S&T BANCORP INC 10-K

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS Investments in our common stock involve risk. The following discussion highlights the risks that we believe are material to S&T, potentially impacting our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. However, other factors not discussed below or elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K could adversely affect our businesses, results of operations and financial condition. Therefore, the risk factors below do not necessarily include all risks that we may face. Risks Related to Credit Our ability to assess the credit-worthiness of our customers may diminish, which may adversely affect our results of operations. We incur credit risk by virtue of making loans and extending loan commitments and letters of credit. Credit risk is one of our most significant risks. Our exposure to credit risk is managed through the use of consistent underwriting standards that emphasize “in-market” lending while avoiding excessive industry and other concentrations. Our credit administration function employs risk management techniques to ensure that loans adhere to corporate policy and problem loans are promptly identified. There can be no assurance that such measures will be effective in avoiding undue credit risk. If the models and approaches that we use to select, manage and underwrite our consumer and commercial loan products change and our underwriting standards do not reflect or capture the rapid changes in the economy, we may have higher credit losses. The value of the collateral used to secure our loans may not be sufficient to compensate for the amount of unpaid loans and we may be unsuccessful in recovering the remaining balances from our customers. Decreases in real estate values, particularly with respect to our commercial real estate, or CRE, and mortgage activities, could adversely affect the value of property used as collateral for our loans and our customers’ ability to repay these loans, which in turn could impact our profitability. Repayment of our commercial loans is often dependent on the cash flow of the borrower, which may become unpredictable. If the value of the assets, such as real estate, serving as collateral for the loan portfolio were to decline materially, a significant part of the loan portfolio could become under-collateralized. If the loans that are secured by real estate become troubled when real estate market conditions are declining or have declined, in the event of foreclosure, we may not be able to realize the amount of collateral that was anticipated at the time of originating the loan. This could result in higher charge-offs which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Changes in the overall credit quality of our portfolio can have a significant impact on our earnings. Like other lenders, we face the risk that our customers will not repay their loans. We reserve for losses in our loan portfolio based on our assessment of expected credit losses. This process, which is critical to our financial results and condition, requires complex judgment including our assessment of economic conditions, which are difficult to predict. Through a periodic review of the loan portfolio, management determines the amount of the ACL by considering historical losses, the national unemployment forecast produced by the Federal Reserve combined with qualitative factors around current conditions including changes in lending policies and practices, economic conditions, changes in the loan portfolio, changes in lending management, results of internal loan reviews, asset quality trends, collateral values, concentrations of credit risk and other external factors. The amount of future losses is susceptible to changes in economic, operating and other conditions, including changes in interest rates, which may be beyond our control. Although we have policies and procedures in place to determine future losses, due to the subjective nature of this area, there can be no assurance that our management has accurately assessed the level of allowances reflected in our consolidated financial statements. We may underestimate our expected credit losses and fail to hold an ACL sufficient to account for these losses. Incorrect assumptions could lead to material underestimates of expected losses and an inadequate ACL. As our assessment of expected losses changes, we may need to increase or decrease our ACL, which could significantly impact our financial results and profitability. Our loan portfolio is concentrated within our market area, and our lack of geographic diversification increases our risk profile. The regional economic conditions within our market area affect the demand for our products and services as well as the ability of our customers to repay their loans and the value of the collateral securing these loans. A significant decline in the regional economy caused by inflation, recession, unemployment or other factors could negatively affect our customers, the quality of our loan portfolio and the demand for our products and services. Any sustained period of increased payment delinquencies, foreclosures or losses caused by adverse market or economic conditions in our market area could adversely affect the value of our assets, revenues, results of operations and financial condition. Moreover, we cannot give any assurance that we will benefit from any market growth or favorable economic conditions in our primary market area. 14 Table of Contents S&T BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Our loan portfolio has a significant concentration of commercial loans that have a higher risk of loss. The majority of our loans are to commercial borrowers including commercial and industrial, or C&I, CRE, and construction loans. The commercial loan portfolio typically involves a higher degree of credit risk than other types of loans. For the C&I segment this is due to the customer’s repayment ability being based upon the success of its business operations, the susceptibility of the customer’s business to changing economic conditions, the dependence of our customer on maintaining sufficient cash flow to make payments on the loan and our reliance on the underlying collateral, which is usually only the business assets that may not have