, which is primarily responsible for day-to-day implementation and oversight of our loan approval procedures. The levels of lending authority are periodically reviewed by the Bank’s board of directors. Authority limits are based on the total exposure of the borrower, the loan product, and are conditioned on the loan conforming to the standards contained in the loan policy. Any loan policy exceptions are appropriately monitored and fully disclosed to the approving authority. We believe that our credit approval process provides for thorough underwriting and efficient decision making.

Ongoing Credit Risk Management. In addition to the tailored underwriting process described above, we perform ongoing risk monitoring and review processes for credit exposures. Individual loan reviews encompass a loan’s payment status and history, current and projected paying capacity of the borrower and/or guarantor(s), current condition and estimated value of any collateral, sufficiency of credit and collateral documentation, and compliance with Bank and regulatory lending standards. We record any necessary charge-offs promptly and maintain adequate allowance levels for probable loan losses incurred in the loan portfolio. Management regularly reviews the status of the watch list and classified assets portfolio as well as the larger credits in the portfolio. Once a loan is identified as a problem loan or a loan requiring a workout, the Bank makes an evaluation and develops a plan for handling the loan. In developing such a plan, management reviews all relevant information from the loan file and any loan review reports. We have a conversation with the borrower and update current and projected financial information (including borrower global cash flows when possible) and collateral valuation estimates. Following analysis of all available relevant information, management adopts an action plan from the following alternatives: (a) continuation of loan collection efforts on their existing terms, (b) a restructure of the loan’s terms, (c) a sale of the loan, (d) a charge-off or partial charge-off, (e) foreclosure on pledged collateral, or (f) acceptance of a deed in lieu of foreclosure. For loans originated through our Strategic Program, the Bank does not currently grade individual loans held-for-investment due to their small balances and homogenous nature. As credit quality for Strategic Program loans have been highly correlated with delinquency levels, Strategic Program loans are evaluated collectively by program. Pursuant to our credit policy, our loan committee is required to consider loan grade updates at our quarterly meetings

Our loan committee and board members are updated on a regular basis on all servicing and liquidation efforts. We believe such routine and recurring discussions amongst our loan committee members and board of directors help prevent oversight errors that may occur in improperly managed loan portfolios.

The Bank analyzes each loan application in a reasonable manner, consistent with prudent lending standards. Additional factors considered during underwriting include, but are not limited to:

•whether the applicant has any other loans(s) (including through the PPP, SBA EIDL, other stimulus financing) that have repayment or contingent repayment requirements which could impact cash flow;

•for individual applicants, whether his or her source of income has been or may be impacted;

•whether historical financial information can be reasonably relied upon based on current market conditions; and

•the impact current market conditions have on collateral adequacy.

Credit Concentrations. We actively monitor and manage the composition of our loan portfolio, including credit concentrations. Our credit policies establish concentration limits by loan product to manage portfolio diversification. The Bank’s concentration management program couples quantitative data with a thorough qualitative approach to provide an in-depth understanding of its loan portfolio concentrations. The Bank’s portfolio analysis includes concentration trends by portfolio product type, overall growth trends, pool correlations, risk rating trends, policy and/or underwriting exceptions, nonperforming asset trends, stress testing, market and submarket analysis and changing economic conditions. The portfolio concentration limits set forth in the Bank’s lending and collection policies are reviewed and approved by the Bank’s board of directors at least annually. Concentration levels are monitored by management and reported to the Bank’s board of directors on a quarterly basis.

Lending Limits

Our lending activities are subject to a variety of lending limits imposed by state and federal law. In general, the Bank is subject to a legal lending limit on loans to a single borrower based on the Bank’s capital level as dictated by the State of

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Utah. The dollar amounts of the Bank’s lending limit increases or decreases as the Bank’s capital increases or decreases. The Bank is able to sell participations in its larger loans to other financial institutions, which allows it to better manage the risk and exposure involved with larger loans and to meet the lending needs of its customers requiring extensions of credit in excess of Bank or regulatory limits. The Bank’s legal lending limit on loans to a single borrower was approximately $20.2 million as of December 31, 2023.

Strategic Programs

Overview. We currently source most of our loan originations through our Strategic Programs. Our Strategic Programs include a broad array of products for both prime and subprime borrowers including both consumer and commercial loans that may be secured or unsecured, and open- or closed-end products, depending on the particular market targeted by the Bank and the specific Strategic Program service provider. Minimum and maximum loan amounts range from $500 to $2.0 million and loan terms range from 6 to 72 months.

The Bank’s current Strategic Program service providers include OppFi, Reach Financial (formerly Liberty Lending), LendingPoint, American First Finance, Elevate, Upstart, Mulligan Funding, Great American Finance, Edly, Empower, Stride, and Earnest. From time to time, we expect the number and composition of our Strategic Program service providers to change as the business develops, contract terms expire or agreements with service providers are otherwise terminated. The Bank has engaged with other Strategic Program service providers since we established our first Strategic Program in 2016 and we may enter into Strategic Programs with other service providers in the future.

Selection and Oversight. We select service providers for our Strategic Programs applying third party guidance promulgated by the FDIC, including comprehensive onboarding due diligence covering strategic, operational, transaction, compliance, credit and other risks, and evaluating any potential reputational impact. Furthermore, the Bank conducts extensive ongoing oversight and monitoring of the Strategic Program service providers in accordance with regulatory requirements and as augmented by Bank policies and the Bank’s compliance management systems developed for its oversight of the Strategic Program service providers.

Our oversight also impacts our decision to retain loans with Strategic Program service providers because the Bank may choose not to retain any loans or interest until the Strategic Program service provider has satisfied certain audit requirements of the Bank. We seek service providers that offer credit products focused on amortizing loans to borrowers with a demonstrated ability to repay and that are priced appropriately to the credit profile of the borrower (including credit history). Further, we seek service providers that instill our values of moving a customer forward. This is characterized by high customer service standards and an emphasis on regulatory compliance and consumer protections that may not be afforded these customers through a non-bank product.

Structure. In structuring a Strategic Program, the Bank and the Strategic Program service provider generally review and agree upon a set of program guidelines established by the Bank and tailored to accommodate target borrowers within the Strategic Program. We require the Strategic Program service providers to adhere to specific Bank underwriting criteria to originate loans to ensure that the borrowers are solicited and serviced in accordance with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements. The guidelines set forth various loan approval considerations, including but not limited to the borrower’s name, credit score, and other underwriting criteria. Loan applications are processed by the Strategic Program service provider in accordance with the Bank’s guidelines and delivered to the Bank for approval. Loan applications generally involve automated loan decisions by use of credit models, and decisions are typically rendered instantly after the submission of the loan application to the Bank. No loan is approved unless the Bank reviews and approves the borrower’s application. Borrowers to whom we originate loans through our Strategic Programs generally include consumers considered super prime (FICO score of 720 and higher), prime (FICO score of 661 through 719), near prime (FICO score of 640 through 660) and subprime (FICO score of 660 and below), as well as consumers that lack a credit history as reported through one of the three credit bureaus. The application and approval process is generally performed electronically although some are underwritten manually. Each loan originated by the Bank complies with applicable federal and state laws that apply to the Bank. As indicated, the Bank treats our Strategic Program service providers as its vendors and subjects the service providers to the requirements of the FDIC for vendor and third-party management.

We typically retain Strategic Program loans for a number of business days after origination during which the Bank generally receives interest income related to the loans. Following this retention period, the Bank may sell either a portion of the loan or the whole loan to a special purpose investment vehicle or other investor as identified by us or our Strategic Program service providers. Such purchase transactions typically require the purchaser to maintain a reserve account with the Bank or another financial institution to secure the purchaser’s contractual obligations to purchase. Some of our Strategic Program service providers may also securitize the loans originated through the program and the Bank may choose

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to participate in such securitizations for liquidity reasons. The Bank may also hold a portion of the loans or receivables for investment. Our retention parameters vary among different Strategic Programs. The Bank’s retention obligations may be discretionary with respect to some Strategic Programs. In other Strategic Programs, the Bank may choose not to retain any loans or interest until the Strategic Program service provider has satisfied certain audit requirements of the Bank.

Fees and Other Economics. The Bank may earn fees on its Strategic Programs as delineated in each Strategic Program contract and may vary by contract. Service providers may also be required to pay minimum monthly fees to the Bank or reimburse the Bank for certain agreed-upon expenses. Some Strategic Programs require the service provider pay a fee to the Bank if it enters into a similar strategic relationship with another bank or financial institution.

On October 13, 2021, we formed FinWise Investments, LLC, a limited liability company, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company to hold and manage private investments made by the Company and the Bank. The Company currently holds and, in the future, may acquire equity in certain of our Strategic Program service providers through this subsidiary. As of December 31, 2023, and 2022, this subsidiary holds $0.3 million and $0.3 million, respectively, of equity securities of two Strategic Program service providers.

Servicing. The Bank generally services the loans originated through the Strategic Programs in consideration of servicing fees equal to a percentage of the loans generated under the Strategic Program. In turn, the Strategic Program service providers, subject to the Bank’s approval and oversight, serve as sub-servicer and perform typical primary servicing duties including loan collections, modifications, charging-off, reporting and monitoring.

Funding and Deposits

Our deposits serve as the primary funding source for lending, investing and other general banking purposes. We provide a full range of deposit products, including a variety of checking and savings accounts, time deposits, and money market accounts. We also provide a wide range of deposit services, including debit cards, remote deposit capture, online banking, mobile banking, and direct deposit services. We also offer business accounts and cash management services, including business checking and savings accounts and treasury services. We solicit deposits through our relationship-driven team of dedicated and accessible bankers and through community-focused marketing.

