First Western Financial Inc: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2025

Our Company

First Western Financial, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. We provide a fully integrated suite of wealth management services on our private trust bank platform, which includes a comprehensive selection of deposit, loan, trust, wealth planning and investment management products and services. We believe our integrated business model distinguishes us from other banks and non-bank financial services companies in the markets in which we operate. As of December 31, 2025, we provided fiduciary and advisory services on $7.28 billion of trust and investment management assets (AUM), and we had total assets of $3.15 billion, total loans excluding mortgage loans held for sale of $2.65 billion, total deposits of $2.75 billion, and total shareholders’ equity of $265.6 million.

Our mission is to be the best private bank for the Western wealth management client. We believe that the "Western wealth management client" shares our entrepreneurial spirit and values our sophisticated, high-touch integrated financial services that are tailored to meet their specific needs. Our target clients include successful entrepreneurs, professionals and other high net worth individuals or families, along with their businesses and philanthropic organizations. We offer our services through a branded network of boutique private trust bank offices, loan production offices, and trust offices, which we believe are strategically located in affluent and high-growth markets in nineteen locations across Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California.

We generate a significant portion of our revenues from non-interest income, which we produce from our trust, investment management, and other advisory services as well as through the origination and sale of mortgage loans. The balance of our revenue is generated from net interest income, which we derive from our traditional banking products and services. For the year ended December 31, 2025, Total non-interest income was $26.6 million or 27.4% of Total income before non-interest expense and Net interest income, before Provision for credit losses, was $75.4 million, or 77.8% of Total income before Non-interest expense.

We believe that we have developed a unique approach to private banking to best serve our Western wealth management clients primarily as a result of the combination of the following factors:

• Offering sophisticated wealth management products and services, including traditional banking as well as trust, wealth planning, investment management and other related services often provided by larger financial institutions with the high-touch and personalized experience that is typically associated with community and trust banks;
• Delivering services through our strategically located private trust bank offices, which we refer to internally as "profit centers"; and
• Using our relationship-based team approach to become a "trusted advisor" to our clients by understanding their investment management, ultimate goals and banking needs and tailoring our products and services to meet those needs.

Our History

We were founded in 2002 by our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Scott C. Wylie, and a group of local business leaders with the vision of building the best private bank for the Western wealth management client. Since opening our first office in Denver, Colorado in 2004, we have grown organically primarily by establishing boutique private trust bank offices, attracting new clients and expanding our relationships with existing clients, as well as through a series of strategic acquisitions of various trust, registered investment advisory, bank branch and full bank institutions, and other financial services firms. Since we completed an initial public offering of our common stock on July 23, 2018, our common stock has been listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "MYFW."

Our Business Strategy

We believe we have built a premier private trust bank in the Western United States that focuses on providing the best financial solutions to our clients. We are service-driven, solution-oriented and relationship-based. We accomplish this by continuing to execute on the following strategies:

• Building Out Existing Markets. Once we have established a presence in a particular geographic market that contains attractive high net worth household demographics, we then look to establish additional locations that are closely situated to sub-concentrations of affluent households and/or commercial activity (a "hub and spoke" market build-out, as we have commenced in Denver, Phoenix, and Jackson Hole). We continue to seek out talent to hire as part of our strategy of building out existing markets and continue to be successful in hiring teams that help us accomplish this goal. We also seek to employ highly capable associates with local market experience and relationships.
• Deepening Existing Client Relationships. We deliver our services though our nineteen local boutique private trust bank offices, loan production offices, and trust offices. This allows us to use multi-discipline sales and client service teams, in-market, to ensure we are meeting each client’s comprehensive set of needs. These teams take the time to understand the complexities of our clients’ financial world through wealth planning solutions and create the financial plan that helps them reach their goals. This profit center-based service model is a critical component of our future growth as we continue to develop our understanding of our clients’ evolving needs, allowing us to deepen, broaden and grow our existing relationships.
• Generating Referrals for New Client Relationships. We believe we have demonstrated a successful sales and marketing capability, built around the personal and professional networks and centers of influence of our local profit center leadership. Our existing client base has historically provided a significant amount of new clients through referrals. In surveys, our clients generally rate us very favorably overall in areas of professionalism, reliability, service-orientation, and trust.
• Developing Client Relationships through our Product Groups. Each profit center is designed to feel like a boutique private trust bank office and is staffed with business development and client service personnel. The profit centers work closely with our central product groups to customize our services to each client’s specific situation, without sacrificing the flexibility, expertise and authority to quickly meet complex client needs. Our central product groups are designed to support a significantly larger client and AUM base, providing an opportunity for significant operating leverage as we open additional profit centers. We have sales and service specialists in our product groups, such as Retirement Services and Mortgage Services, who are able to build relationships within their area of expertise and provide high quality service that creates an opportunity for a broader relationship across our suite of products and services.
• Expanding to New Markets. We believe that our profit centers are profitable and stable businesses when mature. We also believe that our product group and support center teams have a high degree of operating leverage (i.e., we believe that increasing the number of profit centers would not require a proportionate increase in our product group or support center expenses). Therefore, a key strategy of ours is to add incremental profit centers and grow them to maturity. We continue to seek out talent as part of our strategy of building out existing markets and continue to be successful in hiring teams that help us accomplish this goal. The trends in the financial services industry that make our business model successful in our existing geographic markets also exist in other locations in the Western United States. Our analysis indicates that there are hundreds of markets and submarkets in the Western United States that could support our profit centers and fit our target demographics. As such, we intend to continue to explore new Western United States markets with favorable high net worth demographics and competitive landscapes.
• Growing our Core Deposit Franchise. The strength of our deposit franchise is derived from the long-standing relationships we have with our clients and the strong ties we have to the markets we serve. Our deposit footprint has provided, and we believe will continue to provide, primary support for our loan growth. A key part of our strategy is to continue to enhance our funding sources by continuing to build our private and commercial banking capabilities to keep building our base of attractively priced core deposits.
• Attracting Talent. Our team of seasoned associates has been, and will continue to be, an important driver of our organic growth by further developing relationships with current and potential clients. We have a record of hiring experienced associates to enhance our organic growth, and sourcing and hiring talent will continue to be a core focus for us. We believe that our client service model, financial strength, growth strategy and public company status will further enhance our ability to attract and retain this talent.
• Developing New Products. We seek to be the primary source of financial products and services for our clients. By continuing to expand our product offerings—either by internal product development or establishing third-party relationships—we work to meet expanding client needs while further diversifying our revenue streams. This includes our recent efforts to focus on our product management disciplines as well as upgrading our commercial banking capabilities, adding market expertise in certain business verticals.

Our Service Model and Products

We deliver a broad array of wealth management products and services through our profit centers using our proprietary ConnectView® approach, which looks holistically across a client’s current and projected financial situation. We believe providing financial solutions in one area (such as estate, retirement planning or lending) often impacts other areas of our clients’ wealth planning (such as risk or balance sheet management), which provides us opportunities to evaluate proposed solutions across multiple business lines and offer additional services to our clients.

We have designed our business around having each profit center staffed with seasoned management. Typically, each profit center team is led by a president, who is a senior investment advisor or banker with strong client relationships and sales and leadership skills. The local team includes deposit, loan, trust, wealth planning, and related professionals, creating a strong interdisciplinary sales and service team.

We provide a broad array of products and services through our boutique private trust bank offices, largely comprised of the products and services described below.

Lending

General. Through our relationship-oriented private bank lending approach, our strategy is to offer a broad range of customized consumer and commercial lending products for the personal investment and business needs of our clients. Our clients are typically well diversified and the purpose for their loan and liquidity needs often does not correlate to the collateral used to secure the loan.

Our commercial lending products include commercial loans, business term loans and lines of credit to a diversified mix of small and midsized businesses. We offer both owner occupied and non-owner occupied commercial real estate (CRE) loans, as well as construction loans.

Our consumer lending products include residential first mortgage loans, originated loans for our own portfolio, as well as those for which we conduct mortgage banking activities whereby we originate and sell, servicing-released, whole loans in the secondary market. Our mortgage banking loan sales activities are primarily directed at originating single family mortgages, which generally conform to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines and are delivered to the investor shortly after funding. Additionally, we offer installment loans and lines of credit, which are typically to facilitate investment opportunities for consumer clients whose financial characteristics support the request. We also provide clients loans collateralized by cash and marketable securities.

We employ experienced banking and business development teams who provide superior client service, value-add lending solutions and competitive pricing to market our lending products and services.

As of December 31, 2025, our loan portfolio contained a balanced and diverse mix of loans, as shown below:

Gross Loans(1)

(1) Gross loans excludes $3.2 million in consumer and other loans accounted for under the fair value option.

Our loan portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, residential real estate loans, commercial real estate loans, and other consumer loans. The principal risk associated with each category of loans we make is the creditworthiness of the borrower. Borrower creditworthiness is affected by general economic conditions, the attributes of the borrower and the borrower’s market or industry. We underwrite for strong cash flow, multiple sources of repayment, adequate collateral, borrower experience and backup guarantors. Attributes of the relevant business market or industry include the competitive environment, client and supplier availability, the threat of substitutes and barriers to entry and exit.

1-4 Family Residential. Our 1-4 family residential loan portfolio consists of loans and home equity lines of credit secured by 1-4 family residential properties. These loans typically enable borrowers to purchase or refinance existing homes, most of which serve as the primary residence of the owner. In addition, some borrowers secure a commercial purpose loan with 1-4 family residential properties. As of December 31, 2025, 1-4 family residential loans were $1.03 billion, or 39.1% of our total loan portfolio, consisting of $123.6 million and $910.1 million of fixed-rate and adjustable-rate loans, respectively. While we typically originate loans with adjustable rates and maturities up to 30 years, as of December 31, 2025, the average term on our 1-4 family portfolio was 23.6 years with an average remaining term of 20.3 years. Such loans typically remain outstanding for substantially shorter periods because borrowers often prepay their loans in full either upon sale of the property pledged as security or upon refinancing the original loan.

Commercial loans secured by 1-4 family residential real estate are dependent on the strength of the local economy and local residential and commercial real estate markets. Borrower demand for adjustable-rate compared to fixed-rate loans is a function of the level of interest rates, the expectations of changes in the level of interest rates, and the difference between the interest rates and loan fees offered for fixed-rate mortgage loans as compared to the interest-rates and loan fees for adjustable rate loans.

The loan fees, interest rates, and other provisions of mortgage loans are determined by us on the basis of our own pricing criteria and competitive market conditions. The loans are secured by the real estate, and appraisals are obtained to support the loan amount at origination. Loans collateralized by 1-4 family residential real estate generally are originated in amounts of no more than 80% of appraised value. Generally, our loans conform to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac underwriting guidelines and conform to internal policies for debt-to-income or free cash flow levels. We retain a valid lien on real estate, obtain a title insurance policy that insures that the property is free from encumbrances and require hazard insurance.

Our focus for mortgage lending is to originate high-quality loans to drive growth in our mortgage loan portfolio. Our mortgage strategy includes attracting new loan clients with our mortgage loan products and services, which we believe will provide an opportunity for our profit centers to bring in well-qualified prospects, and to cross-sell other products and services to clients. We believe that cross-selling enables us to generate additional revenues, increase client retention, and provide products that benefit our clients. We have developed a scalable platform, including loan processing, underwriting and closings, for both secondary sales and origination of 1-4 family residential mortgages maintained in our portfolio and believe we have significant opportunities to grow this business.

Cash, securities and other. Our cash, securities and other loan portfolio consists of consumer and commercial purpose loans, which are primarily secured by securities managed and under custody with us, cash on deposit with us or life insurance policies. As of December 31, 2025, loans secured with cash, marketable securities and other were $164.7 million, or 6.3% of our total loan portfolio. This segment of our portfolio is affected by a variety of local and national economic factors affecting borrowers’ employment prospects, income levels, and overall economic sentiment. PPP loans that are fully guaranteed by the SBA are classified within this line item.

Consumer and other. Our consumer and other loan portfolio consists of unsecured consumer loans. Loans held for investment accounted for under the fair value option are also classified within this line item and had an unpaid principal balance of $3.2 million as of December 31, 2025. Consumer and other loans were $19.6 million, or 0.7% of our loan portfolio, excluding $3.2 million in consumer and other loans accounted for under the fair value option. This segment of our portfolio is affected by a variety of local and national economic factors affecting borrowers’ employment prospects, income levels, and overall economic sentiment.

Commercial and industrial. We originate commercial and industrial loans, including working capital lines of credit, permanent working capital term loans, business asset loans, acquisition, expansion and development loans, and other loan products, primarily in our target markets. These loans are underwritten on the basis of the borrower’s ability to service the debt from income, with maturities tied to the underlying life of the collateral. We generally take a lien on all business assets, including, among other things, accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, available real estate, and generally obtain a personal guaranty of the principal(s). Our commercial and industrial loans generally have variable interest rates and terms that typically range from one to five years. Fixed-rate commercial and industrial loan maturities are generally short-term, with three to five-year maturities, including periodic interest rate resets. As of December 31, 2025, commercial and industrial loans were $225.3 million, or 8.5% of our total loan portfolio. The average maturity on our commercial and industrial portfolio was 5.2 years with an average remaining term of 2.3 years. This portfolio primarily consists of term loans and lines of credit which are mostly dependent on the strength of the industries of the related borrowers and the success of their businesses.

Commercial real estate, Owner occupied and Non-owner occupied. We originate commercial loans collateralized by real estate. These loans may be collateralized by owner occupied or non-owner occupied real estate, as well as multi-family residential real estate. Commercial real estate lending typically involves higher loan principal amounts and the repayment is dependent, in large part, on sufficient income from the properties securing the loans to cover operating expenses and debt service. We require our commercial real estate loans to be secured by well-managed property with adequate margins and generally obtain a guaranty from responsible parties who have outside cash flows, experience and/or other assets. Our commercial real estate loans are generally secured by properties used for business purposes such as office buildings, industrial facilities and retail facilities. Loan amounts generally do not exceed 80% or 75% of the property’s appraised value for owner occupied and non-owner occupied respectively. In addition, aggregate debt service ratios, including the guarantor’s cash flow and the borrower’s other projects, are required by policy to have a minimum annual cash flow to debt service ratio of 2.0x. We require independent appraisals or evaluations from a list of approved appraisers on all loans secured by commercial real estate. As of December 31, 2025, owner occupied commercial real estate loans were $204.1 million, or 7.7% of our total loan portfolio, and non-owner occupied commercial real estate loans were $809.9 million, or 30.6% of our total loan portfolio. These loans are primarily dependent on the strength of the industries of the related borrowers and the success of their businesses.

Construction and development. We originate loans to finance the construction of residential and non-residential properties. Construction and development loans are generally collateralized by first liens on real estate as well as financial guarantees from the borrower and usually have floating interest rates. Our construction and development loans typically have maturities of up to two years depending on factors such as the type and size of the development and the financial strength of the borrower/guarantor, and are typically structured with an interest only construction period. These loans are underwritten to either mature at the completion of construction, or transition to a traditional amortizing commercial real estate facility with the terms and characteristics in line with other commercial real estate loans we hold in our portfolio. As of December 31, 2025, construction and development loans were $189.1 million, or 7.1% of our total loan portfolio.

Concentrations. Most of our lending activity and credit exposure, including real estate collateral for many of our loans, are concentrated in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California, as approximately 83.0% of the loans in our loan portfolio as of December 31, 2025 were made to borrowers who live in or conduct business in those states. Our commercial real estate loans are generally secured by first liens on real property. The remaining commercial and industrial loans are typically secured by general business assets, accounts receivable, inventory and/or the corporate guaranty of the borrower and personal guaranty of its principals. The geographic concentration subjects the loan portfolio to the general economic conditions within Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California. The risks created by such concentrations have been considered by management in the determination of the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses. As of December 31, 2025, management believes the allowance for credit losses is adequate to absorb losses in our loan portfolio.

Sound risk management practices and appropriate levels of capital are essential elements of the commercial real estate lending program. Concentrations of commercial real estate exposures add a dimension of risk that compounds the risk inherent in individual loans. Interagency guidance on commercial real estate concentrations describe sound risk management practices which include board and management oversight, portfolio management, management information systems, market analysis, portfolio stress testing and sensitivity analysis, credit underwriting standards, and credit risk review functions. Management believes it has implemented these practices in order to monitor concentrations in commercial real estate in our loan portfolio.

Credit Policies and Procedures

General. Asset quality and robust underwriting are integral to our strategy and credit culture. We place a considerable emphasis on effective risk management and preserving sound credit underwriting standards as we grow our loan portfolio. Underwriting considerations include adherence to credit policy, collateral, defined sources of repayment, strength of guarantor(s) and opportunities to broaden the relationship with the client. Our credit policy requires key risks be identified and measured, documented and mitigated, to the extent possible, to seek to ensure the soundness of our loan portfolio.

Loan Underwriting and Approval. Historically, we believe we have made sound, high quality loans while recognizing that lending money involves a degree of business risk. We have credit policies designed to assist us in managing this business risk. These policies provide a general framework for our loan origination, monitoring and funding activities, while recognizing that not all risks can be anticipated. Our Board of Directors delegates limited lending authority to individuals and internal loan committees. When the total relationship exceeds an individual’s loan authority, a higher authority or credit committee approval is required. The objective of our approval process is to provide a disciplined, collaborative approach to larger credits while maintaining responsiveness to client needs. Loan decisions are documented as to the borrower’s business, purpose of the loan, evaluation of the repayment source and the associated risks, evaluation of collateral, covenants and monitoring requirements, and the risk rating rationale.

Managing credit risk is an enterprise-wide process. Our strategy for credit risk management includes well-defined central credit policies, uniform underwriting criteria and ongoing risk monitoring and review processes. Our processes emphasize early stage review of loans, regular credit evaluations and management reviews of loans, which supplement the ongoing and proactive credit monitoring and loan servicing provided by our bankers. Our Executive Director, Banking and Mortgages, together with our central underwriting, credit administration and loan operations teams, provides credit oversight. We periodically review all credit risk portfolios to ensure that the risk identification processes are functioning properly and that our credit standards are followed. In addition, a third-party loan review is performed to assist in the identification of problem assets and to confirm our internal risk rating of loans.

Our credit policies include other underwriting guidelines for loans collateralized by real estate. These underwriting standards are designed to determine the maximum loan amount that a borrower has the capacity to repay based upon the type of collateral securing the loan and the borrower’s income. Such credit policies include maximum amortization schedules and loan terms for each category of loans collateralized by liens on real estate. In addition, our credit policies provide guidelines for personal guarantees, an environmental review, loans to employees, executive officers and directors, problem loan identification, maintenance of an adequate allowance for credit losses, and other matters relating to lending practices.

We believe that an important part of our assessment of client risk is the ongoing completion of periodic risk rating reviews. As part of these reviews, we seek to review the risk rating of each facility within a client relationship and may recommend an upgrade or downgrade to the risk rating. We categorize loans into risk categories based on relevant information about the ability of the borrowers to service their debt such as: current financial information, historical payment experience, credit documentation, public information, and current economic trends, among other factors. We analyze loans individually by classifying the loans as to credit risk on a quarterly basis. We attempt to identify potential problem loans early in an effort to seek aggressive resolution of these situations before the loans become a loss, record any necessary charge-offs promptly and management believes the allowance for credit losses is adequate to absorb losses in our portfolio.

Lending Limits. Our lending activities are subject to a variety of lending limits imposed by state and federal regulations. The Bank is subject to a legal lending limit on loans to related borrowers based on the Bank’s capital level. The dollar amounts of the Bank’s lending limit increases or decreases as the Bank’s capital increases or decreases. The Bank is able to sell participations in its larger loans to other financial institutions, which allows it to manage the risk involved in these loans and to meet the lending needs of its clients requiring extensions of credit in excess of these limits.

Deposits

The strength of our deposit franchise is derived from the long-standing relationships we have with our clients and the strong ties we have to the markets we serve. Our deposit footprint has provided, and we believe will continue to provide, the primary support for our loan growth. A key part of our strategy is to continue to enhance our funding sources by continuing to build our private and commercial banking capabilities to keep building our base of attractively priced core deposits.

We provide demand deposits, interest-bearing transaction accounts, money market accounts, time and savings deposits, ICS®, certificates of deposit and CDARS® reciprocal products. We also offer a range of treasury management products including cash manager and commercial analysis accounts, electronic receivables management, remote deposit capture, cash vault services, merchant services and other cash management services. Deposit flows are significantly influenced by general and local economic conditions, changes in prevailing interest rates, internal pricing decisions and competition. Our deposits are primarily obtained from depositors located in our geographic footprint, and we believe that we have attractive opportunities to capture additional deposits in our markets. In order to attract and retain deposits, we rely on providing quality service, offering a suite of retail and commercial products and services and introducing new products and services that meet our clients’ needs as they evolve.

For liquidity purposes, the Bank occasionally uses brokered deposits. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had brokered deposits of $115.8 million and $134.5 million, respectively.

We have experienced banking and business development teams who we believe provide superior client service, creative cash management solutions and competitive pricing to market our depository products and services. As of December 31, 2025, total deposits were $2.75 billion, an increase of $232 million, or 9.2%, compared to $2.51 billion as of December 31, 2024.

As of December 31, 2025, our deposit portfolio contained a diverse mix of deposits, as shown below:

Deposits

Trust and Investment Management, Advisory

We offer sophisticated wealth advisory and planning services including investment management, trusts and estate services, philanthropic services, insurance planning and retirement consulting. Our client relationships frequently include in-depth financial plans which are based on our proprietary ConnectView® approach, and sophisticated, institutional quality investment management that is driven by comprehensive investment policy statements and access to industry-leading money managers. These customized documents—wealth plans and investment policy statements—form the roadmap for how we serve each client and monitor our progress in achieving their goals.

We have experienced trust officers in several profit centers, plus expert trust and estate attorneys on our central product group team, to provide fiduciary services through our profit centers. These include traditional fiduciary, directed trusts, special needs trusts, and custody services. Most of our investment management business is conducted through the trust department in agency accounts where we are not serving as trustee.

We also have experienced portfolio managers and business development teams in our profit centers who provide high-touch, tailored solutions that we believe further exemplifies our superior client service. These local teams have personal and professional networks and relationships with centers of influence to market our wealth advisory products and services. As of December 31, 2025, total AUM was $7.28 billion, a decrease of $43.0 million, or 0.6%, compared to $7.32 billion as of December 31, 2024.

As of December 31, 2025, we provided fiduciary and advisory services on $7.28 billion of trust and investment management assets, as shown below:

Trust and Investment Management Assets

Our investment management platform combines a broad range of asset and sub asset classes meeting the needs of both taxable and tax-free private client accounts as well as trust investment services. We deliver most of our discretionary money management by allocating client portfolios across a centrally controlled platform of select third-party managers in each asset and sub asset class, including separately managed and comingled options, and with active and passive management strategies. We also have a limited number of proprietary products that we believe further differentiates us from many of our competitors.

We believe acting as an investment manager, and not just a manager of managers, has a number of critical benefits for our clients. These include the ability to have our money managers available to meet with clients and prospects, to tailor products and separately managed accounts for our clients, to better educate and inform our client-facing portfolio managers, and to develop new solutions as market conditions and client needs change. By combining internal research and a dedicated team of accredited specialized advisors like Chartered Financial Analysts and Certified Financial Planners with our pairing of proprietary and third-party investment options, we create unique solutions tailored to the specific needs of each of our clients.