sufficient value when the borrower encounters financial difficulties. For the CRE segment higher risk is due to higher loan principal amounts, where the repayment of these loans is generally dependent, in large part, on sufficient income from the properties securing the loans to cover operating expenses and debt service. Because payments on loans secured by CRE often depend upon the successful operation and management of the properties, repayment of these loans may be affected by factors outside the borrower’s control, including adverse conditions in the real estate market or the economy. Additionally, we have a number of significant credit exposures to commercial borrowers, and while the majority of these borrowers have numerous projects that make up the total aggregate exposure, if one or more of these borrowers default or have financial difficulties, we could experience higher credit losses, which could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations. Further, an individual commercial loan balance is typically larger than other loans in our portfolio, creating the potential for larger credit losses on an individual loan. The deterioration of one or a few of these loans could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Risks Related to General Economic Conditions General economic conditions may adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. Various aspects of our business could be impacted by general macroeconomic conditions including, among others, inflation, which has increased to levels not experienced in years, interest rates, rising or elevated unemployment, declines in GDP, consumer spending, property values, supply chain complications and economic uncertainty. These conditions generally have a negative impact on businesses, financial markets and consumers, which may impact the underlying credit quality of our customers. Increased cost of borrowings, additional borrowings and increased leverage, drawdowns from savings and business disruption, financial difficulties, or business losses, particularly for borrowers in our C&I or CRE portfolio, could increase the risk of our customers defaulting or becoming delinquent in their obligations to us, which could increase credit losses and adversely affect our credit portfolios and provision for credit losses. If the macroeconomic environment worsens, our credit portfolio and allowance for credit losses could be adversely impacted. These unfavorable economic conditions could, also, impact the demand for loans and other products and services offered by us, the level of customer deposits, the value of our investment securities, loans held for sale or other assets secured by residential or commercial real estate, or the level of net interest income or net interest margin. Any of these developments could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. We may not accurately predict the nature and timing of the policies of the Federal Reserve and other governmental agencies and their impact on interest rates and financial markets, which could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations. The monetary policies of the Federal Reserve have a significant impact on interest rates, the value of financial instruments and other assets and liabilities, and overall financial market performance. These policies have a significant impact on the activities and results of operations of banks and bank holding companies such as S&T. An important function of the Federal Reserve is to monitor the national supply of bank credit and set certain interest rates. The actions of the Federal Reserve influence the rates of interest that we charge on loans and that we pay on borrowings and interest-bearing deposits. In addition, monetary policy actions by governmental authorities in the European Union or other countries could have an impact on global interest rates, which could affect rates in the U.S. We may not accurately predict the nature or timing of future changes in monetary policies and interest rates or the precise effects that they may have on our activities and financial results, which could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created significant economic and financial disruptions and uncertainties, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations 15 Table of Contents S&T BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES In late February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military attack on Ukraine. In response to the military action by Russia, government actions, including broad-ranging economic sanctions against Russia, have been taken by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries. The U.S. and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the start of this military conflict and imposition of sanctions, impacting the financial and commodities markets. The continued impact on financial markets, including the level and volatility of interest rates, could impact our earnings. Furthermore, continued increases in commodity prices contributing to higher inflation could negatively impact our customers and our earnings. Russian military actions and the resulting sanctions could further adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets. In addition, Russia may take retaliatory actions and other counter measures including cyberattacks against the U.S., its government, infrastructure and businesses, including S&T. Although the extent and duration of the military action or future escalation of such hostilities, the extent and impact of existing and future sanctions, market disruptions and volatility and the result of any diplomatic negotiations remains uncertain, these consequences, including those we cannot yet predict, may cause our business, financial condition, results of operations and the price of our common stock to be adversely affected. Risks Related to Our Operations Failure to keep pace with technological changes could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. The financial services industry is constantly undergoing rapid technological change with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. The effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial institutions to better service customers and reduce costs. Our future success depends, in part, upon our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy their demands, as well as create additional efficiencies within our operations. Many of our large competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements. We may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services quickly or be successful in marketing these products and services to our customers. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the financial services industry could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. A cyber attack, information or security breach, or a failure of ours or of a third-party's infrastructure, computer and data management systems could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business or manage our exposure to risk, result in the disclosure or misuse of confidential or proprietary information, increase our costs to maintain and update our operational and security systems and infrastructure, and adversely impact our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition, as well as cause reputational harm. Our business is highly dependent on the security and efficacy of our infrastructure, computer and data management systems, as well as those of third parties with whom we interact. Cyber security risks for financial institutions have significantly increased in recent years in part because of the proliferation of new technologies, the use of the Internet and telecommunications technologies to conduct financial transactions, and the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime, hackers, terrorists and other external parties, including foreign state actors. Our operations rely on the secure processing, transmission, storage and retrieval of confidential, proprietary and other information in our computer and data management systems and networks, and in the computer and data management systems and networks of third parties. We rely on digital technologies, computer, database and email systems, software, and networks to conduct our operations. In addition, to access our network and products and services, our customers and third parties may use personal mobile devices or computing devices that are outside of our network environment. We have taken measures to implement backup systems and other safeguards to support our operations, but our ability to conduct business may be adversely affected by any significant disruptions to us or to third parties with whom we interact. Financial services institutions have been subject to, and are likely to continue to be the target of, cyber attacks, including computer viruses, malicious or destructive code, phishing attacks, denial of service or other security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of confidential, proprietary and other information of the institution, its employees or customers or of third parties, or otherwise materially disrupt network access or business operations. For example, denial of service attacks have been launched against a number of large financial institutions and several large retailers have disclosed substantial cyber security breaches affecting debit accounts of their customers. We have experienced cyber security incidents in the past and although not material, we anticipate that, as a growing regional bank, we could experience further incidents. There can be no assurance that we will not suffer material losses or other material consequences relating to technology failure, cyber attacks or other information or security breaches. In addition to external threats, insider threats also present a risk to us. Insiders, having legitimate access to our systems and the information contained in them, have the opportunity to make inappropriate use of the systems and information, or as a result 16 Table of Contents S&T BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES of human error, misconduct or malfeasance, expose us to risk. We have policies, procedures, and controls in place designed to prevent or limit this risk, but we cannot guarantee that these policies, procedures and controls fully mitigate this risk. As cyber threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify and enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities or incidents. Any of these matters could result in our loss of customers and business opportunities, significant disruption to our operations and business, misappropriation or destruction of our confidential information and/or that of our customers, or damage to our customers’ and/or third parties’ computers or systems, and could result in a violation of applicable privacy laws and other laws, litigation exposure, regulatory fines, penalties or intervention, loss of confidence in our security measures, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensatory costs, and additional compliance costs. In addition, any of the matters described above could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. Fraudulent activity associated with our products and services could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and stock price, negatively impact our brand and reputation, and result in regulatory intervention or sanctions. As a financial institution we are exposed to operational risk in the form of fraudulent activity that may be committed by customers, other third parties, or employees, targeting us and our customers. The risk of fraud continues to increase for the financial services industry. Fraudulent activity has escalated, become more sophisticated, and continues to evolve, as there are more options to access financial services. In our Form 8-K filed May 26, 2020, we disclosed that we discovered customer fraud resulting from a check kiting scheme by a business customer of S&T. We recognized a pre-tax loss of $58.7 million during the second quarter of 2020 related to this customer fraud. As a result of our internal review of the fraud, we have made process and monitoring enhancements. While we believe we have operational risk controls in place to prevent or detect future instances of fraud or to mitigate the impact of any fraud, we cannot provide assurance that we can prevent or detect fraud or that we will not experience future fraud losses or incur costs or other damage related to such fraud, at levels that adversely affect our results