Eastern Bankshares, Inc. 10-K

ITEM 1. BUSINESS General Corporate Overview Eastern Bankshares, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation, which we sometimes refer to as the “Company,” is a bank holding company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts that was incorporated under Massachusetts law in 2020. We are the sole shareholder of Eastern Bank, which we sometimes refer to as the “Bank,” a Massachusetts-chartered bank founded in 1818. Through the Bank and its wholly owned subsidiary, Eastern Insurance Group LLC (“Eastern Insurance Group”), we provide a variety of banking, trust and investment, and insurance services. We have two reportable business segments: banking and insurance agency. As of December 31, 2021, we had total consolidated assets of $23.5 billion, total gross loans of $12.3 billion, total deposits of $19.6 billion and total shareholders’ equity of $3.4 billion. We are subject to comprehensive regulation and examination by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), the Federal Reserve Board and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Our diversified products and services include lending, deposit, wealth management and insurance products. Deposits obtained through the branch banking network have traditionally been the principal source of funds for use in lending and for other general business purposes. We offer a range of demand deposit accounts, interest checking accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts and time certificates of deposit accounts. Our lending focuses on the following loan categories: commercial and industrial, including our Asset Based Lending Portfolio, commercial real estate, commercial construction, small business banking, residential real estate and home equity loans. Through Eastern Bank’s wealth management offering, we provide a wide range of trust services. Eastern Insurance Group acts as an agent in offering insurance solutions for clients with personal, commercial or employee benefits-related insurance needs. In addition, we offer automated lock box collection services, cash management services and account reconciliation services to our corporate and institutional customers, as well as cash management services to our municipal clients. The only entity controlled directly by Eastern Bankshares, Inc. is Eastern Bank, which is a wholly owned subsidiary. Eastern Bank controls five active subsidiaries in addition to Eastern Insurance Group LLC, as follows: 1. Broadway Securities Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary engaged in buying, selling, dealing in and holding securities and in holding industrial revenue bonds (“IRBs”), the majority of which were acquired in connection with our acquisition of Century Bancorp, Inc. (“Century”). Refer to “Recent Acquisitions” within this section for additional discussion regarding our acquisition of Century; 2. Market Street Securities Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary engaged in buying, selling, dealing in and holding securities; 3. Real/Property Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary that provides real estate services to Eastern Bank; 4. Millennium Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary engaged in holding IRBs, the majority of which were acquired through our acquisition of Century, and securities. Millennium Corporation was formerly a subsidiary of Century Bank & Trust, which was acquired by us on November 12, 2021. Refer to “Recent Acquisitions” within this section for additional discussion regarding our acquisition of Century; and 5. Shared Value Investments LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary that invests in low income housing and other tax credit investments. Market Area and Competition Our primary market consists of the greater Boston area, specifically eastern and central Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, including the seacoast region, and northern Rhode Island. The statistical area used for government data gathering purposes that aligns most closely with our lending area is known as the Boston–Worcester–Providence combined statistical area, or CSA. In addition to greater Boston, this area includes the metropolitan areas of Manchester, New Hampshire; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Providence, Rhode Island. It also includes the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts. With an estimated population of 8.3 million, the Boston–Worcester–Providence CSA is the sixth largest CSA in the United States based upon 2019 population data. We believe the Boston–Worcester–Providence CSA provides a well-diversified and resilient economic base. There are approximately 3.2 million households in the Boston–Worcester–Providence CSA with an average of 2.5 persons per household. Median household income in 2019 for the Boston–Worcester–Providence CSA was approximately $85,000 compared to $66,000 for the United States as a whole. The estimated median age of the population in the Boston–Worcester–Providence CSA is 40, compared to 38.5 for the United States as a whole. For the eleven counties in eastern Massachusetts 4 and southern New Hampshire in which our branches are located and from which we gather most of our deposits, the average unemployment rate as of October 2021 was 4.0%, as compared to 4.3% for the United States as a whole. For the statistical area consisting of Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Nashua, New Hampshire—which is a subset of the Boston–Worcester–Providence CSA—the unemployment rate as of October 2021 was 4.7%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As disclosed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased the unemployment rate in our market.The COVID-19 pandemic initially contributed to a significant increase in the unemployment rate in our market area, however, as of December 31, 2021 the unemployment rate has subsequently decreased as more workers have returned to work. Please refer to the section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K titled “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to COVID-19 Pandemic and Associated Economic Slowdown” for additional information regarding the implications of the COVID-19 recession for our business. Home to over 100 colleges and universities, including nationally and internationally recognized institutions such as Boston College, Boston University, Brown University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Wellesley College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the Boston–Worcester–Providence CSA includes many employers in what often is referred to as the “knowledge-based economy” that relies on highly-educated employees, professionals and entrepreneurs. Approximately 43.6% of the population in the Boston–Worcester–Providence CSA age 25 or older has at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 33.1% for the United States as a whole. Major employment sectors range from education, services, manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade, to finance, technology and health care. Seven of the ten largest employers in the Boston metropolitan statistical area (“MSA”) are hospitals. Professional, scientific, and technical services, which covers a variety of industries including computer systems design, scientific research and development, management consulting, architecture and law, comprise the second largest share of the Boston MSA employers. The financial services industry in general and in our market in particular is highly competitive. We face significant competition in gathering deposits and originating loans. Our most direct competition for deposits has historically come from banking institutions operating in our primary market area. Based on data from the FDIC as of June 30, 2021 (the latest date for which information is available), we had a weighted average market share of 5.8% for the seven separate banking markets tracked by the Federal Reserve Board in which we have at least one branch. In the Boston market, which accounted for 94.8% of our deposits as of June 30, 2021, our market share was 3.7%, representing the fifth largest deposit share in that market. We also face competition for deposits from other financial services companies such as securities brokerage firms, credit unions, insurance companies and money market funds. In consumer banking, the industry has become increasingly dependent on and oriented towards technology-driven delivery systems, permitting transactions to be conducted through a wide variety of online and mobile channels. In addition, technology has lowered the barriers to entry and made it possible for non-bank institutions to attract funds and provide lending and other financial services in our market despite not having a physical presence here. Given their lower cost structure, non-bank institutions that choose to solicit deposits primarily through digital platforms often are able to offer rates on deposit products that are higher than average for retail banking institutions with a traditional branch footprint, such as us. The primary factors driving competition for consumer loans and deposits are interest rates, fees charged, customer service levels, convenience, including branch location and hours of operation, and the range of products and services offered. There is similarly intense competition in commercial banking, particularly for quality loan originations, from traditional banking institutions such as large regional banks, as well as commercial finance companies, leasing companies, insurance companies and other non-bank lenders, and institutional investors including collateralized loan obligation managers. Some larger competitors, including some of the largest banks in the United States, have a significant and, in many cases, growing presence in our market area, may offer a broader array of products and, due to their asset size, may sometimes be in a position to hold more exposure on their own balance sheets. We compete on a number of factors including, among others, customer service, quality of execution, range of products offered, price and reputation. We expect competition to continue to increase, especially as a result of regulatory and technological changes and the continuing trend of consolidation in the financial services industry. Increased competition for deposits and the origination of loans could limit our growth in the future. Recent Acquisitions Bank Acquisitions During the past two decades, we have been able to expand our banking business through a combination of internal or “organic” growth complemented by opportunistic strategic transactions. Since 1997, we have completed eight mergers or acquisitions, including our most recent acquisition of Century. On November 12, 2021, we acquired Century, which operated 29 banking offices in 21 cities and towns in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, as of September 30, 2021, for $641.9 million in cash. Century had total assets of approximately $6.8 billion at the time of our acquisition, at fair value and excluding goodwill and intangible assets. Eastern Insurance Group Acquisitions 5 In 2002, we acquired Allied American Insurance Agency, Inc. from the Arbella Insurance Group, which became Eastern Insurance Group. From 2004 through 2018, we expanded Eastern Insurance Group by acquiring 31 independent insurance agencies, the purchase prices for which ranged from less than $1.0 million to $17.1 million with an average purchase price of $3.9 million. In 2021, we acquired two independent insurance agencies, the purchase prices for which were $3.9 million and $0.5 million, respectively. Business Strategy Our goal is to enhance our position as one of the leading community banking institutions in our market, providing a broad array of banking and other financial services to retail, commercial and small business customers. In recent years, we have focused significant effort on and invested heavily in our infrastructure to create sophisticated and competitive products and services, a strong, experienced work force, and awareness of our banking brand. We also plan to grow by acquisition. As a result, we believe we are well positioned to capitalize on the opportunities available in our market by focusing on the following core strategies. Develop new customer relationships and deepen existing relationships. We seek to expand our market share in existing and contiguous markets across our businesses by leveraging our distinctive brand and delivering a diverse suite of tailored, high-quality solutions through a consultative, relationship-based approach reinforced by superior customer service. We believe this will result in disciplined growth of low-cost deposits, loans with attractive risk-adjusted returns and a steady stream of fee income. Our relationship-based approach has enabled us to achieve disciplined organic growth over time, and we expect this trend to continue. We believe our support of our small business and non-profit customers in obtaining funding in 2020 and 2021 under the Paycheck Protection Program, also known as “PPP,” demonstrated both our commitment and capacity to meet our customers’ needs, even in the most challenging circumstance. The PPP was created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) and was first launched in April 2020. The U.S. Small Business Administration, or “SBA,” approved all applications for PPP funding across the nation on a “first come, first served” basis. We believe that our experience as the largest SBA lender in New England for 13 consecutive years has made us effective in helping a large number of our customers avail themselves of the very attractive PPP loans. On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Relief Act”) became law, and authorized an additional $284 billion of PPP loans and extended the PPP through March 31, 2021. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which was signed into a law on March 11, 2021, allocated an additional $7.25 billion for PPP loans. The PPP ended on May 31, 2021. We disbursed a total of $1.7 billion of loans to approximately 15,500 borrowers under the PPP of the CARES Act during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. The vast majority of our PPP borrowers are existing commercial and small business borrowers, non-profit customers, retail banking customers and clients of Eastern Wealth Management and Eastern Insurance Group. Please refer to the subsection of this Annual Report on Form 10-K titled “Business—Lending Activities—Small Business Loans” for a summary description of PPP lending as relevant to Eastern Bank. Pursue opportunistic acquisitions. We have pursued and intend to continue to prudently pursue opportunities to acquire banks in our existing and contiguous markets that we believe will create attractive financial returns. Our focus is primarily on franchises that enhance our funding profile, product capabilities or geographic density, while maintaining an acceptable risk profile. We believe the vital need to make increasingly significant technological investments has greatly amplified the importance of scale in banking. In addition, we believe that the COVID-19 pandemic recession has increased and will continue to increase the rate of consolidation in the banking industry. We believe that as a result of our initial public offering (“IPO”), which was completed in October 2020, we are well-positioned as a consolidator in the banking market because of our financial strength, reputation and culture as evidenced by our recent acquisition of Century in November 2021. In addition, we intend to continue to pursue opportunistic acquisitions of additional insurance agencies in existing and contiguous markets. Leverage technology to enhance customer experience and drive operating efficiencies. We have made significant investments in our technology to ensure we can deliver high-quality, innovative products and services to our customers. In addition, we have continued investing in our new commercial lending origination system and platform, and we intend to progressively improve our consumer lending origination platform as well. We are committed to regularly investing in technology and data analytics, as we are positioning our franchise for the future. We believe these investments will differentiate us with our target customers and provide a scalable platform, which will generate significant operating leverage as we grow over time. Maintain and grow our experienced, diverse and customer focused employee base. We have an established corporate culture based on personal accountability, high ethical standards and a commitment to training and career development. We will look to opportunistically hire talented bankers and employees with a continued emphasis on recruiting highly motivated, diverse managers and employees who can establish and maintain long-term customer relationships that are key to our business, brand and culture. 