Other Products

In addition to the traditional loan, deposit and trust and investment management products and services, our profit centers are supported by a central team of specialized product experts in our "product groups," which include experienced professionals in commercial banking, investment management, wealth planning, risk management/insurance, personal trust, retirement planning and tax-advantaged products, and mortgage lending. We believe that the sophistication of our product groups rivals the offerings and expertise typically provided by larger financial institutions. Our product groups are led and staffed with highly accredited and well known professionals, each with significant experience in their fields. Beyond traditional banking, trust and wealth management activities, at each profit center we provide other services including:

• Mortgage Lending. Although our primary objective is to originate loans for our own portfolio, we also conduct mortgage banking activities in which we originate and sell, servicing-released, whole loans in the secondary market. Typically, loans with a fixed interest rate of greater than 10 years are available-for-sale and sold on the secondary market. Our mortgage banking loan sales activities are primarily directed at originating single family mortgages that are priced and underwritten to conform to previously agreed criteria before loan funding and are delivered to the investor shortly after funding. The level of future loan originations, loan sales and loan repayments depends on overall credit availability, the interest rate environment, the strength of the general economy, local real estate markets and the housing industry, and conditions in the secondary loan sale market. The amount of gain or loss on the sale of loans is primarily driven by market conditions and changes in interest rates, as well as our pricing and asset liability management strategies.
• Treasury Management. We offer a broad range of customized treasury management products and services for commercial accounts, including disbursement and payables management, liquidity management and online business banking services. Our profit center sales and service teams are supported by a central team of treasury management specialists and deposit operations professionals.
• Risk Management/Insurance. Through the wealth planning process, our profit center teams are supported by a central team of insurance planning experts, specializing in risk management services, estate tax law, trusts and tax planning. We offer customized solutions in the form of, among others, charitable giving tax strategies, deferred-compensation plans, irrevocable life insurance trusts, long-term care insurance, and executive key person insurance.
• Retirement Services, including 401(k) Plan Consulting. We have a team of retirement plan consultants who partner with businesses to sponsor retirement plans. We offer creative corporate retirement plan design and analysis solutions and fiduciary liability management, providing tools such as corporate retirement plans, and ERISA regulation compliance, education and expertise.

Our profit centers and product groups are also supported centrally by teams providing management services such as operations, risk management, credit administration, technology support, marketing, human capital and accounting/finance services, which we refer to as "support centers." Our associates in our support centers have significant experience in wealth management, investment advisory, and commercial banking, including areas such as lending, underwriting, credit administration, risk management, accounting/finance, operations and information technology. We have structured our teams, services and product offerings to use technology to efficiently provide our clients with a high-touch, solution-oriented experience that we believe is scalable and provides operating leverage for future growth.

To demonstrate how these three groups—profit centers, product groups and support centers—work together to deliver a highly competitive product offering through a team of local professionals, our investment management offering is an example:

• In each profit center, there are one or more portfolio managers that work as part of that local team’s sales and service delivery. These portfolio managers are typically Certified Financial Planners, and occasionally Chartered Financial Analysts, with experience in wealth planning and portfolio construction. They meet with clients and develop an overall wealth management strategy, specific goals and objectives, an investment policy statement, and an implementation plan. They use our guided architecture, a diverse array of select third-party and proprietary investment products covering a broad range of asset classes as their source for portfolio construction options, asset allocation and products. Sales and marketing support is provided centrally but delivered locally.
• Our investment platform is controlled by our central investment research group, which has a strong research focus and includes many associates who have Chartered Financial Analyst designations, with oversight by our Executive Director, Wealth and Fiduciary and our Investment Policy Committee.
• Operational support for these profit center and product group teams is provided by our central trust and investment management support center team.

Investment Activities

The primary objectives of our Bank portfolio investment policy are to provide a source of liquidity, to provide an appropriate return on funds invested, to manage interest rate risk, to meet pledging requirements and to meet regulatory capital requirements. As of December 31, 2025, the carrying value of our investment portfolio totaled $140.6 million with an average yield of 4.2%.

Our investment policy outlines investment type limitations, security mix parameters, authorization guidelines and risk management guidelines. The policy authorizes us to invest in a variety of investment securities, subject to various limitations. Our current investment portfolio consists of obligations of the U.S. Treasury and other U.S. government agencies, corporate or sponsored entities, including mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, subordinated debt bonds, and mutual funds. We participate in the Mortgage Partnership Finance Program (MPF) and are required to maintain an investment in Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka (FHLB) stock, for which the investment is based on the level of our FHLB credit obligations. Our Board of Directors has the overall responsibility for the investment portfolio, including approval of our investment policy. Our Asset and Liability Committee (ALCO) and management are responsible for implementation of the investment policy and monitoring of our investment performance. Our ALCO and management review the status of our investment portfolio at least ten times per year.

Our Markets

Our strategic market area is defined by metropolitan areas in the Western United States having strong long-term economic growth prospects, a significant wealth demographic measured by growth in high net worth households, a dynamic commercial business landscape and the ability to sustain one or more of our profit centers. We target households with more than $1.0 million in liquid net worth and their related businesses and philanthropic interests. We believe that the complex and diverse financial needs of this market segment presents an opportunity to serve a broad array of client needs efficiently and cost effectively.

Our current operating markets have a high concentration of our targeted client segment and are expected to experience high growth, providing opportunity for continued future organic growth through demographic and market share growth.

We seek to expand our presence in our existing markets as well as other Western markets with similar demographic profiles. With improved access to capital as a result of our initial public offering in 2018, we expect to proactively evaluate opportunities to accelerate our organic growth and acquire banks, investment management firms and related businesses, while also seeking to hire talented personnel. We believe consolidation in the financial services industry along with the industry’s movement towards automated and impersonal client service further presents the Company with a unique and significant opportunity. Our business model differentiates us from the industry, which we expect will enable us to increase our market share in existing markets and, on a strategic and opportunistic basis, expand our geographic footprint into new markets in the Western United States that share similar characteristics to our current markets.

Enterprise Technology

We continue to make investments in our information technology systems as we adapt to the changing security, technology, online and mobile, and other platform delivery needs and wants of our clients. We believe that this investment is essential to our ability to offer new products and optimize overall client experience, provide opportunities for future growth and acquisitions, and provide a secure infrastructure that supports our operations. We leverage the experience of a third-party managed service provider for information technology services, to augment security, and to deliver the technical expertise around network architecture required to operate securely with optimal efficiency. The majority of our systems are hosted by third-party service providers. The scalability of this infrastructure supports our growth strategy. In addition, business resiliency testing and planning ensures the capability of critical vendors to fail over to fully-hot replicated systems that provide complete redundancy in the event of a disaster.

Enterprise Risk Management

We place significant emphasis on our holistic approach to integrated risk management that provides oversight, control, and discipline to support strategic initiative and business objectives and to promote a risk-aware culture. We utilize the COSO 2017 ERM Framework to govern the process of anticipating, identifying, assessing, managing, optimizing, and monitoring risks within the organization. Our Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Committee oversees our ERM program. This group contains key members of management including the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Director Legal and Governance, and the Executive Director Risk, Human Capital, and Operations. In order to carry out the ERM program, we have developed the following objectives to:

• Integrate ERM practices with our strategy setting process and performance management practices to realize benefits related to value;
• Improve the Company’s ability to identify risks and establish appropriate responses to reduce costs and limit losses;
• Identify operational gaps to reduce performance variability;
• Include business resiliency in strategy setting;
• Identify interrelated risks within First Western and establish an integrated response; and
• Assess the positive and negative aspects of risk to address challenges and opportunities within our internal and external environment.

We routinely monitor and measure risk throughout the organization to optimize the allocation of resources, preserve capital, and to ensure the attainment and/or protection of strategic goals and business objectives.

Competition

The financial services industry is highly competitive and we compete in a number of areas, including commercial and consumer banking, residential mortgages, wealth advisory, investment management, trust, and insurance, among others. We compete with other bank and non-bank institutions located within our market area, along with competitors situated regionally, nationally or with only an online presence. These include large banks and other financial intermediaries, such as consumer finance companies, brokerage firms, mortgage banking companies, business leasing and finance companies and insurance agencies, as well as major retailers, all actively engaged in providing various types of loans and other financial services. We also face growing competition from online businesses with few or no physical locations, including online banks, lenders and consumer and commercial lending platforms as well as automated retirement and investment services providers. Competition involves efforts to retain current clients, obtain new loan, deposit and advisory services clients, increase the scope and type of services offered, and offer competitive interest rates paid on deposits, charged on loans, or charged for advisory services. We believe our integrated and high-touch service offering, along with our sophisticated relationship-oriented approach sets us apart from our competitors.

Human Capital Overview

As of December 31, 2025, we had 320 associates. We strive to recruit and retain team-oriented, respectful, problem solvers. We serve our internal team with the same approach we serve our clients, with an adaptive, entrepreneurial spirit. We take advantage of new opportunities, and encourage our team to explore new processes, products, and services to improve First Western. Associates are our trusted partners both within their teams and with our clients as we build a partnership for generations to come.

We strive to be a high performing financial institution producing consistent, strong financial results, coming from a well-executed strategy. It is our belief that this can only be accomplished by a well-run organization of outstanding, motivated, engaged and supported associates. Internally, we call this a “People First” mind-set and over the last several years have focused on building upon the foundational elements of this strategy. Those elements include an internally developed manager training program designed to train our managers to be great bosses in support of a culture of learning, collaboration, growth and development. We provide meaningful work for our associates by connecting their role to the Company’s mission and vision as well as simplifying and streamlining repetitive tasks to make work more interesting and value added. We are building role-based development opportunities and accountabilities into each role so that throughout the associates lifecycle there is opportunity to master skills and pursue professional and personal growth. People First is also about building connection and community with the Company. We believe the benefits of being part of our Company means you are appreciated and valued, you can build meaningful relationships, and have a sense of mutual accountability.

None of our associates are represented by any collective bargaining unit or are parties to a collective bargaining agreement. We believe that our strong relationships with our associates are central to establishing the corporate culture we need to serve our clients, shareholders, and our communities well.

We are committed to implementing diverse, equitable, and inclusive policies and practices across the Company. Our corporate values speak directly to the spirit of inclusion as well as the importance of embracing diversity and equitable practices. We believe in a corporate culture where all people are empowered to reach their full potential through autonomy, mastery, and purpose. The Company’s Board of Directors fosters this belief by ensuring that strategies are adopted that result in the Company understanding both associate performance and engagement at every level.

The Company has invested in developing the necessary formal infrastructure to ensure fair pay across job classes and our geographic footprint. It has also adopted and enforces codes of conduct that establish principles of integrity, respect, and excellence at all levels of the Company.

Learning and Development

We provide extensive training to our associates in an effort to ensure that our clients receive superior service and that our risks are well managed. Learning and development opportunities consist of leadership development programs, communication courses, and technical development training (to name a few) as part of our goal to provide associates meaningful work with career advancement and opportunity for growth and development. Our strategic commitment to learning and development ensures the Company’s leadership and management teams continue to grow at a pace consistent with our financial growth goals.

Compensation and Benefits

We offer a total rewards program to attract and retain team-oriented, respectful, problem solvers who have a growth mindset. Our compensation program includes competitive salary/hourly pay and incentive pay in the form of quarterly bonuses and annual stock awards to officers and certain members of the management team. We have significant insider ownership and the Board of Directors has approved stock ownership guidelines applicable to our executive officers and other key position holders to further align management and shareholder interests. In addition, the Company offers a 401(k) Plan with an employer matching contribution. Further, we offer a number of healthcare and insurance options, health savings accounts, paid time off, and paid family leave time for all associates.

Core Values and Culture

Developing and maintaining a strong, healthy culture is a key strategic focus as we continue to grow both organically and through acquisition. Our core values reflect our continued focus to maintain a highly-engaged team.

Problem solver – Being a Problem solver at First Western means that when we see a problem, we see opportunity. We pick it up and we address it, and if appropriate, work to create or improve the “FW Way” for that type of issue.

Team oriented – Team oriented at First Western means using our teammates to deliver the best possible results for our stakeholders. Our structure, with local teams and central experts, is designed to serve clients that have assets, liabilities, families, businesses, and long term goals that each require different types of expertise.

Respectful – For First Westerners, Respectful means valuing the unique knowledge and experiences each stakeholder brings to a discussion. We appreciate the different value that each of us brings to First Western and treasure that expertise.

Adaptive – First Westerners have an Adaptive, entrepreneurial spirit. When our world changes, we change to take advantage of new opportunities. We are always looking for ways to improve processes, products, and services.

Growth mindset – First Westerns have a growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit. We are always looking for ways to grow profitably. When our world changes, we adapt and take advantage of new opportunities through continual improvement.

Available Information

The Company files reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Electronic copies of our SEC filings are available to the public at the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov. You may also obtain copies of our annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and certain other information filed by the Company with the SEC, as well as amendments thereto, free of charge from the Company’s website, https://myfw.gcs-web.com/investor-relations. These documents are posted to our website after we have filed them with the SEC. Our corporate governance guidelines, including our code of business conduct and ethics applicable to all of our associates, officers and directors, as well as the charters of our audit committee, compensation committee and corporate governance and nominating committee are available at https://myfw.gcs-web.com/investor-relations. The foregoing information is also available in print to any shareholder who requests it from the Company. Except as explicitly provided, information furnished by the Company and information on, or accessible through, the SEC’s or the Company’s website is not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or our other securities filings and is not a part of them.

Supervision and Regulation

The U.S. banking industry is highly regulated under federal and state law. Banking laws, regulations, and policies affect the operations of the Company and its subsidiaries. Investors should understand that the primary objective of the U.S. bank regulatory regime is the protection of depositors, the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF), and the banking system as a whole, not the protection of the Company’s shareholders.

As a bank holding company, we are subject to inspection, examination, supervision, and regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve). The Bank, which is our subsidiary, is a Colorado-chartered commercial bank and is not a member of the Federal Reserve System (a "state nonmember bank"). As such, the Bank is subject to regulation, supervision, and examination by both the Colorado Division of Banking (CDB) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). In addition, we expect that any additional businesses that we may invest in or acquire will be regulated by various state and/or federal banking regulators.

Banking statutes and regulations are subject to continual review and revision by Congress, state legislatures and federal and state regulatory agencies. A change in such statutes or regulations, including changes in how they are interpreted or implemented, could have a material effect on our business. In addition to laws and regulations, state and federal bank regulatory agencies may issue policy statements, interpretive letters and similar written guidance pursuant to such laws and regulations, which are binding on us and our subsidiaries.

Banking statutes, regulations and policies could restrict our ability to diversify into other areas of financial services, acquire depository institutions, and make distributions or pay dividends on our equity securities. They may also require us to provide financial support to any bank that we control, maintain capital balances in excess of those desired by management, and pay higher deposit insurance premiums as a result of a general deterioration in the financial condition of the Bank or other depository institutions we control.

The description below summarizes certain elements of the applicable bank regulatory framework. This description is not intended to describe all laws and regulations applicable to us and our subsidiaries. The description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the statutes, regulations, policies, interpretive letters and other written guidance that are described.

Regulatory Capital

The Company and the Bank are each required to comply with applicable capital adequacy standards established by the Federal Reserve and the FDIC. The current risk-based capital standards applicable to the Company and the Bank are based on the December 2010 final capital framework for strengthening international capital standards, known as Basel III, of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, or Basel Committee. The final rules implementing the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s capital guidelines for U.S. banks (Basel III Rules) have been fully phased in. The Basel III Rules require banks and bank holding companies, including the Company and the Bank, to maintain minimum capital amounts and ratios. These ratios are common equity Tier 1 capital (CET1), Tier 1 capital and total capital (as defined in the regulations) to risk-weighted assets (as defined in the regulations), and Tier 1 capital (as defined in the regulations) to average assets (as defined in the regulations).

The final rules of Basel III also established a "capital conservation buffer" of 2.5% above new regulatory minimum capital ratios. The minimum capital ratios inclusive of the capital conservation buffer are as follows: (i) a CET1 ratio of 7.0%; (ii) a Tier 1 capital ratio of 8.5%; and (iii) a total capital ratio of 10.5%. Banks are subject to limitations on paying dividends, engaging in share repurchases, and paying discretionary bonuses if their capital level falls below the buffer amount. These limitations establish a maximum percentage of eligible retained income that can be utilized for such activities.

The Basel III Capital Rules also attempt to improve the quality of capital by implementing changes to the definition of capital. Among the most important changes are stricter eligibility criteria for regulatory capital instruments that disallow the inclusion of certain instruments, such as trust preferred securities (other than grandfathered trust preferred securities), in Tier 1 capital going forward and new constraints on the inclusion of minority interests, mortgage-servicing assets, deferred tax assets and certain investments in the capital of unconsolidated financial institutions. In addition, the Basel III Capital Rules require that most regulatory capital deductions be made from CET1 capital.

The Federal Reserve and the FDIC may also set higher capital requirements for individual institutions whose circumstances warrant it. For example, institutions experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions are expected to maintain strong capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets. At this time, the bank regulatory agencies are more inclined to impose higher capital requirements to meet well capitalized standards and future regulatory change could impose higher capital standards as a routine matter. The Company’s regulatory capital ratios and those of the Bank are in excess of the levels established for "well capitalized" institutions under the rules.

The Basel III Capital Rules also set forth certain changes in the methods of calculating certain risk-weighted assets, which in turn affects the calculation of risk-based capital ratios. Under the Basel III Capital Rules, higher or more sensitive risk weights have been assigned to various categories of assets, including certain credit facilities that finance the acquisition, development or construction of real property, certain exposures or credits that are 90 days past due or on nonaccrual status, foreign exposures and certain corporate exposures. In addition, these rules include greater recognition of collateral and guarantees, and revised capital treatment for derivatives and repo-style transactions.

The federal bank regulators have modified certain aspects of the Basel III Capital Rules since the rules were initially published, and additional modifications may be made in the future. In December 2017, the Basel Committee published standards that it described as the finalization of the Basel III post-crisis regulatory reforms (commonly referred to as Basel IV). Among other things, these standards revise the Basel Committee’s standardized approach for credit risk (including by recalibrating risk weights and introducing new capital requirements for certain "unconditionally cancellable commitments," such as unused credit card lines of credit) and provides a new standardized approach for operational risk capital. Under the Basel framework, these standards were generally effective on January 1, 2023, with an aggregate output floor phasing in through January 1, 2028. On September 9, 2022, the U.S. federal banking regulators announced their intent to revise regulatory capital requirements to align them with the regulatory capital standards that were finalized by the Basel Committee in December 2017. On July 27, 2023, the OCC, Federal Reserve, and FDIC jointly released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would implement the Basel III revisions for large banking organizations; however, a final rule has not yet been issued. In addition, the U.S. federal banking regulators stated that Community banking organizations would not be impacted by the proposal. Under the current U.S. capital rules, operational risk capital requirements and a capital floor apply only to advanced approaches institutions, and not to the Company or the Bank. The impact of Basel IV on us will depend on the manner in which it is implemented by the federal bank regulators.

In accordance with the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (Regulatory Relief Act), discussed below, the federal banking agencies published final rules implementing the community bank leverage ratio in November 2019. Under the final rules, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, depository institutions and depository institution holding companies that have less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets and meet other qualifying criteria, including a leverage capital ratio of greater than 9%, off-balance-sheet exposures of 25% or less of total consolidated assets and trading assets plus trading liabilities of 5% or less of total consolidated assets, are deemed "qualifying community banking organizations" and are eligible to opt into the community bank leverage ratio framework. A qualifying community banking organization that elects to use the community bank leverage ratio framework and that maintains a leverage capital ratio of greater than 9% is considered to have satisfied the generally applicable risk-based and leverage capital requirements under the Basel III Capital Rules and, if applicable, is considered to have met the “well capitalized” ratio requirements for purposes of its primary federal regulators prompt corrective action rules, discussed below. The Company and the Bank have not made an election to use the community bank leverage ratio framework but may make such an election in the future if determined to be possible and advantageous.

Regulation of the Company

The Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (BHC Act), and other federal laws subject bank holding companies to particular restrictions on the types of activities in which they may engage, and to a range of supervisory requirements and activities, including regulatory enforcement actions for violations of laws and regulations.

Permitted Activities. Generally, bank holding companies are prohibited under the BHC Act from engaging in, or acquiring direct or indirect control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any company engaged in any activity other than (i) banking or managing or controlling banks or (ii) an activity that the Federal Reserve determines to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident to the business of banking. The Federal Reserve has the authority to require a bank holding company to terminate an activity or terminate control of or liquidate or divest certain subsidiaries or affiliates when the Federal Reserve believes the activity or the control of the subsidiary or affiliate constitutes a significant risk to the financial safety, soundness or stability of any of its banking subsidiaries.

Status as a Financial Holding Company. Under the BHC Act, a bank holding company may file an election with the Federal Reserve to be treated as a financial holding company and engage in an expanded list of financial activities. The election must be accompanied by a certification that all of the company’s insured depository institution subsidiaries are "well capitalized" and "well managed." Additionally, the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA) rating of each subsidiary bank must be satisfactory or better. If, after becoming a financial holding company and undertaking activities not permissible for a bank holding company, the company fails to continue to meet any of the prerequisites for financial holding company status, the company must enter into an agreement with the Federal Reserve to comply with all applicable capital and management requirements. If the company does not return to compliance within 180 days, the Federal Reserve may order the company to divest its subsidiary banks or the company may discontinue or divest investments in companies engaged in activities permissible only for a bank holding company that has elected to be treated as a financial holding company. The Company filed an election and became a financial holding company in 2006.

Sound Banking Practices. Bank holding companies and their non-banking subsidiaries are prohibited from engaging in activities that represent unsafe or unsound banking practices. For example, under certain circumstances the Federal Reserve’s Regulation Y requires a 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 company’s consolidated net worth. The Federal Reserve may oppose the transaction if it believes that the transaction would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice or would violate a regulation. As another example, a holding company is prohibited from impairing its subsidiary bank’s soundness by causing the bank to make funds available to non-banking subsidiaries or their clients if the Federal Reserve believes it not prudent to do so. The Federal Reserve has the power to assess civil money penalties for knowing or reckless violations if the activities leading to a violation caused a substantial loss to a depository institution. Potential penalties are as high as $1.0 million for each day the activity continues.

Source of Strength. In accordance with the Dodd-Frank Act and long-standing Federal Reserve policy, the Company must act as a source of financial and managerial strength to the Bank. Under this policy, the Company must commit resources to support the Bank, including at times when the Company may not be in a financial position to provide it. As discussed below, the Company could be required to guarantee the capital plan of the Bank if it becomes undercapitalized for purposes of banking regulations. Any capital loans by a bank holding company to its subsidiary bank are subordinate in right of payment to deposits and to certain other indebtedness of such subsidiary bank. The BHC Act provides that, in the event of a bank holding company’s bankruptcy, any commitment by the bank holding company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a bank subsidiary will be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to priority of payment.

Regulatory agencies have promulgated regulations to increase the capital requirements for bank holding companies to a level that matches those of banking institutions.

Anti-Tying Restrictions. Bank holding companies and affiliates are prohibited from tying the provision of services, such as extensions of credit, to other services offered by a holding company or its affiliates.

Acquisitions. The BHC Act, Section 18(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended (FDIA), the Colorado Banking Code and other federal and state statutes regulate acquisitions of commercial banks and their holding companies. The BHC Act generally limits acquisitions by bank holding companies to commercial banks and companies engaged in activities that the Federal Reserve has determined to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident thereto. The BHC Act requires every bank holding company to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve before: (i) acquiring more than 5% of the voting stock of any bank or other bank holding company; (ii) acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of any bank or bank holding company; or (iii) merging or consolidating with any other bank holding company.

In reviewing applications seeking approval of merger and acquisition transactions, the bank regulatory authorities generally consider, among other things, the competitive effect and public benefits of the transactions, the financial and managerial resources and future prospects of the combined organization (including the capital position of the combined organization), the applicant’s performance record under the Community Reinvestment Act, (see the section captioned "Community Reinvestment Act" included below in this item), fair housing laws and the effectiveness of the subject organizations in combating money laundering activities.