We use a diversified funding strategy with an emphasis on core deposits from our branch operations, deposits originated through SBA 7(a) lending programs and Strategic Programs, coupled with brokered deposits and borrowings as needed. A meaningful portion of our core deposits include funds deposited through our Strategic Programs, to support reserve requirements. The terms of our Strategic Programs generally require each Strategic Program platform to establish a reserve deposit account with the Bank, intended to protect the Bank in the event a purchaser of loan receivables originated through our Strategic Programs cannot meet its contractual obligation to purchase. The reserve deposit account balance is typically required to at least equal the total outstanding balance of loans held-for-sale by the Bank related to the Strategic Program. The Bank has the right to withdraw amounts from the reserve deposit account to fulfill loan purchaser obligations created under the Strategic Program agreements. Depending on the strength of the relationship between the Bank and our Strategic Program relationship, we may reduce the required amount of reserve deposits held and/or allow a portion of the requirement to be fulfilled by a letter of credit. In addition to the reserve deposit account, certain Strategic Program relationships have opened operating deposit accounts at the Bank.

Our core deposits, as of December 31, 2023, constituted 42.6% of our funding sources (our core deposits comprise the sum of demand deposits, HSA demand deposits sourced through Lively, Inc., NOW accounts, MMDA accounts, savings accounts, and time deposits under $250,000 that are not brokered deposits).

Securities Portfolio

We manage our securities portfolio and cash to maintain adequate liquidity and to ensure the safety and preservation of invested principal, with a secondary focus on yield and returns. Our investments were approximately $15.4 million as of December 31, 2023. Specific objectives of our investment policy and portfolio are as follows:

•Ensure the Safety of Principal—Bank investments are generally limited to investment-grade instruments that fully comply with all applicable regulatory guidelines and limitations. Allowable non-investment-grade instruments must be approved by the board of directors.

•Income Generation—The Bank’s investment portfolio is managed to maximize income on invested funds in a manner that is consistent with the Bank’s overall financial goals and risk considerations.

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•Provide Liquidity—The Bank’s investment portfolio is managed to remain sufficiently liquid to meet anticipated funding demands either through declines in deposits and/or increases in loan demand.

•Mitigate Interest Rate Risk—Portfolio strategies are used to assist the Bank in managing its overall interest rate sensitivity position in accordance with goals and objectives approved by our board of directors.

Our investment policy is reviewed and approved annually by our board of directors. Overall investment objectives are established by our board through our investment policy and monitored through our asset-liability management committee. Day-to-day activities pertaining to the securities portfolio are conducted under the supervision of our Chief Financial Officer. We actively monitor our investments on an ongoing basis to identify any material changes in our mix of securities. We also review our securities for potential impairment (other-than-temporary impairments) at least quarterly.

Competition

The banking and financial services industry is highly-competitive, and we compete with a wide range of financial institutions within our markets, including local, regional and national commercial banks, credit unions, and non-bank financial service providers such as financial technology companies and other financial intermediaries for certain of our products and services. Some of our competitors are not currently subject to the regulatory restrictions and the level of regulatory supervision applicable to us.

Interest rates on loans and deposits, as well as prices on fee-based services, are typically significant competitive factors within the banking and financial services industry. Many of our competitors are much larger financial institutions that have greater financial resources than we do and compete aggressively for market share. These competitors attempt to gain market share through their financial product mix, pricing strategies and banking center locations.

Other important standard competitive factors in our industry and markets include office locations and hours, quality of customer service, community reputation, continuity of personnel and services, capacity and willingness to extend credit, and ability to offer sophisticated banking products and services through multiple channels. While we seek to remain competitive with respect to fees charged, interest rates and pricing, we believe that our banking product suite, our high-quality customer service culture, our strategic relationships with third parties, our positive reputation and long-standing relationships will enable us to compete successfully within our markets and enhance our ability to attract and retain customers.

Human Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2023, we employed 162 full-time equivalent employees. None of our employees are represented by any collective bargaining unit or are a party to a collective bargaining agreement. We believe the relationship with our employees to be good.

We believe that the success of a business is largely due to the quality of its employees and the development of each employee’s full potential. We encourage and support the development of our employees and, whenever possible, strive to fill vacancies from within. Employee retention helps us operate efficiently and achieve our business objectives. We also believe our ability to attract and retain employees is a key to our success. Accordingly, we strive to offer competitive salaries and employee benefits to all employees and monitor salaries in our market areas.

Supervision and Regulation

General

We are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. These laws restrict permissible activities and investments and require compliance with various consumer protection provisions applicable to lending, deposit, brokerage, and fiduciary activities. They also impose capital adequacy requirements and conditions on a bank holding company’s ability to pay dividends to its shareholders, to repurchase stock or to receive dividends from its subsidiary banks. As a bank holding company, the Company is subject to regulation and supervision by the Federal Reserve and the UDFI. We are required to file with the Federal Reserve quarterly and annual reports and such additional information as the Federal Reserve may require pursuant to the BHC Act. The Federal Reserve conducts examinations of the Company and its subsidiaries. In addition, as a Utah state-chartered bank that is not a member of the Federal Reserve, the Bank is subject to primary regulation, supervision, and examination by the FDIC and the UDFI. The Bank’s deposits are insured by the FDIC through the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”). Based on this deposit insurance function, the FDIC also has certain supervisory authority and powers over the Bank as well as all other FDIC insured institutions. Both the UDFI and the FDIC conduct routine examinations of the Bank. The Company’s and the Bank’s regulators generally have broad discretion to impose

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restrictions and limitations on our operations. Bank regulation is intended to protect depositors, consumers, and commercial customers, and not shareholders. This supervisory framework could materially impact the conduct and profitability of our activities.

To the extent that the following information describes statutory and regulatory provisions, it is qualified in its entirety by reference to the text of applicable statutory and regulatory provisions. Legislative and regulatory initiatives, which necessarily impact the regulation of the financial services industry, are introduced from time-to-time. We cannot predict whether or when potential legislation or new regulations will be enacted, and if enacted, the effect that new legislation or any implemented regulations and supervisory policies would have on our financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, bank regulatory agencies can be more aggressive in responding to concerns and trends identified in examinations, which could result in an increased issuance of enforcement actions to financial institutions requiring action to address credit quality, liquidity, risk management, and capital adequacy, as well as other safety and soundness concerns.

Regulation of FinWise Bancorp

We are registered as a bank holding company under the BHC Act and are subject to regulation and supervision by the Federal Reserve. The BHC Act, and the regulations promulgated by the Federal Reserve thereunder, require us to secure the prior approval of the Federal Reserve before we own or control, directly or indirectly, more than 5% of the voting shares or substantially all the assets of any bank, thrift, bank holding company or thrift holding company, or merge or consolidate with another bank or thrift holding company. Further, under the BHC Act, our activities and those of any nonbank subsidiary are limited to: (i) those activities that the Federal Reserve determines to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident thereto, and (ii) investments in companies not engaged in activities closely related to banking, subject to quantitative limitations on the value of such investments. Prior approval of the Federal Reserve may be required before engaging in certain activities. In making such determinations, the Federal Reserve is required to weigh the expected benefits to the public, such as greater convenience, increased competition, and gains in efficiency, against the possible adverse effects, such as undue concentration of resources, decreased or unfair competition, conflicts of interest, and unsound banking practices. Subject to various exceptions, the BHC Act and the Change in Bank Control Act, together with related regulations, require Federal Reserve approval prior to any person or company acquiring “control” of a bank holding company, such as the Company.

Certain acquisitions of our voting stock may be subject to regulatory approval or notice under federal law. Investors are responsible for ensuring that they do not, directly or indirectly, acquire shares of our stock in excess of the amount that can be acquired without regulatory approval under the Change in Bank Control Act and the BHC Act, which prohibit any person or company from acquiring control of the Company without, in most cases, the prior written approval of the Federal Reserve. We are also subject to the regulation of the UDFI. Under Utah Code Ann. § 7-1-503, we are prohibited from issuing or offering to sell any security without approval from the UDFI.

The BHC Act was substantially amended by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, or the GLBA, which, among other things, allows a bank holding company that satisfies certain criteria to elect to become a financial holding company, which would allow such company to engage in activities that are financial in nature, incidental to such activities, or complementary to such activities. We have not elected financial holding company status.

There are several restrictions imposed on us by law and regulatory policy that are designed to minimize potential loss to depositors and to the DIF in the event that a subsidiary depository institution should become insolvent. For example, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the “FDIA”)and Federal Reserve regulations require a bank holding company to serve as a source of financial and managerial strength to its bank subsidiaries. As a result, a bank holding company may be expected to commit resources to support its bank subsidiary, including at times when the holding company may not be inclined or in a financial position to provide it.The Federal Reserve also has the authority under the BHC Act to require a bank holding company to terminate any activity or to relinquish control of a nonbank subsidiary upon the Federal Reserve’s determination that such activity or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness and stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

The FDIA provides that, in the event of the “liquidation or other resolution” of an insured depository institution, the claims of depositors of the institution (including the claims of the FDIC as a subrogee of insured depositors) and certain claims for administrative expenses of the FDIC as a receiver will have priority over other general unsecured claims against the institution. If an insured depository institution, such as the Bank, fails, insured and uninsured depositors, along with the FDIC, will have priority in payment ahead of unsecured, non-deposit creditors, including the institution’s holding company, with respect to any extensions of credit they have made to such insured depository institution.

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The ability of any bank holding company to acquire another bank holding company or bank is also significantly impacted by discretionary decisions of federal regulators, including political appointees, as to whether any proposed merger would be consistent with national financial institutions policies. Such views may have an impact on the ability of any bank holding company to complete a merger transaction as an acquiror, a target, or in a “merger of equals.

