Item 1. Business
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Unless we state otherwise or the context otherwise requires, references in this Form 10-K to "we," "our," and “us” refer to HomeStreet, Inc., a Washington corporation ("HomeStreet," or the "Company,") and its consolidated subsidiary, HomeStreet Bank (the "Bank").
Overview
We are a diversified financial services company with offices in Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Utah and Idaho serving customers throughout the western United States. We were founded in 1921 and are headquartered in Seattle, Washington. We provide commercial banking products and services to small and medium sized businesses, real estate investors and professional firms and consumer banking products and services to individuals. As of December 31, 2024, we had $8.1 billion in total assets, $6.2 billion of loans and $6.4 billion of deposits.
With the exception of the updates provided below, the information required under Part I. Item 1. – “Business” is incorporated by reference to Part I, Item 1, "Business" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Regulation and Supervision of HomeStreet Bank
Financial Privacy and Cybersecurity
Under the Federal Right to Privacy Act of 1978, which imposes a duty to maintain confidentiality of consumer financial records and prescribes procedures for complying with administrative subpoenas of financial records, financial institutions are required to disclose their policies for collecting and protecting confidential information. Consumers generally may prevent financial institutions from sharing personal financial information with nonaffiliated third parties except for third parties that market the institutions’ own products and services. Additionally, financial institutions generally may not disclose consumer account numbers to any nonaffiliated third party for use in telemarketing, direct mail marketing or other marketing through electronic mail to consumers.
The federal banking regulators regularly issue guidance regarding cybersecurity intended to enhance cyber risk management standards among financial institutions. A financial institution is expected to establish multiple lines of defense and to ensure their risk management processes address the risk posed by potential threats to the institution. A financial institution’s management is expected to maintain sufficient processes to effectively respond and recover the institution’s operations after a cyberattack. A financial institution is also expected to develop appropriate processes to enable recovery of data and business operations if a critical service provider of the institution falls victim to this type of cyberattack. The Bank has adopted an information security program that has been approved by its board of directors and reviewed by its regulators.
In July 2023, the SEC issued a final rule that requires registrants, such as the Company, to (i) report material cybersecurity incidents on Form 8-K within four business days of their being deemed material, (ii) disclose cybersecurity policies and procedures and governance practices, including at the board and management levels, in Form 10-K, and (iii) present the disclosures in inline XBRL.
Human Capital Management
Employee Headcount
As of December 31, 2024, the Company employed 787 employees across our geographic footprint, 94% of which are classified as full-time. Our employee turnover rate was 21% during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Company Culture
As a financial institution, HomeStreet Bank occupies a position of trust with its shareholders, in the community, among its customers and employees, and with its regulators. We have earned that trust by developing a reputation for fairness, honesty, integrity and community service since the Company’s inception in 1921. Our reputation is directly tied to the individual decisions, actions, and sense of business ethics of our employees. A high level of trust gives us a competitive advantage in an environment that is increasingly sensitive to business ethics. Employees and customers are attracted to work for, and do business with, a company that prides itself on maintaining the highest degree of ethical standards. For all of these reasons, a commitment to fairness, honesty, integrity and community service are core values of the Company.
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As part of this commitment to our core values, HomeStreet identified five key values built on specific behaviors that bring our values to life – a focus on customers, collaboration as one team, delivering excellence, embodying a spirit to serve the communities that we are in, and being engaged in our work in a manner that can be described as “all in." Further, HomeStreet management is inclusive of all employees from all backgrounds and employees feel a sense of belonging when working for the Company.
Inclusion and Belonging
HomeStreet is an equal opportunity employer where we strive to hire the best talent. By recruiting employees who are representative of the communities we serve, we are better able to serve our customers and understand their financial services' needs and goals.
We have talented employees who bring unique differences, experiences, and capabilities in support of our mission and in alignment with our values. Our culture embraces individuality, provides fair treatment, and creates opportunities for employees to develop their careers, to be included in teams, and to be a part of broader and more strategic initiatives.
By treating our employees with appreciation for their individuality and with respect for their service, our employees demonstrate increased job satisfaction, a higher level of trust in leadership, and an increased sense of belonging within the Company. Our employees find increased job satisfaction, which we find translates to increased performance and a greater capacity for customer service.
Our culture also promotes policies and practices to combat harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or disrespectful or other unprofessional conduct based on an individual’s identity, including sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, color, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, age, marital status and more.
Compensation of Employees
As part of our goal of providing high-quality banking and financial services to our customers while creating a positive impact in the local communities in which we do business, we designed our compensation program with the intention of attracting and retaining highly qualified employees. We use a mix of base salary, cash-based short-term incentive plans and defined contributions to the 401(k) plan for participating employees to incentivize our employees and also provide long-term incentive compensation, preferring equity-based where available, for key employees. Employee performance is considered, evaluated and discussed through regular performance check-ins between manager and direct report. All our employees are eligible to receive a Company match on defined contributions to their 401(k) retirement plan.
We have a variety of group benefit programs designed to provide our employees with health and wellness benefits, financial benefits in the event of planned or unplanned expenses, or losses relating to illness, disability, death, to help plan for retirement, and deal with job-related or personal problems.
Employee Training and Development
As part of our employee development program, we provide a variety of training and educational opportunities to help our employees stay current on regulatory compliance issues and develop their professional skills. In addition to third party training and education opportunities, we use an online learning management system to create, assign, and track compliance and professional development learning programs across many topical areas such as Banking, mortgage and regulatory education, technology training, public speaking and proactive communication, development of strong customer relationship and customer service skills.
Employee Community Involvement
HomeStreet is committed to our communities, and as part of that commitment we support the active involvement of our employees in supporting their communities. Employees are given time off to volunteer for community organizations, and where employees make a substantial commitment of time to a particular organization, HomeStreet offers an additional financial contribution to those organizations in recognition of the commitment of our employees. We also create active partnerships with
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hundreds of local organizations, and our employees provide leadership, educational support, hands-on service, expertise, and financial support to those organizations. We focus primarily on organizations within the scope of the Community Reinvestment Act ("CRA") – those that provide support for housing, basic needs, and economic development for those of low and moderate income. We also give time off for employees donating blood. Our senior management helps to educate our employees on the importance of our community responsibility focus and strategies.
Locations
We operate 56 full service bank branches in Washington, in Northern and Southern California, in the Portland, Oregon area and in Hawaii, as well as three primary stand-alone commercial lending centers located in Southern California, Idaho and Utah.
Where You Can Obtain Additional Information
We file annual, quarterly, current and other reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). We make available free of charge on or through our website http://www.homestreet.com all of these reports (and all amendments thereto), as soon as reasonably practicable after we file these materials with the SEC. Please note that the contents of our website do not constitute a part of our reports, and those contents are not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K or any of our other securities filings. The SEC’s website, www.sec.gov, contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information that we file or furnish electronically with the SEC.