Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. 10-K

Item 1. Business Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act. These statements are often, but not always, made with the words or phrases such as “may,” “should,” “believe,” “likely result in,” “expect,” “would,” “intend,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “plan,” “projection,” and “outlook” or the negative version of those words or other similar words of a forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. Accordingly, we caution you that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those disclosed under “Risk Factors” in Part I Item 1A as well as the following factors: • Disruptions to economic conditions, the financial and labor markets and workplace operating environments; • Local, regional and national business or economic conditions may differ from those expected; • Credit risk and resulting losses in our loan portfolio; • Our Allowance for Credit Losses-Loans (“ACL-Loans”) may not be adequate to absorb loan losses; • Changes in real estate values could also increase our credit risk; • Changes in our executive management team; • Our ability to successfully execute our strategic initiatives; • Volatility and direction of market interest rates; • Increased competition within our market which may limit our growth and profitability; • Economic, market, operational, liquidity, credit and interest rate risks associated with our business; • The effects of and changes in trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including the Federal Reserve Board’s interest rate policies; • Changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by regulatory agencies, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board or the Financial Accounting Standards Board; • Changes in law and regulatory requirements (including those concerning taxes, banking, securities and insurance); and • Further government intervention in the U.S. financial system. The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive. If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from what we anticipate. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. 1 General Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (the "Parent Corporation") is a bank holding company, headquartered in New Canaan, Connecticut and offers a broad range of financial services through its banking subsidiary, Bankwell Bank (the "Bank" and, collectively with the Parent Corporation and the Parent Corporation's subsidiaries, "we", "our", "us", or the "Company"), a Connecticut state chartered non-member bank founded in 2002. The Bank provides a wide range of services to clients in our market, an area encompassing approximately a 100 mile radius around our branch network. In addition, the Bank pursues certain types of commercial lending opportunities outside our market, particularly where we have strong relationships. The Bank operates nine branches in New Canaan, Stamford, Fairfield, Westport, Darien, Norwalk, and Hamden, Connecticut. As of December 31, 2023, on a consolidated basis, we had total assets of approximately $3.2 billion, net loans of approximately $2.7 billion, total deposits of approximately $2.7 billion, and shareholders’ equity of approximately $265.8 million. We are focused on being the banking provider of choice and to serve as an alternative to our larger competitors. We have a history of building long-term client relationships and attracting new clients through what we believe is our superior service and our ability to deliver a diverse product offering. In addition, we believe that our strong capital position and extensive inside ownership, coupled with a highly respected and experienced executive management team and board of directors, give us credibility with our clients and potential clients. We believe our focus on building a franchise with meaningful market share and consistent revenue growth complemented by operational and technological efficiencies will produce attractive risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders. Our History and Growth The Bank is a Connecticut state chartered commercial bank, founded in 2002, whose deposits are insured under the Deposit Insurance Fund administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). On November 5, 2013, we acquired The Wilton Bank, which was merged into Bankwell Bank. On October 1, 2014, we acquired Quinnipiac Bank and Trust Company, which was merged into Bankwell Bank. With the efforts of our executive management team, we continued our growth and maintained a strong track record of performance. From December 31, 2019 through December 31, 2023, our total assets grew from $1.9 billion to $3.2 billion; our gross loans outstanding grew from $1.6 billion to $2.7 billion and our deposits grew from $1.5 billion to $2.7 billion. We believe this growth is attributable to our ability to provide exceptional service to our clients and our financial stability. Business Strategy We are focused on being the banking provider of choice in our highly attractive market area through: • Responsive, Client-Centric Products and Services and a Community Focus. We offer a broad array of customized products and services which allows us to focus on building long-term relationships with our clients through high-quality, responsive and personal service. By focusing on the entire client relationship, we build the trust of our clients, which leads to long-term relationships and generates our organic growth. In addition, we are committed to meeting the needs of the communities that we serve. Our employees are involved in many civic and community organizations, which we support through volunteerism and sponsorships. As a result, clients and potential clients within our market know about us and frequently interact with our employees which allows us to develop long-term client relationships without extensive advertising. • Utilization of Efficient and Scalable Infrastructure. We employ a systematic and calculated approach to increasing our profitability and improving our efficiencies through the use of technology. We continually invest in our operating infrastructure, particularly in the areas of technology, data processing, risk management, and compliance. We believe that our scalable infrastructure provides us with an efficient operating platform from which to grow in the near term, while continuing to deliver our high-quality service, which will further enhance our ability to grow and increase our returns. • Disciplined Focus on Risk Management. Effective risk management is a key component of our corporate culture. We use robust risk management processes to monitor our existing loan and investment securities portfolios, support operational decision-making and improve our ability to generate earning assets with strong credit quality. To maintain our strong credit quality, we use a comprehensive underwriting process and we seek to maintain a diversified loan portfolio and a conservative investment securities portfolio. Board-approved policies contain approval authorities, as appropriate, and are reviewed at least annually. Additio nal risk management processes focus on the expanding risks associated with cybersecurity, regulatory compliance including BSA/AML and third party risk manageme nt. We have a Risk Management Steering Committee comprised of senior management and other members of management tasked with the review and assessment of risks and mitigants throughout the Bank on an ongoing basis. Additionally, internal review procedures are performed regarding anti-money laundering and consumer compliance requirements. 2 • Strategic Acquisitions. To complement our organic growth, we focus on strategic acquisitions in or around our existing market that further our objectives. We believe there are banking institutions that continue to face credit challenges, capital constraints and liquidity issues. Some lack the scale and management expertise to manage the increasing regulatory burden and will likely need to partner with an institution like ours. As we evaluate potential acquisitions, we will continue to seek those that provide meaningful financial benefits, long-term organic growth opportunities and expense reductions, without compromising our risk profile. Our Competitive Strengths We believe that we are especially well-positioned to create value for our shareholders as a result of the following competitive strengths: • Our Market. The Bank provides a wide range of services to client s in our market, an area encompassing approximately a 100 mile radius around our branch network. In addition, the Bank pursues certain types of commercial lending opportunities outside our market, particularly where we have strong business relationships. Our goal is to support our clients as they grow, and with advances in technology, we are able to service and maintain business relationships beyond our market. • Experienced and Respected Executive Management Team with a Proven and Successful Track Record. Our executive management team is comprised of seasoned professionals with significant banking experience, a history of high performance at financial institutio ns and success in identifying, acquiring and integrating financial institutions. Our executive management team includes Christopher R. Gruseke, President and Chief Executive Officer (since 2015), Steven H. Brunner, Executive Vice President, Chief Risk and Operations Officer (since January 24, 2024), Christine A. Chivily, Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer (since 2013), Ryan Hildebrand, Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer (since July 26, 2023), Matthew McNeill, Executive Vice President, Chief Banking Officer (since 2020), and Courtney E. Sacchetti, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (since January 1, 2023). • Dedicated Board of Directors with Close Community Ties. Our Board of Directors is comprised of a group of business leaders who understand the need for banks that focus on serving the financial needs of their client s. The interests of our executive management team and directors are aligned with those of our shareholders through common stock ownership. By capitalizing on the business relationships and c lose community ties of our executive management team and directors, we are positioned to take advantage of opportunities present in our market. • Strong Capit al Position. At December 31, 2023, we had a 7.26% tangible common equity ratio, and the Bank had a 9.81% tier 1 leverage ratio, a 11.30% tier 1 risk-based ratio, and an 12.32% total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio. We believe that our ability to attract and generate capital has facilitated our growth and is an integral component to the execution of our business plan. • Scalable Operating Platform. We provide banking technology, including online account opening, mobile and internet banking, and remote deposit capture to offer our clients maximum flexibility and to create a scalable platform to accommodate our future grow th aspirations. We believe that our advanced technology combined with responsive and personal service provides our clients with an exceptional banking experience. Human Capital Resources At December 31, 2023, we employ ed a total of 126 full-time equivalent employees. It is through our team, and their ties to the communities, that we are able to dutifully suppo rt the communities we serve. Working within, and giving back to, our local partners is the hallmark of who we are, and we believe that the strength and commitment of our workforce to our communities is what sets us apart from other banks. We have long been committed to comprehensive and competitive compensation and benefits programs as we recognize that we operate in intensely competitive environments for talent. We invest in our employees’ future by sponsoring and prioritizing continued education throughout the Company’s employee ranks. All of our emplo yees are able to participate in regular educational seminars run by outside parties, including but not limited to regulatory agencies and the American Bankers Association. The Bank also participates in the American Bankers Association, Stonier School of Banking. In order to develop a workforce that aligns with our corpo rate values, we regularly sponsor local community events so that our employees can better integrate themselves in our communities. We believe that our employees’ well-being and professional development is fostered by our outreach to the communities we serve. Our employees’ desire for active community involvement enables us to sponsor numerous local community events and initiatives. The Company is committed to the overall well-being of our team members, offering competitive health and welfare benefits. 