Regulation of FinWise Bank

The Bank is a Utah state-chartered bank and the operations and investments of our Bank are subject to the supervision, examination, and reporting requirements of the UDFI and the FDIC. The UDFI supervises and regulates all areas of the Bank’s operations including, without limitation, the making of loans, the issuance of securities, the conduct of the Bank’s corporate affairs, the satisfaction of capital adequacy requirements, the payment of dividends, and the establishment or closing of banking offices. The FDIC is the Bank’s primary federal regulatory agency. In addition, the Bank’s deposit accounts are insured by the FDIC to the maximum extent permitted by law, and the FDIC has certain enforcement powers over the Bank.

The UDFI and the FDIC periodically examine the Bank’s operations and financial condition and compliance with federal consumer-protection laws. If, based on an examination of our Bank, the regulators should determine that the financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, earnings prospects, management, liquidity or other aspects of the Bank’s operations are unsatisfactory or that the Bank or our management is violating or has violated any law or regulation, various remedies are available to the regulators. Such remedies include the power to enjoin unsafe or unsound practices, to require affirmative action to correct any conditions resulting from any violation or practice, to issue an administrative order that can be judicially enforced, to direct an increase in capital, to restrict growth, to assess civil monetary penalties, to remove officers and directors and ultimately to request the FDIC to terminate the Bank’s deposit insurance. As a Utah state-chartered bank, the Bank is authorized by statute, subject to certain limitations, to take and pay interest on, savings and time deposits, to accept demand deposits, to make loans on residential and other real estate, to make consumer and commercial loans, to invest, with certain limitations, in equity securities and in debt obligations of banks and corporations and to provide various other banking services for the benefit of the Bank’s customers. Various state consumer laws and regulations also affect the operations of the Bank, including state usury laws, consumer credit and equal credit opportunity laws, and fair credit reporting. In addition, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991, or FDICIA, generally prohibits insured state-chartered institutions from conducting activities as principal that are not permitted for national banks.

Utah-chartered banks are required to pay supervisory assessments to the UDFI to fund its operations. The amount of the assessment paid by a Utah bank to the UDFI is calculated on an annual basis based on our average total assets for the prior year. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Bank paid a de minimis assessment to the UDFI.

Capital Adequacy Guidelines

Bank holding companies and banks are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by state and federal agencies. These agencies may establish higher minimum requirements if, for example, a banking organization previously has received special attention or has a high susceptibility to interest rate risk. Risk-based capital requirements determine the adequacy of capital based on the risk inherent in various classes of assets and off-balance sheet items. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the Federal Reserve must apply consolidated capital requirements to depository institution holding companies that are no less stringent than those currently applied to depository institutions. The Dodd-Frank Act additionally requires capital requirements to be countercyclical so that the required amount of capital increases in times of economic expansion and decreases in times of economic contraction, consistent with safety and soundness. The current requirements, which began to take effect in 2015, are based on the international Basel III capital framework.

On November 13, 2019, the federal regulators finalized and adopted a regulatory capital rule establishing a new community bank leverage ratio (“CBLR”), which became effective on January 1, 2020. Eligibility criteria to utilize CBLR instead of the Basel III risk-based capital ratios include having total assets less than $10 billion and off-balance sheet exposures that were less than 25% of total assets, among others. The Company and the Bank qualified for and elected to use CBLR beginning in the first quarter of 2020.

Federal law provides the federal banking regulators with broad power to take prompt corrective action to resolve the problems of undercapitalized institutions. Depending upon the capital category to which an institution is assigned, the regulators' corrective powers include: requiring the submission of a capital restoration plan; placing limits on asset growth and restrictions on activities; requiring the institution to issue additional capital stock (including additional voting stock) or to be acquired; restricting transactions with affiliates; restricting the interest rate the institution may pay on deposits; ordering a new election of directors of the institution; requiring that senior executive officers or directors be dismissed; prohibiting the institution from accepting deposits from correspondent banks; requiring the institution to divest certain

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subsidiaries; prohibiting the payment of principal or interest on subordinated debt; and ultimately, appointing a receiver for the institution. In general, a depository institution may be reclassified to a lower category than is indicated by its capital levels if the appropriate federal depository institution regulatory agency determines the institution to be otherwise in an unsafe or unsound condition or to be engaged in an unsafe or unsound practice. This could include a failure by the institution, following receipt of a less-than-satisfactory rating on its most recent examination report, to correct the deficiency.

See “Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – Note 7, Capital Standards” for additional regulatory capital information, including the Bank’s and Company’s Leverage Ratio as of December 31, 2023.

Safety and Soundness Standards

The federal banking agencies have adopted guidelines designed to assist the federal banking agencies in identifying and addressing potential safety and soundness concerns before capital becomes impaired. The guidelines set forth operational and managerial standards relating to: (i) internal controls, information systems and internal audit systems; (ii) loan documentation; (iii) credit underwriting; (iv) asset growth; (v) earnings; and (vi) compensation, fees and benefits.

In addition, the federal banking agencies have also adopted safety and soundness guidelines with respect to asset quality and for evaluating and monitoring earnings to ensure that earnings are sufficient for the maintenance of adequate capital and reserves. These guidelines provide six standards for establishing and maintaining a system to identify problem assets and prevent those assets from deteriorating. Under these standards, an insured depository institution should: (i) conduct periodic asset quality reviews to identify problem assets; (ii) estimate the inherent losses in problem assets and establish reserves that are sufficient to absorb estimated losses; (iii) compare problem asset totals to capital; (iv) take appropriate corrective action to resolve problem assets; (v) consider the size and potential risks of material asset concentrations; and (vi) provide periodic asset quality reports with adequate information for management and the board of directors to assess the level of asset risk.

Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders

We are subject to federal laws, such as Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act (the “FRA”), and the Federal Reserve’s implementing Regulation W, as made applicable to state non-member banks such as the Bank by Section 18(j) of the FDIA, that limit the size, number and terms of the transactions that depository institutions may engage in with their affiliates. An affiliate of a bank is any company or entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the bank. Under these provisions, covered transactions by a bank with nonbank affiliates (such as loans to or investments in an affiliate by the bank) must be on arms-length terms and generally be limited to 10% of the bank’s capital and surplus for all covered transactions with any one affiliate, and 20% of capital and surplus for all covered transactions with all affiliates. Any extensions of credit to affiliates, with limited exceptions, must be secured by eligible collateral in specified amounts. Banks are also prohibited from purchasing any “low quality” assets from an affiliate. The Dodd-Frank Act generally enhanced the restrictions on transactions with affiliates under

Section 23A and 23B of the FRA, including an expansion of the definition of “covered transactions” to include derivatives transactions, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements and securities lending or borrowing transactions and an increase in the period of time during which collateral requirements regarding covered credit transactions must be satisfied. The Federal Reserve has promulgated Regulation W, which codifies prior interpretations under Sections 23A and 23B of the FRA and provides interpretive guidance with respect to affiliate transactions. Affiliates of a bank include, among other entities, a bank’s bank holding company parent and companies that are under common control with the bank. Accordingly, the Company is considered to be an affiliate of the Bank.

We are also subject to restrictions on extensions of credit to our executive officers, directors, shareholders who own more than 10% of our common stock, and their related interests. Specifically, loans to executive officers, directors or to any person who directly or indirectly, or acting through or in concert with one or more persons, owns, controls or has the power to vote more than 10% of any class of voting securities of the Bank, or to any political or campaign committee the funds or services of which will benefit those executive officers, directors, or 10% stockholders or which is controlled by those executive officers, directors or 10% stockholders, are subject to Sections 22(g) and 22(h) of the FRA and the Federal Reserve’s implementing Regulation O. Among other things, such extensions of credit must be made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with third parties, and must not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features. Loans to such persons and certain affiliated entities of any of the foregoing, may not exceed, together with all other outstanding loans to such person and affiliated entities, the institution’s loans-to-one-borrower limit. Federal regulations also prohibit loans above amounts prescribed by the appropriate federal banking agency to directors, executive officers, and shareholders who own more than 10% of an institution, and their respective affiliates, unless such loans are approved in advance by a

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majority of the board of directors of the institution. Any “interested” director may not participate in the voting. Regulation O prohibits loans to any of those individuals where the aggregate amount exceeds an amount equal to 15% of an institution’s unimpaired capital and surplus plus an additional 10% of unimpaired capital and surplus in the case of loans that are fully secured by readily marketable collateral, or when the aggregate amount on all of the extensions of credit outstanding to all of these persons would exceed the Bank’s unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus. Section 22(g) and Regulation O identifies limited circumstances in which banks are permitted to extend credit to executive officers. Furthermore, we are prohibited from engaging in asset purchases or sales transactions with our officers, directors, or principal shareowners unless the transaction is on market terms and, if the transaction represents greater than 10% of the capital and surplus of the bank, a majority of the bank’s disinterested directors has approved the transaction.

Incentive Compensation

Federal banking agencies have issued guidance on incentive compensation policies intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of such organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The guidance, which covers all employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of an organization, is based upon the key principles that a banking organization’s incentive compensation arrangements should (i) provide incentives that appropriately balance risk and rewards in a manner that does not encourage imprudent risk taking, (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management, and (iii) be supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the organization’s board of directors. In accordance with the Dodd-Frank Act, the federal banking agencies prohibit incentive-based compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risk taking by covered financial institutions (generally institutions that have over $1 billion in assets) and are deemed to be excessive, or that may lead to material losses.