6 Manage risk to navigate a range of economic environments. We believe that our conservative credit culture, strong capital and liquidity position, and our deep client relationships are key to our long-term financial success. We believe that stable long-term growth and profitability are the result of building strong customer relationships one at a time while maintaining superior credit discipline. We supplement our conservative risk culture with a rigorous and continuous enterprise risk management program. The current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in and is continuing to result in material uncertainty in the near- and medium-term future. In addition, a sustained period of low interest rates that continued into 2021 put pressure on our net interest margin. We believe we are enduring this period of stress from a position of strength, which allows us to maintain a strong balance sheet while still supporting our customers and communities in need. Lending Activities Lending Activities We use funds obtained from deposits, as well as funds obtained from the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) of Boston (“FHLBB”) advances and Federal funds, primarily to originate loans and to invest in securities. We believe the portfolio is well diversified with approximately 1,100 commercial relationships at December 31, 2021. During the year ended December 31, 2021, in connection with our acquisition of Century, we acquired loans which are outside of our traditional lending area. Such loans will run-off over time as we are not actively pursuing lending activities in such areas. The amount of loans acquired from Century which are outside of our traditional lending area was $490.6 million as of year ended December 31, 2021. Our lending focuses on the following categories of loans: Commercial and Industrial Loans. We offer a broad range of products, including lines of credit and term loans. We primarily target companies and institutions with annual revenues of $10 million to $500 million and strive to serve as the lead bank for customers with multi-product, long-term, profitable relationships with an emphasis on building long-term relationships. In addition, we participate in the syndicated loan market, club lending transactions and the Shared National Credit Program (“SNC Program”). Loans in this category consist of revolving and term loans extended to businesses and corporate enterprises for the purpose of financing working capital, facilitating equipment purchases and facilitating acquisitions. As of December 31, 2021, we had total commercial and industrial loans of $3.0 billion, representing 24.2% of our total loans. The primary risk associated with commercial and industrial loans is the ability of borrowers to achieve business results consistent with those projected at origination. For commercial and industrial loans, our primary focus is middle-market companies located in the markets we serve. Loans are extended on both a secured and unsecured basis, according to the credit profile of the customer, at both fixed interest rates and variable interest rates at varying spreads over LIBOR and Prime rate. The average tenor of our commercial and industrial portfolio varies according to market conditions but at December 31, 2021 it was 5.2 years. In managing the commercial and industrial loan portfolio, we focus on the size of the customer’s lending relationship, which we view as the aggregate amount of all loans and loan commitments outstanding to a commercial borrower and any related borrowers or guarantors. The average commercial and industrial lending relationship by balance at December 31, 2021 was $1.8 million. At December 31, 2021, our ten largest commercial and industrial lending relationships, including relationships with combined commercial and industrial and owner-occupied commercial real estate exposure, had an average commitment of $68.8 million and ranged in commitment size from $60.0 million to $82.0 million. Approximately 70.0% of our commercial and industrial loan exposure at December 31, 2021 was to customers headquartered within our primary lending market, which consists of eastern and central Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, including the seacoast region, and northern Rhode Island, although we participate in the syndicated loan market and the SNC Program. Our regulators and Eastern Bank consider a SNC to be any loan or loan commitment for which the commitment amount is equal to or greater than $100 million, in aggregate; and which is shared by three or more federally supervised unaffiliated institutions under a formal lending agreement; or a portion of which is sold to two or more federally supervised unaffiliated institutions, with the purchasing institutions assuming their pro rata share of the credit risk. As of December 31, 2021, our commercial and industrial SNC Program portfolio totaled $480.9 million, or 16.2%, of our commercial and industrial portfolio, and 40.3% of our commercial and industrial SNC Program portfolio were loans to borrowers headquartered in our primary lending market. Our commercial and industrial portfolio also includes our Asset Based Lending Portfolio (“ABL Portfolio”). As of December 31, 2021, our ABL Portfolio totaled $224.8 million, or 7.6%, of our commercial and industrial portfolio. Our commercial and industrial portfolio also includes a portion of our PPP loans. As of December 31, 2021, the amount of PPP loans included in our commercial and industrial portfolio was $112.8 million. 7 Our commercial and industrial portfolio also includes IRBs which are municipal bonds issued to finance major capital projects. As of December 31, 2021, our commercial and industrial IRB portfolio totaled $1.0 billion, or 33.8% of our commercial and industrial portfolio. The majority of our IRB portfolio is in educational and other non-profit sectors. Commercial Real Estate Loans. Loans in this category include mortgage loans on commercial real estate, both investment and owner occupied. Property types financed include office, industrial, multi-family, affordable housing, retail, hotel and other type properties. See "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding material reduction in demand for office and medical office space. As of December 31, 2021, we had total commercial real estate loans of $4.5 billion, representing 36.9% of our total loans. As of December 31, 2021, owner occupied loans totaled $861.2 million, representing 19.0%, of our commercial real estate loans. Collateral values are established by independent third-party appraisals and evaluations. The primary repayment sources include operating income generated by the real estate, permanent debt refinancing and/or the sale of the real estate. Our commercial real estate loan portfolio also includes IRB loans of $629.6 million, or 13.9% of our commercial real estate portfolio, as of December 31, 2021. Included in this amount was $376.7 million of IRB loans as of December 31, 2021 which were acquired in connection with our acquisition of Century. The average outstanding loan balance in our commercial real estate portfolio was approximately $3.0 million as of December 31, 2021, although we originate commercial real estate loans with balances significantly larger than this average. At December 31, 2021, our ten largest commercial real estate loans had an average commitment of $52.8 million, ranging from $46.2 million to $68.3 million. We focus our commercial real estate lending on properties within our primary market area but will originate commercial real estate loans on properties located outside this area based on an established relationship with a strong borrower. We intend to continue to grow our commercial real estate loan portfolio while maintaining prudent underwriting standards. In addition to originating these loans, we also participate in commercial real estate loans with other financial institutions. Such participations are underwritten in accordance with our policies before we will participate in such loans. We originate a variety of fixed- and adjustable-rate commercial real estate loans with terms and amortization periods generally up to 30 years, which may include balloon loans. Interest rates and payments on most of our adjustable-rate loans are set based upon the 30-day LIBOR index plus a margin. See “Risk Factors—Changes to and replacement of LIBOR may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information about the potential impact to our business. If we foreclose on a commercial real estate loan, the marketing and liquidation period to convert the real estate asset to cash can be a lengthy process with substantial holding costs. In addition, vacancies, deferred maintenance, repairs and market stigma can result in prospective buyers expecting sale price concessions to offset their real or perceived economic losses for the time it takes them to return the property to profitability. Depending on the individual circumstances, initial charge-offs and subsequent losses on commercial real estate loans can be unpredictable and substantial. Commercial Construction Loans. Loans in this category include construction project financing and are comprised of commercial real estate, business banking and residential loans for the purpose of constructing and developing real estate. Substantially all of our commercial construction portfolio is in commercial real estate. As of December 31, 2021, we had total commercial construction loans of $222.3 million, representing 1.8% of our total loans. The majority of the loans in this category, measured by the outstanding loan balance as of December 31, 2021, are secured by properties located in our primary lending area. At December 31, 2021, our ten largest construction loans had an average commitment of $22.5 million, ranging from $19.0 million to $30.0 million. Most of our construction loans are interest-only loans that provide for the payment of interest during the construction phase, which is usually up to 36 months, although the terms of some construction loans are extended, generally for periods of six to 12 months. At the end of the construction phase, the loan may convert to a permanent mortgage loan or the loan may be paid in full. Loans generally can be made with a maximum loan-to-value ratio of 75% of the appraised market value upon completion of the project. When appropriate to the underwriting, a “discounted cash flow analysis” is utilized. Before making a commitment to fund a construction loan, we require an appraisal of the property by an independent licensed appraiser for construction and land development loans in excess of $500,000. For larger loans, we also will generally require an inspection of the property by an Eastern Bank-appointed construction engineer before disbursement of funds during the term of the construction loan. Land development loans within the construction portfolio totaled $33.2 million as of December 31, 2021. IRB loans within the construction portfolio totaled $68.7 million as of December 31, 2021. Small Business Loans. This category, which we refer to as “business banking,” is comprised of loans to small businesses with exposures of under $1.0 million and small investment real estate projects with exposures of under $3.0 8 million. These loans are separate and distinct from our commercial and industrial and commercial real estate portfolios described above due to the size of the loans. As of December 31, 2021, we had total business banking loans of $1.3 billion, representing 10.9% of our total loans. In this category, commercial and industrial loans and commercial real estate loans totaled $440.6 million and $894.1 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2021. Business banking originations include traditionally underwritten loans as well as partially automated scored loans. Our proprietary decision matrix, which includes a number of quantitative factors including, but not limited to, a guarantor’s credit score, industry risk, and time in business, is used to determine whether to make business banking loans. A portion of our small business loans are guaranteed by the SBA, through the SBA 7(a) loan program. The SBA 7(a) loan program supports, through a United States Government guarantee, some portion of the traditional commercial loan underwriting that might not be fully covered absent the guarantee. Eastern Bank is a preferred lender under the SBA’s Preferred Lender Program, which allows expedited underwriting and approval of SBA 7(a) Loans. For 2009-2021, Eastern Bank was distinguished as the highest producer of SBA 7(a) loans, in terms of loan volume, in New England. As of December 31, 2021, our SBA portfolio held approximately 5,200 loans with $0.4 billion outstanding. Our PPP loans are included in our commercial and industrial loans portfolio, as previously indicated, and in our business banking portfolio. As of December 31, 2021, the amount of PPP loans included in our business banking portfolio was $218.6 million. One- to Four-Family Residential Real Estate Loans. Our one- to four-family residential real estate loan portfolio consists of mortgage loans that enable borrowers to purchase or refinance existing homes, most of which serve as the primary residence of the owner. As of December 31, 2021, we had total residential loans of $1.9 billion, representing 15.7% of our total loans. Underwriting considerations include, among others, income sources and their reliability, willingness to repay as evidenced by credit repayment history, financial resources including cash reserves and the value of the collateral. We maintain policy standards for minimum credit score and cash reserves and maximum loan to value consistent with a “prime” portfolio. Collateral consists of mortgage liens on residential dwellings. We do not originate or purchase sub-prime or other high-risk loans Our one-to four-family residential real estate loans generally do not have prepayment penalties. We generally do not offer loans with negative amortization and do not offer interest-only one- to four-family residential real estate loans, although we may provide for interest-only payments with respect to loan modifications. Through a team of approximately 28 licensed mortgage loan officers, we originate residential loans either for sale to investors or to retain in our loan portfolio. Decisions about whether to sell or retain residential loans are made based on the interest rate characteristics, pricing for loans in the secondary mortgage market, competitive factors and our capital needs, although we generally retain non-conforming jumbo residential loans in our portfolio. Since 2016, we have outsourced to an independent party the processing, underwriting (using our criteria) and closing of residential loans originated by our mortgage loan officers. During the year ended December 31, 2021, residential real estate mortgage originations were $1.1 billion of which $233.7 million were sold on the secondary markets. We generally do not continue to service residential loans that we sell in the secondary market. At December 31, 2021, our ten largest one- to four-family residential real estate loans had an average balance of $2.4 million, ranging from $2.2 million to $2.7 million. Home Equity Loans and Lines of Credit. Loans in this category consist of home equity lines of credit and home equity loans. We offer home equity lines of credit with cumulative loan-to-value ratios generally up to 80%, when taking into account both the balance of the home equity line of credit and first mortgage loan. We maintain policy standards for minimum credit score and cash reserves and maximum loan-to-value ratios consistent with a “prime” portfolio. For home equity loans and lines of credit originated in 2021, the average Fair Isaac Corporation (“FICO”) score was 767. As of December 31, 2021, we had total consumer home equity loans of $1.1 billion, representing 9.0% of our total loans. Home equity lines of credit are granted for ten years with monthly interest-only repayment requirements. Home equity lines of credit can be converted to term loans that are fully amortized. Underwriting considerations are materially consistent with those utilized in the residential real estate category. Collateral consists of a senior or subordinate lien on owner-occupied residential property. Other Consumer Loans. Loans in this category consist of unsecured personal lines of credit, overdraft protection, automobile loans, home improvement loans, airplane loans and other personal loans. Loans in this category include loans originated through our indirect automobile lending program, which we began to exit in 2018 to improve our liquidity position and to reduce lower yielding loans. 