The Company is also subject to the Change in Bank Control Act of 1978 (Control Act) and related Federal Reserve regulations, which provide that any person who proposes to acquire at least 10% (but less than 25%) of any class of a bank holding company’s voting securities is presumed to control the company (unless the company is not publicly held or some other shareholder owns a greater percentage of voting stock). Any person who would be presumed to acquire control or who proposes to acquire control of 25% or more of any class of a bank holding company’s voting securities, or who proposes to acquire actual control, must provide the Federal Reserve with at least 60 days’ prior written notice of the acquisition. The Federal Reserve may disapprove a proposed acquisition if: (i) it would result in adverse competitive effects; (ii) the financial condition of the acquiring person might jeopardize the target institution’s financial stability or prejudice the interests of depositors; (iii) the competence, experience or integrity of any acquiring person indicates that the proposed acquisition would not be in the best interests of the depositors or the public; or (iv) the acquiring person fails to provide all of the information required by the Federal Reserve. Any proposed acquisition of the voting securities of a bank holding company that is subject to approval under the BHC Act is not subject to the Control Act notice requirements. Any company that proposes to acquire "control," as those terms are defined in the BHC Act and Federal Reserve regulations, of a bank holding company or to acquire 25% or more of any class of voting securities of a bank holding company would be required to seek the Federal Reserve’s prior approval under the BHC Act to become a bank holding company.

Dividends. The Company’s earnings and activities are affected by legislation, by regulations and by local legislative and administrative bodies and decisions of courts in the jurisdictions in which we conduct business. These include limitations on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends to the Company and the Company’s ability to pay dividends to its shareholders. It is the policy of the Federal Reserve that bank holding companies should pay cash dividends on common stock only out of income available over the past year and only if prospective earnings retention is consistent with the organization’s expected future needs and financial condition. The policy provides that bank holding companies should not maintain a level of cash dividends that undermines the bank holding company’s ability to serve as a source of strength to its banking subsidiary. Consistent with such policy, a banking organization should have comprehensive policies on dividend payments that clearly articulate the organization’s objectives and approaches for maintaining a strong capital position and achieving the objectives of the policy statement.

As a Colorado state-chartered bank, the Bank is subject to limitations under Colorado law on the payment of dividends. The Colorado Banking Code provides that a bank may declare dividends from retained earnings and other components of capital specifically approved by the Colorado State Banking Board so long as the declaration is made in compliance with rules established by the Colorado State Banking Board.

In addition, a state nonmember bank may not declare a dividend if paying the dividend would result in the bank being undercapitalized under FDIA, discussed above, and must comply with any discretionary distribution restrictions imposed on it under the federal banking agencies’ capital buffer rules. The FDIC has stated that, in general, state nonmember banks can pay dividends in reasonable amounts only after the bank’s earnings have first been applied to the elimination of losses and the establishment of necessary reserves and prudent capital levels. The FDIC may also direct state nonmember banks that are poorly rated or subject to written supervisory actions not to pay dividends in order to ensure adequate capital exists to support their risk profile.

In 2009, the Federal Reserve issued a supervisory letter providing greater clarity to its policy statement on the payment of dividends by bank holding companies. In this letter, the Federal Reserve stated that when a holding company’s board of directors is deciding on the level of dividends to declare, it should consider, among other factors: (i) overall asset quality, potential need to increase reserves and write down assets, and concentrations of credit; (ii) potential for unanticipated losses and declines in asset values; (iii) implicit and explicit liquidity and credit commitments, including off-balance sheet and contingent liabilities; (iv) quality and level of current and prospective earnings, including earnings capacity under a number of plausible economic scenarios; (v) current and prospective cash flow and liquidity; (vi) ability to serve as an ongoing source of financial and managerial strength to depository institution subsidiaries insured by the FDIC, including the extent of double leverage and the condition of subsidiary depository institutions; (vii) other risks that affect the holding company’s financial condition and are not fully captured in regulatory capital calculations; (viii) level, composition, and quality of capital; and (ix) ability to raise additional equity capital in prevailing market and economic conditions (the "Dividend Factors"). It is particularly important for a bank holding company’s board of directors to ensure that the dividend level is prudent relative to the organization’s financial position and is not based on overly optimistic earnings scenarios. In addition, a bank holding company’s board of directors should strongly consider, after careful analysis of the Dividend Factors, reducing, deferring or eliminating dividends when the quantity and quality of the holding company’s earnings have declined or the holding company is experiencing other financial problems, or when the macroeconomic outlook for the holding company’s primary profit centers has deteriorated. The Federal Reserve further stated that, as a general matter, a bank holding company should eliminate, defer or significantly reduce its distributions if: (i) its net income is not sufficient to fully fund the dividends; (ii) its prospective rate of earnings retention is not consistent with its capital needs and overall current and prospective financial condition; or (iii) it will not meet, or is in danger of not meeting, its minimum regulatory capital adequacy ratios. Failure to do so could result in a supervisory finding that the bank holding company is operating in an unsafe and unsound manner.

Additionally, the Federal Reserve possesses enforcement powers over bank holding companies and their non-bank subsidiaries with which it can prevent or remedy actions that represent unsafe or unsound practices, or violations of applicable statutes and regulations. Among these powers is the ability to proscribe the payment of dividends by banks and bank holding companies.

Stock Redemptions and Repurchases. It is an essential principle of safety and soundness that a banking organization’s redemption and repurchases of regulatory capital instruments, including common stock, from investors be consistent with the organization’s current and prospective capital needs. In assessing such needs, the board of directors and management of a bank holding company should consider the Dividend Factors discussed above under "Dividends." The risk-based capital rule directs bank holding companies to consult with the Federal Reserve before redeeming any equity or other capital instrument included in Tier 1 or Tier 2 capital prior to stated maturity, if such redemption could have a material effect on the level or composition of the organization’s capital base. Bank holding companies that are experiencing financial weaknesses, or that are at significant risk of developing financial weaknesses, must consult with the appropriate Federal Reserve supervisory staff before redeeming or repurchasing common stock or other regulatory capital instruments for cash or other valuable consideration. Similarly, any bank holding company considering expansion, whether through acquisitions or through organic growth and new activities, generally also must consult with the appropriate Federal Reserve supervisory staff before redeeming or repurchasing common stock or other regulatory capital instruments for cash or other valuable consideration. In evaluating the appropriateness of a bank holding company’s proposed redemption or repurchase of capital instruments, the Federal Reserve will consider the potential losses that the holding company may suffer from the prospective need to increase reserves and write down assets from continued asset deterioration and the holding company’s ability to raise additional common stock and other Tier 1 capital to replace capital instruments that are redeemed or repurchased. A bank holding company must inform the Federal Reserve of a redemption or repurchase of common stock or perpetual preferred stock for cash or other value resulting in a net reduction of the bank holding company’s outstanding amount of common stock or perpetual preferred stock below the amount of such capital instrument outstanding at the beginning of the quarter in which the redemption or repurchase occurs. In addition, a bank holding company must advise the Federal Reserve sufficiently in advance of such redemptions and repurchases to provide reasonable opportunity for supervisory review and possible objection should the Federal Reserve determine a transaction raises safety and soundness concerns.

Regulation Y requires that a bank holding company that is not well capitalized or well managed, or that is subject to any unresolved supervisory issues, provide prior notice to the Federal Reserve for any repurchase or redemption of its equity securities for cash or other value that would reduce by 10% or more the holding company’s consolidated net worth aggregated over the preceding 12-month period.

Annual Reporting; Examinations. The Company is required to file an annual report with the Federal Reserve and to provide such additional information as the Federal Reserve may require. The Federal Reserve may examine a bank holding company and any of its subsidiaries, and charge the company for the cost of such an examination.

The Bank is examined from time to time by its primary federal banking regulator, the FDIC, and the CDB and is charged for the cost of such an examination. Depending on the results of a given examination, the FDIC and the CDB may revalue the Bank’s assets and require that the Bank establish specific reserves to compensate for the difference between the value determined by the regulator and the book value of the assets. The Company is required to provide annual audited financial statements and other information to the FDIC as required under Part 363 of FDIC rules and regulations.

In July 2023, the federal banking regulators proposed revisions to the Basel III Capital Rules to implement the Basel IV standards and make other changes to the Basel III Capital Rules. The proposal introduces revised credit, equity, and operational risks, as well as credit valuation adjustment risk and market risk requirements, among other changes. However, the revised capital requirements of the proposed rule would not apply to the Company or the Bank because they have less than $100 billion in total consolidated assets and trading assets and liabilities below the threshold for market risk requirements.

Imposition of Liability for Undercapitalized Subsidiaries. The FDIA requires bank regulators to take "prompt corrective action" to resolve problems associated with insured depository institutions. In the event an institution becomes "undercapitalized," it must submit a capital restoration plan. The capital restoration plan will not be accepted by the regulators unless each company "having control of" the undercapitalized institution "guarantees" the subsidiary’s compliance with the capital restoration plan until it becomes "adequately capitalized." For purposes of this statute, the Company has control of the Bank. Under the FDIA, the aggregate liability of all companies controlling a particular institution is limited to the lesser of five percent of the depository institution’s total assets at the time it became undercapitalized or the amount necessary to bring the institution into compliance with applicable capital standards. The FDIA grants greater powers to bank regulators in situations where an institution becomes "significantly" or "critically" undercapitalized or fails to submit a capital restoration plan. For example, a bank holding company controlling such an institution can be required to obtain prior Federal Reserve approval of proposed distributions, or might be required to consent to a merger or to divest the troubled institution or other affiliates.

State Law Restrictions. As a Colorado corporation, the Company is subject to certain limitations and restrictions under applicable Colorado corporate law. For example, state law restrictions in Colorado include limitations and restrictions relating to indemnification of directors; distributions and dividends to shareholders; transactions involving directors, officers or interested shareholders; maintenance of books, records, and minutes; and observance of certain corporate formalities.

Regulation of the Bank

Capital Adequacy. Under the Basel III Capital Rules, discussed above, the FDIC monitors the capital adequacy of the Bank by using a combination of risk-based guidelines and leverage ratios. The FDIC considers the Bank’s capital levels when acting on various types of applications and when conducting supervisory activities related to the safety and soundness of the Bank and the banking system. Higher capital levels may be required if warranted by the circumstances or risk profiles of individual institutions, or if required by the banking regulators due to the economic conditions impacting our markets. For example, FDIC regulations provide that higher capital may be required to take adequate account of, among other things, interest rate risk and the risks posed by concentrations of credit, nontraditional activities or securities trading activities.

As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Bank exceeded all regulatory minimum capital requirements.

Prompt Corrective Regulatory Action. Under applicable federal statutes, the federal bank regulatory agencies are required to take "prompt corrective action" with respect to institutions that do not meet specified minimum capital requirements. For these purposes, the law establishes five capital categories: well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized, and critically undercapitalized. Under the FDIC’s prompt corrective action regulations, an institutions capitalization is deemed to be as follows:

• "Well capitalized" if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or greater, a CET1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.5% or greater and a leverage capital ratio of 5.0% or greater.
• "Adequately capitalized" if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.0% or greater, a CET1 risk-based capital ratio of 4.5% or greater and a leverage capital ratio of 4.0% or greater.
• "Undercapitalized" if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 8.0%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 6.0%, a CET1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 4.5% or a leverage capital ratio of less than 4.0%.
• "Significantly undercapitalized" if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 6.0%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 4.0%, a CET1 capital ratio of less than 3.0% or a leverage capital ratio of less than 3.0%.
• "Critically undercapitalized" if it has a ratio of tangible equity to total assets that is equal to or less than 2.0%.

Undercapitalized institutions are subject to growth limitations and are required to submit a capital restoration plan to the FDIC. The federal bank regulatory agencies may not accept such a plan without determining, among other things, that the plan is based on realistic assumptions and is likely to succeed in restoring the depository institution’s capital. In addition, for a capital restoration plan to be acceptable, the depository institution’s parent holding company must guarantee that the institution will comply with such capital restoration plan. If a depository institution fails to submit an acceptable plan, it is treated as if it is "significantly undercapitalized." "Significantly undercapitalized" depository institutions may be subject to a number of requirements and restrictions, including orders to sell sufficient voting stock to become "adequately capitalized," requirements to reduce total assets, and cessation of receipt of deposits from correspondent banks. "Critically undercapitalized" institutions are subject to the appointment of a receiver or conservator.

As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Bank qualified as "well capitalized" under the prompt corrective action rules.

Deposit Insurance Assessments. All of a depositor’s accounts at an insured bank, including all noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000. FDIC-insured banks are required to pay deposit insurance premiums to the FDIC. The FDIC has adopted a risk-based assessment system whereby FDIC-insured depository institutions pay insurance premiums at rates based on their risk classification. An institution’s risk classification is assigned based on current financial ratios and supervisory ratings of the institution’s financial condition and operations. Assessments are based on an institution’s average consolidated total assets less average tangible equity, subject to adjustments for certain types of institutions, including custodial banks.

The FDIC may terminate a depository institution’s deposit insurance upon a finding that the institution’s financial condition is unsafe or unsound or that the institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices or has violated any applicable rule, regulation, order, or condition enacted or imposed by the institution’s regulatory agency. If deposit insurance for a banking business that we invest in or acquire were to be terminated, that would have a material adverse effect on that banking business and potentially on the Company as a whole.

Depositor Preference. 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 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 fails, insured and uninsured depositors, along with the FDIC, will have priority in payment ahead of unsecured, non-deposit creditors, including the parent bank holding company, with respect to any extensions of credit they have made to such insured depository institution.

Consumer Financial Protection. The Bank is subject to a number of federal and state consumer protection laws that extensively govern its relationship with its clients. These laws include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Right to Financial Privacy Act, the Service Members Civil Relief Act and these laws’ respective state law counterparts, as well as state usury laws and laws regarding unfair and deceptive acts and practices. These and other federal laws, among other things, require disclosures of the cost of credit and terms of deposit accounts, provide substantive consumer rights, prohibit discrimination in credit transactions, regulate the use of credit report information, provide financial privacy protections, prohibit unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices, restrict the Bank’s ability to raise interest rates and subject the Company and the Bank to substantial regulatory oversight. Violations of applicable consumer protection laws can result in significant potential liability from litigation brought by clients, including actual damages, restitution, and attorneys’ fees. Federal bank regulators, the U.S. Department of Justice, state attorneys general and state and local consumer protection agencies may also seek to enforce consumer protection requirements and obtain these and other remedies, including regulatory sanctions, customer rescission rights, action by the U.S. Department of Justice, the state and local attorneys general in each jurisdiction in which we operate and civil money penalties. Failure to comply with consumer protection requirements may also result in our failure to obtain any required bank regulatory approval for merger or acquisition transactions the Company may want to pursue or our prohibition from engaging in such transactions even if approval is not required.

Notwithstanding ongoing legal, budgetary, and structural challenges affecting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the CFPB remains an active federal regulatory agency with continuing supervisory and enforcement authority and retains its broad rulemaking authority for a wide range of consumer financial laws that apply to all banks. The CFPB is authorized to issue rules for both bank and non-bank companies that offer consumer financial products and services, subject to consultation with the prudential banking regulators. In general, however, banks with assets of $10 billion or less, such as the Bank, will continue to be examined for consumer compliance by their primary federal bank regulator.

Much of the CFPB’s rulemaking has focused on mortgage lending and servicing, including an important rule requiring lenders to ensure that prospective buyers have the ability to repay their mortgages. Other areas of CFPB focus include consumer protections for prepaid cards, payday lending, debt collection, overdraft services and privacy notices. The CFPB has been particularly active in issuing rules and guidelines concerning residential mortgage lending and servicing, issuing numerous rules and guidance related to residential mortgages. Perhaps the most significant of these guidelines is the "Ability-to-Repay and Qualified Mortgage Standards under the Truth in Lending Act" portions of Regulation Z. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, creditors must make a reasonable and good faith determination, based on verified and documented information, that the consumer has a reasonable "ability to repay" a residential mortgage according to its terms. There is a statutory presumption of compliance with this requirement for mortgages that meet the requirements to be deemed "qualified mortgages." The CFPB rule defines the key threshold terms "ability to repay" and "qualified mortgage."

The CFPB has actively issued enforcement actions against both large and small entities and to entities across the entire financial service industry. The CFPB has relied upon "unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts" prohibitions as its primary enforcement tool. However, the CFPB and Department of Justice (DOJ) continue to be focused on fair lending in taking enforcement actions against banks with renewed emphasis on alleged "redlining" practices. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could give rise to regulatory sanctions, client rescission rights, actions by state and local attorneys general and civil or criminal liability.

Brokered Deposit Restrictions. Well capitalized institutions are not subject to limitations on brokered deposits, while an adequately capitalized institution is able to accept, renew or roll over brokered deposits only with a waiver from the FDIC and is subject to certain restrictions on the yield paid on such deposits. Undercapitalized institutions are generally not permitted to accept, renew, or roll over brokered deposits.

Community Reinvestment Act. The CRA is intended to encourage banks to help meet the credit needs of their entire communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound operations. The regulators examine banks and assign each bank a public CRA rating. The CRA then requires bank regulators to consider the bank's record in meeting the needs of its community when considering certain applications by a bank, including applications to establish a banking center or to conduct certain mergers or acquisitions. The Federal Reserve is required to consider the CRA records of a bank holding company’s controlled banks when considering an application by the bank holding company to acquire a bank or to merge with another bank holding company.

When we apply for regulatory approval to make certain investments, the regulators will consider the CRA record of the target institution and our depository institution subsidiary. An unsatisfactory CRA record could substantially delay approval or result in denial of an application.

Insider Credit Transactions. Banks are subject to certain restrictions imposed by the Federal Reserve Act on extensions of credit to certain executive officers, directors, principal shareholders, and any related interests of such persons (Regulation O). Extensions of credit to such persons must (a) be made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, and follow credit underwriting procedures that are not less stringent than those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with persons not covered by such restrictions, and (b) not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features. Banks are also subject to certain lending limits and restrictions on overdrafts to such persons. A violation of these restrictions may result in the assessment of substantial civil monetary penalties on the affected bank or any officer, director, employee, agent, or other person participating in the conduct of the affairs of that bank, the imposition of a cease and desist order, and other regulatory sanctions.

Safety and Soundness Standards. Under the FDIC Improvement Act (FDICIA), each federal banking agency has prescribed, by regulation, non-capital safety and soundness standards for institutions under its authority. These standards cover internal controls, information and internal audit systems, loan documentation, credit underwriting, interest rate exposure, asset growth, compensation, fees and benefits, such other operational and managerial standards as the agency determines to be appropriate, and standards for asset quality, earnings, and stock valuation. An institution which fails to meet these standards must develop a plan acceptable to the agency, specifying the steps that the institution will take to meet the standards. Failure to submit or implement such a plan may subject the institution to regulatory sanctions.

Financial Privacy. In accordance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLB Act), federal banking regulators adopted rules that limit the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose nonpublic information about consumers to nonaffiliated third parties. These rules require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to a nonaffiliated third party. The privacy provisions of the GLB Act affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial companies and conveyed to outside vendors.

Anti-Money Laundering. Under federal law, including the Bank Secrecy Act and Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), certain types of financial institutions, including insured depository institutions, must maintain anti-money laundering programs that include established internal policies, procedures and controls; a designated compliance officer; an ongoing training program; and testing of the program by an independent audit function. Financial institutions are restricted from entering into specified financial transactions and account relationships and must meet enhanced standards for due diligence, client identification and recordkeeping, including in their dealings with non-U.S. financial institutions and non-U.S. clients. Financial institutions must take reasonable steps to conduct enhanced scrutiny of account relationships to guard against money laundering and to report any suspicious information maintained by financial institutions. Bank regulators routinely examine institutions for compliance with these obligations and they must consider an institution’s anti-money laundering compliance when considering regulatory applications filed by the institution, including applications for banking mergers and acquisitions. The regulatory authorities have imposed "cease and desist" orders and civil money penalty sanctions against institutions found to be violating these obligations.

Office of Foreign Assets Control Regulation. The United States has imposed economic sanctions that affect transactions with designated foreign countries, foreign nationals, and others. These are typically known as the "OFAC" rules based on their administration by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The OFAC-administered sanctions targeting countries take many different forms. Generally, however, they contain one or more of the following elements: (i) restrictions on trade with or investment in a sanctioned country, including prohibitions against direct or indirect imports from and exports to a sanctioned country and prohibitions on "U.S. persons" engaging in financial transactions relating to making investments in, or providing investment-related advice or assistance to, a sanctioned country; and (ii) a blocking of assets in which the government or specially designated nationals of the sanctioned country have an interest, by prohibiting transfers of property subject to U.S. jurisdiction (including property in the possession or control of U.S. persons). Blocked assets (e.g., property and bank deposits) cannot be paid out, withdrawn, set off or transferred in any manner without a license from OFAC. The Bank is responsible for, among other things, blocking accounts of, and transactions with, such targets and countries, prohibiting unlicensed trade and financial transactions with them and reporting blocked transactions after their occurrence. Failure to comply with these sanctions could have serious legal and reputational consequences.

Transactions with Affiliates

Transactions between depository institutions and their affiliates, including transactions between the Bank and the Company, are governed by Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act and the Federal Reserve’s Regulation W promulgated thereunder. Generally, Section 23A limits the extent to which a depository institution and its subsidiaries may engage in "covered transactions" with any one affiliate to an amount equal to 10% of the depository institution’s capital stock and surplus and contains an aggregate limit on all such transactions with all affiliates of an amount equal to 20% of the depository institution’s capital stock and surplus. Section 23A also establishes specific collateral requirements for loans or extensions of credit to, or guarantees, acceptances or letters of credit issued on behalf of, an affiliate. Section 23B requires that covered transactions and a broad list of other specified transactions be on terms substantially the same, or at least as favorable to the depository institution and its subsidiaries, as those for similar transactions with non-affiliates.

The Volcker Rule

Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act, commonly known as the "Volcker Rule," generally prohibits certain banking entities from engaging in short-term proprietary trading of financial instruments and from owning, sponsoring or having certain relationships with hedge funds or private equity funds (collectively, "covered funds"). The Regulatory Relief Act, discussed below, includes a provision exempting banking organizations with $10 billion or less in total consolidation assets, and total trading assets and trading liabilities that are 5% or less of total consolidated assets, from the Volcker Rule. Thus, the Company and the Bank are not currently subject to the Volcker Rule.

Concentration in Commercial Real Estate Lending (CRE)

As a part of their regulatory oversight, the federal regulators have issued guidelines on sound risk management practices with respect to a financial institution’s CRE lending activities. The guidelines identify certain concentration levels that, if exceeded, will expose the institution to additional supervisory analysis surrounding the institution’s CRE concentration risk. The guidelines are designed to promote appropriate levels of capital and sound loan and risk management practices for institutions with a concentration of CRE loans. The Company’s CRE concentrations are discussed in the "Risk Factors" section below.

Interstate Banking and Branching

Under the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1999 (Riegle-Neal Act), a bank holding company may acquire banks in states other than its home state, subject to any state requirement that the bank has been organized and operating for a minimum period of time, not to exceed five years, and to certain deposit market-share limitations. Bank holding companies must be well capitalized and well managed, not merely adequately capitalized and adequately managed, in order to acquire a bank located outside of the bank holding company’s home state. The Riegle-Neal Act also authorizes banks to merge across state lines, thereby creating interstate branches.

Colorado state law provides that a Colorado-chartered bank can establish a branch anywhere in Colorado provided that the branch is approved in advance by the CDB. The branch must also be approved by the FDIC. The approval process considers a number of factors, including financial history, capital adequacy, earnings prospects, character of management, needs of the community and consistency with corporate powers. The Dodd-Frank Act permits a national or state bank, with the approval of its regulator, to open a de novo branch in any state if the law of the state in which the branch is proposed would permit the establishment of the branch if the bank was charted in such state.