of operation, financial condition, or stock price. Furthermore, fraudulent activity could negatively impact our brand and reputation, which could also adversely affect our results of operation, financial condition, or stock price. Fraudulent activity could also lead to regulatory intervention or regulatory sanctions. We rely on certain critical third-party providers for a number of services that are important to our business. An interruption or cessation of an important service by any critical third-party provider could have a material adverse effect on our business. We are dependent for the majority of our technology, including our core operating system, on certain critical third-party providers. If these companies were to discontinue providing services to us, we may experience significant disruption to our business. In addition, each of these third parties faces the risk of cyber attack, information breach or loss, or technology failure. If any of our critical third-party service providers experience such difficulties, or if there is any other disruption in our relationships with them, we may be required to find alternative sources of such services. We are dependent on these critical third-party providers securing their information systems, over which we have limited control, and a breach of their information systems could adversely affect our ability to process transactions, service our clients or manage our exposure to risk and could result in the disclosure of sensitive, personal customer information, which could have a material adverse impact on our business through damage to our reputation, loss of business, remedial costs, additional regulatory scrutiny or exposure to civil litigation and possible financial liability. Assurance cannot be provided that we could negotiate terms with alternative service sources that are as favorable or could obtain services with similar functionality as found in existing systems without the need to expend substantial resources, if at all, thereby resulting in a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations. Failure to continue to attract, develop, and maintain a highly skilled workforce may have an adverse effect on our business. Our business requires that we attract, develop, and maintain a highly skilled workforce. Competition for qualified employees and personnel in the banking industry is strong, and there are a limited number of qualified persons with knowledge of, and experience in, the banking industry where we conduct our business. Our ability to attract and retain skilled personnel cost effectively is subject to a variety of external factors, including the limited availability of qualified personnel in the workforce in the local markets in which we operate, unemployment levels within those markets, prevailing wage rates, which have increased significantly, health and other insurance costs, and changes in employment and labor laws. Furthermore, the complexities introduced into the labor market as a result of the transition to increased work-from-home arrangements have impacted the competitive landscape in our labor market. Based on current conditions in the labor market, we have experienced some difficulty in retaining and attracting personnel and there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to successfully do so. 17 Table of Contents S&T BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Risks Related to Our Business Strategy Our strategy includes growth plans through organic growth and by means of acquisitions. Our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively affected if we fail to grow or fail to manage our growth effectively. We intend to continue pursuing a growth strategy through organic growth within our current footprint and through market expansion. We also actively evaluate acquisition opportunities as another source of growth. We cannot give assurance that we will be able to expand our existing market presence, or successfully enter new markets or that any such expansion will not adversely affect our results of operations. Failure to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, future prospects, financial condition or results of operations and could adversely affect our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. Our failure to find suitable acquisition candidates, or successfully bid against other competitors for acquisitions, could adversely affect our ability to fully implement our business strategy. If we are successful in acquiring other entities, the process of integrating such entities will divert significant management time and resources. We may not be able to integrate efficiently or operate profitably any entity we may acquire. We may experience disruption and incur unexpected expenses in integrating acquisitions. These failures could adversely impact our future prospects and results of operation. We are subject to competition from both banks and non-banking companies. The financial services industry is highly competitive, and we encounter strong competition for deposits, loans and other financial services in our market area, including online providers of these products and services. Our principal competitors include other local, regional and national financial services providers, such as other financial holding companies, commercial banks, credit unions, finance companies and brokerage and insurance firms, including competitors that provide their products and services online. Many of our non-bank competitors are not subject to the same degree of regulation that we are and have advantages over us in providing certain services. Additionally, many of our competitors are significantly larger than we are and have greater access to capital and other resources. Failure to compete effectively for deposit, loan and other financial services customers in our markets could cause us to lose market share, slow our growth rate and have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. We may be required to raise capital in the future, but that capital may not be available or may not be on acceptable terms when it is needed. We are required by federal regulatory authorities to maintain adequate capital levels to support operations. While we believe we currently have sufficient capital, if we cannot raise