9 As of December 31, 2021, we had total other consumer loans of $214.5 million, representing 1.8% of our total loans. Our policy and underwriting considerations in this category include, among others: income sources and reliability, credit histories, term of repayment and collateral value, as applicable. Included in this category of other consumer loans are home improvement and automobile loans of $104.4 million and $53.3 million, respectively, at December 31, 2021. Loan Sales and Purchases We generally originate commercial loans for our portfolio, although we sell participation interests in commercial and industrial loans and commercial real estate loans to local financial institutions, primarily on the portion of loans exceeding our borrowing limits. We generally do not purchase whole loans, but we do purchase loan participations from other financial institutions. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we purchased $346.3 million of loan participations. As of December 31, 2021, we held loan participation interests, including SNCs, totaling $1.1 billion in loans originated by other lenders, consisting of $732.4 million of commercial and industrial loan participations, $362.9 million of commercial real estate loan participations, $37.1 million of commercial construction loan participations, and less than $0.1 million of business banking loan participations. Loan Approval Procedures and Authority Our lending activities follow written, non-discriminatory, underwriting standards and loan origination procedures established by Eastern Bank’s Board of Directors and management. Eastern Bank’s Board of Directors has delegated loan approval authority to certain officers up to prescribed limits, depending on the officer’s experience, the type of loan and whether the loan is secured or unsecured. Loans to commercial relationships of $3.0 million and above require approval by credit managers. Loans to commercial relationships greater than $5.0 million and up to our internal loans-to-one relationship limitation require approval by management’s Credit Committee. All business banking loans under $1.5 million are approved by credit officers, and all business banking loans over $1.5 million are approved by the Credit Committee. Loan policy exceptions are fully disclosed to the approving authority, either an individual officer or the appropriate management or credit committee prior to approval. Exceptions are reported to the Risk Management Committee of the Board of Directors quarterly. Loans-to-One Borrower Limit and Loan Category Concentration The maximum amount that we may lend to one borrower and its related entities generally is limited, by statute, to 20% of our capital, which is defined under Massachusetts law as the sum of our capital shares, surplus account and undivided profits. At December 31, 2021, our regulatory limit on loans-to-one borrower was $681.3 million. In November 2021, we acquired Century, the loan portfolio of which included loans of a larger size than we have historically made, as well as loans to borrowers in industries in which we have historically not participated in a meaningful way. In connection with the acquisition, Eastern Bank’s Board of Directors approved adjustments to our internal limits on loans-to-one borrower (and related entities), as well as higher sub-limits for loans made in the higher education and healthcare industry sectors. As of December 31, 2021, our internal limits on loans-to-one borrower (and related entities), all of which are subject to industry-specific sub-limits, were: • $35.0 million for commercial real estate loans; • $100.0 million for commercial real estate relationships; • $50.0 million for commercial and industrial relationships, including loans to non-profit entities; • $75.0 million for loans to education and healthcare entities with a risk rating between 1 and 4; and • $50.0 million for loans to education and healthcare entities with a risk rating of 5 and above. Prior to the Century acquisition, our internal limits on loans-to-one borrower (and related entities) had been $25.0 million for commercial real estate loans; $75.0 million for commercial real estate relationships; and $40.0 million for commercial and industrial relationships, including loans to non-profit entities. Aggregate exposure limits can be increased up to 10% on an exception basis with the approval of the Credit Committee, including the approval of the Chief Credit Officer and the Chief Commercial Banking Officer. In connection with the acquisition of Century, as a condition of receiving regulatory approval, we provided $65.6 million of credit to the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (“MHP”). The commitment exceeded our internal lending limits indicated above, but not our regulatory limit on loans-to-one-borrower also indicated above. Our Board of Directors approved the exception to our internal lending limits for the MHP credit facility. 10 Investment Activities Our securities portfolio consists primarily of government-sponsored residential mortgage-backed securities (which includes collateralized mortgage obligations), government-sponsored commercial mortgage-backed securities (which includes collateralized mortgage obligations), U.S. Agency bonds, U.S. Treasury securities, state and municipal bonds and obligations, Small Business Administration pooled securities, and other debt securities. We view our securities portfolio as a source of income and liquidity. Interest and principal payments generated from securities provide a source of liquidity to fund loans and meet short-term cash needs. The Risk Management Committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for approving and overseeing our investment policy, which it reviews at least annually. This policy dictates that investment decisions be made based on the safety of the investment, liquidity requirements, potential returns and market risk considerations. At December 31, 2021, our securities totaled $8.5 billion, and generated interest and dividends of 15.1% of total interest income for the year ended December 31, 2021. On at least a quarterly basis we review our security portfolio for impairment and to evaluate collection of principal and interest. Sources of Funds Deposits and other interest-bearing liabilities. At December 31, 2021, total deposits were $19.6 billion. Deposits originating through our branch banking network have traditionally been the principal source of our funds for use in lending and for other general business purposes. We offer a range of demand deposits, interest checking, money market accounts, savings accounts and time certificates of deposit. Interest rates on deposits are based on factors that include loan demand, deposit maturities, alternative costs of funds, and interest rates offered by competing financial institutions in our market area. We believe we have been able to attract and maintain satisfactory levels of deposits based on the level of service we provide to our customers, the convenience of our banking locations, our electronic banking options, and our interest rates, all of which are generally competitive with those of competing financial institutions. We also participate in the IntraFi Network (formerly known as “Promontory”), which allows us to provide access to multi-million dollar FDIC deposit insurance protection on deposits for consumers, businesses and public entities. We can elect to sell or repurchase this funding as reciprocal deposits from other IntraFi Network banks depending on funding needs. As of December 31, 2021, we had repurchased no reciprocal deposits from other IntraFi Network banks and had $520.5 million of additional capacity. Borrowings. At December 31, 2021, total borrowings were $34.3 million. Borrowings consist of both short-term and long-term borrowings and primarily consist of FHLB advances. Borrowings provide us with one source of funding. Maintaining available borrowing capacity with the FHLB provides us with a contingent source of liquidity. Eastern Bank is a member of the FHLB of Boston. The primary reason for our FHLBB membership is to gain access to a reliable source of wholesale funding, particularly term funding, as a tool to manage liquidity and interest rate risk. As a member of the FHLBB, we are required to purchase shares in the FHLBB. Accordingly, we had invested $10.9 million in shares of the FHLBB and had $14.0 million outstanding in FHLBB borrowings with original maturities ranging from 4 years to 20 years at December 31, 2021. In addition, we had $1.8 billion of borrowing capacity remaining with the FHLBB at December 31, 2021. See Note 10, “Borrowed Funds” within the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information regarding borrowings. Eastern Wealth Management Through Eastern Bank’s wealth management division, we offer a range of trust services, including managing customer investments, serving as custodian for customer assets, and providing other fiduciary services including serving as trustee and personal representative of estates. Our clients include individuals, trusts, businesses, employer-sponsored retirement plans and charitable organizations. Services offered include financial planning and portfolio management. At December 31, 2021, Eastern Bank held $3.4 billion of assets in a fiduciary, custodial or agency capacity for customers. These assets are not assets of Eastern Bank and therefore are not included in the consolidated balance sheets included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Eastern Wealth Management had 46 full-time equivalent employees as of December 31, 2021 and revenue of $24.6 million or approximately 12.7% of noninterest income during the year ended December 31, 2021. As discussed in “Recent Acquisitions” within this section, we acquired Century on November 12, 2021, the operations of which included a wealth management division. In 2020, Century’s last full fiscal year prior to our acquisition, brokerage commissions from its wealth management division amounted to $0.3 million. Century’s wealth management business included securities supported by LPL Financial, a third-party securities brokerage business. In connection with acquiring Century, we elected not to continue with a third-party securities brokerage relationship. 11 Eastern Insurance Group LLC Eastern Insurance Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eastern Bank, acts as an independent agent in offering personal, business and employee benefits insurance products to individual and commercial clients. Personal insurance products include life, accident and health, automobile, and property and liability insurance including fire, condominium, home and tenants, among others. Commercial insurance products include group life and health, commercial property and liability, surety, and workers compensation insurance, among others. Eastern Insurance Group also offers a wide range of employee benefits products and services, including professional advice related to health care cost management, employee engagement and executive services. As an agency business, Eastern Insurance Group does not assume any underwriting or insurance risk. The commissions we earn on the sale of these insurance products and services, which totaled $94.7 million or 49.0% of our total noninterest income during the year ended December 31, 2021, is the most significant portion of our noninterest income. Eastern Insurance Group represents many leading insurance companies. Eastern Insurance Group operates through 23 non-branch offices in eastern Massachusetts, one office in Keene, New Hampshire, and one office in Providence, Rhode Island. As measured by revenue, Eastern Insurance Group is the second largest insurance agency in Massachusetts, the thirty-fourth largest property and casualty insurance agency in the United States. Eastern Insurance Group had 406 full-time equivalent employees as of December 31, 2021 and revenue of $97.2 million or approximately 15.5% of our total revenues. Eastern Insurance Group routinely acquires smaller insurance agencies in existing and adjacent markets. During the five-year period ended December 31, 2021, Eastern Insurance Group acquired two insurance agencies for an average purchase price of $2.2 million. On average the agencies acquired during that period had annual revenue of $0.9 million at the date of purchase. See “Recent Acquisitions” within this section for additional information. Regulation We are subject to the extensive regulatory framework applicable to bank holding companies, bank subsidiaries and their affiliates. This framework is intended primarily for the protection of depositors, the FDIC’s Deposit Insurance Fund and the banking system as a whole, and generally is not intended for the protection of shareholders or other investors. Described below are the material elements of selected laws and regulations applicable to us, the Bank, our subsidiaries and our affiliates. These descriptions are not intended to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the statutes and regulations described. Changes in applicable law or regulation, and in their interpretation and application by regulatory agencies and other governmental authorities cannot be predicted, but may have a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. General Eastern Bank is a Massachusetts-chartered non-member bank. Eastern Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the FDIC. Eastern Bank is subject to extensive regulation by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks, as its chartering authority, and by the FDIC, as its primary federal regulator. Eastern Bank is required to file reports with, and is periodically examined by, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks and the FDIC concerning its activities and financial condition and must obtain regulatory approvals prior to entering into certain transactions, including, but not limited to, mergers with or acquisitions of other financial institutions. Eastern Bank is a member of the FHLBB. Eastern Bank is subject to federal and state regulation and supervision that establishes a comprehensive framework of activities in which an insured state-chartered bank can engage and is intended primarily for the protection of depositors and borrowers and, for purposes of the FDIC, the protection of the deposit insurance fund. The statutory regulatory structure also gives both federal and state regulatory authorities extensive discretion in connection with their supervisory and enforcement activities and examination policies, including policies with respect to the classification of assets and the establishment of adequate loan loss reserves for regulatory purposes. As a bank holding company, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. is required to comply with the rules and regulations of the Federal Reserve Board. It is required to file certain reports with the Federal Reserve Board and is subject to examination by and subject to the enforcement authority of the Federal Reserve Board. Eastern Bankshares, Inc. is also subject to examination by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks. In addition, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. is subject to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission under the federal securities laws. Any change in applicable laws or regulations, whether by the United States Congress, the Massachusetts legislature, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks, the FDIC, or the Federal Reserve Board, could have a material