The Federal Reserve, the OCC and FDIC jointly issued a final rule in 1997 that adopted uniform regulations implementing Section 109 of the Riegle-Neal Act. Section 109 which prohibits any bank from establishing or acquiring a branch or branches outside of its home state primarily for the purpose of deposit production. Congress enacted Section 109 to ensure that interstate branches would not take deposits from a community without the bank reasonably helping to meet the credit needs of that community.

Limitations on Incentive Compensation

In 2016, several federal financial agencies (including the Federal Reserve and FDIC) re-proposed restrictions on incentive-based compensation pursuant to Section 956 of the Dodd-Frank Act for financial institutions with $1 billion or more in total consolidated assets. For institutions with at least $1 billion but less than $50 billion in total consolidated assets, the proposal would impose principles-based restrictions that are broadly consistent with existing interagency guidance on incentive-based compensation. Such institutions would be prohibited from entering into incentive compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risks by the institution (i) by providing an executive officer, employee, director, principal shareholder, or individuals who are "significant risk takers" with excessive compensation, fees, or benefits, or (ii) that could lead to material financial loss to the institution. The comment period for these proposed regulations has closed, but a final rule has not been published. Depending upon the outcome of the rule making process, the application of this rule to us could require us to revise our compensation strategy, increase our administrative costs and adversely affect our ability to recruit and retain qualified associates.

Cybersecurity

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) requires financial institutions to design multiple layers of security controls to establish lines of defense and to ensure that their risk management processes also address the risk posed by compromised customer credentials, including security measures to reliably authenticate customers accessing internet-based services of the financial institution. Further, a financial institution’s management is expected to maintain sufficient business continuity management planning processes to ensure the rapid recovery, resumption, and maintenance of the institution’s operations after a cyber-attack involving destructive malware. A financial institution is also expected to develop appropriate processes to enable recovery of data and business operations and address rebuilding network capabilities and restoring data if the institution or its critical service providers fall victim to this type of cyber-attack. If we fail to observe the regulatory guidance, we could be subject to various regulatory sanctions, including financial penalties.

Additionally, the FDIC's Information Technology Risk Examination (InTREx) Program, based on the Uniform Rating System for Information Technology (URSIT), includes core modules for Audit, Management, Development and Acquisition, and Support and Delivery component ratings. If we fail to remain compliant with changing components of this regulation, we could be subject to various regulatory sanctions, including financial penalties.

The FFIEC's examination procedures regarding overall business continuity management (BCM) focus on enterprise-wide approaches that address technology, business operations, testing, and communication strategies critical to the continuity of the business. The BCM procedures describe principles and practices for information technology (IT) and operations designed to achieve safety and soundness, consumer financial protection, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and rules. Continued testing, training, and program updates ensure appropriate response to cyber and non-cyber, human and non-human disaster events. While we are compliant with BCM measures, the scope and severity of cyber and non-cyber, human, and non-human disaster events is unpredictable.

The safeguard provision of the FTC's Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLBA) requires the Bank to take steps to protect their clients' information. The law requires the Bank to create a written information security plan that outlines its strategy for protecting customer/client information. The Bank must have reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of client information. The security measures must be commensurate with its size, scope of activities, sensitivity of the information in question, and the risk of data loss. While we are compliant with the FTC Safeguard's Rule, unforeseen risks and threats could challenge the strategy for protecting such information and the controls in place.

State regulators have also been increasingly active in implementing privacy and cybersecurity standards and regulations. Recently, several states have adopted regulations requiring certain financial institutions to implement cybersecurity programs, and many states have also recently implemented or modified their data breach notification, information security and data privacy requirements. The Company expects this trend of state-level activity in those areas to continue and are continually monitoring developments in the states in which its customers are located.

In addition, the SEC requires disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents, as well as cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance. Under this rule, banking organizations that are SEC registrants must generally disclose information about a material cybersecurity incident within four business days of determining it is material with periodic updates as to the status of the incident in subsequent filings as necessary.

Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020

On January 1, 2021, Congress enacted the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included significant reforms to the U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) regime. The NDAA includes the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (AML Act). The AML Act seeks to strengthen, modernize, and streamline the existing AML regime by promoting innovation, regulatory reform, and industry engagement through forums, such as the Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group (BSAAG) and FinCEN Exchange. The Act also calls for FinCEN to work closely with regulatory, national security, and law enforcement partners to identify risks and priorities and provide valuable feedback to the financial industry. Some of the key requirements of the AML Act requires FinCEN to: (1) establish standards for the reporting of information on beneficial ownership, build an IT system to collect and secure the data, and create access protocols; (2) establish national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism priorities; (3) Enhancement of whistleblower provisions to provide for a robust whistleblower program and new anti-retaliation protections; (4) Review, and revise as appropriate, Currency Transaction Report (CTR) and Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) reporting requirements, and other existing Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) regulations and guidance; and (6) require law enforcement reporting to FinCEN on the use of BSA data, and establish procedures for additional feedback between FinCEN and financial institutions on the usefulness of SARs, and semi-annual publication of review of SAR activity and other BSA reports, including threat patterns, trends, and typologies.

Banks are not required to incorporate the AML/CFT Priorities into their risk based BSA compliance programs until the effective date of the final revised regulations. Nevertheless, in preparation for any new requirements when those final rules are published, the Bank is considering how it will incorporate the AML/CFT Priorities into its risk based BSA compliance program, by assessing the potential related risks associated with the products and services it offers the customers it serves, and the geographic areas in which it operates.

Changing Regulatory Structure and Future Legislation and Regulation

Congress may enact further legislation that affects the regulation of the financial services industry, and state legislatures may enact further legislation affecting the regulation of financial institutions chartered by or operating in these states. Federal and state regulatory agencies also periodically propose and adopt changes to their regulations or change the manner in which existing regulations are applied. We cannot predict the substance or impact of pending or future legislation or regulations, or the application thereof, although enactment of the proposed legislation could impact the regulatory structure under which the Company operates and may significantly increase costs, impede the efficiency of internal business processes, require an increase in regulatory capital, require modifications to the Company’s business strategy, and limit the Company’s ability to pursue business opportunities in an efficient manner. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries could have a material effect on our business.

Monetary Policy and Economic Environment

The policies of regulatory authorities, including the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve, can have a significant effect on the operating results of bank holding companies and their subsidiaries. Among the means available to the Federal Reserve to affect the money supply are open market operations in United States government securities, changes in the discount rate on member bank borrowings, and changes in reserve requirements against member bank deposits. These means are used in varying combinations to influence overall financial stability of the economy which in turn stimulates need for growth and distribution of bank loans, investments, and deposits, and their use may affect interest rates charged on loans or paid on deposits as well as overall risk for banks and in turn, bank holding companies.

The Federal Reserve’s monetary policies have materially affected the operating results of commercial banks in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future. The nature of future monetary policies and the effects of these policies on the Bank’s business and earnings cannot be predicted.

Our business and results of operations are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. The material risks and uncertainties that management believes affect the Company are described below. Additional risks and uncertainties that management is not aware of, or that management currently deems immaterial, may also impair the Company’s business operations. This report is qualified in its entirety by these risk factors. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If this were to happen, the value of our securities could decline significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Some statements in the following risk factors constitute forward-looking statements. Please refer to "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Summary of Risk Factors

The following is a summary of the principal risks that we believe could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations:

Risks Related to Our Business

• Geographic concentration in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California.
• 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.
• Changes in interest rates could reduce our net interest margins and net interest income.
• If we are unable to continue to originate residential real estate loans and sell them into the secondary market for a profit, our earnings could decrease.
• Our commercial loan portfolio involves risks specific to commercial borrowers.
• Fraud, breaches of our information security, and cybersecurity attacks could adversely affect us.
• We rely on communications, information, operating, and financial control systems technology and related services from third-party service providers, including reliance on cloud-based vendors, and we may suffer an interruption in those systems.
• We may be subject to claims and litigation pertaining to our fiduciary responsibilities.
• Negative developments affecting the banking industry and resulting media coverage have eroded customer confidence in the banking system.
• We may be adversely affected by the soundness of certain securities brokerage firms.
• The investment management contracts we have with our clients are terminable without cause and on relatively short notice by our clients.
• Changes to the level or type of investment activity by our clients may reduce our fee revenue.
• The trust wealth management fees we receive may decrease as a result of poor investment performance, in either relative or absolute terms, which could decrease our revenues and net earnings.
• Our allowance for credit losses may not be adequate to cover actual losses.
• Increased credit risk, including as a result of deterioration in economic conditions, could require us to increase our allowance for credit losses and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
• Our business and operations may be adversely affected in numerous and complex ways by external business disruptors in the financial services industry
• The development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents risks and challenges that may adversely impact the Company’s business.
• Liquidity risk could adversely affect our ability to fund operations and hurt our financial condition.
• We may not be able to maintain a strong core deposit base or other low-cost funding sources.
• We receive substantial deposits and assets under management as a result of referrals by professionals, such as attorneys, accountants, and doctors, and such referrals are dependent upon the continued positive interaction with and financial health of those referral sources.
• Our largest trust client accounts for 36.8% of our total assets under management and 4.6% of our total Trust and investment management fees.
• The success of our business depends on achieving our strategic objectives, including through acquisitions which may not increase our profitability and may adversely affect our future operating results.
• We face intense competition from other banks and financial institutions and other wealth and investment management firms that could hurt our business.
• We may not be successful in implementing our internal growth strategy or be able to manage the risks associated with our anticipated growth through opening new boutique private trust bank offices, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
• Our goodwill or other intangible assets may become impaired.
• We are required to make significant estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our financial statements and our estimates and assumptions may not be accurate.
• Our ability to attract and retain clients and key associates could be adversely affected if our reputation is harmed.
• We may incur significant losses due to ineffective risk management processes and strategies.
• New lines of business or new products and services may subject us to additional risks.
• We rely on customer and counterparty information, which subjects us to risks if that information is not accurate or is incomplete.
• Severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, pandemics, and other adverse external events could significantly impact our business and customers.
• Unstable global economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition, and operations.

Risks Related to Our Regulatory Environment

• The financial services industry is highly regulated and our failure to comply with any current or future regulation may adversely affect us.
• Federal and state banking agencies periodically conduct examinations of our business, including compliance with laws and regulations, and our failure to comply with any supervisory actions which we are, or may become, subject to as a result of such examinations may adversely affect us.
• We are subject to stringent capital requirements.
• The level of our commercial real estate loan portfolio may subject us to heightened regulatory scrutiny.
• We are subject to numerous laws designed to protect consumers, including the Community Reinvestment Act and fair lending laws, and failure to comply with these laws could lead to a wide variety of sanctions.
• We face a risk of noncompliance and enforcement action with Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) laws and regulations.
• Regulations relating to privacy, information security and data protection could increase our costs, affect or limit how we collect and use personal information and adversely affect our business opportunities.
• We can be subject to legal and regulatory proceedings, investigations and inquiries related to conduct risk.

Risks Related to Ownership of our Common Stock

• The trading volume in our common stock is less than other larger financial institutions.
• The obligations associated with being a public company require significant resources and management attention, which will increase our costs of operations and may divert focus from our business operations.
• If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately and timely.
• Securities analysts may not initiate or continue coverage on us.
• Our management and Board of Directors have significant control over our business.
• We may issue new debt securities, which would be senior to our common stock and may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
• Our common stock is subordinate to our existing and future indebtedness, and is effectively subordinated to all the indebtedness and other non-common equity claims against our subsidiaries.
• We may issue shares of preferred stock in the future, which could make it difficult for another company to acquire us or could otherwise adversely affect holders of our common stock, which could depress the price of our common stock.
• We are dependent upon the Bank for cash flow, and the Bank’s ability to make cash distributions is restricted.
• Our corporate organizational documents and provisions of federal and state law to which we are subject contain certain provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, make more difficult or prevent an attempted acquisition that you may favor or an attempted replacement of our Board of Directors or management.
• An investment in our common stock is not an insured deposit and is subject to risk of loss.
• The market price of our common stock may be subject to substantial fluctuations and significant declines.

The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive. This summary of risk factors should be read in conjunction with the more detailed risk factors below.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our banking, trust and wealth advisory operations are geographically concentrated in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming Montana, and California, leading to significant exposure to those markets.

Our business activities and credit exposure, including real estate collateral for many of our loans, are concentrated in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California. As of December 31, 2025, 83.0% of the loans in our loan portfolio were made to borrowers who live in or conduct business in those states. This geographic concentration imposes risks from lack of geographic diversification. Difficult economic conditions, including state and local government deficits, in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, California may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects, where adverse economic developments, among other things, could affect the volume of loan originations, increase the level of nonperforming assets, increase the rate of foreclosure losses on loans and reduce the value of our loans and loan servicing portfolio. Any regional or local economic downturn that affects Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California or existing or prospective borrowers or property values in such areas may affect us and our profitability more significantly and more adversely than our competitors whose operations are less geographically concentrated. This includes a sustained downturn in the oil and gas market, which is important for the general economic health of Colorado in particular. A prolonged period of low oil prices could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Because a significant portion of our loan portfolio is comprised of real estate loans, 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, 2025, approximately $2.23 billion, or 84.2%, of our total loans were loans with real estate as a primary or secondary component of collateral. The repayment of such loans is highly dependent on the ability of the borrowers to meet their loan repayment obligations to us, which can be adversely affected by economic downturns that can lead to (i) declines in the rents and, therefore, in the cash flows generated by those real properties on which the borrowers depend to fund their loan payments to us, (ii) decreases in the values of those real properties, which make it more difficult for the borrowers to sell those real properties for amounts sufficient to repay their loans in full, and (iii) job losses of residential home buyers, which makes it more difficult for these borrowers to fund their loan payments. As a result, our operating results are more vulnerable to adverse changes in the real estate market than other financial institutions with more diversified loan portfolios, and we could incur losses in the event of changes in economic conditions that disproportionately affect the real estate markets.

Real estate values in many of our markets have generally experienced periods of fluctuation over the last five years. 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 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 or our ability to sell these loans on the secondary securitization market. Such declines and losses would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If real estate values decline, it is also more likely that we would be required to increase our allowance for credit losses, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, adverse weather events, including wildfires, flooding, and mudslides, can cause damages to the property pledged as collateral on loans, which could result in additional losses upon a foreclosure.

Changes in interest rates could reduce our net interest margins and net interest income.

Interest rates are key drivers of our net interest margin and subject to many factors beyond our control. Income and cash flows from our banking operations depend to a great extent on the difference or "spread" between the interest we earn on interest-earning assets, such as loans and investment securities, and the rates at which we pay interest on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. As interest rates change, net interest income is affected. Rapidly increasing interest rates in the future could result in interest expense increasing faster than interest income because of a divergence in financial instrument maturities or competitive pressures. Further, substantially higher interest rates generally reduce loan demand and may result in slower loan growth. Decreases or increases in interest rates could have a negative effect on the spreads between the interest rates earned on assets and the rates of interest paid on liabilities, and therefore decrease net interest income. Also, changes in interest rates might also impact the values of equity and debt securities under management and administration, which may have a negative impact on fee income.

Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond our control, including (among others) general and regional and local economic conditions, the monetary policies of the Federal Reserve, bank regulatory requirements, competition from other banks and financial institutions and a change over time in the mix of our loans and investment securities, on the one hand, and on our deposits and other liabilities, on the other hand. Changes in monetary policy will, in particular, influence the origination and market value of and the yields we can realize on loans and investment securities, and the interest we pay on deposits. Additionally, sustained low or high levels of market interest rates could continue to impact our net interest margins and, therefore, our earnings.

Our net interest margins and earnings also could be adversely affected if we are unable to adjust our interest rates on loans and deposits on a timely basis in response to changes in economic conditions or monetary policies. For example, if the rates of interest we pay on deposits, borrowings and other interest-bearing liabilities increase faster than we are able to increase the rates of interest we charge on loans or the yields we realize on investments and other interest-earning assets, our net interest income and, therefore, our earnings will decrease. In particular, the rates of interest we charge on loans may be subject to longer fixed interest periods compared to the interest we must pay on deposits. On the other hand, increasing interest rates generally lead to increases in net interest income; however, such increases also may result in a reduction in loan originations, declines in loan prepayment rates and reductions in the ability of borrowers to repay their current loan obligations, which could result in increased loan defaults and charge-offs and could require increases to our allowance for credit losses, thereby offsetting either partially or totally the increases in net interest income resulting from the increase in interest rates. Additionally, we could be prevented from increasing the interest rates we charge on loans or from reducing the interest rates we offer on deposits due to "price" competition from other banks and financial institutions with which we compete. Conversely, in a declining interest rate environment, our earnings could be adversely affected if the interest rates we are able to charge on loans or other investments decline more quickly than those we pay on deposits and borrowings.

If we are unable to continue to originate residential real estate loans and sell them into the secondary market for a profit, our earnings could decrease.

We derive a portion of our non-interest income from the origination of residential real estate loans and the subsequent sale of such loans into the secondary market. If we are unable to continue to originate and sell residential real estate loans at historical or greater levels, our residential real estate loan volume would decrease, which could decrease our earnings. A rising interest rate environment, general economic conditions, market volatility, or other factors beyond our control could adversely affect our ability to originate residential real estate loans. The financial services industry is experiencing an increase in regulations and compliance requirements related to mortgage loan originations necessitating technology upgrades and other changes. If new regulations continue to increase and we are unable to make technology upgrades, our ability to originate mortgage loans will be reduced or eliminated. Additionally, we sell a large portion of our residential real estate loans to third-party investors, and rising interest rates could negatively affect our ability to generate suitable profits on the sale of such loans. If interest rates increase after we originate the loans, our ability to market those loans is impaired as the profitability on the loans decreases. These fluctuations can have an adverse effect on the revenue we generate from residential real estate loans and in certain instances, could result in a loss on the sale of the loans.

Further, for the mortgage loans we sell in the secondary market, the mortgage loan sales contracts contain indemnification clauses should the loans default, generally within the first 90 – 120 days, or if documentation is determined not to be in compliance with regulations. While the Company has had no historic losses as a result of these indemnities, we could be required to repurchase the mortgage loans or reimburse the purchaser of our loans for losses incurred. Both of these situations could have an adverse effect on the profitability of our mortgage lending activities and negatively impact our net income.

Our loan portfolio includes a significant number of commercial loans, which involve risks specific to commercial borrowers.

Our loan portfolio includes a significant amount of commercial real estate loans and commercial lines of credit. Our typical commercial borrower is a small or medium-sized privately owned Colorado business entity. Our commercial loans typically have greater credit risks than standard residential mortgage or consumer loans because commercial loans often have larger balances, and repayment usually depends on the borrowers’ successful business operations. Commercial loans also involve some additional risk because they generally are not fully repaid over the loan period and thus may require refinancing or a large payoff at maturity. If the general economy turns substantially downward, commercial borrowers may not be able to repay their loans, and the value of their assets, which are usually pledged as collateral, may decrease rapidly and significantly. Also, when credit markets tighten due to adverse developments in specific markets or the general economy, opportunities for refinancing may become more expensive or unavailable, resulting in loan defaults. In some cases, collateral consists of personal guarantees. We could see increased losses as a result of insolvency of the guarantor particularly if the guarantor's financial condition is closely related to the general economic conditions of the industry of the guaranteed loan. If our primary market areas experience an economic slowdown, these loans represent higher risk and could result in material increase in our provision for loans charged off and could require us to significantly increase our allowance for credit losses, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The occurrence of fraudulent activity, breaches of our information security, and cybersecurity attacks could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business, manage our exposure to risk or expand our businesses, result in the disclosure or misuse of confidential or proprietary information, increase our costs to maintain and update our operational and security systems and infrastructure, and adversely impact our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition, as well as cause legal or reputational harm.

As a financial institution, we are susceptible to fraudulent activity, information security breaches and cybersecurity-related incidents that may be committed against us, our clients, or third parties with whom we interact and that may result in financial losses or increased costs to us or our clients, disclosure or misuse of confidential information belonging to us or personal or confidential information belonging to our clients, misappropriation of assets, litigation, or damage to our reputation. Our industry has seen increases in electronic fraudulent activity, hacking, security breaches, sophisticated social engineering and cyber-attacks within the financial services industry, including in the commercial banking sector, as cyber-criminals have been targeting commercial bank and brokerage accounts on an increasing basis.

Our business is highly dependent on the security and efficacy of our infrastructure, computer and data management systems, as well as those of third parties with whom we interact or on whom we rely. Our business relies on the secure processing, transmission, storage and retrieval of confidential, proprietary and other information in our computer and data management systems and networks, and in the computer and data management systems and networks of third parties. In addition, to access our network, products and services, our clients and other third parties may use personal mobile devices or computing devices that are outside of our network environment and are subject to their own cybersecurity risks. All of these factors increase our risks related to cyber-threats and electronic disruptions.

In addition to well-known risks related to fraudulent activity, which take many forms, such as check "kiting" or fraud, wire fraud, and other dishonest acts, cybersecurity and privacy considerations could impact the Company's business. In the current environment, there are numerous and evolving risks to cybersecurity and privacy, including criminal hackers, hacktivists, state-sponsored intrusions, industrial espionage, employee malfeasance, and human or technological error. Computer hackers and others routinely attempt to breach the security of technology products, services and systems to fraudulently induce associates, clients, and other third parties to disclose information or unwittingly provide access to systems or data. The risk of such attacks to the Company includes attempted breaches not only of our own products, services, and systems, but also those of clients, contractors, business partners, vendors, and other third parties.

The Company's products, services, and systems may be used in critical Company, client, or third-party operations, or involve the storage, processing, and transmission of sensitive data, including valuable intellectual property, other proprietary or confidential data, regulated data, and personal information of associates, clients, and others. Successful breaches, associate malfeasance, or human or technological error could result in, for example, unauthorized access to, disclosure, modification, misuse, loss, or destruction of Company, client, or other third party data or systems; theft of sensitive, regulated, or confidential data including personal information and intellectual property; the loss of access to critical data or systems through ransomware, destructive attacks, or other means; and business delays, service or system disruptions, or denials of service. In the event of such actions, the Company, its clients, and other third parties could be exposed to potential liability, litigation, and regulatory or other government action, as well as the loss of existing or potential customers, damage to brand and reputation, and other financial loss. In addition, the cost and operational consequences of responding to breaches and implementing remediation measures could be significant. The Company also experiences and responds to cybersecurity threats.

Although we have not experienced a material cybersecurity event to date, there is no assurance that there will not be a cybersecurity attack resulting in material adverse effect in the future. As the Company's business and the cybersecurity landscape evolve, the Company may also find it necessary to make significant further investments to protect data and infrastructure, such as cloud technology, which may have further risks. In addition, the fast-paced, evolving, pervasive, and sophisticated nature of certain cyber threats and vulnerabilities, as well as the scale and complexity of the business and infrastructure, make it possible that certain threats or vulnerabilities will be undetected or unmitigated in time to prevent an attack on the Company and its clients. Cybersecurity risk to the Company and its clients will also depend on factors such as actions, practices, and investments of clients, contractors, business partners, vendors, and other third parties. Cyber-attacks or other catastrophic events resulting in disruptions to or failures in power, information technology, communication systems, or other critical infrastructure could result in interruptions or delays to Company, client, or other third party operations or services, financial loss, injury to persons or property, potential liability, and damage to brand and reputation. Although the Company takes significant steps to mitigate cybersecurity risk across a range of functions, such measures can never eliminate the risk entirely or provide absolute security.

We rely on communications, information, operating and financial control systems technology and related services from third-party service providers, including reliance on cloud-based vendors, and we may suffer an interruption in those systems.