3 Company Website and Availability of Securities and Exchange Commission Filings Information regarding the Company is available through the Investor Relations link at www.mybankwell.com. The Company’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge at www.sec.gov and at www.mybankwell.com under the Investor Relations link. Information on the website is not incorporated by reference and is not a part of this annual report on Form 10-K. Competition The financial services industry is highly competitive. We compete with commercial banks, savings banks, savings associations, money market funds, mortgage brokers, finance companies, credit unions, insurance companies, investment firms and private lenders in various segments of our business. Many of these competitors have more assets, capital and higher lending limits, and more resources than we do and may be able to conduct more intensive and broader-based promotional efforts to reach both commercial and individual clients. Competition for deposit products can depend heavily on pricing because of the ease with which clients can transfer deposits from one institution to another. We focus our marketing efforts on small to medium-sized businesses and professionals. We attract these clients based on relationships and contacts that our management and our Board of Directors have within and beyond the market area. We do not e xpect to compete with large institutions for the primary banking relationships of large corporations. Many of our larger commercial bank competitors have greater name recognition and offer certain services that we do not; however, we believe that our presence in our market area and focused industry sectors with attention to providing superior service is instrumental to our success. We emphasize personalized banking services and the advantage of local decision-making in our banking businesses, and this emphasis has been well received by the public in our market area. Lending Activities General. Our primary lending focus is to serve commercial and middle-market businesses and not-for-profit organizations with a variety of financial products and services, while maintaining strong and disciplined credit policies and procedures. We offer a wide array of commercial lending products to serve the needs of our clients. Commercial lending products include owner-occupied commercial real estate loans, commercial real estate investment loans, commercial loans (such as business term loans, equipment finan cing and lines of credit) to small and medium-sized businesses and real estate construction and development loans. We focus our lending activities on loans that we originate to borrowers located in our market or with whom the Bank’s senior management has long-standing relationships. We have established an internal lending guideline to one relationship of up to 30% of equity capital and allowance for credit losses, if secured by commercial real estate. A relationship in this instance is defined as loans made to different entities but with a shared borrower principal(s). For individual loans and loans dependent on the operation of a b usiness, limits are set so as not to exceed the statutory maximum of 15% of equity capital and allowance for credit losses. We market our lending products and services to qualified borrowers through conveniently located banking offices, relationship networks and high touch personal service. We target our business development and marketing strategy primarily on small to medium-sized businesses. Our relationship managers actively solicit the business of companies entering our market areas as well as long-standing businesses operating in the communities we serve. We seek to attract new lending clients through professional service, relationship networks, competitive pricing and innovative structure, including the utilization of federal and state tax incentives. We pride ourselves on smart, proficient underwriting and timely decision making for new loan requests due to our efficient approval structure and local decision-making. We believe this gives us a competitive advantage over larger institutions that are not as nimble. 4 Total loans before deferred loan fees and the ACL-Loans were $2.7 billion at December 31, 2023. The following tables summarize the composition of our loan portfolio for the dates indicated. At December 31, 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 (In thousands) Real estate loans: Residential $ 50,931 $ 60,588 $ 79,987 $ 113,557 $ 147,109 Commercial 1,947,648 1,921,252 1,356,709 1,148,383 1,128,614 Construction 183,414 155,198 98,341 87,007 98,583 2,181,993 2,137,038 1,535,037 1,348,947 1,374,306 Commercial business 500,569 520,447 350,975 276,601 230,028 Consumer 36,045 17,963 8,869 79 150 Total loans $ 2,718,607 $ 2,675,448 $ 1,894,881 $ 1,625,627 $ 1,604,484 At December 31, Percent of Loan Portfolio 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 Real estate loans: Residential 1.87 % 2.27 % 4.22 % 6.99 % 9.17 % Commercial 71.64 71.81 71.60 70.64 70.34 Construction 6.75 5.80 5.19 5.35 6.14 80.26 79.88 81.01 82.98 85.65 Commercial business 18.41 19.45 18.52 17.02 14.34 Consumer 1.33 0.67 0.47 — 0.01 Total loans 100.00 % 100.00 % 100.00 % 100.00 % 100.00 % Residential real estate loans. In the fourth quarter of 2017, management made the strategic decision to cease originating residential mortgage loans. In the third quarter of 2019, the Company stopped offering home equity loans or lines of credit. Prior to these decisions having been made, we offered first lien one-to-four family mortgage loans, as well as home equity lines of credit, in each case primarily on owner-occupied primary residences. Although our residential real estate loan portfolio presents lower levels of risk than our commercial real estate and construction loan portfolios, we are exposed to risk based on fluctuations in the value of the real estate collateral securing the loan, as well as changes in the borrower’s financial condition, which could be affected by numerous factors, including divorce, job loss, illness or other personal hardship. The rising rate environment may also pose a risk in our residential adjustable rate mortgages and home equity lines of credit portfolios as borrowers' rates reset at increased levels. Commercial real estate loans. We offer real estate loans for owner-occupied commercial properties as well as commercial property owned by real estate investors. Loans that are secured by owner-occupied commercial real estate primarily collateralized by operating cash flows are also included in this loan category throughout this document. Commercial real estate loan terms generally are limited to ten years or less, although payments may be structured on a longer amortization basis of twenty to thirty years. The interest rates on our commercial real estate loans may be fixed or adjustable, although rates typically are not fixed for a period exceeding five to ten years. We generally charge an origination fee for these loans. We often require personal guarantees from the principal owner of the business or real estate supported by a review of the principal owner's personal financial statements. Risks associated with commercial real estate loans include increases in interest rates, fluctuations in the value of real estate, the overall strength of the economy, new job creation trends, tenant vacancy rates, property use trends, business sector changes, environmental contamination, and the quality of the borrower’s management. We make efforts to limit our risk by analyzing the borrower's cash flow and collateral value as well as all of the sponsors’ investment activities. The real estate securing our existing commercial real estate loans includes a wide variety of property types, such as owner-occupied offices/warehouses/production facilities, healthcare facilities, office buildings, industrial, mixed-use residential/commercial, retail centers and multifamily properties. Our commercial real estate loan portfolio presents a higher risk than our residential real estate and consumer loan portfolios. 5 Construction loans. Our construction portfolio include s loans to small and medium-sized businesses to construct owner-used properties, loans to developers of commercial real estate investment properties and residential developments. Construction and development loans are generally made with a term of one to two years and interest is paid monthly. The ratio of the loan principal to the value of the collateral, as established by independent appraisal, will not exceed industry standards. Loan proceeds are disbursed based on the percentage of completion and only after the project has been inspected by an experienced construction lender or third-party inspector. Risks associated with construction loans include fluctuations in the value of real estate, project completion risk, leasing risk and change in market trends as well as interest rate risk in a volatile or rising risk environment. We are also exposed to risk based on the ability of the construction loan borrower to refinance the debt or sell the property upon completion of the project, which may be affected by changes in market trends including rates, since the time that we funded the construction loan. Commercial business loans. We offer a wide range of commercial loans, including business term loans, equipment financing and lines of credit. Our target commercial loan market is small to medium-sized businesses, including retail and professional establishments. The terms of these loans vary by purpose and by type of underlying collateral. The commercial loans primarily are underwritten on the basis of the borrower’s ability to service the loan from cash flow. We make loans secured by accounts receivable or inventory, principal typically is repaid as the assets securing the loan are converted into cash, and for loans secured with other types of collateral, principal is fully or partially amortized during the loan term with any balloon amount due at maturity. The quality of the commercial borrower’s management and its ability both to properly evaluate changes in the supply and demand characteristics affecting its markets for products and services and to effectively respond to such changes are significant factors in a commercial borrower’s creditworthiness. From time-to-time, we also make equipment loans with conservative margins, generally for a term of ten years or less, supported by the useful life of the equipment, at fixed or variable rates, with the loan fully amortizing over the term. Loans to support working capital typically have terms not exceeding two years and usually are secured by accounts receivable, inventory and/or personal guarantees of the principals of the business and at times by the commercial real estate of the borrower. Risks associated with our commercial loan portfolio include those related to the strength of the borrower’s business, which may be affected not only by local, regional and national market conditions, but also changes in the borrower’s management and