adverse impact on the operations and financial performance of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. and Eastern Bank. In addition, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. and Eastern Bank will be affected by the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States Government, including the Federal Reserve Board. In view of changing conditions in the national economy and in the financial markets, it is 12 impossible for management to accurately predict future changes in monetary policy or the effect such changes may have on the business or financial condition of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. and Eastern Bank. Set forth below is a brief description of material regulatory requirements that are applicable to Eastern Bank and Eastern Bankshares, Inc. The description is limited to certain material aspects of the statutes and regulations addressed, and is not intended to be a complete description of such statutes and regulations and their effects on Eastern Bank and Eastern Bankshares, Inc. Massachusetts Banking Laws and Supervision Eastern Bank, as a Massachusetts-chartered bank, is regulated and supervised by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks. The Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks is required to regularly examine each state-chartered bank. The approval of the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks is required to establish or close branches, to merge with another bank, to issue shares and to undertake certain other activities. Any Massachusetts bank that does not operate in accordance with the regulations, policies and directives of the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks may be sanctioned. The Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks may suspend or remove directors or officers of a Massachusetts-chartered bank who have violated the law, conducted a bank’s business in a manner that is unsafe, unsound or contrary to the depositors’ interests, or been negligent in the performance of their duties. In addition, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks has the authority to appoint the FDIC as a receiver or conservator if the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks or the FDIC determine that we are conducting our business in an unsafe or unauthorized manner, and under certain other circumstances. The powers that Massachusetts-chartered banks can exercise under these laws include, but are not limited to, the following: Lending Activities. A Massachusetts-chartered bank may make a wide variety of mortgage loans including fixed-rate loans, adjustable-rate loans, variable-rate loans, participation loans, graduated payment loans, construction and development loans, condominium and co-operative loans, second mortgage loans and other types of loans that may be made in accordance with applicable regulations. Commercial loans may be made to corporations and other commercial enterprises with or without security. Consumer and personal loans may also be made with or without security. Insurance Sales. Massachusetts-chartered banks may engage in insurance sales activities if the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks has approved a plan of operation for insurance activities and the bank obtains a license from the Massachusetts Division of Insurance. Massachusetts-chartered banks may be licensed directly or indirectly through an affiliate or a subsidiary corporation established for this purpose. Eastern Bank has received approval for insurance sales activities, and offers a variety of personal and business insurance products and services through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Eastern Insurance Group, a licensed insurance agency. Eastern Insurance Group has also obtained all licenses required by various state insurance regulatory authorities in other states that license, regulate and supervise insurance producers, brokers and agents. Investment Activities. In general and subject to constraints under federal law, Massachusetts-chartered banks may invest in preferred and common shares of any corporation organized under the laws of the United States or any state provided such investments do not involve control of any corporation and do not, in the aggregate, exceed 4.0% of the bank’s deposits and have separate authority to invest up to 15% of the bank’s assets in shares listed on a national share exchange in the United States. Massachusetts-chartered banks may additionally invest an amount equal to 1.0% of their deposits in shares of Massachusetts corporations or companies with substantial employment in Massachusetts which have pledged to the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks that such monies will be used for further development within Massachusetts. At the present time, Eastern Bank has the grandfathered authority under state law to invest in equity securities. However, such investment authority is constrained by federal law. See the subsection titled “—Federal Bank Regulation—Investment Activities” for such federal restrictions. Dividends. Massachusetts-chartered banks may declare from net profits cash dividends not more frequently than quarterly and non-cash dividends at any time. No dividends may be declared, credited or paid if the bank’s capital is impaired. Massachusetts-chartered banks with outstanding preferred stock may not, without the prior approval of the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks, declare dividends on its common stock without also declaring dividends on the preferred stock. The approval of the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks is required if the total of all dividends declared in any calendar year exceeds the total of its net profits for that year combined with its retained net profits of the preceding two years, less any required transfer to surplus or a fund for the retirement of any preferred shares. Net profits for this purpose means the remainder of all earnings from current operations plus actual recoveries on loans and investments and other assets after deducting current operating expenses, actual losses, accrued dividends on preferred shares, if any, and all federal and state taxes. Liquidation Account Effect on Dividends. As a result of the conversion of Eastern Bank Corporation, the predecessor holding company of Eastern Bank, from a mutual into a stock holding company in connection with our IPO (the “Conversion”), Eastern Bankshares, Inc. may not declare or pay a cash dividend on, or repurchase any of, its capital shares if 13 the effect thereof would cause its net worth to be reduced below (i) the amount required for the liquidation account established by Eastern Bankshares, Inc. in connection with the IPO (“Liquidation Account”) or (ii) the regulatory capital requirements of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (to the extent applicable). The Liquidation Account was designed to provide payments to depositors of their liquidation interests, if any, in the end of a liquidation of (a) Eastern Bankshares, Inc. and Eastern Bank, or (b) Eastern Bank. Under the plan of conversion of Eastern Bank Corporation in connection with the Conversion, eligible account holders received an interest in a liquidation account maintained by Eastern Bankshares, Inc. in an amount equal to (i) Eastern Bank Corporation’s ownership interest in Eastern Bank’s total shareholders’ equity as of the date of the latest statement of financial condition included in our IPO prospectus, plus (ii) the value of the net assets of Eastern Bank Corporation as of the date of the latest statement of financial condition of Eastern Bank Corporation prior to the consummation of the conversion (excluding its ownership of Eastern Bank). Eastern Bank Corporation’s plan of conversion also provided for the establishment of a parallel liquidation account maintained at Eastern Bank to support Eastern Bankshares, Inc.’s liquidation account in the event Eastern Bankshares, Inc. does not have sufficient assets to fund its obligations under Eastern Bankshares, Inc.’s liquidation account. Eastern Bankshares, Inc. and Eastern Bank hold the Liquidation Account for the benefit of eligible account holders who have continued to maintain deposits in Eastern Bank following completion of the conversion. Share Repurchases. Eastern Bankshares, Inc. may not repurchase any of its capital stock if the effect thereof would cause its net worth to be reduced below (i) the amount required for the Liquidation Account or (ii) the regulatory capital requirements of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (to the extent applicable). In addition, under Massachusetts regulations, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. may not repurchase shares of its common stock during the first three years following the completion of the IPO, except to fund tax-qualified or non-tax-qualified employee stock benefit plans, or except in amounts not greater than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock where compelling and valid business reasons are established to the satisfaction of the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks. On November 12, 2021, the receipt of a notice of non-objection from the Federal Reserve Board to our first proposed share repurchase program. Our authorization to repurchase shares under this program was disclosed. Our authorization to repurchase shares under this program, which was approved by the Company’s Board of Directors, is limited to 9,337,900 shares, which represents 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock, over a 12-month period. The program is further limited to $225 million through November 30, 2022 and may be modified or terminated by the Company’s Board of Directors at any time. Protection of Personal Information. Massachusetts has adopted statutory and regulatory requirements intended to protect personal information. The requirements are similar to federal laws such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, discussed below under “—Federal Bank Regulation—Privacy Regulations.” They require organizations to establish written information security programs to prevent identity theft and other fraud. The Massachusetts regulation also contains technology system security requirements, especially for the encryption of personal information sent over wireless or public networks or stored on portable devices. Parity Powers. Massachusetts-chartered banks may, in accordance with Massachusetts law, exercise any power and engage in any activity that has been authorized for national banks, federal thrifts or state banks in a state other than Massachusetts, provided that the activity is permissible under applicable federal law and not specifically prohibited by Massachusetts law. Such powers and activities must be subject to the same limitations and restrictions imposed on the national bank, federal thrift or out-of-state bank that exercised the power or activity. A Massachusetts bank may exercise such powers, and engage in such activities by providing 30 days’ advanced written notice to the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks. Loans to One Borrower Limitations. Massachusetts banking law grants broad lending authority. However, with certain limited exceptions, total obligations of one borrower and related interests to a bank may not exceed 20.0% of the total of the bank’s capital, which is defined under Massachusetts law as the sum of the bank’s capital shares, surplus account and undivided profits. Loans to a Bank’s Insiders. Under Massachusetts law, a Massachusetts-chartered bank must comply with Regulation O of the Federal Reserve Board and the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks retains examination and enforcement authority to ensure compliance. Regulation O generally requires that extensions of credit to insiders: • be made on terms that are substantially the same as, and follow credit underwriting procedures that are not less stringent than, those prevailing for comparable transactions with unaffiliated persons and that do not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features; • not exceed certain limitations on the amount of credit extended to such persons, individually and in the aggregate, which limits are based, in part, on the amount of the Massachusetts financial institution’s capital; and • meet other definitional and procedural requirements as specified in the regulation. 14 Regulatory Enforcement Authority. Any Massachusetts-chartered bank that does not operate in accordance with the regulations, policies and directives of the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks may be subject to sanctions for non-compliance, including seizure of the property and business of the bank, imposition of a conservatorship or revocation of its charter. The Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks may, under certain circumstances, suspend or remove officers or directors who have violated the law, conducted the bank’s business in a manner which is unsafe, unsound or contrary to the depositors’ interests or been negligent in the performance of their duties. In addition, upon finding that a bank has engaged in an unfair or deceptive act or practice, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks may issue an order to cease and desist and impose a fine on the bank concerned. Massachusetts consumer protection and civil rights statutes applicable to Eastern Bank permit private individual and class action lawsuits and provide for the rescission of consumer transactions, including loans, and the recovery of statutory and punitive damage and attorney’s fees in the case of certain violations of those statutes. Massachusetts has other statutes and regulations that are similar to the federal provisions discussed below. Federal Bank Regulation Capital Requirements. Federal regulations require FDIC-insured depository institutions, such as Eastern Bank, to meet several minimum capital standards: a common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-based assets ratio of 4.5%, a Tier 1 capital to risk-based assets ratio of 6.0%, a total capital to risk-based assets ratio of 8.0%, and a Tier 1 capital to average assets leverage ratio of 4.0%. For purposes of the regulatory capital requirements, common equity Tier 1 capital is generally defined as common shareholders’ equity and retained earnings. Tier 1 capital is generally defined as common equity Tier 1 and additional Tier 1 capital. Additional Tier 1 capital includes certain noncumulative perpetual preferred shares and related surplus and minority interests in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries. Total capital includes Tier 1 capital (common equity Tier 1 capital plus additional Tier 1 capital) and Tier 2 capital. Tier 2 capital is comprised of capital instruments and related surplus, meeting specified requirements, and may include cumulative preferred shares and long-term perpetual preferred shares, mandatory convertible securities, intermediate preferred shares and subordinated debt. Also included in Tier 2 capital is the allowance for loan and lease losses limited to a maximum of 1.25% or risk-weighted assets. As permitted by applicable capital regulations, we have opted out of the requirement to include Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (“AOCI”) in our regulatory capital determinations. Calculation of all types of regulatory capital is subject to deductions and adjustments specified in the regulations. In determining the amount of risk-weighted assets for purposes of calculating risk-based capital ratios, all assets, including certain off-balance sheet assets (e.g., recourse obligations, direct credit substitutes, residual interests) are multiplied by a risk weight factor assigned by the regulations based on the risks believed inherent in the type of asset. Higher levels of capital are required for asset categories believed to present greater risk. For example, a risk weight of 0% is assigned to cash and United States government securities, a risk weight of 50% is generally assigned to prudently underwritten first lien one to four- family residential mortgages, a risk weight of 100% is assigned to commercial and consumer loans, a risk weight of 150% is assigned to certain past due loans and a risk weight of up to 600% is assigned to permissible equity interests, depending on