We also face indirect technology, cybersecurity and operational risks relating to the third parties with whom we do business or upon whom we rely to facilitate or enable our business activities. In addition to clients, the third parties with whom we interact and upon whom we rely include financial counterparties; financial intermediaries such as clearing agents, exchanges and clearing houses; vendors including providers of cloud-based technology solutions and outsourced data hosting or processing services; regulators; providers of critical infrastructure such as internet access and electrical power; and other parties for whom we process transactions. Each of these third parties faces the risk of cyber-attack, information breach or loss, or technology failure. Any such cyber-attack, information breach or loss, or technology failure of a third party could, among other things, adversely affect our ability to effect transactions, service our clients, manage our exposure to risk or expand our businesses. Additionally, interruptions in service and security breaches could damage our reputation, lead existing clients to terminate their business relationships with us, make it more difficult for us to attract new clients and subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny and possibly financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may be subject to claims and litigation pertaining to our fiduciary responsibilities.

Some of the services we provide, such as trust and investment services, require us to act as fiduciaries for our clients and others. From time to time, third parties make claims and take legal action against us pertaining to the performance of our fiduciary responsibilities. If these claims and legal actions are not resolved in a manner favorable to us, we may be exposed to significant financial liability or our reputation could be damaged. Either of these results may adversely impact demand for our products and services or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Negative developments affecting the banking industry and resulting media coverage have eroded customer confidence in the banking system.

Any future bank failures or similar events adversely affecting the banking industry may negatively impact customer confidence in the safety and soundness of regional banks and may generate market volatility among publicly traded bank holding companies and, in particular, regional banks like the Company. As a result, customers may choose to maintain deposits with larger financial institutions or invest in higher yielding short-term fixed income securities, all of which could materially adversely impact the Company's liquidity, loan funding capacity, net interest margin, capital, and results of operations. While the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and the FDIC historically have taken action to ensure that depositors of failed banks had access to their deposits, including uninsured deposit accounts, there is no guarantee that regional bank failures or bank runs will not occur in the future and, if they were to occur, they may have a material and adverse impact on customer and investor confidence in regional banks negatively impacting the Company's liquidity, capital, results of operations, and stock price.

We may be adversely affected by the soundness of certain securities brokerage firms.

We do not provide custodial services for our clients. Instead, client investment accounts are maintained under custodial arrangements with large, well established securities brokerage firms or bank institutions that provide custodial services (collectively, "brokerage firms"), either directly or through arrangements made by us with those firms. As a result, the performance of, or even rumors or questions about the integrity or performance of, any of those brokerage firms could adversely affect the confidence of our clients in the services provided by those firms or otherwise adversely impact their custodial holdings. Such an occurrence could negatively impact our ability to retain existing or attract new clients and, as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

The investment management contracts we have with our clients are terminable without cause and on relatively short notice by our clients, which makes us vulnerable to short-term declines in the performance of the securities under our management.

Like most investment advisory and wealth management businesses, the investment advisory contracts we have with our clients are typically terminable by the client without cause upon less than 30 days’ notice. As a result, even short-term declines in the performance of the securities we manage, which can result from factors outside our control, such as adverse changes in market or economic condition or the poor performance of some of the investments we have recommended to our clients, could lead some of our clients to move assets under our management to other asset classes such as broad index funds or treasury securities, or to investment advisors which have investment product offerings or investment strategies different than ours. Therefore, our operating results are heavily dependent on the financial performance of our investment portfolios and the investment strategies we employ in our investment advisory businesses and even short-term declines in the performance of the investment portfolios we manage for our clients, whatever the cause, could result in a decline in assets under management and a corresponding decline in investment management fees, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

Fee revenue represents a significant portion of our consolidated revenue and is subject to decline, among other things, in the event of a reduction in, or changes to, the level or type of investment activity by our clients.

A significant portion of our revenue results from fee-based services related to wealth advisory, private banking, personal trust, investment management, mortgage lending and institutional asset management services to derive revenue. This contrasts with many commercial banks that may rely more heavily on interest-based sources of revenue, such as loans. For the year ended December 31, 2025, non-interest income represented approximately 27.4% of our total income before non-interest expense. The level of these fees is influenced by several factors, including the mix and volume of our assets under custody and administration and our assets under management, the value and type of securities positions held (with respect to assets under custody) and the volume of portfolio transactions, and the types of products and services used by our clients.

In addition, our clients include institutional investors, such as mutual funds, collective investment funds, hedge funds and other investment pools, corporate and public retirement plans, insurance companies, foundations, endowments and investment managers. Economic, market or other factors that reduce the level or rates of savings in or with those institutions, either through reductions in financial asset valuations or through changes in investor preferences, could materially reduce our fee revenue or have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations. These clients also, by their nature, are often able to exert considerable market influence, and this, combined with strong competitive forces in the markets for our services, has resulted in, and may continue to result in, significant pressure to reduce the fees we charge for our services in both our asset servicing and asset management business lines.

The trust wealth management fees we receive may decrease as a result of poor investment performance, in either relative or absolute terms, which could decrease our revenues and net earnings.

We derive a significant amount of our revenues primarily from investment management fees based on assets under management. Our ability to maintain or increase assets under management is subject to a number of factors, including investors’ perception of our past performance, in either relative or absolute terms, market and economic conditions, including changes in oil and gas prices, and competition from investment management companies. Financial markets are affected by many factors, all of which are beyond our control, including general economic conditions, including changes in oil and gas prices; securities market conditions; the level and volatility of interest rates and equity prices; competitive conditions; liquidity of global markets; international and regional political conditions; regulatory and legislative developments; monetary and fiscal policy; investor sentiment; availability and cost of capital; technological changes and events; outcome of legal proceedings; changes in currency values; inflation; credit ratings; and the size, volume and timing of transactions. A decline in the fair value of the assets under management caused by a decline in general economic conditions would decrease our wealth management fee income.

Investment performance is one of the most important factors in retaining existing clients and competing for new wealth management clients. Poor investment performance could reduce our revenues and impair our growth in the following ways:

• Existing clients may withdraw funds from our wealth management business in favor of better performing products;
• Asset-based management fees could decline from a decrease in assets under management;
• Our ability to attract funds from existing and new clients might diminish; and
• Our portfolio managers may depart to join a competitor or otherwise.

Even when market conditions are generally favorable, our investment performance may be adversely affected by the investment style of our asset managers and the particular investments that they make. To the extent our future investment performance is perceived to be poor in either relative or absolute terms, the revenues and profitability of our wealth management business will likely be reduced and our ability to attract new clients will likely be impaired. As such, fluctuations in the equity and debt markets can have a direct impact upon our net earnings.

Our allowance for credit losses may not be adequate to cover actual losses.

In accordance with regulatory requirements and GAAP, we maintain an allowance for credit losses to provide for loan losses and a reserve for unfunded loan commitments. Our allowance for credit losses may not be adequate to absorb actual credit losses, and future provisions for credit losses could materially and adversely affect our operating results. Our allowance for credit losses is based on Company and peer prior experience and an evaluation of the risks inherent in our then-current portfolio. The amount of future losses may also vary depending on changes in economic, operating and other conditions, including changes in interest rates that may be beyond our control, and these losses may exceed current estimates. Federal and state regulators, as an integral part of their examination process, review our loans and allowance for credit losses. While we believe our allowance for credit losses is appropriate for the risk identified in our loan portfolio, we may need to increase the allowance for credit losses, such increases may not be sufficient to address losses, and regulators may require us to increase this allowance even further. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Increased credit risk, including as a result of deterioration in economic conditions, could require us to increase our allowance for credit losses and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

The credit performance of our loan portfolios significantly affects our financial results and condition. If the current economic environment were to deteriorate, more of our customers may have difficulty in repaying their loans or other obligations which could result in a higher level of credit losses and provision for credit losses. We reserve for credit losses by establishing an allowance through a charge to earnings. The amount of this allowance is based on our assessment of lifetime expected credit losses inherent in our various loan and other portfolios carried at amortized cost as well as off-balance sheet credit exposures such as undrawn commitments to lend. The process for determining the amount of the allowance is critical to our financial results and condition. It requires difficult, subjective and complex judgments about the future, including forecasts of economic or market conditions that might impair the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans. We might increase the allowance because of changing economic conditions, including falling home prices and higher unemployment, lower U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates, or other factors. For example, changes in borrower behavior or the regulatory environment also could influence recognition of credit losses in the portfolio and our allowance for credit losses. While we believe that our allowance for credit losses was appropriate at December 31, 2025, there is no assurance that it will be sufficient to cover future credit losses. In the event of a deterioration in economic conditions, we may be required to increase our allowance in future periods, which would reduce our earnings.

Our business and operations may be adversely affected in numerous and complex ways by external business disruptors in the financial services industry.

The financial services industry is undergoing rapid change, as technology enables non-traditional new entrants to compete in certain segments of the banking market, in some cases with reduced regulation. New entrants may use new technologies, advanced data and analytic tools, lower cost to serve, reduced regulatory burden or faster processes to challenge traditional banks. We may experience operational challenges in connection with the adoption of or failure to adopt new technology, which could result in unintended consequences or expenses as a result of the technology's limitations, our failure to use new technology effectively or at all, not fully realizing the anticipated benefits from such new technology, or the cost to implement or remedy any challenges associated with the adoption of new technology in a timely manner.

The development and use of AI presents risks and challenges that may adversely impact the Company’s business.

The Company or its third-party (or fourth party) vendors, clients or counterparties may develop or incorporate AI technology in certain business processes, services, or products. The development and use of AI presents a number of risks and challenges to the Company’s business. The legal and regulatory environment relating to AI is uncertain and rapidly evolving, both in the U.S. and internationally, and includes regulatory schemes targeted specifically at AI as well as provisions in intellectual property, privacy, consumer protection, employment, and other laws applicable to the use of AI. These evolving laws and regulations could require changes in the Company’s implementation of AI technology and increase the Company’s compliance costs and risk of non-compliance. AI models, particularly generative AI models, may produce output or take actions that is incorrect, that reflects biases included in the data on which they are trained, that results in the release of private, confidential, or proprietary information, that infringes on the intellectual property rights of others, or that is otherwise harmful. In addition, the complexity of many AI models makes it difficult to understand why they are generating particular opinions. This limited transparency increases the challenges associated with assessing the proper operation of AI models, understanding, monitoring the capabilities of the AI models, reducing erroneous output, eliminating bias, and complying with regulations that require documentation or explanation of the basis on which decisions are made. Further, the Company may rely on AI models developed by third parties, and, to that extent, would be dependent in part on the manner in which those third parties develop and train their models, including risks arising from the inclusion of any unauthorized material in the training data for their models and the effectiveness of the steps these third parties have taken to limit the risks associated with the output of their models, matters over which the Company may have limited visibility. Any of these risks could expose the Company to liability or adverse legal or regulatory consequences and harm the Company’s reputation and the public perception of its business or the effectiveness of its security measures.

Liquidity risk could adversely affect our ability to fund operations and hurt our financial condition.

Liquidity is essential to our banking business, as we use cash to make loans and purchase investment securities and other interest-earning assets and to fund deposit withdrawals that occur in the ordinary course of our business. Our principal sources of liquidity include earnings, deposits, repayment by clients of loans we have made to them, and the proceeds from sales by us of our equity securities or from borrowings that we may obtain. Potential alternative sources of liquidity include the sale of loans, the acquisition of national market non-core deposits, the issuance of additional collateralized borrowings such as FHLB advances, access to the Federal Reserve discount window and the issuance of additional equity securities. If our ability to obtain funds from these sources becomes limited or the costs of those funds increase, whether due to factors that affect us specifically, including our financial performance, or due to factors that affect the financial services industry in general, including weakening economic conditions or negative views and expectations about the prospects, safety, soundness or security of the financial services industry as a whole, then our ability to fund our operations, maintain our financial condition and grow our banking and investment advisory and trust businesses would be harmed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may not be able to maintain a strong core deposit base or other low-cost funding sources.

We depend on checking and savings deposit account balances and other forms of client deposits as our primary source of funding for our lending activities. Our business depends on our ability to maintain and grow a strong deposit base, including our ability to retain our largest trust clients, many of whom are also depositors, which we may not be able to do. A deterioration in economic conditions or the loss of confidence in financial institutions may result in deposit outflows, increase our cost of funding and limit our access to some of our customary sources of liquidity, including, but not limited to, inter-bank borrowings and borrowings from the Federal Reserve and FHLB. In addition, account and deposit balances may decrease when clients perceive alternative investments, such as the stock market or real estate, as providing a better risk/return tradeoff. Furthermore, the portion of our deposit portfolio that is comprised of large uninsured deposits may be more likely to be withdrawn rapidly under adverse economic conditions. If our clients, including our trust clients, move money out of bank deposits, into investments or to other financial institutions, we could lose a relatively low cost source of funds, increasing our funding costs and reducing our net interest income and net income. We also have increased risks from losses of bank deposit clients due to the large deposits we hold from certain clients. For example, as of December 31, 2025, 36.3% of our total deposits consisted of our 10 largest depositors. Loss of any one of these deposit clients would have an outsized impact on our results of operations. Additionally, any such loss of funds could result in lower loan originations, which could materially negatively impact our growth strategy.

We receive substantial deposits and assets under management as a result of referrals by professionals, such as attorneys, accountants, and doctors, and such referrals are dependent upon the continued positive interaction with and financial health of those referral sources.

Many of our deposit clients and clients of our private trust bank offices are individuals involved in professional vocations, such as lawyers, accountants, and doctors. These clients are a significant source of referrals for new clients in both the deposit and wealth management areas. If we fail to adequately serve these professional clients with our deposit services, lending, and wealth management products, this source of referrals may diminish, which could have a negative impact on our results. Further, if the economy in the geographic areas that we serve is negatively impacted, the amount of deposits and services that these professional individuals will utilize and the amount of referrals that they will make may decrease, which may have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our largest trust client accounts for 36.8% of our total assets under management and 4.6% of our total Trust and investment management fees.

As of December 31, 2025, our largest trust client accounted for, in the aggregate, 36.8% of our total assets under management and 4.6% of our total Trust and investment management fees. As a result, a material decrease in the volume of those trust assets by that client could materially reduce our assets under management, which would adversely affect our non-interest income and, therefore, our results of operations.

The success of our business depends on achieving our strategic objectives, including through acquisitions which may not increase our profitability and may adversely affect our future operating results.

Since we commenced our banking business in 2004, we have grown our banking franchise and now have nineteen locations in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California including a centralized operations center in downtown Denver. We plan to continue to grow our banking business both organically and through acquisitions of other banks and financial service providers, which may include entry into new markets. However, the implementation of our growth strategy poses a number of risks for us, including that:

• Any newly established offices may not generate revenues in amounts sufficient to cover the start-up costs of those offices, which would reduce our earnings;
• Acquisitions we might consummate in the future may prove not to be accretive to or may reduce our earnings if we do not realize anticipated cost savings, or if we incur unanticipated costs in integrating the acquired businesses into our operations or if a substantial number of the clients of any of the acquired businesses move their business to our competitors;
• Such expansion efforts will divert management time and effort from our existing banking operations, which could adversely affect our future financial performance; and
• Additional capital which we may need to support our growth or the issuance of shares in any acquisitions will be dilutive of the investments that our existing shareholders have in the shares of our common stock that they own and in their respective percentage ownership interests they have in the Company.

We face intense competition from other banks and financial institutions and other wealth and investment management firms that could hurt our business.

We conduct our business operations in markets where the banking business is highly competitive and is dominated by large multi-state and in-state banks with operations and offices covering wide geographic areas. We also compete with other financial service businesses, including investment advisory and wealth management firms, mutual fund companies, financial technology companies, and securities brokerage and investment banking firms that offer competitive banking and financial products and services as well as products and services that we do not offer. Larger banks and many of those other financial service organizations have greater financial and marketing resources than we do that enable them to conduct extensive advertising campaigns and to shift resources to regions or activities of greater potential profitability. They also have substantially more capital and higher lending limits than we do, which enable them to attract larger clients and offer financial products and services that we are unable to offer, putting us at a disadvantage in competing with them for loans and deposits and investment management clients. If we are unable to compete effectively with those banking or other financial services businesses, we could find it more difficult to attract new and retain existing clients and our net interest margins, net interest income and investment management fees could decline, which would materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects, and could cause us to incur losses in the future.

In addition, our ability to successfully attract and retain investment advisory and wealth management clients is dependent on our ability to compete with competitors’ investment products, level of investment performance, client services and marketing and distribution capabilities. If we are not successful in retaining existing and attracting new investment management clients, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We may not be successful in implementing our internal growth strategy or be able to manage the risks associated with our anticipated growth through opening new boutique private trust bank offices, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business strategy includes pursuing organic and internal growth and evaluating strategic opportunities to grow through opening new boutique private trust bank offices. We believe that banking location expansion has been meaningful to our growth since inception. We intend to pursue an organic growth strategy in addition to our acquisition strategy, the success of which is dependent on our ability to generate an increasing level of loans, deposits and assets under management at acceptable risk levels without incurring corresponding increases in non-interest expense. Opening new offices carries with it certain potential risks, including significant startup costs and anticipated initial operating losses; an inability to gain regulatory approval; an inability to secure the services of qualified senior management to operate the new offices and successfully integrate and promote our corporate culture; poor market reception for our new offices established in markets where we do not have a preexisting reputation; challenges posed by local economic conditions; challenges associated with securing attractive locations at a reasonable cost; and the additional strain on management resources and internal systems and controls. Further, we may not be successful in our organic growth strategies generally due to, among other factors, delays in introducing and implementing new products and services and other impediments resulting from regulatory oversight, lack of qualified personnel at existing locations. In addition, the success of our internal growth strategy will depend on maintaining sufficient regulatory capital levels and on favorable economic conditions in our primary market areas. Failure to adequately manage the risks associated with our anticipated growth, including growth through creating new boutique private trust bank offices, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We may be required to recognize a significant charge to earnings if our goodwill or other intangible assets become impaired, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Goodwill and purchased intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized but are reviewed for impairment annually and more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. Our annual goodwill impairment assessment date for the Company’s reporting units is October 31. Goodwill impairment testing includes an assessment of qualitative factors to determine whether certain circumstances or events exist that lead to a determination that the fair value of goodwill is less than the carrying value. This qualitative assessment includes various factors that could affect the reporting unit’s fair value as well as mitigating events or conditions. One such factor that could impact the assessment are the conditions within the markets that trade the Company’s stock. The assessment of each reporting unit compares the aggregate fair value to its carrying value, along with several valuation assumptions and methods in order to determine if any impairment was triggered as of the measurement date. If the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that our goodwill is impaired, the Company performs a quantitative assessment to determine whether and what amount of goodwill is impaired. The quantitative assessment requires comparison of the fair value of the individual reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit is in excess of the carrying value, the related goodwill is considered not impaired and no further analysis is necessary. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the results of impairment testing on our intangible assets will have no impact on our tangible book value or regulatory capital levels. There is no guarantee that we may not be forced to recognize impairment charges in the future as operating and economic conditions change or as part of strategic divestitures. The recognition of a significant charge to earnings in our consolidated financial statements resulting from any impairment of our goodwill or other intangible assets could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We are required to make significant estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our financial statements and our estimates and assumptions may not be accurate.

The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires our management to make significant estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of income and expense during the reporting periods. Critical estimates are made by management in determining, among other things, the allowance for credit losses, amounts of impairment of assets, fair values, intangibles, and valuation of income taxes. If our underlying estimates and assumptions prove to be incorrect, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. Additionally, the adoption of CECL methodology for determining our allowance for credit losses has increased the complexity, and associated risk, of the analysis and processes relying on management judgment.

Our ability to attract and retain clients and key associates could be adversely affected if our reputation is harmed.

Our ability to attract and retain clients and key associates could be adversely affected if our reputation is harmed. Any actual or perceived failure to address various issues could cause reputational harm, including a failure to address any of the following types of issues: legal and regulatory requirements; the proper maintenance or protection of the privacy of client and employee financial or other personal information; record keeping deficiencies or errors; money-laundering; and potential conflicts of interest or ethical issues. Moreover, any failure to appropriately address any issues of this nature could give rise to additional regulatory restrictions, and legal risks which could lead to costly litigation or subject us to enforcement actions, fines, or penalties and cause us to incur related costs and expenses. In addition, our banking, investment advisory and wealth management businesses are dependent on the integrity of our banking personnel and our investment advisory and wealth managers. Lapses in integrity could cause reputational harm to our businesses that could lead to the loss of existing clients and make it more difficult for us to attract new clients and, therefore, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may incur significant losses due to ineffective risk management processes and strategies.

We seek to monitor and control our risk exposures through a comprehensive risk and control framework encompassing a variety of separate but complementary financial, credit, transactional, operational, cyber, and regulatory systems, and internal control and management testing and review processes. However, those systems and review processes and the judgments that accompany their application may not be effective and, as a result, we may not anticipate every economic and financial outcome in all market environments or the specifics and timing of such outcomes, particularly in the event of the kinds of dislocations in market conditions experienced in recent years, which highlight the limitations inherent in using historical data to manage risk. If those systems and review processes prove to be ineffective in identifying and managing risks, or testing scenarios reveal real-life failures of technology, we could be subjected to increased regulatory scrutiny and regulatory restrictions could be imposed on our business, including on our potential future business lines, as a result of which our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

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

From time to time, we may implement new lines of business or offer new products and services within existing lines of business. There are substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts. We may invest significant time and resources in developing and marketing new lines of business or new products and services. Initial timetables for the introduction and development of new lines of business or new products or services may not be achieved and price and profitability targets may not prove feasible or may be dependent on identifying and hiring a qualified person to lead the division. In addition, existing management personnel may not have the experience or capacity to provide effective oversight of new lines of business or new products and services.

External factors, such as compliance with regulations, competitive alternatives, cybersecurity and cyber trends, and shifting market preferences, may also impact the successful implementation of a new line of business or a new product or service and result in consumer harm. 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, financial condition and prospects.

We rely on customer and counterparty information, which subjects us to risks if that information is not accurate or is incomplete.

When deciding whether to extend credit or enter into other transactions with clients or counterparties, we may rely on information provided by or on behalf of those clients and counterparties, including audited financial statements and other financial information. We may also rely on representations made by clients and counterparties that the information they provide is accurate and complete. We conduct appropriate due diligence on such customer information and, where practical and economical, we engage valuation and other experts or sources of information to assist with assessing collateral and other customer risks. Our financial results could be adversely affected if the financial statements, collateral value or other financial information provided by clients or counterparties are incorrect.

Severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, pandemics, and other adverse external events could significantly impact our business and customers.

Severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, pandemics, and other adverse external events could have a significant impact on our ability to conduct business. In addition, such events could affect the stability of our deposit base, impair the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans, impair the value of collateral securing loans, cause significant property damage, result in loss of revenue and/or cause us to incur additional expenses. Furthermore, the occurrence of any such event in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Unstable global economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition, and operations.

The global credit and financial markets have from time-to-time experienced extreme volatility and disruptions, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates, high rates of inflation, and uncertainty about economic stability. Changes in trade policies by the United States or other countries, such as tariffs or retaliatory tariffs, may cause inflation which could impact the prices of products sold by our borrowers and have the potential to reduce demand for their products impacting their profitability and making it difficult for our borrowers to repay their loans. The financial markets and the global economy may also be adversely affected by the current or anticipated impact of military conflict, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East. These events have increased and are expected to continue to increase volatility in commodity and energy prices, including oil, and continuing hostilities raise the possibility of supply disruptions. Rising tensions and global instability have the potential to affect consumer confidence in the U.S. and abroad, therefore having a broader effect on financial markets. Changes in trade policies or sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries in response to such conflict could further adversely impact the financial markets and the global economy, and any economic countermeasures by the affected countries or others could exacerbate market and economic instability. Our general business strategy may be adversely affected by any such economic downturn, volatile business environment, hostile third-party action or continued unpredictable and unstable market conditions.

Risks Related to Our Regulatory Environment

The financial services industry is highly regulated, and legislative or regulatory actions taken now or in the future may have a significant adverse effect on our operations.