additional capital when needed, we may not be able to meet these requirements. In addition, our ability to further expand our operations through organic growth, which includes growth within our current footprint and growth through market expansion, may be adversely affected by any inability to raise necessary capital. Our ability to raise additional capital at any given time is dependent on capital market conditions at that time and on our financial performance and outlook. Risks Related to Interest Rates and Investments Our net interest income could be negatively affected by interest rate changes which may adversely affect our financial condition. Our results of operations are largely dependent on net interest income, which is the difference between the interest and fees earned on interest-earning assets and the interest paid on interest-bearing liabilities. Therefore, any change in general market interest rates, including changes resulting from the Federal Reserve Board’s policies, can have a significant effect on our net interest income and total income. There may be mismatches between the maturity and repricing of our assets and liabilities that could cause the net interest rate spread to compress, depending on the level and type of changes in the interest rate environment. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond our control, including general economic conditions and the policies of various governmental agencies. In addition, some of our customers often have the ability to prepay loans or redeem deposits with either no penalties or penalties that are insufficient to compensate us for the lost income. A significant reduction in our net interest income will adversely affect our business and results of operations. If we are unable to manage interest rate risk effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially harmed. 18 Table of Contents S&T BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Declines in the value of investment securities held by us could require write-downs, which would reduce our earnings. In order to diversify earnings and enhance liquidity, we own debt instruments of government agencies and municipalities. We may be required to record impairment charges on our debt securities if they suffer a decline in value due to the underlying credit of the issuer. Additionally, the value of these investments may fluctuate depending on the interest rate environment, general economic conditions and circumstances specific to the issuer. Volatile market conditions may detrimentally affect the value of these securities, such as through reduced valuations due to the perception of heightened credit or liquidity risks. Changes in the value of these instruments may result in a reduction to earnings and/or capital, which may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Risks Related to Regulatory Compliance and Legal Matters We are subject to extensive governmental regulation and supervision. We are subject to extensive state and federal regulation, supervision and legislation that govern nearly every aspect of our operations. The regulations are primarily intended to protect depositors, customers and the banking system as a whole, not shareholders. These regulations affect our lending practices, capital structure, investment practices, dividend policy and growth, among other things. Congress and federal regulatory agencies continually review banking laws, regulations and policies for possible changes. The Dodd-Frank Act, enacted in July 2010, instituted major changes to the banking and financial institutions regulatory regimes. Other changes to statutes, regulations or policies could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways. The regulatory environment of the current administration may take a more active approach to financial services regulation with respect to its major policy goals, such as climate change, racial equity, and consumer protection. Any regulatory changes could subject us to additional costs of regulatory compliance and of doing business, limit the types of financial services and products we may offer and/or increase the ability of non-banks to offer competing financial services and products, among other things, and could divert management’s time from other business activities. Failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations, policies or supervisory guidance could lead to enforcement and other legal actions by federal or state authorities, including criminal or civil penalties, the loss of FDIC insurance, the revocation of a banking charter, other sanctions by regulatory agencies, and/or damage to our reputation. The ramifications and uncertainties of the level of government intervention in the U.S. financial system could also adversely affect us. Our controls and policies and procedures may fail or be circumvented, which may result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Management regularly reviews and updates our internal controls, disclosure controls and procedures and operating, risk management and corporate governance policies and procedures. Any system of controls, policies and procedures, however well designed and operated, is based in part on certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurances that the objectives of the system are met. Any failure or circumvention of internal controls, disclosure controls and procedures, or operating, risk management and corporate governance policies and procedures, whether as a result of human error, misconduct or malfeasance, or failure to comply with regulations related to controls and policies and procedures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, we may in the future discover areas of our internal controls, disclosure controls and procedures, or operating, risk management and corporate governance policies and procedures that need improvement. Failure to maintain effective controls or to timely implement any necessary improvement of our internal and disclosure controls, or operating, risk management and corporate governance policies and procedures, could, among other things, result in losses from errors, harm our reputation, or cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. 