The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of banking organizations, such as the Company, that are not “large, complex banking organizations.” These reviews will be tailored to each organization based on the scope and complexity of the organization’s activities and the prevalence of incentive compensation arrangements. The findings of the supervisory initiatives will be included in reports of examination. Deficiencies will be incorporated into the organization’s supervisory ratings, which can affect the organization’s ability to make acquisitions and take other actions. Enforcement actions may be taken against a banking organization if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the organization’s safety and soundness and the organization is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies.

Deposit Insurance

As an FDIC-insured institution, our deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the DIF of the FDIC. The DIF is the successor to the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund, which were merged in 2006. Deposit insurance is mandatory. The Dodd-Frank Act raised the limit for federal deposit insurance to $250,000 for most deposit accounts and increased the cash limit of Securities Investor Protection Corporation protection from $100,000 to $250,000.

We are required to pay assessments to the FDIC on a quarterly basis. The assessment amount is the product of multiplying the assessment base by the assessment amount. The assessment base against which the assessment rate is applied to determine the total assessment due for a given period is the depository institution’s average total consolidated assets during the assessment period less average tangible equity during that assessment period. Tangible equity is defined in the assessment rule as Tier 1 Capital and is calculated monthly, unless the insured depository institution has less than $1 billion in assets, in which case the insured depository institution calculates Tier 1 Capital on an end-of-quarter basis. Parents or holding companies of other insured depository institutions are required to report separately from their subsidiary depository institutions.

The FDIC’s methodology for setting assessments for individual banks has changed over time, although the broad policy is that lower-risk institutions should pay lower assessments than higher-risk institutions. The FDIC now uses a methodology, known as the “financial ratios method,” that began to apply on July 1, 2016, in order to meet requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act. The statute established a minimum designated reserve ratio for the DIF of 1.35% of the estimated insured deposits and required the FDIC to adopt a restoration plan should the reserve ratio fall below 1.35%. As of September 30, 2020, the FDIC announced that the ratio had declined to 1.30% due largely to consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The FDIC adopted a plan to restore the DIF to the 1.35% ratio within eight years but did not change its assessment schedule.

In November 2023, The FDIC finalized a special assessment to recoup losses to the DIF from protecting uninsured depositors following the closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The assessment base is equal to the amount of an insured depository institution’s uninsured deposits, as reported for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, minus up to $5 billion of uninsured deposits at the institution (or, if a banking organization has more than one insured depository

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institution, at the banking organization in the aggregate). Because we have less than $5 billion of uninsured deposits, the special assessment did not have any financial impact on the Bank

A significant increase in insurance assessments would likely have an adverse effect on our operating expenses and results of operations. We cannot predict what insurance assessment rates will be in the future. Furthermore, deposit insurance may be terminated by the FDIC upon a finding that an insured depository institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order, or condition imposed by the FDIC.

Regulatory Restrictions on Dividends and Repurchases of Equity Securities

The Federal Reserve’s policy statement and supervisory guidance on the payment of cash dividends by a bank holding company, such as the Company, expresses the view that a bank holding company should generally pay cash dividends on common stock only to the extent that (1) the bank holding company’s net income available over the past year is sufficient to cover the cash dividend, (2) the rate of earnings retention is consistent with the organization’s expected future needs and financial condition, and (3) the minimum regulatory capital adequacy ratios are met. Should an insured depository institution controlled by a bank holding company be “significantly undercapitalized” under the applicable federal bank capital ratios, or if the bank subsidiary is “undercapitalized” and has failed to submit an acceptable capital restoration plan or has materially failed to implement such a plan, federal banking regulators (in the case of the Bank, the FDIC) may choose to require prior Federal Reserve approval for any capital distribution by the bank holding company.

In addition, since we are a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank and do not conduct stand-alone operations, an ability to pay dividends depends on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends to us and the FDIC and the UDFI may, under certain circumstances, prohibit the payment of dividends to us from the Bank. Utah corporate law also requires that dividends can only be paid out of funds legally available therefor.

The Federal Reserve policy statement also provides that a bank holding company should inform the Federal Reserve reasonably in advance of declaring or paying a dividend that exceeds earnings for the period for which the dividend is being paid or that could result in a material adverse change to the bank holding company’s capital structure. Bank holding companies also are required to consult with the Federal Reserve before materially increasing dividends. It is also the Federal Reserve’s policy that bank holding companies should not maintain dividend levels that undermine their ability to be a source of strength to its banking subsidiaries. The Federal Reserve Board or the FRB could prohibit or limit the payment of dividends by a bank holding company if it determines that payment of the dividend would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice.

Unless an exception applies, the Federal Reserve’s Regulation Y requires a bank holding company to give the Federal Reserve prior notice of any redemption or repurchase of its own equity securities, if the consideration to be paid, together with the consideration paid for any repurchases in the preceding year, is equal to 10% or more of the bank holding company’s consolidated net worth. A bank holding company is not required to obtain prior Board approval for the redemption or purchase of its equity securities if (i) both before and immediately after the redemption, the bank holding company is well-capitalized, (ii) the bank holding company is well-managed under regulatory guidelines, and (iii) the bank holding company is not the subject of any unresolved supervisory issues.

Commercial Real Estate Concentration Guidelines

In December 2006, the federal banking regulators issued guidance entitled “Concentrations in Commercial Real Estate Lending, Sound Risk Management Practices” to address increased concentrations in commercial real estate loans. In addition, in December 2015, the federal bank agencies issued additional guidance entitled “Statement on Prudent Risk Management for Commercial Real Estate Lending.” Together, these guidelines describe the criteria the agencies will use as indicators to identify institutions potentially exposed to CRE concentration risk. An institution that has (i) experienced rapid growth in CRE lending, (ii) notable exposure to a specific type of CRE, (iii) total reported loans for construction, land development, and other land representing 100% or more of the institution’s capital, or (iv) total non-owner-occupied CRE (including construction) loans representing 300% or more of the institution’s capital, and the outstanding balance of the institutions CRE portfolio has increased by 50% or more in the prior 36 months, may be identified for further supervisory analysis of the level and nature of its CRE concentration risk.

Community Reinvestment Act

The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 and the regulations issued thereunder are intended to encourage banks to help meet the credit needs of the communities they serve, including their assessment area(s) (as established for these purposes in accordance with current applicable regulations based principally on the location of branch offices). In addition to substantial penalties and corrective measures that may be required for a violation of certain fair lending laws, the federal banking agencies may take compliance with such laws and CRA into account when regulating and supervising other

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activities. Under the CRA, institutions are assigned a rating of “outstanding,” “satisfactory,” “needs to improve,” or “substantial noncompliance.” An institution’s record in meeting the requirements of the CRA is based on a performance-based evaluation system, and is made publicly available and is taken into consideration in evaluating any applications it files with federal regulators to engage in certain activities, including approval of a branch or other deposit facility, mergers and acquisitions, office relocations, or expansions into nonbanking activities. Our Bank operates under a CRA “strategic plan” and received a “satisfactory” rating in its most recent CRA evaluation.

In October 2023, the Federal Reserve, FDIC and OCC issued a final rule to amend their regulations implementing the CRA. The rule materially revises the current CRA framework, including the assessments areas in which a bank is evaluated to include activities associated with online and mobile banking, the tests used to evaluate the bank in its assessment areas, new methods of calculating credit for lending, investment and service activities and additional data collection and reporting requirements. The rule is expected to result in a significant increase in the thresholds for large banks to receive “satisfactory” or “outstanding” ratings in the future. The rule maintained the option for a bank to operate under a strategic plan. The rule is expected to take effect on April 1, 2024, with most of the provisions becoming applicable on January 1, 2026.

Bank Secrecy Act, Anti-Terrorism, Anti-Money Laundering Legislation and OFAC

The Bank is subject to the Bank Secrecy Act (the “BSA”) and the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the “USA Patriot Act”). These statutes and related rules and regulations impose requirements and limitations on specified financial transactions and accounts and other relationships intended to guard against money laundering and terrorism financing. The principal requirements for an insured depository institution include (i) establishment of an anti-money laundering (“AML”) program that includes training and audit components, (ii) establishment of a “know your customer” program involving due diligence to confirm the identities of persons seeking to open accounts and to deny accounts to those persons unable to demonstrate their identities, (iii) the filing of currency transaction reports for deposits and withdrawals of large amounts of cash and suspicious activities reports for activity that might signify money laundering, tax evasion, or other criminal activities, (iv) additional precautions for accounts sought and managed for non-U.S. persons and (v) verification and certification of money laundering risk with respect to private banking and foreign correspondent banking relationships. For many of these tasks a bank must keep records to be made available to its primary federal regulator. AML rules and policies are developed by a bureau within the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), but compliance by individual institutions is overseen by its primary federal regulator.

Privacy and Data Security

Federal and state law contains extensive consumer privacy protection provisions. The GLBA and the implementing regulations issued by federal regulatory agencies require financial institutions (including banks, insurance agencies, and broker/dealers) to adopt policies and procedures regarding the disclosure of nonpublic personal information about their customers to non-affiliated third parties. In general, financial institutions are required to explain to customers their policies and procedures regarding the disclosure of such nonpublic personal information and, unless otherwise required or permitted by law, financial institutions are prohibited from disclosing such information except as provided in their policies and procedures. Specifically, the GLBA established certain information security guidelines that require each financial institution, under the supervision and ongoing oversight of its board of directors or an appropriate committee thereof, to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive written information security program designed to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer information, to protect against anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information, and to protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any customer. The Bank is subject to such standards, as well as standards for notifying clients in the event of a security breach.

Consumer privacy protection continues to be an area of focus for state legislatures. Several states, including California, have recently adopted consumer privacy protection laws that impose compliance obligations with respect to safeguarding personally identifiable information. The Company continues to monitor states in which it has a physical presence with respect to consumer privacy protection compliance obligations.