certain specified factors. In addition to establishing the minimum regulatory capital requirements, the regulations limit capital distributions and certain discretionary bonus payments to management if the institution does not hold a “capital conservation buffer” consisting of 2.5% of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets above the amount necessary to meet its minimum risk-based capital requirements. At December 31, 2021, Eastern Bank exceeded the regulatory requirement for the capital conservation buffer. The FDIC Improvement Act required each federal banking agency to revise its risk-based capital standards for insured institutions to ensure that those standards take adequate account of interest-rate risk, concentration of credit risk, and the risk of nontraditional activities, as well as to reflect the actual performance and expected risk of loss on multi-family residential loans. The FDIC, along with the other federal banking agencies, adopted a regulation providing that the agencies will take into account the exposure of a bank’s capital and economic value to changes in interest rate risk in assessing a bank’s capital adequacy. The FDIC also has authority to establish individual minimum capital requirements in appropriate cases upon determination that an institution’s capital level is, or is likely to become, inadequate in light of the particular circumstances. Standards for Safety and Soundness. As required by statute, the federal banking agencies adopted final regulations and Interagency Guidelines Establishing Standards for Safety and Soundness to implement safety and soundness standards. The guidelines set forth the safety and soundness standards that the federal banking agencies use to identify and address problems at insured depository institutions before capital becomes impaired. The guidelines address internal controls and information systems, internal audit systems, credit underwriting, loan documentation, interest rate exposure, asset growth, asset quality, earnings and compensation, fees and benefits. The agencies have also established standards for safeguarding customer information. If the appropriate federal banking agency determines that an institution fails to meet any standard 15 prescribed by the guidelines, the agency may require the institution to submit to the agency an acceptable plan to achieve compliance with the standard. Investment Activities. All state-chartered FDIC-insured banks, including Massachusetts-chartered banks, are generally limited in their investment activities to principal and equity investments of the type and in the amount authorized for national banks, notwithstanding state law, subject to certain exceptions. For example, state-chartered banks may, with FDIC approval, continue to exercise state authority that was in existence as of September 30, 1991, to invest in common or preferred shares listed on a national securities exchange and in the shares of an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The maximum permissible investment is 100% of Tier 1 Capital, as specified by the FDIC’s regulations, or the maximum amount permitted by Massachusetts law, whichever is less. In addition, the FDIC is authorized to permit such a state bank to engage as principal in state-authorized activities or investments not permissible for national banks (other than non-subsidiary equity investments) if it meets all applicable capital requirements and the FDIC determines that such activities or investments do not pose a significant risk to the Deposit Insurance Fund. The FDIC has adopted procedures for institutions seeking approval to engage in such activities or investments. In addition, a nonmember bank may control a subsidiary that engages in activities as principal that would only be permitted for a national bank to conduct in a “financial subsidiary” if a bank meets specified conditions and deducts its investment in the subsidiary for regulatory capital purposes. Interstate Banking and Branching. Federal law permits well capitalized and well managed bank holding companies to acquire banks in any state, subject to Federal Reserve Board approval, certain concentration limits and other specified conditions. Interstate mergers of banks are also authorized, subject to regulatory approval and other specified conditions. In addition, amendments adopted as part of the Dodd-Frank Act permit banks to establish de novo branches on an interstate basis to the extent that branching is authorized by the law of the host state for the banks chartered by that state. Prompt Corrective Regulatory Action. Federal law requires, among other things, that federal bank regulatory authorities take “prompt corrective action” with respect to banks that do not meet minimum capital requirements. For these purposes, the law establishes five capital categories: well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized and critically undercapitalized. The FDIC has adopted regulations to implement the prompt corrective action legislation. An institution is deemed to be “well capitalized” if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or greater, a common equity Tier 1 ratio of 6.5% or greater and a leverage ratio of 5.0% or greater. An institution is “adequately capitalized” if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.0% or greater, a common equity Tier 1 ratio of 4.5% or greater and a leverage ratio of 4.0% or greater. An institution is “undercapitalized” if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 8.0%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 6.0%, a common equity Tier 1 ratio of less than 4.5% or a leverage ratio of less than 4.0%. An institution is deemed to be “significantly undercapitalized” if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 6.0%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 4.0%, a common equity Tier 1 ratio of less than 3.0% or a leverage ratio of less than 3.0%. An institution is considered to be “critically undercapitalized” if it has a ratio of tangible equity (as defined in the regulations) to total assets that is equal to or less than 2.0%. As of December 31, 2021, Eastern Bank was a “well capitalized” institution under FDIC regulations. At each successive lower capital category, an insured depository institution is subject to more restrictions and prohibitions, including restrictions on growth, restrictions on interest rates paid on deposits, restrictions or prohibitions on payment of dividends, and restrictions on the acceptance of brokered deposits. Furthermore, if an insured depository institution is classified in one of the undercapitalized categories, it is required to submit a capital restoration plan to the appropriate federal banking agency, and the holding company must guarantee the performance of that plan. Based upon its capital levels, a bank that is classified as well-capitalized, adequately capitalized, or undercapitalized may be treated as though it were in the next lower capital category if the appropriate federal banking agency, after notice and opportunity for hearing, determines that an unsafe or unsound condition, or an unsafe or unsound practice, warrants such treatment. An undercapitalized bank’s compliance with a capital restoration plan is required to be guaranteed by any company that controls the undercapitalized institution in an amount equal to the lesser of 5.0% of the institution’s total assets when deemed undercapitalized or the amount necessary to achieve the status of adequately capitalized. If an “undercapitalized” bank fails to submit an acceptable plan, it is treated as if it is “significantly undercapitalized.” “Significantly undercapitalized” banks must comply with one or more of a number of additional restrictions, including but not limited to an order by the FDIC to sell sufficient voting shares to become adequately capitalized, requirements to reduce total assets, cease receipt of deposits from correspondent banks or dismiss directors or officers, and restrictions on interest rates paid on deposits, compensation of executive officers and capital distributions by the parent holding company. “Critically undercapitalized” institutions are subject to additional measures including, subject to a narrow exception, the appointment of a receiver or conservator within 270 days after it obtains such status. 16 Transaction with Affiliates and Regulation W of the Federal Reserve Board Regulations. Transactions between banks and their affiliates are governed by federal law. An affiliate of a bank is any company or entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the bank. In a holding company context, the parent bank holding company and any companies which are controlled by such parent holding company are affiliates of the bank (although subsidiaries of the bank itself, except financial subsidiaries, are generally not considered affiliates). Generally, Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act and the Federal Reserve Board’s Regulation W limit the extent to which the bank or its subsidiaries may engage in “covered transactions” with any one affiliate to an amount equal to 10.0% of such institution’s capital shares and surplus, and with all such transactions with all affiliates to an amount equal to 20.0% of such institution’s capital shares and surplus. Section 23B applies to “covered transactions” as well as to certain other transactions and requires that all such transactions be on terms substantially the same, or at least as favorable, to the institution or subsidiary as those provided to a non-affiliate. The term “covered transaction” includes the making of loans to, purchase of assets from, and issuance of a guarantee to an affiliate, and other similar transactions. Section 23B transactions also include the provision of services and the sale of assets by a bank to an affiliate. In addition, loans or other extensions of credit by the financial institution to the affiliate are required to be collateralized in accordance with the requirements set forth in Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act. Sections 22(h) and (g) of the Federal Reserve Act place restrictions on loans to a bank’s insiders, i.e., executive officers, directors and principal shareholders. Under Section 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act, loans to a director, an executive officer and to a greater than 10.0% shareholder of a financial institution, and certain affiliated interests of these, together with all other outstanding loans to such person and affiliated interests, may not exceed specified limits. Section 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act also requires that loans to directors, executive officers and principal shareholders be made on terms and conditions substantially the same as offered in comparable transactions to persons who are not insiders and also requires prior board approval for certain loans. In addition, the aggregate amount of extensions of credit by a financial institution to insiders cannot exceed the institution’s unimpaired capital and surplus. Section 22(g) of the Federal Reserve Act places additional restrictions on loans to executive officers. Enforcement. The FDIC has extensive enforcement authority over insured state-chartered banks, including Eastern Bank. The enforcement authority includes, among other things, the ability to assess civil money penalties, issue cease and desist orders, remove directors and officers and prohibit institution affiliated parties from banking. In general, these enforcement actions may be initiated in response to violations of laws and regulations, breaches of fiduciary duty and unsafe or unsound practices. The FDIC is required, with certain exceptions, to appoint a receiver or conservator for an insured state nonmember bank if that bank was “critically undercapitalized” on average during the calendar quarter beginning 270 days after the date on which the institution became “critically undercapitalized.” The FDIC may also appoint itself as conservator or receiver for an insured state non-member bank under specified circumstances, including: insolvency; substantial dissipation of assets or earnings through violations of law or unsafe or unsound practices; existence of an unsafe or unsound condition to transact business; insufficient capital; or the incurrence of losses that will deplete substantially all of the institution’s capital with no reasonable prospect of replenishment without federal assistance. Federal Insurance of Deposit Accounts. Eastern Bank is a member of the Deposit Insurance Fund, which is administered by the FDIC. The Deposit Insurance Fund provides deposit insurance of $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each of the eight ownership categories defined by the FDIC, provided that the requirements for each ownership category are met. The FDIC assesses deposit insurance premiums on each insured institution quarterly based on risk characteristics of the institution. As a bank with assets of more than $10 billion, Eastern Bank is subject to a deposit assessment based on a scorecard issued by the FDIC. This scorecard considers, among other things, Eastern Bank’s rating under the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council’s Uniform Financial Institutions Rating System, or CAMELS rating, results of asset-related stress testing and funding-related stress, as well as our use of core deposits, among other things. Depending on the results of Eastern Bank’s performance under that scorecard, the total base assessment rate is between 1.5 and 40 basis points. The FDIC Board of Directors may also impose special assessments under stressed circumstances. Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, the FDIC has established 2.0% as the designated reserve ratio (“DRR”), which is the ratio of the Deposit Insurance Fund to insured deposits of the total industry. In March 2016, the FDIC adopted final rules designed to meet the statutory minimum DRR of 1.35% by September 30, 2020, the deadline imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Act requires the FDIC to offset the effect on institutions with assets of less than $10 billion of the increase in the statutory minimum DRR to 1.35% from the former statutory minimum of 1.15%. The FDIC’s rules reduced assessment rates on all banks but imposed a surcharge on banks with assets of $10 billion or more until the DRR reaches 1.35% and will provide assessment credits to banks with assets of less than $10 billion for the portion of their assessments that contribute to the increase of the DRR to 1.35%. The rules also changed the method to determine risk-based assessment rates for established banks with less than $10 billion in assets to better ensure that banks taking on greater risks pay more for deposit insurance than less risky banks. The reserve ratio reached 1.36% on September 30, 2018 and, as a result, the surcharge on banks with assets of $10 billion or more ceased with the first assessment invoice in 2019. In addition, once the DRR reaches 1.38%, the FDIC 17 will apply the assessment credits to banks that had assets below $10 billion at any time during the credit calculation period, which includes Eastern Bank. As of December 31, 2021, the Deposit Insurance Fund’s reserve ratio was 1.27%. The FDIC Board previously voted on September 15, 2020 to maintain the current schedule of assessment rates for all insured depository institutions because of the extraordinary growth of insured deposits due to the pandemic. The FDIC has authority to increase insurance assessments. A significant increase in insurance premiums would likely have an adverse effect on the operating expenses and results of operations of Eastern Bank. Future insurance assessment rates cannot be predicted. Insurance of deposits may be terminated by the FDIC upon a finding that the 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 regulatory condition imposed in writing. We do not know of any practice, condition or violation that might lead to termination of deposit insurance. Privacy Regulations. FDIC regulations generally require that Eastern Bank disclose its privacy policy, including identifying with whom it shares a customer’s “non-public personal information,” to customers at the time of establishing the customer relationship and annually thereafter. In addition, Eastern Bank is required to provide its customers with the ability to “opt-out” of