The financial services industry is extensively regulated and supervised under both federal and state laws and regulations that are intended primarily to protect clients, depositors, the FDIC deposit insurance fund, and the banking system as a whole, but is not designed to protect our shareholders. We are subject to the regulation and supervision of the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the CDB. The banking laws, regulations and policies applicable to us govern matters ranging from the maintenance of adequate capital, safety and soundness, mergers and changes in control to the general business operations conducted by us, including permissible types, amounts and terms of loans and investments, the amount of reserves held against deposits, restrictions on dividends, imposition of specific accounting requirements, establishment of new offices and the maximum interest rate that may be charged on loans.

We are subject to changes in federal and state banking statutes, regulations and governmental policies, or the interpretation or implementation of them, and are subject to changes and increased complexity in regulatory requirements as governments and regulators continue reforms intended to strengthen the stability of the financial system and protect key markets and participants. Any changes in any federal or state banking statute, regulation or governmental policy, including changes which occurred in 2025 and may occur in 2026 and beyond during the current and future administration, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways, including ways that may adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects. Compliance with laws and regulations can be difficult and costly, and changes to laws and regulations often impose additional compliance costs. In addition, federal and state banking regulators have broad authority to supervise our banking business and that of our subsidiaries, including the authority to prohibit activities that represent unsafe or unsound banking practices or constitute violations of statute, rule, regulation, or administrative order. Failure to comply with any such laws, regulations or regulatory policies could result in sanctions by regulatory agencies, restrictions on our business activities, civil money penalties or damage to our reputation, all of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

Federal and state banking agencies periodically conduct examinations of our business, including compliance with laws and regulations, and our failure to comply with any supervisory actions which we are, or may become, subject to as a result of such examinations may adversely affect us.

The Federal Reserve, the FDIC, SEC, and the CDB may conduct examinations of our business, including for compliance with applicable laws and regulations. As a result of an examination, regulatory agencies may determine that the financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, asset concentrations, earnings prospects, management, liquidity, sensitivity to market risk, or other aspects of any of our operations are unsatisfactory, or that we or our management are in violation of any law, regulation or guideline in effect from time to time. Regulatory agencies may take a number of different remedial actions, including the power to enjoin "unsafe or unsound" practices, to require affirmative actions 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 our capital, to restrict our growth, to change the composition of our concentrations in portfolio or balance sheet assets, to assess civil monetary penalties against officers or directors, to remove officers and directors and, if such conditions cannot be corrected or there is an imminent risk of loss to depositors, the FDIC may terminate our deposit insurance. A regulatory action against us could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

We are subject to stringent capital requirements.

Banking institutions are required to hold more capital as a percentage of assets than most industries. Holding high amounts of capital compresses our earnings and constrains growth. In addition, the failure to meet applicable regulatory capital requirements could result in one or more of our regulators placing limitations or conditions on our activities, including our growth initiatives, or restricting the commencement of new activities, and could affect client and investor confidence, our costs of funds and FDIC insurance costs and our ability to make acquisitions and result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

The level of our commercial real estate loan portfolio may subject us to heightened regulatory scrutiny.

The FDIC and the Federal Reserve have promulgated joint guidance on sound risk management practices for financial institutions with concentrations in commercial real estate lending. Under the guidance, a financial institution that is actively involved in commercial real estate lending should perform a risk assessment to identify potential concentrations in commercial real estate lending. A financial institution may have such a concentration if, among other factors: (i) total outstanding loans for construction, land development, and other land represent 100% or more of total risk-based capital (CRE 1 Concentration); or (ii) total outstanding loans for construction, land development and other land and loans secured by multifamily and non-owner occupied non-farm, non-residential properties (excluding loans secured by owner-occupied properties) represent 300% or more of total risk-based capital (CRE 2 Concentration) and the institution’s commercial real estate loan portfolio has increased by 50% or more during the prior 36-month period. In such an instance, management should employ heightened risk management practices, including board and management oversight and strategic planning, development of underwriting standards, risk assessment and monitoring through market analysis and stress testing. As of December 31, 2025, our CRE 1 Concentration level was 64.0% and our CRE 2 Concentration level was 277.2%. We may, at some point, be considered to have a concentration in the future, or our risk management practices may be found to be deficient, which could result in increased reserves and capital costs as well as potential regulatory enforcement action.

We are subject to numerous laws designed to protect consumers, including the Community Reinvestment Act and fair lending laws, and failure to comply with these laws could lead to a wide variety of sanctions.

The Community Reinvestment Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act and other fair lending laws and regulations impose nondiscriminatory lending requirements on financial institutions. The Department of Justice, the CFPB and other federal agencies are responsible for enforcing these laws and regulations. A successful regulatory challenge to an institution’s performance under the Community Reinvestment Act or fair lending laws and regulations could result in a wide variety of sanctions, including damages and civil money penalties, injunctive relief, restrictions on mergers and acquisitions activity, restrictions on expansion, and restrictions on entering new business lines. Private parties may also have the ability to challenge an institution’s performance under fair lending laws in private class action litigation. Any such actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We face a risk of noncompliance and enforcement action with Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) laws and regulations.

The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (AML Act) and other laws and regulations require financial institutions, among other duties, to institute and maintain effective anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism programs and file suspicious activity and currency transaction reports as appropriate. The federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, established by the Treasury to administer the AML Act, is authorized to impose significant civil money penalties for violations of those requirements and has recently engaged in coordinated enforcement efforts with the individual federal banking regulators, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service. There is also increased scrutiny of compliance with the sanctions rules enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. If our policies, procedures and systems are deemed deficient or the policies, procedures and systems of any financial institutions that we may acquire in the future are deemed deficient, we would be subject to liability, including fines and regulatory actions such as restrictions on our ability to pay dividends and the necessity to obtain regulatory approvals to proceed with certain aspects of our business plan, which would negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Failure to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing could also have serious reputational consequences for us. Any of these results could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Regulations relating to privacy, information security and data protection could increase our costs, affect or limit how we collect and use personal information and adversely affect our business opportunities.

We are subject to various privacy, information security and data protection laws, including requirements concerning security breach notification, and we could be negatively impacted by these laws. For example, our business is subject to the GLB Act which, among other things: (i) imposes certain limitations on our ability to share non-public personal information about our clients with non-affiliated third parties; (ii) requires that we provide certain disclosures to clients about our information collection, sharing and security practices and afford clients the right to "opt out" of any information sharing by us with non-affiliated third parties (with certain exceptions); and (iii) requires we develop, implement and maintain a written comprehensive information security program containing safeguards appropriate based on our size and complexity, the nature and scope of our activities, and the sensitivity of client information we process, as well as plans for responding to data security breaches. Various state and federal banking regulators and states and foreign countries have also enacted data security breach notification requirements with varying levels of individual, consumer, regulatory or law enforcement notification in certain circumstances in the event of a security breach. Moreover, legislators and regulators in the United States and other countries are increasingly adopting or revising privacy, information security and data protection laws that potentially could have a significant impact on our current and planned privacy, data protection and information security-related practices, our collection, use, sharing, retention and safeguarding of consumer or employee information, and some of our current or planned business activities. This could also increase our costs of compliance and business operations and could reduce income from certain business initiatives. This includes increased privacy-related enforcement activity at the federal level, by the Federal Trade Commission, as well as at the state level, such as with regard to mobile applications.

Compliance with current or future privacy, data protection and information security laws (including those regarding security breach notification) affecting client or employee data to which we are subject could result in higher compliance and technology costs and could restrict our ability to provide certain products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions or results of operations. Our failure to comply with privacy, data protection and information security laws could result in potentially significant regulatory or governmental investigations or actions, litigation, fines, sanctions and damage to our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We can be subject to legal and regulatory proceedings, investigations and inquiries related to conduct risk.

Such legal and regulatory activities could result in significant penalties and other negative impacts on our businesses and results of operations. At any given time, we can be involved in defending legal and regulatory proceedings and are subject to numerous governmental and regulatory examinations, investigations and other inquiries. The frequency with which such proceedings, investigations and inquiries are initiated have increased over the last few years, and the global judicial, regulatory and political environment generally remains hostile to financial institutions. For example, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), conditions the granting of cooperation credit in civil and criminal investigations of corporate wrongdoing on the company involved having provided to investigators all relevant facts relating to the individuals responsible for the alleged misconduct. The complexity of the federal and state regulatory and enforcement regimes in the U.S., means that a single event or issue may give rise to a large number of overlapping investigations and regulatory proceedings, either by multiple federal and state agencies in the U.S. or by multiple regulators and other governmental entities in different jurisdictions. Moreover, U.S. authorities have been increasingly focused on "conduct risk," a term that is used to describe the risks associated with behavior by employees and agents, including third-party vendors, that could harm clients, consumers, investors or the markets, such as failures to safeguard consumers’ and investors’ personal information, failures to identify and manage conflicts of interest and improperly creating, selling and marketing products and services. In addition to increasing compliance risks, this focus on conduct risk could lead to more regulatory or other enforcement proceedings and litigation, including for practices which historically were acceptable but are now receiving greater scrutiny. Further, while we take numerous steps to prevent and detect conduct by employees and agents that could potentially harm clients, investors or the markets, such behavior may not always be deterred or prevented. Banking regulators have also focused on the overall culture of financial services firms. In addition to regulatory restrictions or structural changes that could result from perceived deficiencies in our culture, such focus could also lead to additional regulatory proceedings.

Risks Related to Ownership of our Common Stock

The trading volume in our common stock is less than other larger financial institutions.

Although our common stock is listed for trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the trading volume in our common stock is less than that of other, larger financial services companies. A public trading market having the desired characteristics of depth, liquidity and orderliness depends on the presence in the marketplace of willing buyers and sellers of our common stock at any given time. This presence depends on the individual decisions of investors and general economic and market conditions over which we have no control. Given the lower trading volume of our common stock, significant sales of our common stock, or the expectation of these sales, could cause the price of our common stock to decline.

The obligations associated with being a public company require significant resources and management attention, which increases our costs of operations and may divert focus from our business operations.

As a public company, we face increased legal, accounting, administrative and other costs and expenses that we did not incur as a private company, particularly after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company.

We expect to incur substantial costs related to operating as a public company, and these costs may be higher now that we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which requires that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition and proxy and other information statements, and the rules and regulations implemented by the SEC, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, the PCAOB and the Nasdaq Global Select Market, each of which imposes additional reporting and other obligations on public companies. As a public company, compliance with these reporting requirements and other SEC and the Nasdaq Global Select Market rules makes certain operating activities more time-consuming, and has caused us to incur significant new legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses. Furthermore, the need to establish the corporate infrastructure demanded of a public company may divert management’s attention from implementing our operating strategy, which could prevent us from successfully implementing our strategic initiatives and improving our results of operations. We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal controls and procedures for financial reporting and accounting systems to meet our reporting obligations as a public company. However, we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur in order to comply with these requirements. We anticipate that these costs will materially increase our general and administrative expenses and such increases will reduce our profitability.

If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately and timely.

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 is 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. As a public company, we are required to make annual assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, we ceased to be an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act in 2023. Beginning in 2023, our independent registered public accounting firm was required to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control that is less severe than a material weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those responsible for oversight of the Company’s financial reporting. We have implemented measures designed to address historical internal control significant deficiencies and will continue to implement measures designed to improve our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures.

We will continue to periodically test and update, as necessary, our internal control systems, including our financial reporting controls. In addition, we hired additional accounting personnel as part of our transition from a private company to a public company. Our actions, however, may not be sufficient to result in an effective internal control environment and 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, impair our access to the capital markets, cause the price of our common stock to decline and subject us to increased regulatory scrutiny and/or penalties, and higher risk of shareholder litigation.

Securities analysts may not initiate or continue coverage on us.

The trading market for our common stock depends, in part, on the research and reports that securities analysts publish about us and our business. We do not have any control over these securities analysts, and they may not cover us. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to publish regular reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause the price or trading volume of our common stock to decline. If we are covered by securities analysts and are the subject of an unfavorable report, the price of our common stock may decline.

Our management and Board of Directors have significant control over our business.

As of December 31, 2025, our directors and executive officers beneficially owned an aggregate of 1,265,928 shares, or approximately 13.0% of our shares of common stock. Consequently, our management and Board of Directors may be able to significantly affect our affairs and policies, including the outcome of the election of directors and the potential outcome of other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, such as mergers, the sale of substantially all of our assets and other extraordinary corporate matters. This influence may also have the effect of delaying or preventing changes of control or changes in management, or limiting the ability of our other shareholders to approve transactions that they may deem to be in the best interests of our Company. The interests of these insiders could conflict with the interests of our other shareholders, including you.

We may issue new debt securities, which would be senior to our common stock and may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

We have issued $10.0 million aggregate principal amount of subordinated notes due 2030, $15.0 million due 2031, and $20.0 million due 2032. In the future, we may increase our capital resources by making offerings of debt or equity securities, which may include senior or additional subordinated notes, series of preferred shares or common shares. Holders of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights or other protections against dilution. Preferred shares and debt, if issued, have a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on dividend or interest payments that could limit our ability to make a distribution to the holders of our common stock. Future issuances and sales of parity preferred stock, or the perception that such issuances and sales could occur, may also cause prevailing market prices for the series of preferred stock and our common stock to decline and may adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital in the financial markets at times and prices favorable to us. Further issuances of our common stock could be dilutive to holders of our common stock.

Our common stock is subordinate to our existing and future indebtedness, and is effectively subordinated to all the indebtedness and other non-common equity claims against our subsidiaries.

Shares of our common stock represent equity interests in the Company and do not constitute indebtedness. Accordingly, the shares of our common stock rank junior to all of our indebtedness and to other non-equity claims on the Company with respect to assets available to satisfy such claims. Additionally, dividends to holders of the Company’s common stock are subject to the prior dividend and liquidation rights of any preferred stock we may issue.

The Company’s right to participate in any distribution of assets of any of its subsidiaries upon the subsidiary’s liquidation or otherwise, and thus the ability of the Company’s common shareholders to benefit indirectly from such distribution, will be subject to the prior claims of creditors of that subsidiary. As a result, holders of the Company’s common stock will be effectively subordinated to all existing and future liabilities and obligations of its subsidiaries, including claims of depositors.

We may issue shares of preferred stock in the future, which could make it difficult for another company to acquire us or could otherwise adversely affect holders of our common stock, which could depress the price of our common stock.

Our articles of incorporation authorize us to issue up to 10 million shares of one or more series of preferred stock. Our Board of Directors has the authority to determine the preferences, limitations and relative rights of shares of preferred stock and to fix the number of shares constituting any series and the designation of such series, without any further vote or action by our shareholders. Our preferred stock could be issued with voting, liquidation, dividend and other rights superior to the rights of our common stock. The potential issuance of preferred stock may delay or prevent a change in control of us, discourage bids for our common stock at a premium over the market price and materially adversely affect the market price and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock.

We are dependent upon the Bank for cash flow, and the Bank’s ability to make cash distributions is restricted.

Our primary tangible asset is the stock of the Bank. As such, we depend upon the Bank for cash distributions (through dividends on the Bank’s common stock) that we use to pay our operating expenses, satisfy our obligations (including our preferred dividends, subordinated debentures, notes, and our other debt obligations) and to pay dividends on our common stock. Federal statutes, regulations and policies restrict the Bank’s ability to make cash distributions to us. These statutes and regulations require, among other things, that the Bank maintain certain levels of capital in order to pay a dividend. In addition, there are certain restrictions imposed by federal banking laws, regulations and authorities on the payment of dividends by us and by the Bank. If the Bank is unable to pay dividends to us, we will not be able to satisfy our obligations or pay dividends on our common stock. Our dividend policy may change without notice, and our future ability to pay dividends is subject to restrictions.

We are a separate and distinct legal entity from the Bank. We receive substantially all of our revenue from dividends paid to us by the Bank, which we use as the principal source of funds to pay our expenses and to pay dividends to our shareholders, if any. Various federal and state laws and regulations limit the amount of dividends that the Bank may pay us. If the Bank does not receive regulatory approval or does not maintain a level of capital sufficient to permit it to make dividend payments to us while maintaining adequate capital levels, our ability to pay our expenses and our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely impacted.

As a bank holding company, we are subject to regulation by the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve has indicated that bank holding companies should carefully review their dividend policy in relation to the organization’s overall asset quality, current and prospective earnings and level, composition and quality of capital. The guidance provides that we inform and consult with the Federal Reserve prior to declaring and paying a dividend that exceeds earnings for the period for which the dividend is being paid or that could result in an adverse change to our capital structure, including interest on the subordinated debentures. If required payments on our subordinated debentures are not made or are deferred, or dividends on any preferred stock we may issue are not paid, we will be prohibited from paying dividends on our common stock.

Our corporate organizational documents and provisions of federal and state law to which we are subject contain certain provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, make more difficult or prevent an attempted acquisition that you may favor or an attempted replacement of our Board of Directors or management.

Our articles of incorporation and our bylaws may have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, discourage or prevent an attempted acquisition or change of control or a replacement of our incumbent Board of Directors or management. Our governing documents include provisions that:

• Empower our Board of Directors, without shareholder approval, to issue our preferred stock, the terms of which, including voting power, are to be set by our Board of Directors;
• Provide that directors may only be removed from office for cause;
• Eliminate cumulative voting in elections of directors;
• Permit our Board of Directors to alter, amend or repeal our amended and restated bylaws or to adopt new bylaws;
• Prohibit shareholder action by less than unanimous written consent, thereby requiring virtually all actions to be taken at a meeting of the shareholders;
• Require shareholders that wish to bring business before annual or special meetings of shareholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of shareholders, to provide timely notice of their intent in writing; and
• Enable our Board of Directors to increase, between annual meetings, the number of persons serving as directors and to fill the vacancies created as a result of the increase by a majority vote of the directors present at a meeting of directors.

Banking laws also impose notice, approval, and ongoing regulatory requirements on any shareholder or other party that seeks to acquire direct or indirect "control" of an FDIC-insured depository institution or its holding company. These laws include the BHC Act and the Change in Bank Control Act, or the CBCA. These laws could delay or prevent an acquisition.

Furthermore, our bylaws provide that the state or federal courts located in Denver County, Colorado, the county in which the city of Denver is located, will be the exclusive forum for: (i) any actual or purported derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty by any of our directors or officers; (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or our directors or officers arising pursuant to the Colorado Business Corporations Act, our articles of incorporation, or our bylaws; or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us or our officers or directors that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. By becoming a shareholder of our Company, you will be deemed to have notice of and have consented to the provisions of our bylaws related to choice of forum. The choice of forum provision in our bylaws may limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

An investment in our common stock is not an insured deposit and is subject to risk of loss.

Our common stock is not a savings accounts, deposits or other obligations of any of our bank or nonbank subsidiaries and will not be insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other government agency. Your investment in our common stock is subject to investment risk, and you must be capable of affording the loss of your entire investment.

The market price of our common stock may be subject to substantial fluctuations and significant declines, which may make it difficult for you to sell your shares at the volume, prices and times desired.

Actual or anticipated issuances or sales of substantial amounts of our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline significantly and make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and on terms that we deem appropriate. The issuance of any shares of our common stock in the future also would, and equity-related securities could, dilute the percentage ownership interest held by shareholders prior to such issuance.

In addition, we may issue shares of our common stock or other securities from time to time as consideration for future acquisitions and investments and pursuant to compensation and incentive plans. If any such acquisition or investment is significant, the number of shares of our common stock, or the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of other securities that we may issue may in turn be substantial. We may also grant registration rights covering those shares of our common stock or other securities in connection with any such acquisitions and investments.

We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of our common stock will have on the market price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock (including shares of our common stock issued in connection with an acquisition or under a compensation or incentive plan), or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through future sales of our securities.

The market price of our common stock may be highly volatile, which may make it difficult for you to resell your shares at the volume, prices and times desired. There are many factors that may affect the market price and trading volume of our common stock, including, without limitation:

• Actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results, financial condition or asset quality;
• Changes in economic or business conditions;
• The effects of, and changes in, trade, monetary and fiscal policies, including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve;
• Publication of research reports about us, our competitors, or the financial services industry generally, or changes in, or failure to meet, securities analysts’ estimates of our financial and operating performance, or lack of research reports by industry analysts or ceasing of coverage;
• Operating and stock price performance of companies that investors deemed comparable to us;
• Additional or anticipated sales of our common stock or other securities by us or our existing shareholders;
• Additions or departures of key personnel;
• Perceptions in the marketplace regarding our competitors or us;
• Significant acquisitions or business combinations, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by or involving our competitors or us;
• Other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory and technological factors affecting our operations, pricing, products and services; and
• Other news, announcements or disclosures (whether by us or others) related to us, our competitors, our primary markets or the financial services industry. The stock market and, in particular, the market for financial institution stocks have experienced substantial fluctuations in recent years, which in many cases have been unrelated to the operating performance and prospects of particular companies. In addition, significant fluctuations in the trading volume in our common stock may cause significant price variations to occur. Increased market volatility may materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock, which could make it difficult to sell your shares at the volume, prices and times desired.

Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy

The Company maintains an information security program (the Program) to identify, assess, and manage material risks to its business, operations, and assets related to cybersecurity threats. The Company leverages recognized security frameworks and guidelines, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework and Federal Financial Institution Examination Counsel (FFIEC) guidelines, to organize, assess, and improve the Program. Key components of the Program include, among other things:

• Risk-based cybersecurity controls: As part of the Program, the Company maintains numerous administrative, technical, and physical controls that are calibrated based on risk and designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our information systems and data stored thereon.
• Cybersecurity incident response plan and testing: The Company has incident response plans that establish a structured approach for the Company’s response to cybersecurity incidents. To improve preparedness for a cybersecurity incident, we conduct tabletop exercises at least annually. These exercises are conducted by internal team members and in some instances with assistance from third-party experts.
• Training and education: We include cybersecurity training as part of our annual employee training program. Additional cybersecurity and privacy education and awareness are periodically provided to employees utilizing various delivery methods such as phishing campaigns, training sessions, and informational articles.
• Third-party service provider risk management: The Company’s third-party risk management program applies a risk-based approach to the assessment, onboarding, and ongoing due diligence of key third-party service providers, including the assessment and mitigation of cybersecurity-related risks.
• Engagement of third-party assessors and consultants: We periodically engage third-party experts and consultants to conduct assessments and tests of our security controls, such as penetration tests and framework assessments. The Company also engages a third-party managed detection and response service provider to monitor Company systems for cybersecurity threats.

We also consider cybersecurity-related risks, along with other top risks for the Company, as part of our overall enterprise risk management (ERM) process. Cybersecurity risks are included in the risk universe that the ERM function evaluates, with input from information security subject matter experts at the Company, to assess top risks to the enterprise. The ERM process provides input into our strategic planning process, such as development of action plans to address and mitigate identified risks. In the last fiscal year, we have not identified risks from known cybersecurity threats, including as a result of previously identified cybersecurity incidents, that have materially affected the Company, including our operations, or financial condition, but we cannot provide assurance that they will not be materially affected in the future by such risks or any future material cybersecurity incidents. For more information on our cybersecurity related risks, see Item 1A Risk Factors.

Governance

The Company’s information security officer (ISO) leads the Company’s overall cybersecurity function and reports to our Executive Director Risk, Human Capital, and Operations, who has 23 years of experience in banking and risk management. Our ISO works with stakeholders across the Company, including with our technology group, to maintain the cybersecurity program. Our executive leadership team is actively engaged in the oversight and strategic direction of our Program and meets with the Executive Director Risk, Human Capital, and Operations to review and discuss the Company’s Program, including emerging cybersecurity risks, threats, and industry trends.