Cybersecurity

Federal banking regulators, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and related self-regulatory organizations, regularly issue guidance regarding cybersecurity that is intended to enhance cybersecurity risk management among financial institutions. Recent cyber-attacks against banks and other financial institutions that resulted in unauthorized access to confidential customer information have prompted the federal banking regulators to issue extensive guidance on cybersecurity. Among other things, financial institutions are expected to design multiple layers of security controls to establish lines of defense and ensure that their risk management processes address the risks posed by compromised customer credentials, including security measures to authenticate customers accessing internet-based

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services. A financial institution also should have a robust business continuity program to recover from a cyberattack and procedures for monitoring the security of third-party service providers that may have access to nonpublic data at the institution.

Banking organizations are required to notify their primary federal regulator of significant computer security incidents within 36 hours of determining that such an incident has occurred. In addition, the SEC recently enacted rules, effective as of December 18, 2023, requiring public companies to disclose material cybersecurity incidents that they experience on Form 8-K within four business days of determining that a material cybersecurity incident has occurred and to disclose on annual basis material information regarding their cybersecurity risk management, strategy, and governance.

Federal Home Loan Bank Membership

The Bank is a member of the FHLB. Each member of the FHLB is required to maintain a minimum investment in the Class B stock of the FHLB. The Board of Directors of the FHLB can increase the minimum investment requirements in the event it has concluded that additional capital is required to allow it to meet its own regulatory capital requirements. Any increase in the minimum investment requirements outside of specified ranges requires the approval of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Because the extent of any obligation to increase the level of investment in the FHLB depends entirely upon the occurrence of a future event, we presently are unable to determine the extent of future required potential payments to the FHLB. Additionally, if a member financial institution fails, the right of the FHLB to seek repayment of funds loaned to that institution will take priority (a super lien) over the rights of all other creditors.

Available Information

The Company maintains an internet site at www.finwisebancorp.com on which it makes available, free of charge, its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to the foregoing as soon as reasonably practicable after these reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. In addition, stockholders may access these reports and documents on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. The information on, or accessible through, our website or any other website cited in this Report is not part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Report and should not be relied upon in determining whether to make an investment decision.

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

The following risks, some of which have occurred and any of which may occur in the future, can have a material adverse effect on our business or financial performance, which in turn can affect the price of our publicly traded securities. These are not the only risks we face. There may be other risks we are not currently aware of or that we currently deem not to be material but that may become material in the future. To the extent that any of the information contained in this document constitutes forward-looking statements, the risk factors below should be reviewed as cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risk Factor Summary

Our business, financial condition and results of operations are subject to a number of substantial risks and uncertainties. These risks are discussed more fully in this “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” Some of these risks include the following:

•third-party service provider risk, including risks that we may be unable to maintain or increase loan originations facilitated through our Strategic Programs;

•legal, accounting and compliance risks, including risks related to the extensive state and federal regulation under which we operate and changes in such regulations;

•changes in the regulatory oversight environment impacting our Strategic Programs or non-compliance of federal and state consumer protection laws by our Strategic Program service providers;

•legal and regulatory risks associated with “true lender” statutes associated with our Strategic Programs;

•reputational risks, including the risk that we may be subject to negative publicity about us or our industry, including the transparency, fairness, user experience, quality, and reliability of our lending products or distribution channels;

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•legislative, regulatory, legal, and reputational risks related to our Strategic Programs, including those relating to our small dollar lending program;

•securities market, inflation and interest rate risks, including risks related to interest rate fluctuations and the monetary policies and regulations of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or the Federal Reserve;

•risks related to cybersecurity breaches and system failures;

•operational and strategic risks, including the risk that we may not be able to implement our growth strategy, our continued ability to establish relationships with Strategic Program service providers, and the possible loss of key members of our senior leadership team;

•the impact and extent of Covid-19 (including the emergence of any new variants thereof) and the response of governmental authorities to Covid-19;

•credit risks, including risks related to the significance of SBA 7(a), Strategic Programs and construction loans in our portfolio, our relationship with BFG, our ability to effectively manage our credit risk and the potential deterioration of the business and economic conditions in our markets;

•liquidity and funding risks, including the risk that we will not be able to meet our obligations due to risks relating to our funding sources; and

•investment risks, including volatility in the trading of our common stock and limitations on our ability to pay dividends.

Risks Related to Cybersecurity and Technology

System failure or cybersecurity breaches of our network security could subject us to increased operating costs as well as litigation and other potential losses.

Our computer systems and network infrastructure could be vulnerable to hardware and cybersecurity issues. Our operations are dependent upon our ability to protect our computer equipment against damage from fire, power loss, telecommunications failure or a similar catastrophic event. We could also experience a breach by intentional or negligent conduct on the part of employees or other internal sources. Any damage or failure that causes an interruption in our operations could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. The importance of our on-line banking systems to the Company’s operations means that any problems in its functionality would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations, business model and growth strategy.

Our operations are also dependent upon our ability to protect our computer systems and network infrastructure against damage from physical break-ins, cybersecurity breaches and other disruptive problems caused by the internet or other users. Such computer break-ins and other disruptions would jeopardize the security of information stored in and transmitted through our computer systems and network infrastructure, which may result in significant liability, damage our reputation and inhibit the use of our internet banking services by current and potential customers. We could also become the target of various cyberattacks. We regularly add additional security measures to our computer systems and network infrastructure to mitigate the possibility of cybersecurity breaches, including firewalls and penetration testing. However, it is difficult or impossible to defend against every risk being posed by changing technologies as well as acts of cyber-crime. Increasing sophistication of cyber criminals and terrorists make keeping up with new threats difficult and could result in a system breach. Controls employed by our information technology department and cloud vendors could prove inadequate. A breach of our security that results in unauthorized access to our data could expose us to a disruption or challenges relating to our daily operations, as well as to data loss, litigation, damages, fines and penalties, significant increases in compliance costs and reputational damage, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have implemented remote working and workplace protocols for our employees in accordance with government requirements. Working outside of our network protection may increase our risk exposure to cybersecurity breaches. An increase in the number of employees working offsite may correspond to an increase in the size of our risk exposure to cyber disruptions.

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our Strategic Program platforms, and other contractors and consultants as well as third party vendors of IT and data security systems and services,

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are vulnerable to damage and interruptions from security breaches, computer viruses, fraud and similar incidents involving the loss or unauthorized access of confidential information.

We cannot be sure that our continued data protection efforts and investment in information technology will prevent future significant breakdowns, data leakages, breaches in our systems or the systems of our third party contractors and collaborators, or other cyber incidents that could have a material adverse effect upon our reputation, business, operations or financial condition. If such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our programs and the development of our product candidates could be delayed.

Our proprietary technologies and analytic models have not yet been extensively tested during down-cycle economic conditions. If these do not, or are perceived not to, accurately gather and interpret performance data for loans and identify attractive risk-adjusted market sectors, our performance may be worse than anticipated.

The technologies created by and relied upon by us, including our FinViewTM Analytics Platform, may not function properly, or at all, which may have a material impact on our operations and financial conditions. The performance of loans originated by us is dependent on the effectiveness of our FinViewTM Analytics Platform used to evaluate borrowers’ credit profiles and likelihood of default. While our proprietary technologies and analytic models are continually adjusted to account for changes in various macroeconomic conditions, the bulk of the data gathered and the development of our enterprise data warehouse have largely occurred during a period of sustained economic growth or during the COVID-19 pandemic when extraordinary government stimulus impacted the economy. Our FinViewTM Analytics Platform have not been extensively tested during other adverse economic cycles. There is no assurance that our proprietary technologies can accurately predict loan performance during periods of adverse economic conditions. If our FinViewTM Analytics Platform is unable to accurately reflect the credit risk of loans under such economic conditions, we may experience greater than expected losses on such loans. For example, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government quickly implemented stimulus measures. The subsequent discontinuation of those stimulus measures has increased, and may continue to increase, the delinquency and default rates of borrowers, which may increase uncertainty about the effectiveness of our FinViewTM Analytics Platform.

We may not have the resources to keep pace with rapid technological changes in the industry or implement new technology effectively.

The financial services industry is undergoing rapid technological changes with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. Our future success will depend, at least in part, upon our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands for convenience as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations as we continue to grow and expand our products and service offerings. We may experience operational challenges as we implement these new technology enhancements or products, which could impair our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from such new technology or require us to incur significant costs to remedy any such challenges in a timely manner.

Many of our larger competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements. Third parties upon which we rely for our technology needs may not be able to develop, on a cost-effective basis, systems that will enable us to keep pace with such developments. As a result, our larger competitors may be able to offer additional or superior products compared to those that we will be able to provide, which would put us at a competitive disadvantage. We may lose customers seeking new technology-driven products and services to the extent we are unable to provide such products and services. The ability to keep pace with technological change is important and the failure to do so could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operations could be interrupted if our third-party service providers or Strategic Program service providers experience operational or other systems difficulties or terminate their services.

We outsource some of our operational activities to third parties and counterparties for certain services, including, but not limited to, loan marketing and origination, core systems support, informational website hosting, internet services, online account opening and other processing services. Our business depends on the successful and uninterrupted functioning of our information technology and telecommunications systems and third-party service providers. We also leverage the financial technology capabilities of our Strategic Program service providers to meet our enterprise risk framework and enable us to realize operating efficiencies.

As a result, if these third-party service providers or our Strategic Program service providers experience difficulties, are subject to cybersecurity breaches, or terminate their services, and we are unable to replace them with other service providers or alternative counterparties, particularly on a timely basis, our operations could be interrupted. If an interruption

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were to continue for a significant period, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Even if we can replace third-party service providers or Strategic Program service providers, it may be at a higher cost to us, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Banking Business

As a business operating in the financial services industry, our business and operations may be adversely affected in numerous and complex ways by weak economic conditions.