having their personal information shared with unaffiliated third parties and not to disclose account numbers or access codes to non-affiliated third parties for marketing purposes. Eastern Bank currently has a privacy protection policy in place and believes that such policy is in compliance with the regulations. Community Reinvestment Act. Under the Community Reinvestment Act, or CRA, as implemented by FDIC regulations, Eastern Bank as a non-member 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, consistent with the CRA. The CRA does require the FDIC, in connection with its examination of a non-member bank, to assess the institution’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 institution, including applications to acquire branches and other financial institutions. The CRA requires the FDIC to provide a written evaluation of an institution’s CRA performance utilizing a four-tiered descriptive rating system. Eastern Bank’s most recently published FDIC CRA performance rating was “Outstanding.” Massachusetts has its own statutory counterpart to the CRA which is also applicable to Eastern Bank. The Massachusetts version is generally similar to the CRA but utilizes a five-tiered descriptive rating system. Massachusetts law requires the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks to consider, but not be limited to, a bank’s record of performance under Massachusetts law 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. Eastern Bank’s most recent 2018 CRA performance rating under Massachusetts law was “Outstanding.” On December 14, 2021, The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a final rule to rescind its June 2020 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rule and replace it with a rule based on the rules adopted jointly by the Federal banking agencies in 1995, as amended. The OCC’s action facilitates the planned future issuance of updated interagency CRA rules with the Federal Reserve Board and FDIC to modernize the CRA regulatory framework and promote consistency for all insured depository institutions. It is unclear whether or when a final rule will be promulgated. It is also unclear whether the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks will adopt corresponding changes to its CRA regulations, which apply to all Massachusetts-chartered banks, including Eastern Bank. Compensation Practices. Our compensation practices are subject to oversight by the Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC. The federal banking regulators have provided guidance designed to ensure that incentive compensation arrangements at banking organizations take into account risk and are consistent with safe and sound practices. The guidance sets forth the following three key principles with respect to incentive compensation arrangements: (i) the arrangements should provide employees with incentives that appropriately balance risk and financial results in a manner that does not encourage employees to expose their organizations to imprudent risk; (ii) the arrangements should be compatible with effective controls and risk management; and (iii) the arrangements should be supported by strong corporate governance. The guidance provides that supervisory findings with respect to incentive compensation will be incorporated, as appropriate, into the organization’s supervisory ratings, which can affect its ability to make acquisitions or perform other actions. The guidance also provides that enforcement actions may be taken against a banking organization if its incentive compensation arrangements or related risk management, control or governance processes pose a risk to the organization’s safety and financial weakness. The federal banking and other responsible federal agencies, including the SEC, have yet to adopt regulations implementing the executive compensation provisions of the Dodd Frank Act. 18 Consumer Protection and Fair Lending Regulations. Massachusetts-chartered banks are subject to a variety of federal and Massachusetts 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. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Supervision. With total assets in excess of $10 billion, Eastern Bank is classified as a large bank and therefore is subject to direct supervision and examination by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”) for compliance with federal consumer financial law under Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act. USA PATRIOT Act. Eastern Bank is subject to the USA PATRIOT Act, which gave federal agencies additional powers to address terrorist threats through enhanced domestic security measures, expanded surveillance powers, increased information sharing, and broadened anti-money laundering requirements. By way of amendments to the Bank Secrecy Act, Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act provided measures intended to encourage information sharing among bank regulatory agencies and law enforcement bodies. Further, certain provisions of Title III impose affirmative obligations on a broad range of financial institutions, including banks, thrifts, brokers, dealers, credit unions, money transfer agents, and parties registered under the Commodity Exchange Act. CARES Act . Eastern Bank has been impacted by provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, containing, among other provisions, certain temporary regulatory forbearance measures applicable during the COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency and temporary relief from troubled debt restructurings. Consolidated Appropriations Act. Eastern Bank has been impacted by provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which was enacted on December 27, 2020. These provisions extend certain provisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (which were due to expire) and provides additional emergency relief to individuals and businesses. Included within the provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act was the extension of Section 4013 of the CARES Act to January 1, 2022, which provided relief from a requirement to evaluate loans that had received COVID-19 modifications to determine if the loans required troubled debt restructuring (“TDR”) treatment provided certain criteria were met. Accordingly, we applied the TDR relief granted pursuant to such section to any qualifying loan modifications executed during the allowable time period. Other Regulations Interest and other charges collected or contracted for by Eastern Bank are subject to state usury laws and federal laws concerning interest rates. Loan operations are also subject to state and federal laws applicable to credit transactions, such as the: • 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, creed or other prohibited factors in extending credit; • Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1978, governing the use and provision of information to credit reporting agencies; • Massachusetts Debt Collection Regulations, establishing standards, by defining unfair or deceptive acts or practices, for the collection of debts from persons within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the General Laws of Massachusetts, Chapter 167E, which governs Eastern Bank’s lending powers; and • Rules and regulations of the various federal and state agencies charged with the responsibility of implementing such federal and state laws. The deposit operations of Eastern Bank also are subject to, among others, the: • 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; • Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (also known as “Check 21”), which gives “substitute checks,” such as digital check images and copies made from that image, the same legal standing as the original paper check; • Electronic Funds Transfer Act and Regulation E promulgated thereunder, which govern automatic deposits to and withdrawals from deposit accounts and customers’ rights and liabilities arising from the use of automated teller machines and other electronic banking services; and 19 • General Laws of Massachusetts, Chapter 167D, which governs deposit powers. Federal Reserve System The Federal Reserve Board regulations ordinarily require depository institutions to maintain interest-earning reserves against their transaction accounts (primarily, negotiable order of withdrawal (“NOW”) accounts and regular checking accounts). The Federal Reserve Board regulations generally require that reserves be maintained against net transaction accounts as follows: as of January 1, 2022, for that portion of transaction accounts aggregating $640.6 million or less (which may be adjusted by the Federal Reserve Board) the reserve requirement is 3.0% and the amounts greater than $640.6 million require a 10.0% reserve (which may be adjusted annually by the Federal Reserve Board between 8.0% and 14.0%). As of January 1, 2022, the first $32.4 million of otherwise reservable balances (which may be adjusted by the Federal Reserve Board) are exempted from the reserve requirements. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve Board temporarily eliminated reserve requirements and therefore there was no minimum reserve requirement as of December 31, 2021. The current annual interest rate on both reserves is 0.15%. Federal Home Loan Bank System Eastern Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, which consists of 11 regional Federal Home Loan Banks. The FHLB provides a central credit facility primarily for member institutions. Members of the FHLB are required to acquire and hold shares of capital shares in the FHLB bank of which they are a member. Eastern Bank acquired capital shares in the FHLBB and was in compliance with this requirement at December 31, 2021. Based on redemption provisions of the FHLBB, the shares have no quoted market value and are carried at cost. Eastern Bank reviews for impairment based on the ultimate recoverability of the cost basis of the FHLBB shares. As of December 31, 2021, no impairment had been recognized. At its discretion, the FHLBB may declare dividends on the shares. The FHLBs are required to contribute a percentage of their net earnings towards funds for affordable housing programs. These requirements could reduce the amount of dividends that the FHLBs pay to their members and result in the FHLBs imposing a higher rate of interest on advances to their members. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the FHLBB paid quarterly dividends equal to yields of 1.6%, 1.5%, 1.5% and 2.1% in the first, second, third and fourth quarter, respectively. There can be no assurance that such dividends will continue in the future. Holding Company Regulation Eastern Bankshares, Inc. is subject to examination, regulation, and periodic reporting under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, as administered by the Federal Reserve Board. Eastern Bankshares, Inc. is required to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board to acquire all, or substantially all, of the assets of any bank or bank holding company. Prior Federal Reserve Board approval would be required for Eastern Bankshares, Inc. to acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of any voting securities of any bank or bank holding company if, after such acquisition, it would, directly or indirectly, own or control more than 5% of any class of voting shares of the bank or bank holding company. In addition to the approval of the Federal Reserve Board, prior approval may also be necessary from other agencies having supervisory jurisdiction over the bank to be acquired before any bank acquisition can be completed. A bank holding company is generally prohibited from engaging in non-banking activities, or acquiring direct or indirect control of more than 5% of the voting securities of any company engaged in non-banking activities. One of the principal exceptions to this prohibition is for activities found by the Federal Reserve Board to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto. Some of the principal activities that the Federal Reserve Board has determined by regulation to be so closely related to banking are: (i) making or servicing loans; (ii) performing certain data processing services; (iii) providing discount brokerage services; (iv) acting as fiduciary, investment or financial advisor; (v) leasing personal or real property; (vi) making investments in corporations or projects designed primarily to promote community welfare; and (vii) acquiring a savings and loan association whose direct and indirect activities are limited to those permitted for bank holding companies. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 authorized a bank holding company that meets specified conditions, including being “well-capitalized” and “well managed,” to opt to become a “financial holding company” and thereby engage in a broader array of financial activities than previously permitted. Such activities can include insurance underwriting and investment banking. Eastern Bankshares, Inc. has no present plan or intent to elect to become a financial holding company. Eastern Bankshares, Inc. is subject to the Federal Reserve Board’s capital adequacy guidelines for bank holding companies (on a consolidated basis) which have historically been similar to, though less stringent than, those of the FDIC for Eastern Bank. The Dodd-Frank Act, however, required the Federal Reserve Board to promulgate consolidated capital requirements for depository institution holding companies that are no less stringent, both quantitatively and in terms of 20 components of capital, than those applicable to the depository institutions themselves. Consolidated regulatory capital requirements identical to those applicable to the subsidiary banks apply to bank holding companies. A bank holding company is generally required to give the Federal Reserve Board prior written notice of any purchase or redemption of then 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 its consolidated net worth. The Federal Reserve Board may disapprove such a purchase or redemption if it determines that the proposal would constitute an unsafe and unsound practice, or would violate any law, regulation, Federal Reserve Board order or directive, or any condition imposed by, or written agreement with, the Federal Reserve Board. There is an exception to this approval requirement for well-capitalized bank holding companies that meet certain other conditions. The Federal Reserve Board has issued a policy statement regarding capital distributions, including dividends, by bank holding companies. In general, the Federal Reserve Board’s policies provide that dividends should be paid only out of current earnings and only if the prospective rate of earnings retention by the bank holding company appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. The Federal Reserve Board’s policies also require that a bank holding company serve as a source of financial strength to its subsidiary banks by standing ready to use available resources to provide adequate capital funds to those banks during periods of financial stress or adversity and by maintaining the financial flexibility and capital-raising capacity to obtain additional resources for assisting its subsidiary banks where necessary. The Dodd-Frank Act codified the source of strength doctrine. Under the prompt corrective action laws, the ability of a bank holding company to pay dividends may be restricted if a subsidiary bank becomes undercapitalized. In addition, the Federal Reserve Board has issued guidance that requires consultation with the agency prior to a bank holding company’s payment of dividends or repurchase of shares under certain circumstances. These regulatory policies could affect the ability of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. to pay dividends, repurchase its shares or otherwise engage in capital distributions. Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, depository institutions are liable to the FDIC for losses suffered or anticipated by the FDIC in connection with the default of a commonly controlled depository institution or any assistance provided by the FDIC to such an institution in danger of default. Eastern Bankshares, Inc. does not control two depository institutions that would subject it to the cross-guarantee provisions of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. The status of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. as a registered bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act will not exempt it from certain federal and state laws and regulations applicable to corporations generally, including, without limitation, certain provisions of the federal securities laws. Massachusetts Holding Company Regulation. Under the Massachusetts banking laws, a company owning or controlling two or more banking institutions is regulated as a bank holding company. The term “company” is defined by the Massachusetts banking laws similarly to the definition of “company” under the Bank Holding Company Act. Each Massachusetts bank holding company: (i) must obtain the approval of the Massachusetts Board of Bank Incorporation before engaging in certain transactions, such as the acquisition of more than 5% of the voting shares of another banking institution; (ii) must register, and file reports, with the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks; and (iii) is subject to examination by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks. As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. is not a “bank holding company” under the Massachusetts banking laws, because Eastern Bank is our sole bank subsidiary. Regulation of Eastern Insurance Group LLC Eastern Insurance Group LLC is subject to regulation and supervision by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, and various state insurance regulatory authorities in other states that license, regulate and supervise insurance producers, brokers and agents. Federal Securities Laws The class of common stock of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act, and therefore Eastern Bankshares Inc. and our shareholders are subject to the information, proxy solicitation, insider trading restrictions and other requirements under the Exchange Act. The registration under the Securities Act of 1933 of shares of common stock issued in Eastern Bankshares, Inc.’s IPO under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”) does not cover the resale of those shares. Shares of common stock purchased by persons who are not affiliates of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. may be resold without registration. Shares purchased by an affiliate of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. are subject to the resale restrictions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act (“Rule 144”). If Eastern Bankshares, Inc. meets the current public information requirements of Rule 144, each affiliate of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. that complies with the other conditions of Rule 144, including those that require the affiliate’s sale to be aggregated with those of other persons, would be able to sell in the public market, without registration, a number of shares not to exceed, in any three-month period, the greater of 1% of the outstanding shares of Eastern Bankshares, 21 Inc., or the average weekly volume of trading in the shares during the preceding four calendar weeks. In the future, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. may permit affiliates to have their shares registered for sale under the Securities Act. In December 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) proposed rules related to corporate share repurchase programs, which include extensive disclosure requirements for issuers that engage in share repurchasing. Our future share repurchase programs will likely be subject to such future regulations. Filer Status The Jumpstart Our Businesses Act, or JOBS Act, which was enacted in 2012, has made numerous changes to the federal securities laws to facilitate access to capital markets. Under the JOBS Act, a company with total annual gross revenues of less than $1.07 billion during its most recently completed fiscal year qualifies as an “emerging growth company.” Following the IPO, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. qualified as an emerging growth company, and we continued to qualify as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act until December 31, 2021. Eastern Bankshares Inc. ceased to qualify as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act as of December 31, 2021, the last day of the fiscal year in which Eastern Bankshares, Inc. was classified as a “large accelerated filer,” under Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. As a result, we are no longer entitled to the exemptions for emerging growth companies provided in the JOBS Act. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is intended to improve corporate responsibility, to provide for enhanced penalties for accounting and auditing improprieties at publicly traded companies, and to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures pursuant to federal securities laws. We have policies, procedures and systems designed to comply with these regulations, and we review and document such policies, procedures and systems to ensure continued compliance with these regulations. Change in Control Regulations Under the Change in Bank Control Act, no person, or group of persons acting in concert, may acquire control of a bank holding company such as Eastern Bankshares, Inc. unless the Federal Reserve Board has been given 60 days’ prior written notice and not disapproved the proposed acquisition. The Federal Reserve Board considers several factors in evaluating a notice, including the financial and managerial resources of the acquirer and competitive effects. Control, as defined under the applicable regulations, means the power, directly or indirectly, to direct the management or policies of us or to vote 25% or more of any class of voting securities of ours. Acquisition of more than 10% of any class of a bank holding company’s voting securities constitutes a rebuttable presumption of control under certain circumstances, including where, as will be the case with Eastern Bankshares, Inc., the issuer has registered securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.(Substantially similar requirements are imposed under Massachusetts law with respect to the acquisition of control, directly or indirectly, of Eastern Bank.) In addition, federal regulations provide that no company may acquire control (as defined in the Bank Holding Company Act) of a bank holding company without the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board. Any company that acquires such control becomes a “bank holding company” subject to registration, examination and regulation by the Federal Reserve Board. Through October 14, 2023, no person may acquire beneficial ownership of more than 10% of our common stock without prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board and the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks. If any person exceeds this 10% beneficial ownership threshold, shares in excess of 10% will not be counted as shares entitled to vote through October 14, 2023. Legal and Regulatory Proceedings We operate in a legal and regulatory environment that exposes us to potentially significant risks. In addition to the matters described below, in the normal course of business, we are named, from time to time, as a defendant in various legal actions, including class actions and other individual litigation matters, arising in connection with our activities as a banking institution, including with respect to allegations of unfair or deceptive business practices and our role in administering trusts for which we are a trustee alone or with others. We also face legal exposure associated with employment actions, which at times can result in matters against Eastern Bank before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Actual or threatened legal actions against us include claims for substantial amounts of compensatory damages, claims for intermediate amounts of compensatory damages and claims for punitive damages. Compliance with all applicable laws and regulations involves a significant investment in time and resources. Any new laws or regulations applicable to our business, any changes to existing laws or regulations, or any changes to the 22 interpretations or enforcement of those laws or regulations, may affect our operations and/or financial condition. For additional information, see Note 17, “Commitments and Contingencies” within the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In part as a result of the extensive regulation, supervision and examination of our business described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we are also involved, from time to time, in other reviews, investigations and proceedings (both formal and informal) by governmental and self-regulatory agencies regarding our business, certain of which may result in adverse judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, public or private censure, increased costs, required remediation, restriction on business activities or other impacts on us. We contest liability and the amount of damages as appropriate in each pending matter. Where available information indicates that it is probable a liability has been incurred at the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements and we can reasonably estimate the amount of that loss, we accrue the estimated loss as a charge to income. In many proceedings, however, it is inherently difficult to determine whether any loss is probable or even possible or to estimate the amount of any loss. We cannot predict with certainty if, how or when such proceedings will be resolved or what the eventual settlement, fine, penalty or other relief, if any, may be, particularly for proceedings that are in their early stages of development or where plaintiffs seek substantial or indeterminate damages. Numerous issues may need to be resolved before liability can be reasonably estimated, including through potentially lengthy discovery and determination of important factual matters, determination of issues related to class certification and the calculation of damages and by addressing novel or unsettled legal questions relevant to the proceedings in question. The activities of Eastern Bank, including with respect to disclosures about and implementation of numerous consumer products, are subject to various laws and numerous regulations, including those related to unfair or deceptive acts or practices. If Eastern Bank is found to have violated one or more consumer protection laws, it may be required to pay restitution to certain affected customers in connection with certain of these practices. In addition, Eastern Bank may face formal administrative enforcement actions from its federal and other governmental supervisory agencies, including the assessment of civil monetary penalties and restitution, relating to consumer products, and could also face potential civil litigation. For further information regarding risks related to regulatory actions and litigation, please refer to “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Operational risks are inherent in our businesses,” “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Regulations—Our business is highly regulated, which could limit or restrict our activities and impose financial requirements or limitations on the conduct of our business,” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Regulations—We are subject to numerous laws designed to protect consumers, including the Community Reinvestment Act and fair lending laws, and failure to comply with these laws could lead to a wide variety of sanctions” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Human Capital Management Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) The Company, which employed 2,059 full- and part- time employees as of December 31, 2021, of whom 1,889 were full-time employees, is deeply committed to having a diverse workforce reflective of the communities we serve, where all feel included and supported. Our strategy is to build and sustain diversity, equity and inclusion (“DE&I”) as a critical aspect of our work and workplace environment, which we believe makes us a better employer, a better provider of services to our customers, a better member of our communities and a better investment for our shareholders. The Company has long been committed to and recognized as a leader in DE&I, as evidenced by: • The Wall Street Journal featured Eastern’s work to drive a diverse and inclusive culture in December 2020. • Our diverse Board of Directors. DE&I starts with our diverse Board of Directors, which has long been led by professionals of color (Wendell Knox, Lead Director 2009-2017; Deborah Jackson, Lead Director Jan. 2018 – present). Overall, 50% of our Board of Directors is comprised of women and people of color. • Our diverse leadership team. Our Management Committee, which runs the Company, is comprised of 11 executives, about 40% of whom are women or people of color, including our President, Quincy Miller. In 2021, Sujata Yadav, a woman of color, was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. It is anticipated that she will join our Management Committee on March 1, 2022 as the first woman of color to serve on the Management Committee. • Our Company was built by women. Our first customer was a woman, and for over 200 years women have played a key role in our Company’s success. Women comprise 67% of our total workforce. 23 • Our recognition as a leader in DE&I. We’ve been recognized in 2021 as a “Best Place to Work” for LGBTQ+ equality by the Human Rights Campaign for the ninth consecutive year. We were the first company in the country to sign the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s amicus brief that asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act and we expanded our health insurance to offer comprehensive transgender-inclusive coverage, including coverage for treatments and services related to sex affirmation or reassignment. We also are a founding member of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce and the LGBT Business Network, working to promote opportunities for LGBT-owned businesses, corporations and professionals, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to ensure LGBTQ+-owned businesses have access to loan assistance programs like the Paycheck Protection Program. • Our 11 employee resource groups (“ERGs”). Each group has an executive sponsor, and serves as a source of support and inclusion for colleagues. The groups also provide guidance to leadership on issues of importance to them, with ERG leaders serving on our DE&I Steering Committee alongside our senior executives, consultants and advisors. ERG highlights in 2021 include: ◦ Our Asian American Professional Collective facilitated an employee-wide live bystander training to empower employees to appropriately respond to harassment in the wake of public violence against members of the Asian community; ◦ Our Latinos In Action group lead a number of colleague development sessions including roundtables that celebrated diversity inclusion and intersectionality. ◦ Our Women’s Interest Network leaders organized a live session co-lead by our CEO and an expert on mental health to address employee burnout and strategies for maintaining strong mental health; ◦ Our Veterans and Military Families ERG leaders facilitated a virtual event honoring Medal of Honor recipients and their families; and ◦ As part of our Black History Month celebration, our Company held a virtual screening of “Grounded, a film presentation” highlighting the relationships of prominent Black Bostonian couples and their hopes for grounding the next generation of Black leaders. We also hosted a virtual event honoring Medal of Honor recipients and their families with leadership from our Military Veterans and Families Network ERG. ◦ The ERGs reflect the diversity of our workforce and the communities we serve, and include: ▪ Asian American Professional Collective; ▪ Black Professional Alliance; ▪ Latinos in Action; ▪ disAbility Advocacy Alliance; ▪ Equality Under the Blue (LGBTQ+); ▪ Sustainability Network (environment); ▪ Heart of Eastern (volunteerism); ▪ Parenting Networking Group; ▪ Veterans and Military Families; ▪ Women’s Interest Network; and ▪ Young Professionals Network. We are proud of our long standing commitment to DE&I but recognize that we have more work to do to improve DE&I at the most senior levels of our organization. In 2021, the Company formally launched our “Road to Equity” action plan, which reflects greater intentionality in