other factors beyond the borrower’s control; those related to fluctuations in value of any collateral securing the loan; and those related to terms of the commercial loan, which may include balloon payments that must be refinanced or paid off at the end of the term of the loan or mid-term interest rate resets, possi bly at increased interest rates. Our commercial loan portfolio presents a higher risk than our consumer real estate and consumer loan portfolios. Consumer loans. As of December 31, 2023, our consumer loans represented 1.3% of our total loan portfolio. We do not expect our consumer loan portfolio to become a material component of our total loan portfolio as we do not engage in any material amount of consumer lending. Our cons umer loans, which are underwritten primarily based on the borrower’s financial condition and contain both secured and unsecured credits, subject us to risk based on changes in the borrower’s financial condition, which could be affected by numerous factors, including those discussed above. Rising interest rates may also impact the risk profile of this segment of the portfolio. This portfolio segment includes loans to finance insurance premiums secured by the cash surrender value of life insurance and marketable securities, overdraft lines of credit, and unsecured personal loans to high net worth individuals. Credit Policy an d Procedures General. We adhere to what we believe are disciplined underwriting standards, but also remain cognizant of the need to serve the credit needs of our clients by offering flexible loan solutions in a responsive and timely manner. We also seek to maintain a diversified loan portfolio across client, product and industry types. However, our lending policies do not provide for any loans that are highly speculative, subprime, or that have high loan-to-value ratios. These components, together with active credit management, are the foundation of our credit culture, which we believe is critical to enhancing the long-term value of our organization to our clients, employees, shareholders and communities. W e have a service-driven, relationship-based, business-focused credit culture, rather than a price-driven, transaction-based culture. Accordingly, substantially all of our loans are made to borrowers either located or operating in our market or with whom we have ongoing relationships across various product lines. Lo ans secured by properties located in out-of-market areas that we have made are generally to borrowers who are well-known to us. These borrowers typically have strong deposit relationships with the Bank as well. Credit concentrations. In connection with the management of our credit portfolio, we actively manage the composition of our loan portfolio, including credit concentrations. We monitor borrower and loan product concentrations continuously which are reviewed with senio r management and the Board on at least a quarterly basis. Loan product concentrations are reviewed annually in conjunction with the portfolio’s credit quality and the business plan for the coming year. All concentrations are monitored by our Chief Credit Officer and our Directors' Loan Committee. We have also established an internal lending guideline to one relationship of up to 30% of equity capital and allowance for credit losses, if secured by commercial real estate. This limit is inside the regulatory limit of 50%. A relationship in this 6 instance is defined as loans made to different entities but with a shared borrower principal(s). For individual loans and loans dependent on the operation of a business, limits are set so as not to exceed the statutory maximum of 15% of equity capital and allowance for credit losses. Our top 20 borrowing relationships range in exposure fro m $43.0 million to $92.0 million and are monitored on an on-going basis. Loan approval process. We seek an appropriate balance between prudent and disciplined underwriting on the one hand and flexibility in our decision-making and responsiveness to our clients on the other hand. Our credit approval policies have a tiered approval process, with larger exposures referred to different levels of management and the Directors’ Loan Committee, as appropriate, based on the size and type of the loan. Smaller exposures are approved under a three-signature system. These authorities are periodically reviewed and updated by our Board of Directors. We believe that our credit approval process provides for thorough underwriting and efficient decision making. Credit risk management. Credit risk management involves a partnership between our relationship managers and our credit approval, credit administration, portfolio management and collections personnel. Portfolio monitoring and early problem recognition are an important aspect of maintaining our high credit quality standards. Past due reports are reviewed on an ongoing basis and insurance and tax payment monitoring is in place. It is our policy to review amortizing commercial loans in excess of $1 million on an annual basis, or more frequently through the receipt of interim and annual financial statements and borrowing base certificates depending on loan structure and covenants. Our policies require rapid notification of delinquency and prompt initiation of collection actions. Relationship managers, portfolio managers, credit administrators and senior management proactively support collection activities in order to maximize accountability and efficiency. As part of these annual review procedures, we analyze recent financial statements of the collateral property, business and/or borrower to determine the current level of occupancy, revenues and expenses and to investigate any deterioration in the value of the real estate collateral or in the borrower’s or company’s financial condition. Upon completion, we confirm or change the risk rating assigned to each loan. Relationship managers and portfolio managers are encouraged to bring potential credit issues to the attention of our Chief Credit Officer immediately upon any sign of deterioration in the performance of the borrower. We maintain a list of loans that receive additional attention if we believe there may be a potential credit risk via our Watch List report. Loans that are upgraded or downgraded are reviewed by our Chief Credit Officer, while Watch List loans undergo a detailed quarterly analysis prepared by the relationship manager or portfolio manager and reviewed by management. This review includes an evaluation of the market conditions, the property’s or company’s trends, the borrower and guarantor status, the level of reserves required and loan accrual status. Additionally, we have an independent, third-party loan review performed, which includes the accuracy of our loan risk ratings and our credit administration functions. Finally, we perform an annual stress test of our commercial loan portfolio, in which we evaluate the impact on the portfolio of declining economic conditions, including lower values and decline in net operating income which may result from lower rental rates, lower occupancy rates and higher interest rates. Management reviews these reports and presents them to our loan committees. These asset review procedures provide management with additional information for assessing our asset quality. Response to the current environment on commercial real estate. In response to the economic environment in 2023, the Company: • increased and expanded its monitoring of our entire loan portfolio, with added focus on our commercial real estate loan portfolio; • added resources in the Portfolio Management Department; • expanded reporting to Directors' Loan Committee and the Board of Directors which includes: ◦ upcoming commercial real estate maturity schedule, including loan to value, debt service coverage ratio, occupancy, and commentary on expected refinance or payoff status, maturity by property type and owner occupied or non-owner-occupied status; and ◦ individual loan level detail of the performance on our residential care portfolio and our insurance agency portfolio. • expanded the scope of our third-party loan review from 60% of the loan portfolio to include all new and renewed loans originated since September 2022, all residential care loans, all commercial real estate loans secured by office properties where the loan balance is greater than one million dollars, and all loans with addresses in New York City; • enhanced our covenant tracking and reporting to the Directors Loan Committee; • conducted a detailed review of every general office loan in our portfolio. As of December 31, 2023, the Bank had $193.0 million of loans collateralized by offices, which represented 7.1% of the total loan portfolio. Most of the properties in this portfolio are in suburban locations, including all the New York State properties, which are all located 7 in Westchester County. 96.9% of this portfolio was pass rated, and there were two relationships totaling $6.0 million on nonaccrual status; and • performed an additional review of our multifamily exposure. As of December 31, 2023 , we had $257.5 million of loans collateralized by multifamily properties, which represented 9.5% of the total loan portfolio. 100% of the portfolio is pass rated. These properties are all located in Connecticut, New York, or New Jers ey, with the majority in suburban locations. Nine properties totaling $52.3 million, with an average balance of $5.8 million, are in New York City. Investment Activities Our investment portfolio’s primary purpose is to provide adequate liquidity necessary to meet any reasonable decline in deposits and any anticipated increase in the loan portfolio. The majority of these securities are classified as available for sale. The portfolio’s secondary purpose is to generate adequate earnings to provide and contribute to stable income and to generate a profitable return while minimizing risk. Additionally, our investment portfolio may be used to provide adequate collateral for various regulatory or statutory requirements and to manage our interest rate risk. We invest in a variety of high-grade securities, including government agency securities, government guaranteed mortgage-backed securities, highly rated corporate bonds and municipal securities. We regularly evaluate the composition of our portfolio as changes occur with respect to the interest rate yield curve. Although we may sell investment securities from time to time to take advantage of changes in interest rate spreads, it is our policy not to sell investment securities unless we can reinvest the proceeds at a similar or higher spread, so as not to take gains to the detriment of future income. The investment policy is reviewed annually by our Board of Directors. Overall investment goals are established by our Board of Directors, Chief Financial Officer and our Asset Liability Committee, or ALCO. Our Board of Directors has delegated the responsibility of monitoring our investment activities to ALCO. Day-to-day activities pertaining to the investment portfolio are conducted within our accounting department under the supervision of our Chief Financial Officer. Deposits Deposits are our primary source of funds to support our income-earning assets. We offer traditional depository products, including checking, savings, money market and certificates of deposit with a variety of rates. Deposits at the Bank are insured by the FDIC up to statutory limits. We gather deposits through our network of deposit-taking branch offices, online account opening, and have attracted significant transaction account business through our relationship-based approach. Borrowed Funds The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLB), which is part of a twelve district Federal Home Loan Bank System. Members are required to own capital stock of the FHLB, and borrowings are collateralized by qualifying assets not otherwise pledged. The maximum amount of