19 Table of Contents S&T BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Negative public opinion could damage our reputation and adversely impact our earnings and liquidity. Reputational risk, or the risk to our business, earnings, liquidity and capital from negative public opinion, is inherent in our operations. Negative public opinion could result from our actual or alleged conduct in a variety of areas, including legal and regulatory compliance, lending practices, corporate governance, litigation, ethical issues or inadequate protection of customer information. Financial companies are highly vulnerable to reputational damage when they are found to have harmed customers, particularly retail customers, through conduct that is illegal or viewed as unfair, deceptive, manipulative or otherwise wrongful. We are dependent on third-party providers for a number of services that are important to our business. Refer to the risk factor titled, “We rely on third-party providers for a number of services that are important to our business. An interruption or cessation of an important service by any third-party provider could have a material adverse effect on our business.” for additional information. A failure by any of these third-party service providers could cause a disruption in our operations, which could result in negative public opinion about us or damage to our reputation. We expend significant resources to comply with regulatory requirements, and the failure to comply with such regulations could result in reputational harm or significant legal or remedial costs. Damage to our reputation could adversely affect our ability to retain and attract new customers and employees, expose us to litigation and regulatory action and adversely impact our earnings and liquidity. Our ability to pay dividends on our common stock may be limited Holders of our common stock will be entitled to receive only such dividends as our Board of Directors may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. The payment of common stock dividends by S&T is subject to certain requirements and limitations of Pennsylvania law. Although we have historically declared cash dividends on our common stock, we are not required to do so and our Board of Directors could reduce, suspend or eliminate our dividend at any time. Substantial portions of our revenue consist of dividend payments we receive from S&T Bank. The payment of common dividends by S&T Bank is subject to certain requirements and limitations under federal and state laws and regulations that limit the amount of dividends it can pay to S&T. In addition, both S&T and S&T Bank are subject to various general regulatory policies relating to the payment of dividends, including requirements to maintain adequate capital above regulatory minimums. Any decrease to or elimination of the dividends on our common stock could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. We may be adversely impacted by the transition from LIBOR as a reference rate. On July 27, 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom announced that it would phase out LIBOR as a benchmark by the end of 2021. In late 2020, the ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA) extended the cessation date for submission and publication of rates for all LIBOR currency-tenor pairs until June 30, 2023, except for the one-week and two-month USD LIBOR tenors, which ceased on December 31, 2021. U.S. regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, published a statement supporting the IBA’s plans and urged banks to phase out LIBOR as soon as practicable. On March 5, 2021, IBA stated that it will cease the publication of (i) the overnight and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months USD LIBOR settings immediately following the LIBOR publication on June 30, 2023 and (ii) all other LIBOR settings, including the 1 week and 2 month USD LIBOR settings, immediately following the LIBOR publication on Friday, December 31, 2021. In October 2021, five federal financial institution regulatory agencies, in conjunction with the state bank and state credit union regulators, jointly issued a statement to emphasize the expectation that supervised institutions with LIBOR exposure continue to progress toward an orderly transition away from LIBOR. In that guidance, the agencies offered their regulatory expectations and outlined potential supervisory and enforcement consequences for banks that fail to adequately plan for and implement the transition away from LIBOR. The failure to properly transition away from LIBOR may result in increased supervisory scrutiny. The U.S. Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or SOFR, a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities, as its preferred alternative rate for LIBOR however, other market alternatives have been developed. While SOFR has been adopted in select product areas it has not achieved full implementation as an alternative reference rate. At this time, it is not possible to predict how markets will respond to alternative reference rates as markets continue to transition away from LIBOR. While several states have enacted legislation addressing the LIBOR transition and others may do so and the U.S. House of Representatives passed LIBOR transition legislation on December 8, 2021, it remains unclear that these initiatives will fully address the issues with the LIBOR transition. Furthermore, because of the complexity of the transition from LIBOR, at this time, it is not possible to predict what rate or rates may become accepted alternatives to LIBOR, or what the effect of any such changes in views or alternatives may be on the value of LIBOR-based securities and variable rate loans, subordinated debentures, or other securities or financial arrangements. We have a significant number of loans, derivative contracts, borrowings and other financial instruments with attributes that are either directly or indirectly dependent on LIBOR. We have established a committee to guide our transition from LIBOR and have begun efforts to transition to alternative rates consistent with industry timelines. We have identified products that utilize 20 Table of Contents S&T BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES LIBOR and are revising fallback language to facilitate the transition to alternative reference rates. Our