increasing DE&I across a number of areas of the Company, including talent acquisition, retention and development, supplier diversity, products and services, and philanthropic support from the Eastern Bank Foundation. Our Company has been successful in recruiting diverse talent into our organization: in 2021, 45% of our new hires in 2021 were racially diverse and 63% were women. However, while we have extensive gender and ethnic diversity at the junior levels of our Company, we have less diversity at the more senior levels of our Company. While some of our divisions, such as our Retail Division, are more diverse, other divisions remain predominately comprised of non-diverse colleagues. In 2021, our senior management set a number of key objectives to help drive an enhanced focus on DE&I, including the development of a dashboard to ensure the Company measures and reports progress on the quantitative DE&I goals related to talent management, supplier diversity and philanthropic spend in underserved communities. The Company also put in place programs and trainings to further support the Road to Equity. Eastern Insurance Group, designed and launched a Career Development Rotational Program with a focus on providing an onramp for diverse talent into the insurance sector. Our Commercial Credit Training Program enhanced its focus on serving as an onramp into Commercial Lending and Credit for women and people of color, who are underrepresented in these divisions at our Company. Supplier diversity goals were expanded to all divisions in our Company while a team was formed to focus on products and services related to a 24 development of a WMBE (Women and Minority Owned Businesses) vertical. Approximately 80 of our most senior executives from across the Company set DE&I goals related to talent acquisition, management and supplier diversity and met twice in 2021 as a large group to learn about best practices in DE&I recruiting, mentoring and professional development. To help drive diverse recruiting, management partners with external organizations to develop diverse candidate pipelines and supply diverse talent, regularly reports on diverse hiring to the Board of Directors, and has a talent acquisition team led by and comprised of diverse colleagues. In 2021, we enhanced our focus on diverse candidate slates and, as a result, achieved record diversity hiring (racial diversity). Year-over-year, we increased racial diversity in our total workforce by two percentage points. Our hiring at the Senior Vice President level included 17% diverse hires and 50% women hires and our hiring at the Vice President level included 33% diverse hires and 54% women hires. Diversity at these senior levels will continue to be an area of enhanced focus. To further enhance our culture and commitment to DE&I, the Company provides DE&I training across all divisions with the assistance and leadership of experienced external DE&I professionals. This training includes mandatory training on the Company’s DE&I strategy for all employees; training for our middle managers on understanding social identity; and training for senior management on effecting organizational change aligned with the Road to Equity. The Company also formed a DE&I steering committee chaired by the Chief Executive Officer, whose members include executives, leaders of our ERGs, and external advisors who are leaders on and experts in DE&I issues. In 2021, the DE&I steering committee helped develop and execute on key DE&I objectives, such as the enhanced DE&I training and programs. The Board of Directors also engaged an independent DE&I consultant, who reports directly to the Lead Director, serves on our DE&I steering committee and provides guidance and best practices to senior management and the Board to further drive our success on the Road to Equity. Demographics The tables below depict the Company’s demographics as of December 31, 2021 for our Board of Directors, our Management Committee (which consists of our senior most leaders at the Company), our total workforce, and new hires in 2021 who remained employed as of December 31, 2021: 2021 Board of Directors Gender Race & Ethnicity Female Male Not Disclosed Total Asian Black Latinx Not Disclosed Other POC White Total Count 3 9 0 12 1 2 1 0 0 8 12 Percentage 25.0% 75.0% —% 100.0% 8.3% 16.7% 8.3% —% —% 66.7% 100.0% 2021 Management Committee Gender Race & Ethnicity Female Male Not Disclosed Total Asian Black Latinx Not Disclosed Other POC White Total Count 3 8 0 11 0 1 0 0 0 10 11 Percentage 27.0% 73.0% —% 100.0% —% 9.0% —% —% —% 91.0% 100.0% 2021 Total Workforce Gender Race & Ethnicity Female Male Not Disclosed Total Asian Black Latinx Not Disclosed Other POC White Total Count 1,382 674 2 2,058 157 127 213 45 42 1,474 2,058 Percentage 67.1% 32.8% 0.1% 100.0% 7.6% 6.2% 10.3% 2.2% 2.0% 71.7% 100.0% 2021 New Hires (2021 new hires employed as of 12/31/21) Gender Race & Ethnicity Female Male Not Disclosed Total Asian Black Latinx Not Disclosed Other POC White Total Count 281 161 5 447 75 32 80 13 13 234 447 Percentage 62.9% 36.0% 1.1% 100.0% 16.8% 7.2% 17.9% 2.9% 2.9% 52.3% 100.0% 25 Pay & Benefits The Company’s compensation and benefits programs are designed to attract, motivate and retain the talent we need to achieve short-term and long-term goals through the implementation of sound compensation principles and policies. For compensation, this includes paying for performance, ensuring equity, fairness and nondiscrimination in pay as well as compensation risk mitigation. To help ensure pay equity, the Company conducts pay equity analyses on an annual basis with the assistance of external advisors. We also seek fairness in total compensation by utilizing market data, conducting internal compensation comparison analyses and engaging expert independent compensation and benefits consulting firms to help us benchmark against industry peers. We believe that we offer an attractive and competitive benefits program that focuses on overall wellness in all areas of life, with a variety of options that allow employees to choose the plans that best meet their needs. Our benefits include: health, dental and vision coverage; paid parental leave and other paid time off; short and long term disability benefits; health and flexible spending accounts; tuition reimbursement; Employee Assistance Program; and wellness programming. In 2021, we offered our employees three separate retirement benefits: a defined pension benefit plan, a 401(k) contribution, and an employee stock ownership plan (“ESOP”) through which Company stock is allocated to all eligible employees (based on age and hours worked). COVID-19 Response As the Company navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, we were guided by our “people first” philosophy that we believe has served our Company, colleagues and communities well. Our cross-functional pandemic response team continued to lead pandemic response efforts across the Company and prioritized the need to keep our essential, onsite, customer facing colleagues as safe as possible while continuing to serve our customers’ needs. In 2021, our pandemic response team worked closely with executive management to mitigate risks of COVID-19 through a continuous vaccination education and support campaign. We also: • staffed a dedicated COVID-19 hotline to help colleagues report exposures and positive cases, contact trace and obtain support around illness and return to work; • implemented a vaccination tracker to help measure COVID-19 risk within our employee population and required uses of a travel tracker before vaccinations became available to monitor travel and help ensure compliance with travel restrictions and quarantine requirements; • increased colleague communications around COVID-19 protocols to ensure employees understood best practices around COVID-19 risk mitigation; quarantines; vaccinations, boosters and general CDC guidance, which the Company continued to use as the basis for its protocol; • continued to pay employees who could not work due to COVID-19-related illness, to get vaccinated and for family care needs without requiring employees to use their sick or personal time and offered additional time off to cover time quarantining due to COVID-19 exposure; • instituted, for the second consecutive year, a carryover of 2021 unused vacation time to offer more flexibility to colleagues to take time off in 2022; • procured rapid antigen tests for employees who did not have ready access to them during the winter holidays as the Omicron variant created enhanced risks of illness; and • held three vaccination and booster clinics for employees, and in some instances, their family members, both during work and after hours to accommodate our onsite workers. Employee Well Being Given our 2020 IPO, 2021 acquisition of Century and other large strategic matters, we have asked our employees for a tremendous commitment to their jobs over the last two years. In addition, more than half of our colleagues have continued to work remotely and have less ability to separate work from home and are thus prone to work more than ever before. During this time period, we have also experienced turnover in some divisions, which has compounded employee stress related to COVID-19-related staffing challenges in those same divisions. As a result of these collective challenges, the Company became focused on burnout amongst our employees in 2021. To better support our employees, the Company enhanced its wellness offerings and focused more on mental health support. We increased minimum vacation time from two to three weeks, which provided more time off for over 400 employees, many of whom work in customer-facing or on-site positions that have historically had high levels of burnout. After closing the Century acquisition and to provide employees with additional downtime, the Company received regulatory approval to close on the day after Thanksgiving for a first-ever Company-wide “day of rest” and any employees who had to work that day received a floating holiday. Management believes that its recognition of the ongoing need to address employee burnout was well received by our colleagues and demonstrated our Company’s commitment to employee well-being. As mentioned above, our CEO also co-lead with a mental health expert a 26 session with our Women’s Interest Network on preventing burnout and best practices for mental health well-being. The session was held in the fourth quarter, was widely attended by employees and we believe set the groundwork for management’s continued focus on addressing employee burnout in 2022. Finally, in 2022, to further support our employees, we created a fund that provides grants to eligible employees experiencing an unexpected financial hardship. Employee Engagement We are dedicated to engaging our workforce to better understand how we can improve our culture and workplace In 2021, we continued to virtually host a significant number of Town Hall meetings, led by the CEO. At each meeting, time was reserved for employees to ask questions and engage directly with the CEO and Management Committee members. We held 12 Town Halls in 2021, which represented a significant increase from the numbers held in pre-COVID-19 years. We also engage our employees through more formal measures. Annually, we engage an independent third party consultant to conduct an employee engagement survey, and based on employee feedback, management identifies areas to address. In 2021, we added questions to the survey about the Company’s COVID-19 response and DE&I. Ninety-one percent of employees responded to the survey, with 90% of respondents reporting a favorable view of the Company’s response to COVID-19, 89% of respondents reporting they are proud to work for our Company and 87% reporting that the Company has created an environment where people with diverse backgrounds can succeed. We revamped our onboarding program to ensure the approximately 252 colleagues joining us from Century could understand our Company, culture and their role within it by hosting a virtual welcome event hosted by our CEO. We also assigned “buddy” mentors to new colleagues and offered enhanced people management training for managers of the new colleagues. We continued to utilize our onboarding and offboarding engagement survey, which is administered through the same third party consultant that manages the annual engagement survey. For onboarding, we engage with newly hired employees at the 30 day and 90 day mark to understand how they are integrating into the Company and how the Company can improve the onboarding process including new employee training, among other topics. For offboarding, we survey colleagues to better understand why they left the Company, and ask specific questions to capture if the colleague chose to leave for reasons related to ethics, our culture, a lack of DE&I and other reasons. We believe that this continued emphasis on employee surveying will provide us with data to improve the overall employee experience at our Company, thereby deepening engagement and retention. In 2021, we supported our employees’ commitment to engage with the communities we serve through socially distanced and remote volunteer opportunities, offering eight hours of paid time off to volunteer. We were named for the fifth consecutive year among the top 10 most charitable organizations in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal. Turnover Our Company experienced an increase in employee turnover in the last two quarters of 2021, which management believes reflects pent up turnover, based on low turnover numbers for the prior 12 months (when COVID-19 vaccinations were not yet widely available), a competitive labor market and retirements. However, overall Company turnover for 2021 was slightly less than in 2019, which was the last full year in which the labor market was unaffected by COVID-19. To help alleviate the staffing stresses caused by this turnover, the Company engaged third parties to support talent acquisition in higher turnover divisions, which resulted in a reduction year over year in the time required to fill open positions, even despite the increased churn in some areas of the employee base. We also believe that increased the number of weeks of vacation we offer (from two to three) may help us attract talent in this competitive environment. Finally, the Company’s succession planning, particularly at Eastern Insurance Group and in our Commercial Lending Group, has enabled the Company to transition into its next generation of leaders, following the retirement of senior colleagues in 2021 (including the CEO and President of Eastern Insurance Group and the Vice Chair and Chief Commercial Banking Officer of the Bank). Intellectual Property We protect our intellectual property rights by applying for and obtaining trademarks and service marks when appropriate. We believe that our name, our marks and our logo have significant value and are important to our operations, and we rely on protection of this intellectual property to maintain our competitive position. We monitor our trademarks and vigorously oppose the infringement of any of our marks as appropriate. Available Information We file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements and other information required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Our SEC filings are available to the public from the SEC’s internet site at www.SEC.gov. 27 We post the following filings to investor.easternbank.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC: our annual reports on Form 10-K, our proxy statements, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Paper copies of all such filings are available free of charge by request via email (investor.relations@easternbank.com), telephone (781-598-7920) or mail (Eastern Bankshares, Inc. Investor Relations at 265 Franklin Street, Boston, MA 02110). The information contained or incorporated on our website is not a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We may use our website as a means of disclosing material information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation Fair Disclosure promulgated by the SEC. These disclosures are included on our website in the “Investor Relations” or “News” sections. Accordingly, investors should monitor these portions of our website, in addition to following the Company’s press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls and webcasts. 28