PROVIDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES INC 10-Q

Item 1A. Risk Factors The risk factors that were previously disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, have been supplemented by the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, as follows: Our stock price may be negatively impacted by unrelated bank failures and negative depositor confidence in depository institutions. Further, if the public loses confidence in how we manage our liquidity, deposits, capital levels and interest rate risk, which have come under greater scrutiny in light of recent bank failures, it may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. On March 9, 2023, Silvergate Bank, La Jolla, California, announced its decision to voluntarily liquidate its assets and wind down operations. On March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank, Santa Clara, California, was closed by the California 50 Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, on March 12, 2023, Signature Bank, New York, New York, was closed by the New York State Department of Financial Services, and on May 1, 2023 First Republic Bank, San Francisco, California, was closed by the FDIC and sold to JPMorgan Chase & Co. In each case, the FDIC was named receiver after each of these banks lost credibility with its depositors and experienced massive deposit outflows. These banks also had elevated levels of uninsured deposits, which may be less likely to remain at the bank over time and less stable as a source of funding than insured deposits. These failures led to volatility and declines in the market for bank stocks and questions about depositor confidence in depository institutions. These events have led to a greater focus by institutions, investors, regulators and depositors on the on-balance sheet liquidity of and funding sources for financial institutions, the composition of deposits, including the amount of uninsured deposits, the amount of accumulated other comprehensive loss, capital levels and interest rate risk management. If we are unable to adequately manage our liquidity, deposits, capital levels and interest rate risk, it may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Our funding sources may prove insufficient or costly to support our future growth. A lack of liquidity could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and result in regulatory limits being placed on the Company. We must maintain sufficient funds to respond to the needs of depositors and borrowers. Deposits have traditionally been our primary source of funding for our lending and investment activities. We also receive funds from loan repayments, investment maturities and income on other interest-earning assets. While we emphasize the generation of low-cost core deposits as a source of funding, there is strong competition for such deposits in our market area. Additionally, deposit balances can decrease if customers perceive alternative investments as providing a better risk/return tradeoff. Accordingly, as a part of our liquidity management, we must use several funding sources in addition to deposits and repayments and maturities of loans and investments. As we continue to grow, we may become more dependent on these sources, which may include Federal Home Loan Bank of New York advances, federal funds purchased and brokered certificates of deposit. Adverse operating results or changes in industry conditions could lead to difficulty or an inability to access these additional funding sources. Our financial flexibility will be severely constrained if we are unable to maintain our access to funding or if adequate financing is not available to accommodate future growth at acceptable interest rates. Further, if we are required to rely more heavily on more expensive funding sources to support liquidity and future growth, our revenues may not increase proportionately to cover our increased costs. Our net interest margin a nd profitability would also be adversely affected. Alternatively, we may need to sell a portion of our investment and/or loan portfolio to raise funds, which, depending upon market conditions, could result in us realizing a loss on the sale of such assets. Any decline in available funding could adversely impact our ability to originate loans, invest in securities, pay our expenses, or fulfill obligations such as repaying our borrowings or meeting deposit withdrawal demands, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, business, financial condition and results of operations. A lack of liquidity could also attract increased regulatory scrutiny and potential restrictions imposed on us by regulators. The premiums of the FDIC’s deposit insurance program are expected to increase, and banking regulators have signaled further review of regulatory requirements and the potential for changes to laws or regulations governing banks and bank holding companies. Changes resulting from these events could include increased regulatory oversight, higher capital requirements or changes in the way regulatory capital is calculated, and the impositions of additional restrictions through regulatory changes or supervisory or enforcement activities, each of which could have a material impact on our business. The Failure to Address the Federal Debt Ceiling in a Timely Manner, Downgrades of the U.S. Credit Rating and Uncertain Credit and Financial Market Conditions May Affect the Stability of Securities Issued or Guaranteed by the Federal Government, which May Affect the Valuation or Liquidity of our Investment Securities Portfolio and Increase Future Borrowing Costs. As a result of uncertain political, credit and financial market conditions, including the potential consequences of the federal government defaulting on its obligations for a period of time due to federal debt ceiling limitations or other unresolved political issues, investments in financial instruments issued or guaranteed by the federal government pose credit default and liquidity risks. Given that future deterioration in the U.S. credit and financial markets is a possibility, no assurance can be made that losses or significant deterioration in the fair value of our U.S. government issued or guaranteed investments will not occur. At March 31, 2023, we had approximately $250.8 million, $81.5 million and $1.22 billion invested in U.S. Treasury securities, U.S. government agency securities, and residential mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises and programs, respectively. Downgrades to the U.S. credit rating could affect the stability of securities issued or guaranteed by the federal government and the valuation or liquidity of our portfolio of such investment securities, and could result in our counterparties requiring additional collateral for our borrowings. Further, unless and until U.S. political, credit and financial market conditions have been sufficiently resolved or stabilized, it may increase our future borrowing costs. 51