credit that the FHLB will extend varies from time to time, depending on its policies and the amount of qualifying collateral the member can pledge. We utilize advances from the FHLB as part of our overall funding strategy to meet short-term liquidity needs and, to a lesser degree, manage interest rate risk arising from the difference in asset and liability maturities. On October 14, 2021, the Company completed a private placement of a $35.0 million fixed-to-floating rate subordinated note (the “2021 Note”) to an institutional accredited investor. The Company used the net proceeds to repay the outstanding balance of subordinated debt issued in 2015 and for general corporate purposes. The 2021 Note bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.25% per year until October 14, 2026. Thereafter, the interest rate will reset quarterly at a variable rate equal to the then current three-month term SOFR plus 233 basis points. The 2021 Note has a stated maturity of October 15, 2031 and is non-callable for five years. Beginning October 15, 2026, the Company may redeem the 2021 Note, in whole or in part, at its option. The 2021 Note is not redeemable at the option of the holder. The 2021 Note has been structured to qualify for the Company as Tier 2 capital under regulatory guidelines. On August 19, 2022, the Company entered into a Subordinated Note Purchase Agreement with certain qualified institutional buyers, pursuant to which the Company issued and sold 6.0% fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes due 2032 (the “2022 Notes”) in the aggregate principal amount of $35.0 million. The Company used the net proceeds from the sale of the 2022 Notes for general corporate purposes. The 2022 Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 6.0% per year until August 31, 2027. Thereafter, the interest rate will reset quarterly at a variable rate equal to the then current three-month term SOFR plus 326 basis points. The 2022 Notes have a stated maturity of September 1, 2032 and are non-callable for five years. Beginning August 19, 2027, the Company may redeem the 2022 Notes, in whole or in part, at its option. The 2022 Notes are not subject to redemption at the option of the holder. The 2022 Notes have been structured to qualify for the Company as Tier 2 capital under regulatory guidelines. 8 Risk Management We place significant emphasis on risk mitigation as an integral component of our organizational culture. We believe that our emphasis on risk management is manifested in our historically solid asset quality statistics. The Company’s existing governance and organizational structure incorporates a substantial risk management component through the following: • The retention of an independent firm (separate from the Company’s auditors) that performs internal audit reviews; • Oversight of various risk components by committees comprised of directors of the Company, including Directors' Loan Committee (credit), ALCO (asset and liability), Audit Committee (regulatory and compliance), and Technology Committee (information security and cybersecurity); • Outsourcing of our asset/liability calculations to a reputable third party, including a quarterly assessment of interest rate risk, reviewed and validated by ALCO; • A Risk Management Steering Committee which is chaired by our Chief Risk and Operations Officer. Risk management with respect to our lending philosophy focuses, among other things, on structuring credi ts to provide for multiple sources of repayment, coupled with strong underwriting by experienced relationship managers, lending and credit management. We perform quarterly reviews of criticized loans and criticized asset action plans for those borrowers who display deteriorating financial conditions in order to monitor those relationships and implement corrective measures on a timely basis to minimize losses. In addition, we perform an annual stress test of our commercial loan portfolio, in which we evaluate the impact on the portfolio of declining property values and lower net operating incomes as a result of economic conditions, including lower rental rates and lower occupancy rates. The stress test focuses only on the cash flow and valuation of the properties or businesses and ignores the liquidity, net worth and cash flow of any guarantors related to the credits. Supervision and Regulation General The Bank is subject to extensive regulation by the Connecticut Department of Banking, as its chartering agency, and by the FDIC, as its deposit insurer. The Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the FDIC through the Deposit Insurance Fund. The Bank is required to file reports with, and is periodically examined by, the FDIC and the Connecticut Department of Banking concerning its activities and financial condition and must obtain regulatory approvals prior to entering into certain transactions, such as mergers with, or acquisitions of, other financial institutions. The primary goals of the bank regulatory system are to maintain a safe and sound banking system and to facilitate the conduct of sound monetary policy. This system is intended primarily for the protection of the Deposit Insurance Fund and bank depositors, rather than our shareholders and creditors. The banking agencies have broad enforcement power over bank holding companies and banks, including the authority, among other things, to enjoin “unsafe or unsound” practices, require affirmative action to correct any violation or practice, issue administrative orders that can be judicially enforced, direct increases in capital, direct the sale of subsidiaries or other assets, limit dividends and distributions, restrict growth, assess civil money penalties, remove officers and directors, and, with respect to banks, terminate deposit insurance or place the bank into conservatorship or receivership. In general, these enforcement actions may be initiated for violations of laws and regulations or unsafe or unsound practices. The following discussion is a summary of the material laws, rules and regulations applicable to our operations, but does not purport to be a complete summary of all applicable laws, rules and regulations. These laws, rules and regulations may change from time to time and the regulatory agencies often have broad discretion in interpreting them. Any change in such laws, rules or regulations, whether by the Connecticut Department of Banking, the FDIC or the Federal Reserve Board ("FRB") could have a material adverse impact on the financial markets in general, and our operations and activities, financial condition, results of operations, growth plans and future prospects specifically. Dodd-Frank Act The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act"), which was enacted in 2010, has significantly changed the current bank regulatory structure and continues to affect the lending and investment activities and general operations of depository institutions and their holding companies. The Dodd-Frank Act created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with extensive powers to implement and enforce consumer protection laws. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has broad rulemaking authority for a wide range of consumer protection laws that apply to all banks and savings associations including, among other things, the authority to prohibit “unfair, deceptive or abusive” acts and practices. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has examination and enforcement authority over all banks and savings associations with more than $10 billion in assets. Banks and savings associations with $10 billion or less in assets will continue to be examined for compliance with federal consumer protection and 9 fair lending laws by their applicable primary federal bank regulators. The Dodd-Frank Act also gives state attorneys general certain authority to enforce applicable federal consumer protection laws. The Dodd-Frank Act made many changes to banking regulations including authorizing depository institutions, for the first time, to pay interest on business checking accounts, requiring originators of securitized loans to retain a percentage of the risk for transferred loans, establishing regulatory rate-setting for certain debit card interchange fees, establishing a number of reforms for mortgage originations, requiring bank holding companies and banks to be “well capitalized” and “well managed” in order to acquire banks located outside of their home state, requiring any bank holding company electing to be treated as a financial holding company to be “well capitalized” and “well managed” and authorizing national and state banks to establish de novo branches in any state that would permit a bank chartered in that state to open a branch at that location. Economic Growth Act The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (the “Economic Growth Act”), which was enacted in May 2018, repealed or modified several provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. In addition, the Economic Growth Act includes regulatory relief for community banks regarding regulatory examination cycles, call reports, the so-called Volcker Rule, mortgage disclosures and risk weights for certain high-risk commercial real estate loans. The Economic Growth Act provides insured depository institutions and their affiliates with less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets and limited trading activities with an exemption from the Dodd-Frank Act’s “Volcker Rule” (which generally restricts certain banking entities such as the Company and the Bank from engaging in proprietary trading activities and entering into certain relationships with hedge funds and private-equity funds). In July 2019, the FDIC, along with several other banking agencies, adopted final rules to implement the exemption contemplated by the Economic Growth Act. The Economic Growth Act increased the consolidated assets threshold from $1 billion to $3 billion for insured depository institutions that qualify for an 18-month on-site exam cycle. Consistent with this statutory amendment, in August 2018, the federal banking agencies increased, from $1 billion to $3 billion, the total asset threshold under which an agency may apply an 18-month examination cycle for qualified institutions that have an "outstanding" or "good" composite rating. In addition, the FRB raised the asset threshold under its Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement. Bank and savings and loan holding companies with total assets up to $3 billion are permitted to have debt levels higher than would be permitted for larger holding companies, provided that such companies meet certain other conditions such as not engaging in significant nonbanking activities and not having a material amount of debt or equity securities outstanding that are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As of June 30, 2023, the Company no longer met the definition of a Small Bank Holding Company as the Company's assets exceeded $3 billion. Effective March 31, 2024, the Company will be subject to the larger company capital requirements as set forth in the Economic Growth Act. The Economic Growth Act required the federal banking agencies to promulgate regulations permitting insured depository institutions that have less than $5 billion in total consolidated assets (and satisfy other conditions) to use short-form reports of condition (i.e. call reports) for the first and third quarters of each year. On June 17, 2019, the federal banking agencies issued final rules to implement those streamlined reporting requirements. Connecticut Banking Laws and Supervision Connecticut Department of Banking. The Connecticut Department of Banking regulates the internal organization as well as the deposit, lending and investment activities of state-chartered banks, including the Bank. The approval of the Connecticut Department of Banking is required for, among other