Our business and operations, which primarily consist of lending money to clients in the form of loans, borrowing money from clients in the form of deposits and investing in interest earning deposits in other banks and securities, are sensitive to general business and economic conditions in the United States. We solicit deposits and originate loans throughout the United States. If the U.S. economy weakens, our growth and profitability from our lending, deposit and investment operations could be constrained. Uncertainty about the federal fiscal policymaking process, the medium- and long-term fiscal outlook of the federal government and future tax rates is a concern for businesses, consumers and investors in the United States. Adverse economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Conditions related to inflation, global supply chains, labor market, volatile interest rates, international conflicts, changes in trade policies and other factors, such as real estate values, state and local municipal budget deficits, government spending and the U.S. national debt may, directly and indirectly, adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Inflationary and other economic pressure resulting in the inability of borrowers to repay loans could result in increased loan defaults, foreclosures and charge-offs and negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and future prospects.

Our Strategic Programs may also be susceptible to worsening economic conditions that place financial stress on our existing service providers and potential new Strategic Program services providers. These service providers may experience liquidity and other financial issues or strategically slow down growth, any of which could lead them to decrease or terminate their business with us.

Moreover, an inflationary environment combined with a competitive labor market and decreases in the market value of our equity awards could make it more costly for us to attract or retain employees. In order to meet the compensation expectations of our prospective and current employees due to inflationary and other factors, we may be required to increase our operating costs or risk losing skilled workers to competitors.

Concerns about the performance of international economies, especially in Europe and emerging markets, and economic conditions in Asia, particularly the economies of China, South Korea and Japan, can impact the economy and financial markets here in the United States. If the national, regional and local economies experience worsening economic conditions, including high levels of unemployment, our growth and profitability could be constrained. Our business is significantly affected by monetary and other regulatory policies of the U.S. federal government, its agencies and government-sponsored entities. Changes in any of these policies are influenced by macroeconomic conditions and other factors that are beyond our control, are difficult to predict and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and growth prospects. In addition, decreases in real estate values within our service areas caused by economic conditions, recent changes in tax laws or other events could adversely affect the value of the property used as collateral for our loans, which could cause us to realize a loss in the event of a foreclosure. Further, deterioration in economic conditions could drive the level of loan losses beyond the level we have provided for in our ACL, which in turn could necessitate an increase in our provision for credit losses and a resulting reduction to our earnings and capital. These factors can individually or in the aggregate be detrimental to our business, and the interplay between these factors can be complex and unpredictable. Adverse economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Acts of terrorism, geopolitical and other external events could impact our ability to conduct business.

Financial institutions have been, and continue to be, targets of terrorist threats aimed at compromising operating and communication systems and remain central targets for potential acts of terrorism. Such events could cause significant damage, impact the stability of our facilities and result in additional expenses, impair the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans, reduce the value of collateral securing repayment of our loans, and result in the loss of revenue. While we have established and regularly test disaster recovery procedures, the occurrence of any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition. Additionally, financial markets may be adversely affected by the

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current or anticipated impact of military conflict, including escalating military action between Russia and Ukraine, terrorism or other geopolitical events.

Our commercial and consumer banking clients who participate in our real estate lending program and SBA 7(a) lending program are concentrated in certain geographic areas and we are sensitive to adverse changes in those regional economies.

The success of our real estate lending programs depends substantially upon the general economic conditions in Utah, which we cannot predict with certainty. Adverse conditions in the local Utah economy such as unemployment, recession, a catastrophic event or other factors beyond our control could impact the ability of borrowers participating in our real estate lending program to repay their loans, which could impact our net interest income. In addition, our borrowers who participate in our SBA 7(a) lending program span across multiple states, with a focus in New York and New Jersey. As in the case with Utah, we similarly cannot foresee or control the economic conditions in such states. A downturn in these regional economies generally could make it more difficult for our borrowers to repay their loans and may lead to loan losses. For these reasons, any national, regional or local economic downturn that affects our service regions, or existing or prospective borrowers in such regions, could have a material adverse effect on our real estate and SBA 7(a) lending and the business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face strong competition from financial services companies and other companies that offer banking services.

We operate in the highly competitive financial services industry and face significant competition for customers from financial institutions located both within and beyond our principal markets and product lines. We compete with commercial banks, savings banks, credit unions, nonbank financial services companies and other financial institutions operating both within our market areas and nationally, and in respect of our financial technology initiative we also compete with other entities in the financial technology industry, including a limited number of other banks that have developed strategic programs similar to our Strategic Programs.

Many of our non-bank competitors are not subject to the same extensive regulations that govern our activities and may have greater flexibility in competing for business. Our inability to compete successfully in the markets in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We may not be able to measure and limit our credit risk adequately, which could lead to unexpected losses.

Our business depends on our ability to successfully measure and manage credit risk. As a lender, we are exposed to the risk that the principal of, or interest on, a loan will not be paid timely or at all or that the value of any collateral supporting a loan will be insufficient to cover our outstanding exposure. In addition, we are exposed to risks with respect to the period of time over which the loan may be repaid, risks relating to proper loan underwriting, closing, servicing and liquidation, risks resulting from changes in economic and industry conditions, and risks inherent in dealing with individual loans and borrowers. If the overall economic climate in the United States generally, or in any of our markets specifically, experiences material disruption, our borrowers may experience difficulties in repaying their loans, the collateral we hold may decrease in value or become illiquid, and the level of delinquencies, nonperforming loans, and charge-offs could rise and require significant additional provisions for loan losses.

Our risk management practices, such as monitoring the concentration of our loans within specific markets and our credit approval, review and administrative practices, may not adequately reduce credit risk. A failure to effectively measure and limit the credit risk associated with our loan portfolio may result in loan defaults, foreclosures and additional charge-offs, and may necessitate that we significantly increase our ACL, each of which could adversely affect our net income. As a result, our inability to successfully manage credit risk could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ACL may prove to be insufficient to absorb potential losses in our loan portfolio.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) has issued an accounting standard for establishing allowances for loan and lease losses that replaces the prior approach under GAAP, which generally considers only past events and current conditions, with a forward-looking methodology that reflects the expected credit losses over the lives of financial assets, starting when such assets are first originated or acquired. As an emerging growth company relying on the extended transition period for new accounting standards, this standard, referred to as Current Expected Credit Loss (“CECL”), became effective for us on January 1, 2023. The CECL standard requires us to record, at the time of origination, credit losses expected throughout the life of the asset portfolio on loans and held-to-maturity securities, as opposed to the former practice of recording losses when it is probable that a loss event has occurred. Moreover, the CECL standard may create

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more volatility in the level of allowance for credit losses. If we are required to materially increase the level of our allowance for credit losses for any reason, such increase could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. For further information, please see Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Recent accounting pronouncements, of our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We maintain an ACL that represents management’s judgment of probable losses and risks inherent in our loan portfolio. The level of the allowance reflects management’s continuing evaluation of general economic conditions, diversification and seasoning of the loan portfolio, historic loss experience, identified credit problems, delinquency levels and adequacy of collateral. The determination of the appropriate level of our ACL is inherently highly subjective and requires management to make significant estimates of and assumptions regarding current credit risks, all of which may undergo material changes. Inaccurate management assumptions, deterioration of economic conditions affecting borrowers, new information regarding existing loans, identification or deterioration of additional problem loans, acquisition of problem loans and other factors (including third-party review and analysis), both within and outside of our control, may require us to increase our ACL. If we are required to materially increase the level of our ACL for any reason, such increase could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

New lines of business or new products and services may subject us to additional risks.

From time to time, we may implement or may acquire new lines of business or pilot programs or offer new products and services within existing lines of business. There are substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts, particularly in instances where the markets are not fully developed. To the extent we enter into new lines of business, we will face numerous risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with the possibility that we have insufficient expertise to engage in such activities profitably or without incurring inappropriate amounts of risk, the required investment of capital and other resources and the loss of investors due to the perception that we are no longer focusing on our core business. In developing and marketing new lines of business and new products and services, we may invest significant time and resources. We may not achieve target timetables for the introduction and development of new lines of business and new products or services and price and profitability targets may not prove feasible. External factors, such as regulatory compliance obligations, competitive alternatives and shifting market preferences, may also impact the successful implementation of a new line of business or a new product or service. Furthermore, any new line of business or new product or service could have a significant impact on the effectiveness of our system of internal controls. Failure to successfully manage these risks in the development and implementation of new lines of business or new products or services could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may be subject to certain risks in connection with growing through mergers and acquisitions.

It is possible that we could acquire other banking institutions, other financial services companies, banking and servicing platforms, or branches of banks in the future. Acquisitions typically involve the payment of a premium over book and trading values and, therefore, may result in the dilution of our tangible book value per share and/or our earnings per share. Our ability to engage in future mergers and acquisitions depends on various factors, including: (1) our ability to identify suitable merger partners and acquisition opportunities; (2) our ability to finance and complete transactions on acceptable terms and at acceptable prices; and (3) our ability to receive the necessary regulatory and, when required, shareholder approvals. Furthermore, mergers and acquisitions involve a number of risks and challenges, including our ability to achieve planned synergies and to integrate the branches and operations we acquire, and the internal controls and regulatory functions into our current operations, as well as the diversion of management’s attention from existing operations, which may adversely affect our ability to successfully conduct our business and negatively impact our financial results.

Our SBA lending program is dependent upon the U.S. federal government, and we face specific risks associated with originating SBA loans.