Our Board of Directors considers cybersecurity risk as part of its risk management oversight function and has delegated to the Audit Committee oversight of cybersecurity risks. The Audit Committee receives updates from the Executive Director Risk, Human Capital, and Operations and other Company management on cybersecurity matters at least annually. The Audit Committee reports findings and recommendations, as appropriate, to the full Board of Directors for consideration. The Audit Committee also receives information about cybersecurity risks as part of the Company’s ERM program and reporting. In addition, any cybersecurity incident assessed as being, or potentially becoming, material is escalated for further assessment and then reported to designated members of our senior management and, if necessary, the Audit Committee.

Our corporate headquarters is located at 1900 16th Street, Suite 1200, Denver, Colorado 80202. Including our corporate headquarters, the Bank operates nineteen profit centers, which consists of fourteen boutique private trust bank offices with two locations in Arizona, eight locations in Colorado, three locations in Wyoming, and one location in Montana; four loan production offices with three Colorado locations in Ft. Collins, Greenwood Village, and Loveland, in addition to a location in Cheyenne, Wyoming; and one trust office located in in Century City, California. We own our Wyoming locations in Jackson Hole, Pinedale, and Rock Springs, while all remaining locations are leased. We believe that our facilities are suitable and adequate to meet our present needs. The chart below describes our locations, which we believe are strategically located in affluent and high-growth markets in nineteen locations (listed below) across Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California:

(1) Headquarters and co-location of profit center, product groups and support centers

(2) Loan production office

(3) Trust office

We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings. From time to time, we are subject to claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. These claims and litigation may include, among other things, allegations of violation of banking and other applicable regulations, competition law, labor laws and consumer protection laws, as well as claims or litigation relating to intellectual property, securities, breach of contract, and tort. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously against any pending or future claims and litigation.

At this time, in the opinion of management, the likelihood is remote that the impact of such proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, would have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows. However, one or more unfavorable outcomes in any claim or litigation against us could have a material adverse effect for the period in which they are resolved. In addition, regardless of their merits or their ultimate outcomes, such matters are costly, divert management’s attention, and may materially and adversely affect our reputation, even if resolved in our favor.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion contains "forward-looking statements" that reflect our future plans, estimates, beliefs and expected performance. We caution that assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions or beliefs about future events may, and often do, vary from actual results and the differences can be material. See "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements." Also, see the risk factors and other cautionary statements described under the heading "Item 1A – Risk Factors" included in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Company Overview

We are a financial holding company founded in 2002 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. We provide a fully integrated suite of wealth management services to our clients including banking, trust, and investment management products and services. Our mission is to be the best private bank for the Western wealth management client. We target entrepreneurs, professionals, and high-net worth individuals, typically with $1.0 million-plus in liquid net worth, and their related philanthropic and business organizations, which we refer to as the "Western wealth management client." We believe that the Western wealth management client shares our entrepreneurial spirit and values our sophisticated, high-touch wealth management services that are tailored to meet their specific needs. We partner with our clients to solve their unique financial needs through our expert integrated services provided in a team approach.

We offer our services through a branded network of boutique private trust bank offices, which we believe are strategically located in affluent and high-growth markets in locations across Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California. Our profit centers, which are comprised of private bankers, lenders, wealth planners, and portfolio managers, under the leadership of a local chairman and/or president, are also supported centrally by teams providing management services such as operations, risk management, credit administration, marketing, technology support, human capital, and accounting/finance services, which we refer to as support centers.

From 2004, when we opened our first profit center, until December 31, 2025, we have expanded our footprint into fourteen full service profit centers, four loan production offices, and one trust office located across five states. As of and for the year ended December 31, 2025, we had $3.15 billion in total assets, $96.9 million in total revenues, and provided fiduciary and advisory services on $7.28 billion of assets under management (AUM).

Primary Factors Used to Evaluate the Results of Operations

As a financial institution, we manage and evaluate various aspects of both our results of operations and our financial condition. We evaluate the comparative levels and trends of the line items in our Consolidated Balance Sheets and Statements of Income as well as various financial ratios that are commonly used in our industry. The primary factors we use to evaluate our results of operations include net interest income, non-interest income, and non-interest expense.

Net Interest Income

Net interest income represents interest income less interest expense. We generate interest income on interest-earning assets, primarily loans and investment securities. We incur interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities, primarily interest-bearing deposits and borrowings. To evaluate Net interest income, we measure and monitor: (i) yields on loans, investment securities, and other interest-earning assets; (ii) the costs of deposits and other funding sources; (iii) the rates incurred on borrowings and other interest-bearing liabilities; and (iv) the regulatory risk weighting associated with the assets. Interest income is primarily impacted by loan growth and loan repayments, along with changes in interest rates on the loans. Interest expense is primarily impacted by changes in deposit balances, changes in interest rates on deposits, and the volume and type of interest-bearing liabilities. Net interest income is primarily impacted by changes in market interest rates, the slope of the yield curve, and interest we earn on interest-earning assets or pay on interest-bearing liabilities.

Non-Interest Income

Non-interest income primarily consists of the following:

• *Trust and investment management fees—*fees and other sources of income charged to clients for managing their trust and investment assets, providing financial planning consulting services, 401(k) and retirement advisory consulting services, and other wealth management services. Trust and investment management fees are primarily impacted by rates charged and increases and decreases in AUM. AUM is primarily impacted by opening and closing of client advisory and trust accounts, contributions and withdrawals, and the fluctuation in market values.
• *Net gain on mortgage loans—*gain on originating and selling mortgages and origination fees, less commissions to loan originators, document review, and other costs specific to originating and selling the loan. The market adjustments for interest rate lock commitments (IRLC), mortgage derivatives, and gains and losses incurred on the mandatory trading of loans are also included in this line item. Net gain on mortgage loans is primarily impacted by the amount of loans sold, the type of loans sold, and market conditions.
• *Net gain on loans accounted for under the fair value option—*unrealized gains or losses on the fair value adjustments to held for investment loans on which the Bank has elected the fair value option of accounting. This also includes realized gains or losses on charge-offs and recoveries.
• *Bank fees—*income generated through bank-related service charges such as: electronic transfer fees, treasury management fees, bill pay fees, loan prepayment penalty fees, loan interest rate swap fees, and other banking fees. Banking fees are primarily impacted by the level of business activities and cash movement activities of our clients.
• *Risk management and insurance fees—*commissions earned on insurance policies we have placed for clients through our client risk management team who incorporate insurance services, primarily life insurance, to support our clients’ wealth planning needs. Our insurance revenues are primarily impacted by the type and volume of policies placed for our clients.
• *Income on company-owned life insurance—*income earned on the growth of the cash surrender value of life insurance policies we hold on certain key associates. The income on the increase in the cash surrender value is non-taxable income.

Non-Interest Expense

Non-interest expense is comprised primarily of the following:

• *Salaries and employee benefits—*all forms of compensation-related expenses including salary, incentive compensation, payroll-related taxes, stock-based compensation, benefit plans, health insurance, 401(k) plan match costs, and other benefit-related expenses. Salaries and employee benefit costs are primarily impacted by changes in headcount and fluctuations in benefits costs.
• *Occupancy and equipment—*costs related to building and land maintenance, leasing our office space, depreciation charges for the buildings, building improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment, amortization of leasehold improvements, utilities, and other occupancy-related expenses. Occupancy and equipment costs are primarily impacted by the number of locations we occupy.
• *Professional services—*costs related to legal, accounting, tax, consulting, personnel recruiting, insurance and other outsourcing arrangements. Professional services costs are primarily impacted by corporate activities requiring specialized services. FDIC insurance expense is also included in this line and represents the assessments that we pay to the FDIC for deposit insurance.
• *Technology and information systems—*costs related to software and information technology services to support office activities and internal networks. Technology and information system costs are primarily impacted by the number of locations we occupy, the number of associates we have, and the level of service we require from our third-party technology vendors.
• *Data processing—*costs related to processing fees paid to our third-party data processing system providers relating to our core private trust banking platform. Data processing costs are primarily impacted by the number of loan, deposit and trust accounts we have and the level of transactions processed for our clients.
• *Marketing—*costs related to promoting our business through advertising, promotions, charitable events, sponsorships, donations, and other marketing-related expenses. Marketing costs are primarily impacted by the levels of advertising programs and other marketing activities and events held throughout the year.
• *Amortization of other intangible assets—*primarily represents the amortization of intangible assets including client lists, core deposit intangibles, and other similar items recognized in connection with acquisitions.
• *Other—*includes costs related to operational expenses associated with office supplies, postage, travel expenses, meals and entertainment, dues and memberships, costs to maintain or prepare other real estate owned (OREO) for sale, changes in OREO valuations subsequent to the initial acquisition when updated fair values are lower than the cost basis, director compensation and travel, and other general corporate expenses that do not fit within one of the specific non-interest expense lines described above. Other operational expenses are generally impacted by our business activities and needs.

Operating Segments

The Company’s reportable segments consist of Wealth Management and Mortgage. We measure the overall profitability of operating segments based on income before income tax. We believe this is a more useful measurement as our wealth management products and services are fully integrated with our private trust bank. We allocate costs to our segments, which consist primarily of compensation and overhead expense directly attributable to the products and services within the Wealth Management and Mortgage segments. We measure the profitability of each segment based on a post-allocation basis, as we believe it better approximates the operating cash flows generated by our reportable operating segments. A description of each segment is provided in Note 18 – Segment Reporting of the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Primary Factors Used to Evaluate our Balance Sheet

The primary factors we use to evaluate our balance sheet include asset and liability levels, asset quality, capital, liquidity, and potential profit production from assets.

We manage our asset levels to ensure our lending initiatives are efficiently and profitably supported and to ensure we have the necessary liquidity and capital to meet the required regulatory capital ratios. Funding needs are evaluated and forecasted by communicating with clients, reviewing loan maturity and draw expectations, and projecting new loan opportunities.

We manage the diversification and quality of our assets based upon factors that include the level, distribution, severity, and trend of problem assets such as those determined to be classified, delinquent, non-accrual, non-performing or restructured; the adequacy of our allowance for credit losses; the diversification and quality of loan and investment portfolios; and the extent of counterparty risks, credit risk concentrations, and other factors.

We manage our liquidity based upon factors that include the level and quality of capital and our overall financial condition, the trend and volume of problem assets, our balance sheet risk exposure, the level of deposits as a percentage of total loans, the amount of non-deposit funding used to fund assets, the availability of unused funding sources and off-balance sheet obligations, the availability of assets to be readily converted into cash without undue loss, the amount of cash and liquid securities we hold, and other factors.

Financial institution regulators have established guidelines for minimum capital ratios for banks and bank holding companies. The Company has adopted the Basel III regulatory capital framework. As of December 31, 2025, the Bank’s capital ratios exceeded the current well capitalized regulatory requirements established under Basel III.

Results of Operations

Overview

The year ended December 31, 2025 compared with the year ended December 31, 2024. We reported Net income available to common shareholders of $13.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $8.5 million of Net income available to common shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2024, a $4.7 million, or 55.3% increase. For the year ended December 31, 2025, our Income before income taxes was $17.1 million, a $5.5 million, or 47.5%, increase from the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily driven by an $11.0 million increase in Net interest income, partially offset by a $3.1 million increase in Provision for credit losses, a $1.3 million increase in Non-interest expense, and a $1.1 million decrease in non-interest income.

• The increase in Net interest income was primarily driven by a 27 basis point increase in net interest margin and an increase in average interest-earnings assets. The increase in net interest margin was primarily due to a 31 basis point decrease in total cost of funds.
• The increase in Provision for credit losses was primarily driven by loan growth, partially offset by favorable mix shifts within our portfolio.
• The increase in Non-interest expense was primarily driven by increases in Salaries and employee benefits due to salary increases and Data processing relating to upgrades to our digital banking platform, partially offset by a decrease in Professional services due to decreases in FDIC insurance fees and audit fees.
• The decrease in Non-interest income was primarily driven by decreases in Risk management and insurance fees due to a decrease in new insurance client agreements, Trust and investment management fees due to lower investment agency and managed trust fees, and Bank fees due to a large prepayment penalty fee collected in 2024, partially offset by an increase in Net gain on loans accounted for under the fair value option due to lower charge-offs and overall improved performance of the portfolio.

Net Interest Income

The year ended December 31, 2025 compared with the year ended December 31, 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2025, Net interest income, before Provision for credit losses, was $75.4 million, an increase of $11.0 million, or 17.2%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily driven by a $142.9 million increase in average interest-earning assets and a 27 basis point increase in net interest margin. The increase in net interest margin was primarily driven by a 32 basis point decrease in deposit costs.

Total interest and dividend income increased $7.1 million, or 4.7%, during the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to a $142.9 million increase in average interest-earning assets, partially offset by a 3 basis point decrease in the average interest-earning assets yield. The increase in average interest-earning assets was driven by increases in average interest-bearing deposits in other financial institutions, debt securities, and loans, of $33.9 million, $31.4 million, and $74.6 million, respectively. The decrease in the average interest-earning assets yield was primarily driven by a 78 basis point decrease in interest-bearing deposits in other financial institution yield due to the lower interest rate environment.

Interest expense on Interest-bearing deposits decreased $3.1 million, or 3.7%, during the year ended December 31, 2025, primarily due to lower rates, partially offset by a $214.7 million increase in average interest-bearing deposits. Average interest-bearing deposit rates were 3.54% for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to 4.07% for the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease in the average Interest-bearing deposits rate was primarily attributable to reducing deposit rates commensurate with the short-term rate decreases. The increase in average interest-bearing deposits was primarily driven by growth in money market deposit accounts.

The following table presents an analysis of Net interest income and net interest margin for the periods presented, using daily average balances for each major category of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, the interest earned or paid, and the average rate earned or paid on those assets or liabilities:

(dollars in thousands)

(1) Average balance represents daily averages.

(2) Non-accrual loans are included in the respective average loan balances. Income, if any, is not recognized until all principal has been repaid.

(3) Mortgage loans held for sale are included in the interest-earning assets above, with interest income recognized in the Interest and dividend income on loans, including fees line in the Consolidated Statements of Income. These balances are included in the margin calculations in these tables.

(4) Tax-equivalent yield adjustments are immaterial.

(5) Net interest spread is the average yield on interest-earning assets minus the average rate on interest-bearing liabilities.

(6) Net interest income is the difference between income earned on interest-earning assets and expense paid on interest-bearing liabilities.

(7) Net interest margin is equal to net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets.

The following table presents the dollar amount of changes in interest income and interest expense for the periods presented, for each component of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, and distinguishes between changes attributable to volume and interest rates. Changes attributable to both rate and volume that cannot be separated have been allocated to volume:

(dollars in thousands)

Provision for Credit Losses

We have a dedicated problem loan resolution team comprised of associates from our credit, senior leadership, risk, and accounting teams that meets frequently to ensure that watch list and problem credits are identified early and actively managed. We work to identify potential losses in a timely manner and proactively manage the problem credits to minimize losses. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, we recorded $5.0 million and $1.9 million Provision for credit losses, respectively. The provision recorded for the year ended December 31, 2025 was primarily due to loan growth, charge-offs, and specific reserves related to individually analyzed loans, partially offset by favorable mix shifts within our portfolio.

The Company maintains a credit management program which includes internal and external loan review along with recurring portfolio monitoring activities to address the changing environment. Management believes the financial strength of the Bank’s clientele and the diversity of the portfolio continues to mitigate the credit risk within the portfolio.

Non-Interest Income

The year ended December 31, 2025 compared with the year ended December 31, 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, Non-interest income decreased $1.1 million, or 4.0%, to $26.6 million. The decrease in non-interest income was primarily driven by decreases in Risk management and insurance fees, Trust and investment management fees, and Bank fees, partially offset by an increase in Net gain on loans accounted for under the fair value option.

The following table presents the significant categories of our Non-interest income during the periods presented:

(dollars in thousands)

*Trust and investment management fees—*The decrease in Trust and investment management fees of $0.7 million, or 3.9%, was primarily attributable to lower investment agency and managed trust fees.

*Net gain on mortgage loans—*The decrease in Net gain on mortgage loans of $0.5 million, or 9.5%, was primarily attributable to lower margins due to a highly competitive mortgage market.

*Net gain (loss) on loans held for sale—*During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Net gain on loans held for sale of $0.2 million was due to a reversal of a write-down on a non-accrual loan recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024. This loan was previously classified as held for sale; however, during the first quarter of 2025, it was transferred to held for investment and charged off through the ACL.

Bank Fees— The decrease in Bank fees of $0.7 million, or 33.9%, was primarily driven by a large loan prepayment penalty fee collected in 2024.

*Risk management and insurance fees—*The decrease in Risk management and insurance fees of $1.1 million, or 66.9%, was primarily driven by a decrease in new insurance client agreements.

*Net gain (loss) on loans accounted for under the fair value option—*The increase in Net gain on loans accounted for under the fair value option of $1.0 million, or 100.6%, was primarily attributable to lower charge-offs and overall improved performance of the portfolio.

*Net gain on other real estate owned—*In 2025, we sold two OREO properties for a net gain of $0.5 million.

Non-Interest Expense

The year ended December 31, 2025 compared with the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase in Non-interest expense of 1.7% to $79.8 million was driven by increases in Salaries and employee benefits and Data processing, partially offset by a decrease in Professional services.

The following presents the significant categories of our Non-interest expense for the periods presented:

(dollars in thousands)

*Salaries and employee benefits—*The increase in Salaries and employee benefits of $1.1 million, or 2.4%, was primarily driven by salary increases.

*Professional services—*The decrease in Professional services of $0.3 million, or 3.3%, was primarily driven by decreases in FDIC insurance fees and audit fees, partially offset by an increase in recruiting expenses.

*Data processing—*The increase in Data processing of $0.6 million, or 14.6%, was primarily driven by upgrades to our digital banking platform.

Income Tax

The Company recorded an income tax provision of $3.9 million and $3.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, reflecting an effective tax rate of 22.8% and 26.8%, respectively.

Segment Reporting

We have two reportable operating segments: Wealth Management and Mortgage. Our Wealth Management segment consists of operations relating to the Company’s fully integrated wealth management products and services. Services provided include deposit, loan, insurance, and trust and investment management advisory products and services for which fee revenue is recognized. Parent company activity primarily consists of subordinated debt interest expense and is included within Wealth Management as management evaluates and makes business decisions for Wealth Management, including the parent company, collectively as one segment.

Our Mortgage segment consists of operations relating to the Company’s residential mortgage service offerings. Services provided by our mortgage segment include soliciting, originating, and selling mortgage loans into the secondary market. Mortgage products are financial in nature for which origination fees are recognized net of origination expenses, upon the funding of the mortgage loans. Mortgage loans held for sale are accounted for under the fair value option with changes in fair value reported through earnings at inception when loans are locked to the borrower and until the loan is sold to third parties, at which time additional gains or losses on the sale are recorded. Mortgage loans originated and held for investment purposes are recorded in the Wealth Management segment, as this segment provides ongoing services to our clients.

The following presents key metrics related to our segments during the periods presented:

(dollars in thousands)

61

(dollars in thousands)

(1) Net interest income after provision for credit losses plus non-interest income.

The following presents selected financial metrics of each segment as of and for the periods presented:

Wealth Management

(dollars in thousands)

The Wealth Management segment reported Income before income taxes of $16.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $10.6 million for the same period in 2024. The majority of our assets and liabilities are on the Wealth Management segment balance sheet. The increase in Income before income taxes was primarily attributable to an increase in Net interest income, after provision for credit losses, partially offset by an increase in Non-interest expense. The increase in Net interest income, after provision for credit losses, was primarily driven by increases in net interest margin and average interest-earning assets, partially offset by an increase in Provision for credit losses. The increase in Non-interest expense was primarily driven by increases in Salaries and employee benefits and Data processing, partially offset by a decrease in Professional services.

Mortgage

(dollars in thousands)

The Mortgage segment reported Income before income tax of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $1.0 million for the same period in 2024. The decrease in Income before income taxes was primarily driven by a decrease in Net gain on mortgage loans. The decrease in Net gain on mortgage loans was primarily driven by lower margins due to a highly competitive mortgage market.

Financial Condition

The following table presents our condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of the dates noted:

(dollars in thousands)

Cash and cash equivalents decreased by $37.7 million, or 15.8%, to $200.3 million as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. The decrease was a result of the increase in Loans and debt securities, partially offset by an increase in Deposits.

Available-for-sale debt securities were $45.6 million as of December 31, 2025, compared to $0.0 as of December 31, 2024. The increase was due to the purchase of residential mortgage-backed securities issued by U.S. government agencies and sponsored enterprises.

Held-to-maturity debt securities increased by $19.2 million, or 25.4%, to $95.0 million as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily due to the purchase of residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities issued by U.S. government agencies and sponsored enterprises.

Loans, net of allowance increased by $221.7 million, or 9.2%, to $2.63 billion as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily driven by growth in the Non-owner occupied commercial real estate, 1-4 family residential, Cash, securities, and Other, and Owner occupied commercial real estate portfolios, partially offset by a decrease in the Construction and development portfolio.

Mortgage loans held for sale increased by $14.7 million, or 57.8%, to $40.2 million as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily due to the timing of loan originations and sales.

Other real estate owned, net decreased by $32.9 million, or 91.5%, as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. The decrease was due to the sale of two OREO properties and an OREO write-down.

Other assets increased by $5.2 million, or 5.9%, to $93.1 million as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily due to low-income housing tax credit and investment fund contributions and an increase in right-of-use lease assets due to the extension of three leases.

Deposits increased $232.4 million, or 9.2%, to $2.75 billion as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily driven by increases in money market deposit accounts, partially offset by decreases in time deposit accounts and Noninterest-bearing deposit accounts. Noninterest-bearing deposit accounts decreased $30.6 million, or 8.2%, to $345.0 million as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. Money market deposit accounts increased $400.0 million, or 26.4%, to $1.91 billion as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. Time deposit accounts decreased $118.9 million, or 25.2%, to $352.5 million as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. Interest checking accounts decreased $17.1 million, or 12.3%, to $122.3 million compared to December 31, 2024.

Borrowings decreased $2.0 million, or 1.8%, to $107.6 million as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. The decrease was primarily driven by $8.0 million of subordinated notes that were redeemed in 2025, partially offset by an increase in FHLB borrowings to support the interest-earning asset growth.

Other liabilities decreased $7.7 million, or 17.9%, to $35.2 million as of December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024. The decrease was primarily due to payments related to resolution of participated non-performing assets, partially offset by an increase in lease liabilities due to the extension of three leases.

Total shareholders’ equity increased $13.2 million, or 5.2%, to $265.6 million as of December 31, 2025. The increase was primarily due to Net income for the year.

Assets Under Management

(dollars in millions)

(*)Trust and investment management fees divided by period-end balance.

AUM decreased $43 million, or 0.6%, to $7.28 billion for the year ended December 31, 2025. The decrease was primarily attributable to net withdrawals, partially offset by improved market conditions.

Debt securities

Debt securities we intend to hold for an indefinite period of time, but not necessarily to maturity, are classified as available-for-sale and are recorded at fair value using current market information from a third-party pricing service, with unrealized gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported in OCI, net of tax. The carrying values of our debt securities classified as available-for-sale are adjusted for unrealized gain or loss, and any gain or loss is reported on an after-tax basis as a component of OCI in shareholders’ equity. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, investments in debt securities classified as available-for-sale totaled $45.6 million and $0.0, respectively.

Debt securities for which we have the intent and ability to hold to their maturity are classified as Held-to-maturity debt securities and are recorded at amortized cost. Debt securities HTM are carried at cost, adjusted for the amortization of premiums and the accretion of discounts using the level-yield method over the remaining period until maturity. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, investments in debt securities classified as HTM totaled $95.0 million and $75.7 million, respectively.