things, the establishment of branch offices and business combination transactions. The Connecticut Department of Banking conducts periodic examinations of Connecticut chartered banks. The FDIC also regulates many of the areas regulated by the Connecticut Department of Banking, and federal law may limit some of the authority provided to Connecticut chartered banks by Connecticut law. Lending Activities. Connecticut banking laws grant banks broad lending authority. With certain limited exceptions, loans to any one obligor under this statutory authority may not exceed 15% and fully secured loans may not exceed an additional 10% of a bank’s equity capital and allowance for credit losses. Dividends. The Bank may pay cash dividends out of its net profits. For purposes of this restriction, “net profits” represents the remainder of all earnings from current operations. Further, the total amount of all dividends declared by a bank in any year may not exceed the sum of a bank’s net profits for the year in question combined with its retained net profits from the preceding two years. Federal law also prevents an institution from paying dividends or making other capital distributions that, if by doing so, would cause it to become “under-capitalized”. Beginning January 1, 2016, the Basel III Capital Rules limit the amount of dividends the Bank can pay if its capital ratios are below the threshold levels of the capital conservation buffer established by the rules. The full capital conservation buffer of 2.5% (as a percentage of risk-weighted assets) became effective as of January 1, 2019. The capital conservation buffer is in addition to the minimum risk-based capital requirement. The FDIC may further limit a bank’s ability to pay dividends. Moreover, the federal agencies have issued policy statements that provide that insured banks should generally only pay dividends out of current operating earnings. 10 Powers . Connecticut banking law authorizes Connecticut chartered banks to transact a "general banking business" and "all such incidental powers as are necessary thereto". With the prior approval of the Connecticut Department of Banking, Connecticut banks are also authorized to engage in activities that are closely related to the business of banking, are convenient and useful to the business of banking, are reasonably related to the operation of a Connecticut bank, are financial in nature or that are permitted under the Bank Holding Company Act or the Home Owners’ Loan Act, both federal statutes, or the regulations promulgated as a result of those federal statutes. Connecticut banks are also authorized to engage in any activity permitted for certain federally chartered institutions, as well as for certain out-of-state institutions, upon filing a notice with the Connecticut Department of Banking unless the Connecticut Department of Banking disapproves the activity. Assessments. Connecticut banks are required to pay annual assessments to the Connecticut Department of Banking to fund the Connecticut Department of Banking’s operations. The general assessments are paid pro-rata based upon a bank’s asset size. Enforcement. Under Connecticut law, the Connecticut Department of Banking has extensive enforcement authority over Connecticut banks and, under certain circumstances, affiliated parties, insiders, and agents. The Connecticut Department of Banking’s enforcement authority includes cease and desist orders, fines, receivership, conservatorship, removal of officers and directors, emergency closures, dissolution and liquidation. Federal Bank Holding Company Regulation General. As a bank holding company, we are subject to comprehensive regulation and regular examinations by the FRB. The FRB also has extensive enforcement authority over bank holding companies, including, among other things, the ability to assess civil money penalties, to issue cease and desist or removal orders and to require that a bank holding company divest subsidiaries (including its bank subsidiaries). In general, enforcement actions may be initiated for violations of law and regulations and unsafe or unsound practices. Under FRB policy which has been codified by the Dodd-Frank Act, a bank holding company must serve as a source of strength for its subsidiary bank. Under this policy, the FRB may require, and has required in the past, a bank holding company to contribute additional capital to an under-capitalized subsidiary bank. A bank holding company must obtain FRB approval before: (1) acquiring, directly or indirectly, ownership or control of any voting securities of another bank or bank holding company if, after such acquisition, it would own or control more than 5% of such securities (unless it already owns or controls the majority of such securities); (2) acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of another bank or bank holding company; or (3) merging or consolidating with another bank holding company. Under Connecticut banking law, no person may acquire beneficial ownership of more than 10% of any class of voting securities of a Connecticut chartered bank, or any bank holding company of such a bank, without prior notification of, and lack of disapproval by, the Connecticut Department of Banking. The Bank Holding Company Act also prohibits a bank holding company, with certain exceptions, from acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any company which is not a bank or bank holding company, or from engaging directly or indirectly in activities other than those of banking, managing or controlling banks, or providing services for its subsidiaries. The principal exceptions to these prohibitions involve certain non-bank activities which, by statute or by FRB regulation or order, have been identified as activities closely related to the business of banking or managing or controlling banks. The list of activities permitted by the FRB includes, among other things: (1) operating a savings institution, mortgage company, finance company, credit card company or factoring company; (2) performing certain data processing operations; (3) providing certain investment and financial advice; (4) underwriting and acting as an insurance agent for certain types of credit-related insurance; (5) leasing property on a full-payout, non-operating basis; (6) selling money orders, travelers’ checks and United States savings bonds; (7) real estate and personal property appraising; (8) providing tax planning and preparation services; (9) financing and investing in certain community development activities; and (10) subject to certain limitations, providing securities brokerage services for clients. Dividends. The FRB has issued a policy statement on the payment of cash dividends by bank holding companies, which expresses the FRB’s view that a bank holding company should pay cash dividends only to the extent that the Bank Holding Company’s net income for the past year is sufficient to cover both the cash dividends and a rate of earnings retention that is consistent with the Bank Holding Company’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. The FRB also indicated that it would be inappropriate for a bank holding company experiencing serious financial problems to borrow funds to pay dividends. As discussed above, the FRB’s Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement includes provisions regulating the payment of dividends by companies subject to that policy statement. Substantially all of our income is derived from, and the principal source of our liquidity is, dividends from the Bank. The ability of the Bank to pay dividends to us is also restricted by federal and state laws, regulations and policies. The Bank may pay cash dividends out of its net profits. For purposes of this restriction, “net profits” represents the remainder of all earnings from current operations. Further, the total amount of all dividends declared by a bank in any year may not exceed the sum of a bank’s net profits for the past two fiscal years, plus the portion of the year in which the dividend is paid. 11 Under federal law, the Bank may not pay any dividend to the holding company if the Bank is under-capitalized or the payment of the dividend would cause it to become under-capitalized. The Basel III Capital Rules limit the amount of dividends the Bank can pay to us if its capital ratios are below the full capital conservation buffer of 2.5% (as a percentage of risk-weighted assets). The capital conservation buffer is in addition to the minimum risk-based capital requirement. The FDIC may further restrict the payment of dividends by requiring the Bank to maintain a higher level of capital than would otherwise be required for it to be adequately capitalized for regulatory purposes. Moreover, if, in the opinion of the FDIC, the Bank is engaged in an unsafe or unsound practice (which could include the payment of dividends), the FDIC may require, generally after notice and hearing, it to cease such practice. The FDIC has indicated that paying dividends that deplete a depository institution’s capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsafe banking practice. The FDIC has also issued policy statements providing that insured depository institutions generally should pay dividends only out of current operating earnings. Redemption. Bank holding companies are required to give the FRB prior written notice of any purchase or redemption of its outstanding equity securities if the gross consideration for the purchase or redemption, when combined with the net consideration paid for all such purchases or redemptions during the preceding 12 months, is equal to 10% or more of the consolidated net worth of the bank holding company. The FRB may disapprove such a purchase or redemption if it determines that the proposal would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice or would violate any law, regulation, FRB order or any condition imposed by, or written agreement with, the FRB. This notification requirement does not apply to any bank holding company that (i) meets the well capitalized standard for commercial banks, (ii) is “well managed” within the meaning of the FRB regulations and (iii) is not subject to any unresolved supervisory issues. As discussed above, the FRB’s Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement includes provisions regulating stock redemptions by companies subject to that policy statement, including when such notice requirements apply. Federal Bank Regulation Safety and Soundness. The federal banking agencies, including the FDIC, have implemented rules and guidelines concerning standards for safety and soundness required pursuant to Section 39 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act, or FDICIA. In general, the standards relate to (1) operational and managerial matters; (2) asset quality and earnings; and (3) compensation. The operational and managerial standards cover (a) internal controls and information systems, (b) internal audit systems, (c) loan documentation, (d) credit underwriting, (e) interest rate exposure, (f) asset growth, and (g) compensation, fees and benefits. Under the asset quality and earnings standards, the Bank is required to establish and maintain systems to (i) identify problem assets and prevent deterioration in those assets, and (ii) evaluate and monitor earnings and ensure that earnings are sufficient to maintain adequate capital reserves. Finally, the compensation standard states that compensation will be considered excessive if it is unreasonable or disproportionate to the services actually performed by the individual being compensated. If an insured state-chartered bank fails to meet any of the standards promulgated by regulation, then such institution will be required to submit a plan within 30 days to the FDIC specifying the steps it will take to correct the deficiency. In the event that an insured state-chartered bank fails to submit or fails in any material