Our SBA lending program is dependent upon the U.S. federal government. We are an approved participant in the SBA Preferred Lenders Program (“PLP”). As an SBA Preferred Lender, we are able to offer SBA loans to our clients without being subject to the potentially lengthy SBA approval process for application, servicing or liquidation actions necessary for lenders that are not SBA Preferred Lenders. If we lose our status as an SBA Preferred Lender, we may lose some or all of our customers to lenders who are SBA Preferred Lenders, and as a result we could experience a material adverse effect on our financial results. Any changes to the SBA program, including but not limited to changes to the level of guarantee provided by the federal government on SBA loans, changes to program specific rules impacting volume eligibility under the guaranty program, as well as changes to the program amounts authorized by Congress or exhaustion of the available funding for SBA programs, may have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, any default by the U.S.

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government on its obligations or any prolonged government shutdown could, among other things, impede our ability to originate SBA loans or sell such loans in the secondary market, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. When we originate SBA loans, we incur credit risk on the non-guaranteed portion of the loans, and if a customer defaults on a loan, we share any loss and recovery related to the loan pro-rata with the SBA. If the SBA establishes that a loss on an SBA guaranteed loan is attributable to significant technical deficiencies in the manner in which the loan was originated, funded or serviced by us, the SBA may seek recovery of the principal loss related to the deficiency from us.

As the funding and sale of the guaranteed portion of SBA 7(a) loans has been a major portion of our business and a significant portion of our noninterest income, any significant changes to the SBA 7(a) program, such as its funding or eligibility requirements, may have an adverse effect on our prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Even if we are able to continue to originate and sell SBA 7(a) loans in the secondary market, we might not continue to realize premiums upon the sale of the guaranteed portion of these loans or the premiums may decline due to economic and competitive factors. Furthermore, when we sell the guaranteed portion of SBA loans in the ordinary course of business, we are required to make certain representations and warranties to the purchaser about the SBA loan and the manner in which they were originated. Under these agreements, we may be required to repurchase the guaranteed portion of the SBA loan if we have breached any of these representations or warranties, in which case we may record a loss. In addition, if repurchase and indemnity demands increase on loans that we sell from our portfolios, our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Generally, we do not maintain reserves or loss allowances for such potential claims and any such claims could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and earnings.

The laws, regulations and standard operating procedures that are applicable to SBA loan products may change in the future. We cannot predict the effects of these changes on our business and profitability. Because government regulation greatly affects the business and financial results of all commercial banks and bank holding companies and especially our organization, changes in the laws, regulations and procedures applicable to SBA loans could adversely affect our ability to operate profitably.

We rely on BFG for loan referrals associated with our SBA 7(a) lending program, any disruption of that relationship may adversely impact our SBA lending business.

BFG is a nationally significant referral source of small business loans. BFG has been the primary source of SBA loan referrals for the Bank since the Bank began its SBA lending program in 2014. BFG referred 100% of the Bank’s SBA 7(a) loan originations for the year ended December 31, 2023. This relationship has permitted the Bank to focus on the development of underwriting, processing and servicing expertise for SBA 7(a) loans. Any disruption of our relationship with BFG or reduction in SBA 7(a) loan referrals could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operation and growth plans.

Because a significant portion of our loan portfolio held-for-investment within our local lending program, owner occupied commercial lending program and SBA 7(a) lending program is secured by real estate, negative changes in the economy affecting real estate values and liquidity could impair the value of collateral securing our real estate loans and result in loan and other losses.

As of December 31, 2023, approximately $60.9 million, or 16.4%, of our total gross loans held-for-investment were local lending or owner occupied commercial lending program loans with real estate as a primary or secondary component of collateral. We also have approximately $220.8 million, or 59.3%, of our total gross loans held-for-investment in SBA loans that are secured with real estate as a component of collateral as of December 31, 2023. The market value of real estate can fluctuate significantly in a short period of time. As a result, adverse developments affecting real estate values and the liquidity of real estate in our primary markets could increase the credit risk associated with our loan portfolio, and could result in losses that adversely affect our credit quality, financial condition and results of operations. Negative changes in the economy affecting real estate values and liquidity in our market areas could significantly impair the value of property pledged as collateral on loans and affect our ability to sell the collateral upon foreclosure without a loss or additional losses. Collateral may have to be sold for less than the outstanding balance of the loan, which could result in losses on such loans. Such declines and losses would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Appraisals and other valuation techniques we use in evaluating and monitoring loans secured by real property, other real estate owned and repossessed business and personal property may not accurately describe the net value of the asset.

In considering whether to make a loan secured by real property, we generally require an appraisal of the property which may not accurately describe the net value of the real property collateral after the loan is made. As a result, we may not be able to realize the full amount of any remaining indebtedness if we foreclose on and sell the relevant property. In addition, we rely on appraisals and other valuation techniques to establish the value of our other real estate owned, or OREO, and business and personal property that we acquire through foreclosure proceedings and to determine certain loan impairments. If any of these valuations are inaccurate, our consolidated financial statements may not reflect the correct value of our OREO, and our ACL may not reflect accurate loan impairments. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

In the case of defaults on loans secured by real estate, we may be forced to foreclose on the collateral, subjecting us to the costs and potential risks associated with the ownership of the real property, or consumer protection initiatives or changes in state or federal law that may substantially raise the cost of foreclosure or prevent us from foreclosing at all.

Since we originate loans secured by real estate, we may have to foreclose on the collateral property to protect our investment and may thereafter own and operate such property for some period, in which case we would be exposed to the risks inherent in the ownership of real estate. Our inability to manage the amount of costs or size of the risks associated with the ownership of real estate, or write-downs in the value of other real estate owned, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Additionally, consumer protection initiatives or changes in state or federal law may substantially increase the time and expense associated with the foreclosure process or prevent us from foreclosing at all. Some states in recent years have either considered or adopted foreclosure reform laws that make it substantially more difficult and expensive for lenders to foreclose on properties in default. If new state or federal laws or regulations are ultimately enacted that significantly raise the cost of foreclosure or raise outright barriers, such laws could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights, and may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.

We rely on a combination of copyright, trademark, trade secret laws and confidentiality provisions to establish and protect our proprietary rights. If we fail to successfully maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitive position could suffer. Similarly, if we were to infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, our competitive position could suffer. Third parties may challenge, invalidate, circumvent, infringe or misappropriate our intellectual property, or such intellectual property may not be sufficient to permit us to take advantage of current market trends or otherwise to provide competitive advantages, which could result in costly redesign efforts, discontinuance of certain product or service offerings or other competitive harm. We may also be required to spend significant resources to monitor and police our intellectual property rights. Others, including our competitors, may independently develop similar technology, duplicate our products or services or design around our intellectual property, and in such cases we may not be able to assert our intellectual property rights against such parties. Further, our contractual arrangements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our confidential information or provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of our confidential or proprietary information. We may have to litigate to enforce or determine the scope and enforceability of our intellectual property rights, trade secrets and know-how, which could be time-consuming and expensive, could cause a diversion of resources and may not prove successful. The loss of intellectual property protection or the inability to obtain rights with respect to third party intellectual property could harm our business and ability to compete. In addition, because of the rapid pace of technological change in our industry, aspects of our business and our products and services rely on technologies developed or licensed by third parties, and we may not be able to obtain or continue to obtain licenses and technologies from these third parties on reasonable terms or at all.

Our origination of construction loans exposes us to increased lending risks.

We originate commercial construction loans primarily to professional builders for the construction of one-to-four family residences, apartment buildings, and commercial real estate properties. As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $28.3 million of construction loans, which represents approximately 7.6% of our total gross loan portfolio held-for-investment. Our construction loans present a greater level of risk than loans secured by improved, occupied real estate due to: (1) the increased difficulty at the time the loan is made of estimating the building costs and the selling price of the property to be built; (2) the increased difficulty and costs of monitoring the loan; (3) the higher degree of sensitivity to increases in market rates of interest; and (4) the increased difficulty of working out loan problems. In addition, construction

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costs may exceed original estimates as a result of increased materials, labor or other costs. Construction loans also often involve the disbursement of funds with repayment dependent, in part, on the success of the project and the ability of the borrower to sell or lease the property or refinance the indebtedness.

The small- to medium-sized businesses that we lend to may have fewer resources to weather adverse business developments, which may impair our borrowers’ ability to repay loans.

Small- to medium-sized businesses frequently have smaller market shares than their competition, may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, often need substantial additional capital to expand or compete and may experience substantial volatility in operating results, any of which may impair a borrower’s ability to repay a loan. In addition, the success of a small- and medium-sized business often depends on the management skills, talents and efforts of a small group of people, and the death, disability or resignation of one or more of these people could have a material adverse effect on the business and its ability to repay its loan. If our borrowers are unable to repay their loans, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our concentration of large loans to a limited number of borrowers may increase our credit risk.

As of December 31, 2023, our 10 largest borrowing relationships accounted for approximately 13.0% of our total gross loans held-for-investment. This high concentration of borrowers presents a risk to our lending operations. If any one of these borrowers becomes unable to repay its loan obligations because of economic or market conditions, or personal circumstances, such as divorce or death, our nonaccrual loans and our ACL could increase significantly, which could have a material adverse effect on our assets, business, financial condition and results of operations.

A lack of liquidity could impair our ability to fund operations and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Liquidity is essential to our business. We rely on our ability to generate deposits and effectively manage the repayment and maturity schedules of our loans and investment securities, respectively, to ensure that we have adequate liquidity to fund our operations.