The following provides information regarding contractual maturities and weighted average yield for our investment securities as of the dates presented. Contractual maturities may differ from expected maturities because issuers can have the right to call or prepay obligations without penalties. Our investments are taxable securities. The weighted average yield for each range of maturities was calculated using the yield on each security within that range weighted by the amortized cost of each security. Weighted average yields are not presented on a taxable equivalent basis.

(dollars in thousands)

67

(dollars in thousands)

(*)Represents percentages that are insignificant

Allowance for Credit Losses for Debt Securities

Management measures expected credit losses on debt securities on a collective basis by major security type. The majority of our held-to-maturity investment portfolio consists of debt securities issued by U.S. government entities and agencies and we consider the risk of credit loss to be zero and, therefore, we do not record an ACL. The Company's non-government backed debt securities include private label MBS as well as corporate bonds. The ACL on HTM debt securities was $0.1 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024. There was no ACL on AFS debt securities as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024.

Loan Portfolio

Our primary source of interest income is derived through interest earned on loans to high net worth individuals and their related commercial interests. Our senior lending and credit team consists of seasoned, experienced personnel, and we believe that our officers are well versed in the types of lending in which we are engaged. Underwriting policies and decisions are managed centrally and the approval process is tiered based on loan size, making the process consistent, efficient, and effective. The management team and credit culture demands prudent, practical, and conservative approaches to all credit requests in compliance with the credit policy guidelines to ensure strong credit underwriting practices.

In addition to originating loans for our own portfolio, we conduct mortgage banking activities in which we originate and sell servicing-released, whole loans in the secondary market. Our mortgage banking loan sales activities are primarily directed at originating single family mortgages that are priced and underwritten to conform to previously agreed-upon criteria before loan funding, and are delivered to the investor shortly after funding. The level of future loan originations, loan sales and loan repayments depends on overall credit availability, the interest rate environment, the strength of the general economy, local real estate markets and the housing industry, and conditions in the secondary loan sale market. The amount of gain or loss on the sale of loans is primarily driven by market conditions and changes in interest rates, as well as our pricing and asset liability management strategies. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had Mortgage loans held for sale of $40.2 million and $25.5 million, respectively, in residential mortgage loans we originated.

As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had Loans held for sale of $0.0 million and $0.3 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2025, the Company has $3.2 million in loans accounted for under the fair value option with an unpaid principal balance of $3.2 million. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had $7.3 million in loans accounted for under the fair value option with an unpaid principal balance $7.5 million. See Note 16 – Fair Value in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The following presents our loan portfolio by type of loan as of the dates noted:

(dollars in thousands)

(1) Includes $3.2 million and $7.5 million of unpaid principal balance of Loans held for investment accounted for under the fair value option as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

(2) Includes $39.5 million and $25.2 million of unpaid principal balance of Mortgage loans held for sale as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

(3) Includes $0.0 and $0.6 million of principal balance of loans held for sale as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

• *Cash, securities, and other—*consists of consumer and commercial purpose loans that are primarily secured by securities managed and under custody with us, cash on deposit with us or life insurance policies. In addition, loans in this portfolio are collateralized with other sources of collateral. This segment of our portfolio is affected by a variety of local and national economic factors affecting borrowers’ employment prospects, income levels, and overall economic sentiment.
• *Consumer and other—*consists of unsecured consumer loans. This segment of our portfolio is affected by a variety of local and national economic factors affecting borrowers’ employment prospects, income levels, and overall economic sentiment. Loans held for investment accounted for under the fair value option are primarily consumer and other loans and are presented separately within the above table.
• *Construction and development—*consists of loans to finance the construction of residential and non-residential properties. These loans are dependent on the strength of the industries of the related borrowers and the risks consistent with construction projects.
• *1-4 family residential—*consists of loans and home equity lines of credit secured by 1-4 family residential properties. These loans typically enable borrowers to purchase or refinance existing homes, most of which serve as the primary residence of the owner. In addition, some borrowers secure a commercial purpose loan with owner occupied or non-owner occupied 1-4 family residential properties. Loans in this segment are dependent on the industries tied to these loans as well as the national and local economies, and local residential and commercial real estate markets.
• *Commercial real estate, owner occupied and non-owner occupied—*consists of commercial loans collateralized by real estate. These loans may be collateralized by owner occupied or non-owner occupied real estate, as well as multi-family residential real estate. These loans are dependent on the strength of the industries of the related borrowers and the success of their businesses.
• *Commercial and Industrial—*consists of commercial and industrial loans, including working capital lines of credit, permanent working capital term loans, business asset loans, acquisition, expansion and development loans, and other loan products, primarily in our target markets. This portfolio primarily consists of term loans and lines of credit which are dependent on the strength of the industries of the related borrowers and the success of their businesses.

One of the larger categories of the Company’s loan portfolio is Commercial Real Estate (CRE). The following provides balances by asset type of the Company’s CRE portfolio:

(dollars in thousands)

The following table summarizes the Company’s CRE portfolio by geographic location as of the dates indicated:

(dollars in thousands)

The CRE portfolio is comprised of loans made to purchase and finance commercial real estate properties. On average, the balances are small and geographically disbursed across our footprint. Specifically, our CRE portfolio has an average loan balance of $3.10 million and $2.47 million with a weighted average loan-to-value ratio (LTV) of 54.3% and 52.9% as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Due to the recent trends in the banking industry, there has been increased risk associated with commercial real estate loans, including with respect to the higher vulnerability of these credits to pressure as interest rates remain elevated and market conditions in many large metropolitan areas continue to show signs of stress. The Company has limited exposure to the office building sector in central business districts as the office portfolio is generally diversified in suburban markets with strong occupancy levels. The Company maintains a practice of regular and ongoing loan reviews, stress tests, and sensitivity analyses to assess the level of risk in the loan portfolio. Loan reviews include monitoring past due rates, non-performing trends, concentrations, LTVs, among other qualitative factors. The Company believes its credit policies are robust and are updated as needed to meet the strategic and risk mitigation goals of the company.

The contractual maturity ranges of loans in our loan portfolio and the amount of such loans with fixed and floating interest rates in each maturity range, at amortized cost as of the dates noted, are summarized in the following:

(dollars in thousands)

(dollars in thousands)

(1) Loans accounted for under the fair value option are disclosed at fair value rather than amortized cost

Non-Performing Assets

Non-performing assets include non-accrual loans and OREO. The accrual of interest on loans is discontinued at the time the loan becomes 90 or more days delinquent unless the loan is well secured and in the process of collection or renewal due to maturity. Past due status is based on the contractual terms of the loan. In all cases, loans are placed on non-accrual status or charged off if collection of interest or principal is considered doubtful.

OREO represents assets acquired through, or in lieu of, foreclosure. The amounts reported as OREO are supported by recent appraisals, with the appraised values adjusted, where applicable, for expected transaction fees likely to be incurred upon sale of the property. We incur recurring expenses relating to OREO in the form of maintenance, taxes, insurance, and legal fees, among others, until the OREO property is disposed. During 2025, the Company sold two OREO properties resulting in a net gain on sale of $0.5 million. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company recorded provisions for OREO of $1.3 million and $1.1 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, OREO properties had carrying amounts of $3.0 million and $35.9 million, respectively.

The Company reversed $0.1 million and $0.7 million of interest income on non-accrual loans during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The amount of interest income that would have been recognized on loans accounted for on a non-accrual basis pursuant to contractual terms was $2.4 million and $6.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

We had amortized cost of $19.6 million and $48.7 million in non-performing assets as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The decrease in non-performing assets was primarily driven by the sale of two OREO properties, a write-down of OREO, pay downs, and a charge-off, partially offset by additions to non-accrual loans.

The following presents the amortized cost basis of non-performing loans as of the dates indicated:

(dollars in thousands)

(1) Held at the lower of cost or market as described in Note 16.

(2) Excludes mortgage loans held for sale of $40.2 million and $25.5 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Excludes $3.2 million and $7.3 million of loans held for investment accounted for under fair value option as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Credit Quality Indicators

The following presents the amortized cost basis of loans by credit quality indicator (see Note 4 – Loans and Allowance for Credit Losses for credit quality indicator descriptions), by class of financing receivable, as of the dates noted:

72

(1) Includes $3.2 million and $7.3 million of loans held for investment accounted for under the fair value option as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, non-accrual loans of $16.6 million and $12.8 million, respectively, were included in the substandard category in the table above.

Allowance for Credit Losses on Loans

The ACL for loans represents Management’s best estimate of CECL on loans considering available information, from internal and external sources, relevant to assessing collectability over the loans’ contractual terms, adjusted for expected prepayments when appropriate. Our quantitative discounted cash flow models use twelve-month economic forecasts including; HPI, GDP, and national unemployment. The ACL increased $3.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2025. The ACL on pooled loans was $18.0 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024. The ACL on pooled loans remained stable as of the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to December 31, 2024 primarily due to favorable mix shifts within our portfolio, offset by loan growth. The ACL on individually analyzed loans was $3.4 million and $0.3 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The $3.1 million provision on individually analyzed loans for the year ended December 31, 2025 was primarily due to the addition of individually analyzed loans with collateral shortfalls. The remaining $1.9 million of provision on loans for the year ended December 31, 2025 was related to net charge-offs.

The following presents summary information regarding our ACL for the periods presented:

(dollars in thousands)

(1) Average balances are average daily balances.

(2) Excludes average outstanding balances of mortgage loans held for sale of $25.0 million and $18.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Excludes average outstanding balances of loans held for investment under the fair value option of $5.3 million and $10.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

(3) Excludes Mortgage loans held for sale of $40.2 million and $25.5 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Excludes $3.2 million and $7.3 million of loans held for investment accounted for under the fair value option as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

The following presents the allocation of the ACL among loan categories and other summary information. The allocation for credit losses by category should neither be interpreted as an indication of future charge-offs, nor as an indication that charge-offs in future periods will necessarily occur in these amounts or in the indicated proportions. The allocation of a portion of the allowance for credit losses to one category of loans does not preclude its availability to absorb losses in other categories.

(dollars in thousands)

(1) Represents the percentage of loans to total loans in the respective category.

Allowance for credit losses - off-balance sheet credit exposure

In the normal course of business, there may be various outstanding commitments to obtain funding and to extend credit, such as letters of credit and unfunded loan commitments, which are not reflected in the accompanying Condensed

Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company assessed the off balance sheet credit exposures as of December 31, 2025 and determined an ACL of $0.7 million was adequate to absorb the estimated credit losses. For additional information regarding the Company’s ACL on off-balance sheet credit exposures, see Note 10 – Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Deferred Tax Assets, Net

Deferred tax assets, net of our valuation allowance, represent the differences in timing of when items are recognized for GAAP purposes and when they are recognized for tax purposes, as well as our net operating losses. Our deferred tax assets, net, are valued based on the amounts that are expected to be recovered in the future utilizing the tax rates in effect at the time recognized. Deferred tax assets, net as of December 31, 2025 were $4.0 million an increase of $0.9 million, or 30.0%, from December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily due to changes in temporary differences, most notably the increase in Allowance for credit losses as of and during the year ended December 31, 2025.

Deposits

Our deposit products include money market accounts, demand deposit accounts, time-deposit accounts (typically certificates of deposit), interest checking accounts, and saving accounts. Our accounts are federally insured by the FDIC up to the legal maximum amount.

Total deposits increased by $232.4 million, or 9.2%, to $2.75 billion as of December 31, 2025 from December 31, 2024. Total average deposits for the year ended December 31, 2025 were $2.59 billion, an increase of $151.9 million, or 6.2%, compared to $2.44 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase in average deposits for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the same period in 2024, was driven primarily by increases in money market deposit accounts, partially offset by decreases in time deposit accounts and Noninterest-bearing deposit accounts.

The following presents the average balances and average rates paid on deposits during the periods presented:

(dollars in thousands)

Average Noninterest-bearing deposits to average total deposits was 13.6% and 17.0% for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Average cost of deposits was 3.06% and 3.38% during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The decrease in cost of deposits was primarily attributable to reducing deposit rates commensurate with the short-term rate decreases.

Money market deposit accounts as of December 31, 2025 were $1.91 billion, an increase of $400.0 million, or 26.4%, compared to $1.51 billion as of December 31, 2024. Interest checking accounts decreased $17.1 million, or 12.3%, to $122.3 million compared to December 31, 2024.

Time deposits as of December 31, 2025 were $352.5 million, a decrease of $118.9 million, or 25.2%, compared to December 31, 2024.

The following table presents the amount of certificates of deposit by time remaining until maturity as of December 31, 2025:

(dollars in thousands)

Borrowings

We have short-term and long-term borrowing sources available to supplement deposits and meet our liquidity needs. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, borrowings totaled $107.6 million and $109.6 million, respectively.

The decrease in borrowings as of December 31, 2025, compared to December 31, 2024, was primarily driven by $8.0 million of subordinated notes that were redeemed in 2025, partially offset by an increase in FHLB borrowings to support the interest-earning asset growth. Additionally, borrowings from the Paycheck Protection Program Loan Facility (PPPLF) from the Federal Reserve decreased from $2.0 million as of December 31, 2024 to $0.5 million as of December 31, 2025 due to the pay down of PPP loans. Borrowing from the PPPLF facility is expected to trend in the same direction as the PPP loan balances.

The following presents balances of each of the borrowing facilities as of the dates noted:

(dollars in thousands)

FHLB

The following presents additional information on our FHLB borrowings:

(dollars in thousands)

Our borrowing facilities include various financial and other covenants, including, but not limited to, a requirement that the Bank maintains regulatory capital that is deemed "well capitalized" by federal banking agencies. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company was in compliance with the covenant requirements.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity resources primarily include Interest-bearing and Noninterest-bearing deposits which contribute to our ability to raise funds to support asset growth, acquisitions, and meet deposit withdrawals and other payment obligations. Access to purchased funds include the ability to borrow from FHLB, other correspondent banks, and the use of brokered deposits.

The following presents the composition of our funding sources and the average assets in which those funds are invested as a percentage of average total assets for the periods presented:

Our primary source of funds is interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing deposits, and our primary use of funds is loans. We do not expect a change in the primary source or use of our funds in the foreseeable future.

Capital Resources

We are subject to various regulatory capital adequacy requirements at a consolidated level and the Bank level. These requirements are administered by federal banking agencies. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory and possibly additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on our consolidated financial statements. Under capital adequacy guidelines and, additionally for banks, the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, we must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of our assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices.

Capital levels are viewed as important indicators of an institution’s financial soundness by banking regulators. Generally, FDIC-insured depository institutions and their holding companies are required to maintain minimum capital relative to the amount and types of assets they hold. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, our holding company and Bank were in compliance with all applicable regulatory capital requirements, and the Bank was classified as "well capitalized," for purposes of the prompt corrective action regulations. See Note 22 – Regulatory Capital Matters for capital amounts and ratios. As we continue to grow our operations and maintain capital requirements, our regulatory capital levels may decrease depending on our level of earnings. We continue to monitor growth and control our capital activities in order to remain in compliance with all applicable regulatory capital standards.

Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We enter into credit-related financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of our clients. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit. Such commitments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit and interest rate risk in excess of the amount recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Commitments may expire without being utilized. Our exposure to credit loss is represented by the contractual amount of these commitments, although material losses are not anticipated. We follow the same credit policies in making commitments as we do for on-balance sheet instruments.

The following presents future contractual obligations to make future payments for the periods presented:

(dollars in thousands)

(1) Reflects contractual maturity date of December 1, 2030, although the Company can call the note prior to contractual maturity.

(2) Reflects contractual maturity dates of September 1, 2031 and December 15, 2032, although the Company can call the notes prior to contractual maturity.

We may enter into contracts for services in the conduct of ordinary business operations, which may require payment for services to be provided in the future and may contain penalty clauses for early termination of the contracts. We do not believe these off-balance sheet arrangements have or are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, or capital resources. However, there can be no assurance that such arrangements will not have an effect on future operations.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income, and expenses. We base estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under current circumstances, results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of certain assets and liabilities that are not readily available from other sources. Estimates are evaluated on an ongoing basis. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

We have identified our Allowance for credit losses (ACL), the evaluation of goodwill impairment, and the fair value of certain financial instruments as being critical because our policies require management to use significant judgment and use subjective and complex measurements about matters that are inherently uncertain and because of the likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions.

Our accounting policies and procedures, including those identified as being critical, are described in further detail in Note 1 – Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

ACL: Our ACL policies govern the processes and procedures used to estimate the potential for credit losses in our loan receivables and held-to-maturity debt securities. It also applies to off-balance sheet credit exposures not accounted for as insurance (loan commitments, standby letters of credit, financial guarantees, and other similar instruments).

The ACL is a valuation account that is deducted from the loans’ amortized cost basis to present the net amount expected to be collected on the loans. We perform periodic and systematic detailed reviews of our loan portfolio to assess overall collectability. The level of the ACL on loans reflects our estimate of the losses expected in the loan portfolio over the assets’ contractual term. As of December 31, 2025, the ACL had an ending balance of $21.4 million compared to the prior year ending balance of $18.3 million.

The ACL is an estimate that is subject to uncertainty due to the various assumptions and judgments used in the estimation process. The estimate is based on our quantitative discounted cash flow models using economic forecasts including; HPI, GDP, and national unemployment. Potential changes in any one economic variable may or may not affect the overall allowance because a variety of economic variables and inputs are considered in estimating the allowance, and changes in those variables and inputs may not occur at the same rate, may not be consistent across product types and may have offsetting impacts to other changing variables and inputs.

Changes in management’s assessment of the assumptions and key inputs used to determine the ACL could lead to changes in the ACL through increased or decreased provisions for credit losses. If actual losses and conditions differ materially from the assumptions used to determine the ACL, our actual credit losses could differ materially from our ACL estimate. A sensitivity analysis of our ACL was performed as of September 30, 2025 to estimate credit losses by increasing and decreasing model inputs such as economic forecasts including HPI, GDP, and national unemployment, the forecast period, the forecast reversion period, and prepayment rates, among others. Incorporating key model input changes in our calculation of the ACL resulted in both increases and decreases to the ACL. Management reviews the sensitivity analysis results to understand the impact that changes to model inputs and assumptions have on the model output. While management believes that it has established adequate allowances for lifetime credit losses on loans, actual results may prove different, and the differences could be material.

Additionally, our ACL model adjusts for qualitative factors in addition to historical information and our economic forecast. Management considered factors that are likely to cause estimated credit losses and differ from historical loss experience. The factors management reviews include acquired loan underwriting, residential mortgage debt-to-income, macroeconomic factors, concentration of our loan portfolio, negative probability of default, classified loan trends, non-core loans, loan to value ratios, and CRE exposure.

See Note 4 – Loans and the Allowance For Credit Losses for further details of the factors considered by us in estimating the necessary level of the ACL for loans.

Goodwill: Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the fair value of net identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired in business combinations. We have acquired other identifiable intangible assets, primarily consisting of customer relationships, non-competition agreements, and recorded goodwill through its acquisition of financial services companies.

We are required to assess our goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if deemed necessary. We have selected October 31 as the date to perform our annual impairment test. The test is performed at the reporting unit level. Impairment exists when the carrying amount of the goodwill exceeds estimated fair values. The estimate is considered to have a low level of uncertainty unless a triggering event occurs. Events that may trigger goodwill impairment include deterioration in economic conditions, increased competitive environment, negative trends in overall financial performance, legal or regulatory proceedings, loss of key personnel, and change in strategy or sustained decreases in share value.

We performed a qualitative goodwill assessment as of October 31, 2025. The qualitative assessment was performed to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Wealth Management reporting unit is less than its carrying value, including goodwill. In performing the assessment, the Company considered several factors, including macroeconomic conditions, actual operating results, forecasts, economic projections, and market data. Based on the results of the qualitative assessment, we believe that the fair value of our Wealth Management reporting unit continues to exceed the carrying value, including goodwill, as of the most recent assessment date.

Significant negative industry or economic trends, including declines in the market price of our stock, reduced estimates of future cash flows or business disruptions, could result in impairments to goodwill in the future, which would result in recording an impairment loss. Any resulting impairment loss could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operation. Management will continue evaluating the economic conditions at future reporting periods for triggering events.

Goodwill totaled $30.4 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, there has not been any impairment of goodwill identified or recorded. See Note 6 – Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets for further information on Goodwill.

Fair Value Measurements: Fair value measurement estimates are used for certain recorded and disclosed financial instruments on a recurring and non-recurring basis. Such estimates utilize a variety of assumptions, which are subject to uncertainty. Certain fair value measurements have a higher degree of sensitivity of the reported amount to the methods, assumptions, and estimates underlying the calculation.

See Note 16 – Fair Value for further information on fair value measurements and the estimated changes during the reporting periods.

Interest Rate Sensitivity and Market Risk

Market risk is the risk of loss in a financial instrument arising from adverse changes in market prices and rates, foreign currency exchange rates, commodity prices, and equity prices. Our market risk arises primarily from interest rate risk inherent in lending, investing, and deposit taking activities. To that end, management actively monitors and manages interest rate risk exposure. We do not have any market risk sensitive instruments entered into for trading purposes.

Management uses various asset/liability strategies to manage the re-pricing characteristics of our assets and liabilities designed to ensure that exposure to interest rate fluctuations is limited within established guidelines of acceptable levels of risk-taking.

The Board of Directors monitors interest rate risk by analyzing the potential impact on the net economic value of equity and net interest income from potential changes in interest rates, and considers the impact of alternative strategies or changes in balance sheet structure. We manage our balance sheet, in part, to maintain the potential impact on economic value of equity and net interest income within acceptable ranges despite changes in interest rates.

Our exposure to interest rate risk is reviewed at least quarterly by the Board of Directors. Interest rate risk exposure is measured using interest rate sensitivity analysis to determine the change in economic value of equity in the event of hypothetical changes in interest rates. If potential changes to net economic value of equity and net interest income resulting from hypothetical interest rate changes are not within the limits established by our Board of Directors, the Board of Directors may direct management to adjust the asset and liability mix to bring interest rate risk within Board of Director-approved limits.

The following presents the sensitivity in net interest income and fair value of equity as of the dates indicated, using a static balance sheet and parallel shock scenario:

The model simulations as of December 31, 2025 imply that our balance sheet maintains a similar interest rate risk profile compared to our balance sheet as of December 31, 2024.

Although the simulation model is useful in identifying potential exposure to interest rate changes, actual results for net interest income and economic value of equity may differ. There are a variety of factors that can impact the outcomes such as timing and magnitude of interest rate changes, asset and liability mix, pre-payment speeds, deposit beta assumptions, and decay rates that differ from our projections. Additionally, the results do not account for actions implemented to manage our interest rate risk exposure.

Impact of Inflation

Our consolidated financial statements and related notes included within this Form 10-K have been prepared in accordance with GAAP, which requires the measurement of financial position and operating results in terms of historical dollars, without considering changes in the relative value of money over time due to inflation or recession.

Our assets and liabilities are substantially monetary in nature. Therefore, changes in interest rates can significantly impact our performance beyond the general effects of inflation. Interest rates do not necessarily move in the same direction or magnitude as prices of general goods and services, while other operating expenses can be correlated with the impact of general levels of inflation.

Evaluation of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Report on Management’s Assessment of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act of 1934). The Company’s internal control system is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance GAAP. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

As of December 31, 2025, management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting established in "Internal Control-Integrated Framework," issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) of the Treadway Commission in 2013. Based on the assessment, management determined that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025.

Crowe LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, has audited the consolidated financial statements of the Company and issued an audit report on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025. This report entitled “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” appears in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company’s management, including our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, have evaluated the effectiveness of our "disclosure controls and procedures" (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act of 1934), as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on such evaluation, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of First Western Financial Inc. and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer have concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by the Annual Report on Form 10-K, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of First Western Financial Inc. and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act of 1934) during the year ended December 31, 2025, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The design of any system of controls and procedures is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events. There can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions, regardless of how remote.