Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors
There have been no material changes in the Company’s risk factors from those disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, with the exception of the following:
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures intended to prevent its spread could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition, and such effects will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and difficult to predict.
Global health concerns relating to the COVID-19 outbreak and related government actions taken to reduce the spread of the virus have had a significant negative impact on the macroeconomic environment, and the outbreak has significantly increased economic uncertainty and reduced economic activity. The outbreak has resulted in government authorities implementing numerous measures to try to contain the virus, such as travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter-in-place or total lock-down orders and business limitations and shutdowns. Such measures have significantly contributed to historically high unemployment and negatively impacted consumer and business spending. The United States government has taken steps to attempt to mitigate some of the more severe anticipated economic effects of the virus, including the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, and other legislation, and may take additional steps in the future for the same purpose, but there can be no assurance that there will be any further legislation or that any such steps will be effective or achieve their desired results in a timely fashion.
The outbreak has adversely impacted and is likely to further adversely impact our operations and the operations of our borrowers, customers, and business partners. For example, as a result of the significant uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic we realized a substantial build in our allowance for credit losses for the first half of 2020. We could also experience declining values of other financial assets and other negative impacts on our financial position, including possible constraints on liquidity and capital, as well as higher costs of capital. A number of factors impacting us or our borrowers, customers or business partners could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition, including but not limited to:
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elevated levels of unemployment may lead to increases in loan delinquencies, losses, and charge-offs;
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collateral for loans, including real estate, may decline in value, which could cause loan losses to increase;
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demand for our products and services may decline, making it difficult to grow or maintain assets and income;
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noninterest income from premiums paid in the secondary market for the sale of loans may be reduced due to deteriorating market conditions and a decrease in the number of potential buyers;
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the net worth and liquidity of loan guarantors may decline, impairing their ability to honor commitments to us;
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we may experience operational failures due to changes in our normal business practices necessitated by the outbreak and related governmental actions;
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third-party vendors on which we rely may not be able to provide us critical services;
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our risk management policies and practices may be negatively impacted in general, including, but not limited to, the effectiveness and accuracy of our models given the lack of data and comparable precedent;
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cyber and payment fraud risk may increase as cybercriminals attempt to profit from the disruption given increased online and remote activity; and
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FDIC deposit insurance premiums may increase if the agency experiences additional resolution costs.
The spread of COVID-19 has caused us to modify our business practices (including restricting employee travel and developing work-from-home and social distancing plans for our employees), and we may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or as we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, and business partners. There is no certainty that such measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks posed by the virus or will otherwise be satisfactory to government authorities.
Federal, state and local governmental authorities have enacted, and may enact in the future, legislation, regulations, and protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including governmental programs intended to provide economic relief to businesses and individuals. Our participation in and execution of any such programs may cause operational, compliance, reputational, and credit risks, which could result in litigation, governmental action or other forms of loss. There remains significant uncertainty regarding the measures that authorities will enact in the future and the ultimate impact of the legislation, regulations, and protocols that have been and will be enacted. For example, the CARES Act temporarily added a new program titled the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) to the SBA’s 7(a) loan program. The PPP was intended to provide economic relief to small businesses nationwide. Under the PPP, small businesses and other entities and individuals could apply for loans from existing SBA lenders and other approved lenders that enroll in the program, subject to numerous limitations and eligibility criteria. After the PPP launched on April 3, 2020, we were an active participant in the program originating a substantial number and principal amount of PPP loans. Rules and guidance regarding the PPP were not readily available at the start of the program, and the SBA and other government agencies continue to release additional rules and guidance that change or update the requirements and expectations of the regulatory agencies administering the PPP and regulating participating lenders. As of the date of this report, there remains some ambiguity in the laws, rules, and guidance regarding the operation of the PPP, with a number of important aspects of the PPP where regulatory agencies have not provided adequate or complete guidance, particularly with respect to process, procedures and criteria for forgiveness and servicing of PPP loans. Banks participating in the PPP have been subject to litigation regarding the process and procedures that such banks used in processing applications for the PPP and regarding claims for fees to be paid to purported agents and other third parties, and we are exposed to the risk of litigation regarding the PPP. If any such litigation is not resolved in a manner favorable to us, it may result in significant financial liability or adversely affect our reputation. In addition, litigation can be costly, regardless of outcome. We also face credit risk on PPP loans if a determination is made by the SBA that there is a deficiency in the manner in which the loan was originated, funded, or serviced by the Bank, such as an issue with the eligibility of a borrower to receive a PPP loan. In the event of a loss resulting from a default on a PPP loan and a determination by the SBA that there was a deficiency in the manner in which the PPP loan was originated, funded, or serviced by the Bank, the SBA may deny its liability under the guaranty, reduce the amount of the guaranty, or, if it has already paid under the guaranty, seek recovery of any loss related to the deficiency from the Bank.
Additionally, our future success and profitability substantially depends on the management skills of our executive officers and directors. The unanticipated loss or unavailability of key employees due to the outbreak could harm our ability to operate our business or execute our business strategy. We may not be successful in finding and integrating suitable successors in the event of key employee loss or unavailability.
The extent to which the COVID-19 outbreak impacts our business, results of operations, and financial condition will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and are difficult to predict, including, but not limited to, the duration and spread of the outbreak, its severity, the actions to contain the virus or treat its impact, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume. Even after the COVID-19 outbreak has subsided, we may continue to experience materially adverse impacts to our business, financial condition, and results of operations and prospects as a result of the virus’s global economic impact, including the availability of credit, adverse impacts on our liquidity, and any recession that has occurred or may occur in the future. For more information on the impacts of COVID-19 on our business, results of operations and financial condition, see “Recent Developments” in Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
There are no comparable recent events that provide guidance as to the effect the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic may have, and the ultimate impact of the outbreak is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the full extent of the impacts on our business, our operations, or the global economy as a whole. However, the effects could have a material impact on our results of operations and heighten many of our known risks described in the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.
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