respect to implement a compliance plan within the time allowed by the federal banking agency, Section 39 of the FDICIA provides that the FDIC must order the institution to correct the deficiency and may (1) restrict asset growth; (2) require the bank to increase its ratio of tangible equity to assets; (3) restrict the rates of interest that the bank may pay; or (4) take any other action that would better carry out the purpose of prompt corrective action. We believe that the Bank has been and will continue to be in compliance with each of the standards as they have been established by the FDICIA. Capital Requirements. The FRB monitors the Company's capital adequacy, on a consolidated basis, and the FDIC and Connecticut Department of Banking monitor the capital adequacy of the Bank. The Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the other federal and state bank regulatory agencies establish regulatory capital guidelines for U.S. banking organizations. As of January 1, 2015, the Company and the Bank became subject to new capital rules set forth by the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the other federal and state bank regulatory agencies. The revised capital rules aligned the banking agencies’ leverage and risk-based capital requirements and the method for calculating risk weighted assets to make them consistent with agreements that were reached by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act (the Basel III Capital Rules). The Basel III Capital Rules established a new minimum common equity Tier 1 capital requirement of 4.5% of risk-weighted assets; set the minimum leverage ratio at 4% of total assets; increased the minimum Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets requirement from 4% to 6%; and retained the minimum total capital to risk weighted assets requirement at 8.0%. A “well-capitalized” institution must generally maintain capital ratios 200 basis points higher than the minimum guidelines. The Basel III Capital Rules also changed the risk weights assigned to certain assets. The Basel III Capital Rules assigned a higher risk weight (150%) to loans that are more than 90 days past due or are on nonaccrual status and to certain commercial real estate facilities that finance the acquisition, development or construction of real property. The Basel III Capital Rules also alter the risk weighting for other assets, including marketable equity securities that are risk weighted generally at 300%. The 12 Basel III Capital Rules require certain components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to be included for purposes of calculating regulatory capital requirements unless a one-time opt-out is exercised. The Bank did exercise its opt-out option and excludes the unrealized gain (loss) on investment securities component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) from regulatory capital. The Basel III Capital Rules limit a banking organization’s capital distributions and certain discretionary bonus payments to executive officers if the banking organization does not hold a “capital conservation buffer” of 2.5% in addition to the minimum risk based capital requirement. 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 the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Liquidity . We are required to maintain a sufficient amount of liquid assets to ensure our safe and sound operation. The final Basel III framework also requires banks and bank holding companies to measure their liquidity against specific liquidity tests. Although similar in some respects to liquidity measures historically applied by banks and banking agencies for management and supervisory purposes, the Basel III framework requires specific liquidity tests by rule. Transactions with Affiliates. Under federal law, transactions between depository institutions and their affiliates are governed by Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act, or FRA, and the FRB’s Regulation W. In a holding company context, at a minimum, the parent holding company of a bank and any companies which are controlled by such parent holding company are considered an affiliate of the bank. Generally, Section 23A limits the extent to which the bank or its subsidiaries may engage in “covered transactions” with any one affiliate to 10% of such bank’s capital stock and surplus, and places an aggregate limit on all such transactions with all affiliates at 20% of capital stock and surplus. The term “covered transaction” includes, among other things, the making of loans or other extensions of credit to an affiliate and the purchase of assets from an affiliate. Section 23A also establishes specific collateral requirements for loans or extensions of credit to an affiliate, or the issuance of guarantees, acceptance, or letter of credit 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 no less favorable, to the bank or its subsidiary as similar transactions with non-affiliates. The Dodd-Frank Act has expanded the definition of covered transactions and increased the timing and other aspects of the collateral requirements associated with covered transactions, including an expansion of the covered transactions to include credit exposures related to derivatives, repurchase agreements and securities lending arrangements and an increase in the amount of time for which collateral requirements regarding covered transactions must be satisfied. Loans to Insiders. Further, the FRA places restrictions on extensions of credit that can be made by a depository institution to its directors, executive officers, and principal shareholders (or insiders) and to the insiders of its affiliates. Many of those restrictions also apply to the "related interests" of those insiders. For example, a bank is generally not permitted to extend credit to any insider of the bank, or insider of an affiliate, if the extension, when aggregated with all other outstanding extensions of credit to those insiders and their related interests, exceeds the bank's total unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus. Extensions of credit to those insiders, and their related interests, that exceed certain specified amounts must receive the prior approval of the board of directors. Further, extensions of credit to insiders and their related interests must be made on terms substantially the same as offered in comparable transactions to other non-insiders, subject to an exception of extensions of credit made under a benefit or compensation program that is widely available to the depository institution’s employees that does not give preference to the insider over the employees. The FRA places additional limitations on extensions of credit to executive officers. In addition to enhancing restrictions on insider transactions, the Dodd-Frank Act increased the types of transactions with insiders subject to restrictions, including certain asset sales with insiders. Enforcement. The FDIC has extensive enforcement authority over insured banks, including the Bank. This enforcement authority includes, among other things, the ability to assess civil money penalties, issue cease and desist orders and remove directors and officers. In general, these enforcement actions may be initiated in response to violations of laws and regulations and unsafe or unsound practices. The FDIC has authority under federal law to appoint a conservator or receiver for an insured bank under limited circumstances. The FDIC is required, with certain exceptions, to appoint a receiver or conservator for an insured state non-member bank if that bank was “critically under-capitalized” on average during the calendar quarter beginning 270 days after the date on which the institution became “critically under-capitalized.” The FDIC may also appoint itself as conservator or receiver for an insured state non-member institution under specific circumstances on the basis of the institution’s financial condition or upon the occurrence of other events, including: (1) insolvency; (2) substantial dissipation of assets or earnings through violations of law or unsafe or unsound practices; (3) existence of an unsafe or unsound condition to transact business; and (4) insufficient capital, or the incurring of losses that will deplete substantially all of the institution’s capital with no reasonable prospect of replenishment without federal assistance. 13 Insurance of Deposit Accounts. Deposit accounts at the Bank are insured by the Deposit Insurance Fund, generally up to a maximum of $250,000 per separately insured depositor. The FDIC assesses insured depository institutions to maintain the Deposit Insurance Fund. No institution may pay a dividend if in default of its deposit insurance assessment. Under the FDIC’s risk-based assessment system, insured depository institutions are assigned to a risk category based on supervisory evaluations, regulatory capital levels and other factors. A depository institution’s assessment rate depends upon the category to which it is assigned and certain adjustments specified by the F DIC, with less risky institutions paying lower assessments. Subject to certain adjustments, the range of assessment rates is now between 1.5 to 30 ba sis points of the assessment base. The Dodd-Frank Act set the required minimum reserve ratio to 1.35 percent. If the reserve ratio falls below 1.35 percent or is expected to so fall within 6 months, the FDIC generally must adopt a restoration plan to restore the Deposit Insurance Fund reserve ratio to at least 1.35 percent within 8 years. For both 2023 and 2022, the FDIC has exercised that discretion by establishing a 2% designated fund reserve ratio as a long-range minimum target for setting assessment rates. A material increase in FDIC insurance premiums would likely have an adverse effect on the operating expenses and results of operations of the Bank. Management cannot predict what FDIC insurance assessment rates will be in the future. Insurance of deposits may be terminated by the FDIC upon a finding that a depository institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC. We are not aware of any current practice, condition or violation that might lead to termination of the Bank’s deposit insurance. Deposit Operations. In addition to the regulations discussed above, the Bank’s deposit operations are subject to other federal laws applicable to depository accounts, such as the: • Truth-In-Savings Act, requiring certain disclosures for consumer deposit accounts; • Right to Financial Privacy Act, which imposes a duty to maintain confidentiality of consumer financial records and prescribes procedures for complying with administrative subpoenas of financial records; • Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to implement that act, which govern electronic deposits to and withdrawals from deposit accounts and clients’ rights and liabilities arising from the use of automated teller machines and other electronic banking services; and • Rules and regulations of the various federal banking agencies charged with the responsibility of implementing these federal laws. Federal Reserve System. The FRB regulations require depository institutions to maintain noninterest earning reserves against their transaction accounts (primarily NOW and regular checking accounts). The FRB regulations are adjusted annually and generally provide that reserves be maintained against aggregate transaction accounts. However, effective March 26, 2020, the FRB eliminated its reserve requirement ratio, in light of the shift to an ample reserves regime. Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLB). The Bank is a member of the FHLB, which is one of the regional Federal Home Loan Banks composing the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Each Federal Home Loan Bank serves as a central credit facility primarily for its member institutions. The Bank, as a member of the FHLB, is required to acquire and hold shares of capital stock in the FHLB. Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Under the CRA, as implemented by FDIC regulations, a bank has a continuing and affirmative obligation, consistent with its safe and sound operation, to help meet the credit needs of its entire community, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions nor does it limit an institution’s discretion to develop the types of products and services that it believes are best suited to its particular community. The CRA does require the FDIC, in connection with its examination of a bank, to assess the bank’s record of meeting the credit needs of its community and to take such record into account in its evaluation of certain applications by such bank, including applications to acquire branches and other financial institutions. The CRA requires the FDIC to provide a written evaluation of a bank’s CRA performance utilizing a four-tiered descriptive rating system. In particular, the system focuses on three tests: • A lending test, to evaluate the bank’s record of making loans in its assessment areas; • An investment test, to evaluate the bank’s record of investing in community development projects, affordable housing, and programs benefiting low or moderate income individuals and businesses; and • A service test, to evaluate the bank’s delivery of services through its branches, ATMs, and other offices. Connecticut has its own statutory counterpart to the CRA which is applicable to the Bank. The Connecticut version of CRA is generally similar to the federal version, but utilizes a five-tiered descriptive rating system. Connecticut law requires the 14 Connecticut Department of Banking to consider, but not be limited to, a bank’s record of performance under the Connecticut CRA in considering any application by the Bank to establish a branch or other deposit-taking facility, to relocate an office or to merge or consolidate with or acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of any other banking institution. In our most recent evaluation, the Bank received a CRA rating of “satisfactory”. On October 24, 2023, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation released the final rule to strengthen and modernize their regulations implementing the CRA. The final rule revises the CRA regulations to better achieve the CRA’s core purpose of encouraging banks to help meet the credit needs of their local communities. It also adapts to changes in the banking industry, including the expanded role of mobile and online banking; provides greater clarity and consistency in the application of CRA regulations; tailors performance standards, data collection, and reporting requirements to account for differences in bank size, business model, and local conditions; promotes transparency and public engagement; confirms that CRA and fair lending responsibilities are mutually reinforcing; and promotes a consistent regulatory approach that applies to banks regulated by all three agencies. The final rule takes effect on April 1, 2024, with staggered compliance dates of January 1, 2026, and January 1, 2027. Consumer Protection and Fair Lending Regulations. We are subject to a variety of federal and Connecticut statutes and regulations that are intended to protect consumers and prohibit discrimination in the granting of credit. These statutes and regulations provide for a range of sanctions for non-compliance with their terms, including imposition of administrative fines and remedial orders, and referral to the Attorney General for prosecution of a civil action for actual and punitive damages and injunctive relief. Certain of these statutes authorize private individual and class action lawsuits and the award of actual, statutory and punitive damages and attorneys’ fees for certain types of violations. At the federal level, these laws include, among others, the following: • Federal Truth-In-Lending Act, governing disclosures of credit terms to consumer borrowers (Connecticut chartered banks are generally exempt from the Federal Truth-in-Lending Act, but are otherwise subject to a substantially similar state Truth-in-Lending Act administered and enforced by the Connecticut Department of Banking); • Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975, requiring financial institutions to provide information to enable the public and public officials to determine whether a financial institution is fulfilling its obligation to help meet the housing needs of the community it serves; • Equal Credit Opportunity Act, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion or other prohibited factors in extending credit; • Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1978, governing the use of consumer credit reports and the provision of information to credit reporting agencies; • Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, governing the manner in which consumer debts may be collected by collection agencies; • Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, governing closing costs and settlement procedures and disclosures to consumers related thereto; • Service members Civil Relief Act of 2004, governing the repayment terms of, and property rights underlying, secured obligations of persons in military service; and • Rules and regulations of the various federal agencies charged with the responsibility of implementing these federal laws. Additional Considerations Regulatory Enforcement Authority. Federal banking agencies have substantial enforcement authority over the financial institutions that they regulate including, among other things, the ability to assess civil money penalties, to issue cease-and-desist or removal orders and to initiate injunctive actions against banking organizations and institution-affiliated parties, as defined. In general, these enforcement actions may be initiated for violations of laws and regulations and unsafe or unsound practices. Other actions or inactions may provide the basis for enforcement action, including misleading or untimely reports filed with regulatory authorities. Except under certain circumstances, federal law requires public disclosure of final enforcement actions by the federal banking agencies. Incentive Compensation Guidance. The federal banking agencies have released comprehensive guidance on incentive compensation policies focused on ensuring that financial institutions’ incentive compensation policies do not undermine the safety and soundness of those institutions by encouraging excessive risk taking. The incentive compensation guidance sets expectations for financial institutions concerning their incentive compensation arrangements and related risk management, control and governance processes. All employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of a financial 15 institution, either individually or as part of a group, are covered by the guidance. The guidance is based upon three core concepts: (1) balanced risk-taking incentives; (2) effective controls and risk management compatibility; and (3) strong corporate governance. Deficiencies in compensation practices that are identified may be incorporated into the institution’s supervisory ratings, which can affect the organization’s ability to take certain actions, including the ability to make acquisitions or take other actions. Enforcement actions by the institution’s primary federal banking agency may be initiated if the institution’s incentive compensation programs pose a risk to the safety and soundness of the organization. Federal Securities Laws. As a public company, we also file reports with the SEC and are subject to its regulatory authority, as well as the disclosure and regulatory requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with respect to our securities, financial reporting and certain governance matters. Because our securities are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”), we are subject to Nasdaq's rules for listed companies, including rules relating to corporate governance. Financial Modernization. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, or the GLBA, permits greater affiliation among banks, securities firms, insurance companies, and other companies under a type of financial services company known as a “financial holding company”. A financial holding company essentially is a bank holding company with significantly expanded powers. Financial holding companies are authorized by statute to engage in a number of financial activities previously impermissible for bank holding companies, including securities underwriting, dealing and market making; sponsoring mutual funds and investment companies; insurance underwriting and agency; and merchant banking activities. The GLBA also permits the FRB and the Treasury Department to authorize additional activities for financial holding companies if they are “financial in nature” or “incidental” to financial activities. A bank holding company may become a financial holding company if each of its subsidiary banks is well capitalized, well managed, and has at least a “satisfactory” CRA rating. A financial holding company must provide notice to the FRB within 30 days after commencing activities previously determined by statute or by the FRB and Department of the Treasury to be permissible. We have not submitted notice to the FRB of intent to be deemed a financial holding company. However, we are not precluded from submitting a notice in the future should we wish to engage in activities only permitted to financial holding companies. Privacy Requirements. Under the GLBA, all financial institutions are required to establish policies and procedures to restrict the sharing of non-public client data with non-affiliated parties and to protect client data from unauthorized access. In addition, the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970, or FCRA, includes many provisions concerning national credit reporting standards and permits consumers, including clients of the Bank, to opt out of information-sharing for marketing purposes among affiliated companies. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2004 amended certain provisions of the FCRA and requires banks and other financial institutions to notify their clients if they report negative information about them to a credit bureau or if they are granted credit on terms less favorable than those generally available. The Bank currently has a privacy protection policy in place and believes such policy is in compliance with the regulations. The Bank Secrecy Act and Related Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Legislation. The Bank Secrecy Act, or the BSA, provides, in part, for the facilitation of information sharing among governmental entities and financial institutions for the purpose of combating terrorism and money laundering by enhancing anti-money laundering and financial transparency laws, as well as enhanced information collection tools and enforcement mechanics for the U.S. government, including: (1) requiring standards for verifying client identification information at account opening; (2) rules to promote cooperation among financial institutions, regulators, and law enforcement entities in identifying parties that may be involved in terrorism or money laundering; (3) reports filed with the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN") of transactions exceeding $10,000 in currency; (4) filing suspicious activities reports by financial institutions regarding suspected client money laundering, terrorism financing, or other violations of U.S. laws and regulations; and (5) requiring enhanced due diligence requirements for financial institutions that administer, maintain, or manage private bank accounts or correspondent accounts for non-U.S. persons. Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 amended the BSA and incorporates anti-terrorist financing provisions into the requirements of the BSA and its implementing regulations. Among other things, the USA PATRIOT Act requires all financial institutions, including us, to institute and maintain a risk-based anti-money laundering compliance program that includes a client identification program, provides for information sharing with law enforcement and between certain financial institutions by means of an exemption from the privacy provisions of the GLBA, prohibits U.S. banks and broker-dealers from maintaining accounts with foreign “shell” banks, establishes due diligence and enhanced due diligence requirements for certain foreign correspondent banking and foreign private banking accounts and imposes additional record keeping requirements for certain correspondent banking arrangements. The USA PATRIOT Act also grants broad authority to the Secretary of the Treasury to take actions to combat money laundering, and federal bank regulators are required to evaluate the effectiveness of an applicant in combating money laundering in determining whether to approve any application submitted by a financial institution. On January 1, 2021, Congress passed the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which enacted the most significant overhaul of the anti-money laundering laws since the USA PATRIOT Act. The CTA aims to eliminate the use of shell companies that facilitate the laundering of criminal proceeds and, for that 16 purpose, directs FinCEN to establish and maintain a national registry of beneficial ownership information for corporate entities (generally, subject to certain exemptions, any corporation, limited liability company, or other similar entity with 20 or fewer employees and annual gross income of $5 million or less). Reporting companies subject to the CTA are required to provide specific information with respect to beneficial owner(s) - defined as an individual who, directly or indirectly, exercises substantial control over the entity or owns or controls not less than 25% of the ownership interests of the entity - at the time of formation (or by December 31, 2024 for existing entities) and upon a change in ownership. Non-compliance with FinCEN regulations promulgated under the CTA may result in civil fines as well as criminal penalties. On March 1, 2024, an Alabama federal court ruled, in a lawsuit brought by the National Small Business Association, that the CTA was unconstitutional because it exceeds the Constitution’s limits on Congress’ power and enjoined the government from enforcing the CTA against the named plaintiffs. The Department of Justice is expected to appeal the decision. On September 29, 2022, FinCEN finalized the first of three proposed rules to implement changes to the beneficial ownership requirements and related amendments set forth in the CTA (the “BOI Reporting Rule”). The BOI Reporting Rule, which became effective on January 1, 2024, prescribes which corporate entities created in or registered to do business in the U.S. will be required to report beneficial ownership information (“BOI”) directly to FinCEN. On December 21, 2023, FinCEN issued a final rule, effective on February 20, 2024, (the “Access Rule”), which prescribes the circumstances under which BOI reported to the FinCEN registry may be disclosed to various government agencies and to financial institutions using BOI to facilitate compliance with regulatory customer due diligence requirements and how BOI must be protected. Under the Access Rule, FinCEN may disclose BOI to a financial institution to facilitate compliance with customer due diligence requirements under applicable law, provided the relevant reporting company has consented to such disclosure. The Access Rule requires financial institutions that obtain BOI from FinCEN to develop and implement administrative, technical, and physical safeguards reasonably designed to protect the information, but provides that such institutions will be able to satisfy this requirement by apply to BOI the same security and information handling procedures the use to protect customer’s nonpublic personal information in compliance with the GBLA. On December 21, 2023, federal and state bank regulators issued an Interagency Statement that states that the Access does not create a new regulatory requirement for banks to access BOI from the CTA registry, create a supervisory expectation that they do so or necessitate changes to BSA/AML compliance programs designed to comply with the existing Customer Due Diligence rule (the “current CDD Rule”) and other existing BSA requirements, such as customer identification program requirements and suspicious activity reporting. FinCEN plans to issue a third rule, which has not yet been proposed, that is expected to revise the current CDD Rule to bring it into conformity with the CTA as well as reduce any burdens on financial institutions and legal entity customers that are, in light of the CTA, unnecessary or duplicative. The Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, which is a division of the Treasury Department, is responsible for helping to ensure that U.S. entities do not engage in transactions with “enemies” of the United States, as defined by various Executive Orders and Acts of Congress. OFAC maintains lists of names of persons and organizations suspected of aiding, harboring or engaging in money laundering, terrorist acts, and other crimes. If the Bank finds a name on any transaction, account or wire transfer that is on an OFAC list, the Bank must freeze such account, file a suspicious activity report and notify OFAC. We have established policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the federal anti-laundering and combating terrorism provisions. Proposed Legislation and Regulatory Action. New statutes, regulations and guidance are regularly proposed that contain wide-ranging potential changes to the statutes, regulations and competitive relationships of financial institutions operating and doing business in the United States. We cannot predict whether or in what form any proposed regulation or statute will be adopted or the extent to which our business may be affected by any new regulation or statute. Effect of Governmental Monetary Policies. Our earnings will be affected by domestic economic conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. government and its agencies. The FRB’s monetary policies have had, and are likely to continue to have, an important impact on the operating results of commercial banks through its power to implement national monetary policy in order, among other things, to curb inflation or combat a recession. The monetary policies of the FRB affect the levels of bank loans, investments and deposits through its control over the issuance of U.S. government securities, its regulation of the discount rate applicable to member banks and its influence over reserve requirements to which member banks are subject. We cannot predict the nature or impact of future changes in monetary and fiscal policies. 17 Taxation Federal Taxation General: We are subject to federal income taxation in the same general manner as other corporations, with limited exceptions. The following discussion of federal taxation is intended only to summarize certain pertinent federal income tax matters and is not a comprehensive description of the tax rules applicable to us. Method of Accounting: For Federal income tax purposes, we report income and expenses on the accrual method of accounting and use tax year ending December 31 for filing federal income tax returns. Alternative Minimum Tax: The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), imposes an alternative minimum tax (“AMT”) at a rate of 20.0% on a base of regular taxable income plus certain tax preferences which we refer to as “alternative minimum taxable income.” The AMT is payable to the extent such alternative minimum taxable income is in excess of an exemption amount and the AMT exceeds the regular income tax. Net operating losses can offset no more than 90.0% of alternative minimum taxable income. Certain AMT payments may be used as credits against regular tax liabilities in future years. We have not been subject to the AMT and have no such amounts available as credits for carryover. Net Operating Loss Carryovers: For the years ended 2017 and prior, a corporation may carryback net operating losses generated in such years to the preceding two taxable years and forward to the succeeding 20 taxable years. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in December 2017, a corporation may not carryback net operating losses arising in tax years after 2017, but may carryforward such losses indefinitely; however, the net operating loss deduction in a given year is limited to 80% of taxable income. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES") temporarily - and retroactively - modified the net operating loss rules to permit carryback of net operating losses generated in 2018, 2019 and 2020 for five years. A corporation may elect to waive the carryback period and only carry these net operating losses forward to future years. The five-year carryback provision of the CARES Act is not available for losses generated in 2021 and subsequent years. At December 31, 2023, w e had $1.6 million of net operating loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes. The carryovers were transferred to the Company upon the merger with The Wilton Bank in 2014. Corporate Dividends-Received Deduction: The Company may exclude from its income 100.0% of dividends received from the Bank as a member of the same affiliated group of corporations. The corporate dividends received deduction is 80.0% in the case of dividends received from corporations with which a corporate recipient does not file a consolidated tax return, and corporations which own less than 20.0% of the stock of a corporation distributing a dividend may deduct only 70.0% of dividends received or accrued on their behalf. Excise Tax on Stock Repurchases, The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) imposes a 1% excise tax on the aggregate fair market value of stock repurchased by certain corporations during the taxable year, subject to adjustments. The new excise tax is effective as of January 1, 2023 and generally applies to any US corporation whose stock is traded on an established securities market and that repurchases more than $1 million of stock over the course of a tax year. The Company and the Bank are not currently under audit with respect to their federal tax returns. State Taxation We are subject to the Connecticut corporation business tax. The Connecticut corporation business tax is based on the federal taxable income before net operating loss and special deductions and makes certain modifications to federal taxable income to arrive at Connecticut taxable income. Connecticut taxable income is multiplied by the state tax rate (7.5% f or the fiscal years ending December 31, 2023 and 2022) to arrive at Connecticut income tax. We are also subject to state income tax in other states as a result of loan originations made in other states. In October 2015, the Company created Bankwell Loan Servicing Group, Inc., a Passive Investment Company (“PIC”) organized for state income tax purposes. The PIC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank operating in accordance with Connecticut statutes. The PIC’s activities are limited in scope to holding and managing loans that are collateralized by real estate. Income earned by a PIC is determined in accordance with the statutory requirements for a passive investment company and the dividends paid by the PIC to the Bank are not taxable income for Connecticut income tax purposes. As a result of the formation of the PIC, the Bank no longer expects to be subject to Connecticut income taxes. State taxes are being recognized for income taxes on income earned in other states. The Company and the Bank are not currently under audit with respect to their state tax returns. 18