Our most important source of funds is deposits. As of December 31, 2023, approximately $95.5 million, or 23.6%, of our total deposits were noninterest bearing demand accounts. These deposits are subject to potentially dramatic fluctuations due to certain factors that may be outside of our control, such as a loss of confidence by customers in us or the banking sector generally, customer perceptions of our financial health and general reputation, any of which could result in significant outflows of deposits within short periods of time increasing our funding costs and reducing our net interest income and net income. If the balance of the Company’s deposits decreases relative to the Company’s overall banking operations, the Company may have to rely more heavily on wholesale or other sources of external funding, or may have to increase deposit rates to maintain deposit levels in the future. Any such increased reliance on wholesale funding, or increases in funding rates in general, could have a negative impact on the Company’s net interest income and, consequently, on its results of operations and financial condition.

Our Strategic Programs generally require each Strategic Program platform to establish a reserve deposit account with the Bank, intended to protect us in the event a purchaser of loan receivables originated through our Strategic Programs cannot meet its contractual obligation to purchase. The reserve deposit account balance is typically required to at least equal the total outstanding balance of loans held-for-sale by the Bank related to the Strategic Program. In the event that a loan purchaser defaults on its obligation under the Strategic Program agreements and the reserve deposit account balance is lower than the loans held-for-sale, the Bank may not be able to withdraw sufficient amount from the reserve deposit account to fulfill loan purchaser obligations and our liquidity may be adversely impacted.

We also may borrow funds from third-party lenders, such as other financial institutions. We currently utilize four secured lines of credit provided by the FHLB, PPPLF and the Federal Reserve and two unsecured lines of credit provided by Bankers Bank of the West and Zions Bank. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our activities, or on terms that are acceptable to us, could be impaired by factors that affect us directly or the financial services industry or economy in general, such as disruptions in the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry. Our access to funding sources could also be affected by one or more adverse regulatory actions against us.

Further, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the regulator of FHLB and other federal home loan banks, launched a comprehensive review of the Federal Home Loan Bank System including the mission, membership eligibility requirements,

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and operational efficiencies of the federal home loan banks in 2022. Any change to or termination of our ability to borrow from the FHLB or correspondent banks could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and liquidity.

Any decline in available funding could adversely impact our ability to originate loans, invest in securities, meet our expenses or fulfill obligations such as repaying our borrowings or meeting deposit withdrawal demands, any of which could, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have a concentration of deposit accounts with our Strategic Program service providers that is a material source of our funding, and the loss of these deposits or default on letters of credit by these Strategic Program service providers could force us to fund our business through more expensive and less stable sources.

As of December 31, 2023, approximately $68.1 million, or approximately 16.8%, of our total deposits consisted of deposit accounts of our Strategic Program service providers. Generally, the terms of our Strategic Programs require each Strategic Program service provider or purchasing entity to establish a reserve deposit account with the Bank in an amount at least equal to the total outstanding balance of loans held-for-sale by the Bank related to the Strategic Program. This requirement is intended to protect the Bank in the event a purchaser of loan receivables originated through our Strategic Programs cannot meet its contractual obligation to purchase. Depending on the strength of the relationship between the Bank and our Strategic Program service providers, we may reduce the required amount of reserve deposits held and/or allow a portion of the requirement to be fulfilled by a letter of credit. In addition to the reserve deposit account, certain Strategic Program service providers have opened operating deposit accounts at the Bank. If a Strategic Program service provider defaults on its letter of credit or we experience additional unanticipated fluctuations in our Strategic Program deposit levels, we may be forced to rely more heavily on other, potentially more expensive and less stable funding sources, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to attract additional merchants and retain and grow our existing merchant relationships, our business, results of operations, financial condition, and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Our continued success is dependent, in part, on our ability to expand our merchant base and to grow our commercial leasing and POS lending revenue. In addition, having a diversified mix of merchant relationships is important to mitigate risk associated with changing consumer spending behavior, economic conditions and other factors that may affect a particular type of merchant or industry. If we fail to retain any of our merchant relationships, if we do not acquire new merchant relationships, if we do not continually expand revenue and volume from the merchant relationships, or if we do not attract and retain a diverse mix of merchant relationships, our business, results of operations, financial condition, and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

We are subject to interest rate risk as fluctuations in interest rates may adversely affect our earnings.

Most of our banking assets and liabilities are monetary in nature and subject to risk from changes in interest rates. Like most financial institutions, our earnings are significantly dependent on our net interest income, the principal component of our earnings, which is the difference between interest earned by us from our interest earning assets, such as loans and investment securities, and interest paid by us on our interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. We expect that we will periodically experience “gaps” in the interest rate sensitivities of our assets and liabilities, meaning that either our interest-bearing liabilities will be more sensitive to changes in market interest rates than our interest earning assets, or vice versa. In either case, if market interest rates should move contrary to our position, this gap will negatively impact our earnings. The impact on earnings is more adverse when the slope of the yield curve flattens; that is, when short-term interest rates increase more than long-term interest rates or when long-term interest rates decrease more than short-term interest rates.

In March 2020, the Federal Reserve lowered the target range for the federal funds rate to a range from 0 to 0.25 percent in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The federal funds rate remained in this range for all of 2021. After a period of low interest rates, the federal funds rate was increased rapidly to 4.25%-4.50% at the end of 2022, and to 5.25%-5.5% at the end of 2023. Further changes to prevailing interest rates could influence not only the interest we receive on loans and investments and the amount of interest we pay on deposits and borrowings, but such changes could also affect (i) our ability to originate loans at competitive rates and obtain deposits; (ii) the fair value of our financial assets and liabilities; (iii) the average duration of our loan portfolios and other interest-earning assets; and (iv) the mix of lending products we originate. A prolonged period of extremely volatile and unstable market conditions could increase our funding costs and negatively affect market risk mitigation strategies. Increased interest rates may decrease borrower demand for certain of our lending products, even as inflation places pressure on consumer spending, borrowing and saving habits as consumers evaluate their prospects for future income growth and employment opportunities in the current economic environment, and

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as borrowers face uncertainty about the impact of rising prices on their ability to repay a loan. A change in demand for our lending products and any steps we may take to mitigate such change could impact our credit quality and overall growth.

Any future failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could impair the reliability of our financial statements, which in turn could harm our business, impair investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and our access to the capital markets and cause the price of our common stock to decline and subject us to regulatory penalties.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting and for evaluating and reporting on that system of internal control. Our internal control over financial reporting consists of a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. Weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting have been discovered in the past and may be discovered in the future. If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately and in a timely manner, in which case our business may be harmed, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, we could be subject to regulatory penalties and the price of our common stock may decline.

The accuracy of our financial statements and related disclosures could be affected if the judgments, assumptions or estimates used in our critical accounting policies are inaccurate.

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP requires us to make judgments, assumptions and estimates that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Our critical accounting policies, which are included in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” describe those significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements that we consider critical because they require judgments, assumptions and estimates that materially affect our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. As a result, if future events or regulatory views concerning such analysis differ significantly from the judgments, assumptions and estimates in our critical accounting policies, those events or assumptions could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, in each case resulting in our need to revise or restate prior period financial statements, cause damage to our reputation and the price of our common stock and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We could recognize losses on investment securities held in our securities portfolio, particularly if interest rates increase or economic and market conditions deteriorate.

We invest a portion of our total assets (2.6% as of December 31, 2023) in investment securities with the primary objectives of providing a source of liquidity, providing an appropriate return on funds invested, managing interest rate risk and meeting pledging requirements. As of December 31, 2023, all securities were classified as held-to-maturity. Factors beyond our control can significantly and adversely influence the fair value of securities in our portfolio. Because of changing economic and market conditions affecting interest rates, the financial condition of issuers of the securities and the performance of the underlying collateral, we may recognize realized and/or unrealized losses in future periods, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to certain operational risks, including, but not limited to, customer, employee or third-party fraud.

Employee errors and employee or customer misconduct could subject us to financial losses or regulatory sanctions and seriously harm our reputation. Misconduct by our employees could include hiding unauthorized activities from us, improper or unauthorized activities on behalf of our customers or improper use of confidential information. It is not always possible to prevent employee errors and misconduct, and the precautions we take to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. Employee errors could also subject us to financial claims for negligence. In addition, we rely heavily upon information supplied by third parties, including the information contained in credit applications, property appraisals, title information and employment and income documentation, in deciding which loans we will originate, as well as the terms of those loans. If any of the information upon which we rely is misrepresented, either fraudulently or inadvertently, and the misrepresentation is not detected prior to loan funding, the value of the loan may be significantly lower than expected, or we may fund a loan that we would not have funded or on terms that do not comply with our general underwriting standards. The sources of the misrepresentations are often difficult to locate, and it is often difficult to recover any of the resulting monetary losses we may suffer, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We rely heavily on our executive management team and other key employees, and we could be adversely affected by the unexpected loss of their services.

We are led by an experienced core management team with substantial experience in the markets that we serve, and our operating strategy focuses on providing products and services through long-term relationship managers and ensuring that our largest clients have relationships with our senior management team. Accordingly, our success depends in large part on the performance of these key personnel, as well as on our ability to attract, motivate and retain highly qualified senior and middle management. If any of our executive officers, other key personnel or directors leaves us or our Bank, our financial condition and results of operations may suffer because of his or her skills, knowledge of our market, years of industry experience and the difficulty of promptly finding qualified personnel to replace him or her.

Negative public opinion regarding the Company or failure to maintain our reputation within the industries we serve and across our product lines could adversely affect our business and prevent us from growing our business.

If our reputation is negatively affected by the actions of our employees or otherwise, including because of a successful cyberattack against us or other unauthorized release or loss of customer information, we may be less successful in attracting new talent and customers or may lose existing customers, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Further, negative public opinion can expose us to litigation and regulatory action and delay and impede our efforts to implement our expansion strategy, which could further adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.