failure to adequately manage the transition could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our business could be negatively impacted by environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, including climate change and related legislative and regulatory initiatives. There has been an increased focus from regulators, investors, customers, employees and other stakeholders concerning environmental, social and governance, or ESG, practices and disclosure, including climate change, hiring practices, the diversity of the work force, racial and social justice issues and shareholder rights. With respect to environmental in particular, increased focus and concern over the effects of climate change have resulted in increased political and social initiatives directed toward climate change. Governments have entered into international agreements with respect to climate change, and U.S. federal and state legislatures, regulatory agencies, and supervisory authorities, including those with oversight of financial institutions, have proposed initiatives seeking to mitigate the effects of climate change. While many of the current regulatory proposals do not apply directly to S&T, continued focus on climate change may lead to the promulgation of new regulations or supervisory guidance applicable to S&T and, as a result, we may experience increased compliance costs and other compliance-related risks. Furthermore, our customers could be impacted by regulatory initiatives focused on addressing and mitigating the effects of climate change resulting in an adverse impact on their financial condition and creditworthiness. Depending on the nature of the initiative, the business impacted, and the composition of loan portfolio, our business and results of operations could be negatively impacted by climate change initiatives directed at our customers. Additionally, our business and the business of our customers could be negatively impacted by disruptions in economic activity resulting from the physical impacts of climate change. Furthermore, new government regulations with respect to other environmental, social or governance matters could also result in new or more stringent forms of ESG oversight and expanded mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence, disclosure and ESG-related compliance costs. In addition, we could be criticized for the scope of such initiatives or goals or perceived as not acting responsibly in connection with these matters. Failure to adapt to or comply with regulatory requirements or investor or stakeholder expectations and standards with respect to ESG matters could have a material adverse impact on our future results of operations, financial position, cash flows, ability to do business with certain third parties and our stock price. Risks Related to Liquidity We rely on a stable core deposit base as our primary source of liquidity. We are dependent for our funding on a stable base of core deposits. Our ability to maintain a stable core deposit base is a function of our financial performance, our reputation and the security provided by FDIC insurance, which combined, gives customers confidence in us. If any of these considerations deteriorates, the stability of our core deposits could be harmed. In addition, deposit levels may be affected by factors such as general interest rate levels, rates paid by competitors, returns available to customers on alternative investments and general economic conditions. Accordingly, we may be required from time to time to rely on other sources of liquidity to meet withdrawal demands or otherwise fund operations. Our ability to meet contingency funding needs, in the event of a crisis that causes a disruption to our core deposit base, is dependent on access to wholesale markets, including funds provided by the FHLB of Pittsburgh. We own stock in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, or FHLB, in order to qualify for membership in the FHLB system, which enables us to borrow on our line of credit with the FHLB that is secured by a blanket lien on a significant portion of our loan portfolio. Changes or disruptions to the FHLB or the FHLB system in general may materially impact our ability to meet short and long-term liquidity needs or meet growth plans. Additionally, we cannot be assured that the FHLB will be able to provide funding to us when needed, nor can we be certain that the FHLB will provide funds specifically to us, should our financial condition and/or our regulators prevent access to our line of credit. The inability to access this source of funds could have a materially adverse effect on our ability to meet our customer’s needs. Our financial flexibility could be severely constrained if we were unable to maintain our access to funding or if adequate financing is not available at acceptable interest rates. 21 Table of Contents S&T BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Risks Related to Owning Our Stock The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors. Our quarterly and annual operating results have varied significantly in the past and could vary significantly in the future, which makes it difficult for us to predict our future operating results. Our operating results may fluctuate due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including the changing U.S. economic environment and changes in the commercial and residential real estate market, any of which may cause our stock price to fluctuate. If our operating results fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the price of our common stock could decline substantially. Our stock price can fluctuate significantly in response to a variety of factors including, among other things: • volatility of stock market prices and volumes in general; • changes in market valuations of similar companies; • changes in the conditions of credit markets; • changes in accounting policies or procedures as required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, or other regulatory agencies; • legislative and regulatory actions, including the impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations, that may subject us to additional regulatory oversight which may result in increased compliance costs and/or require us to change our business model; • government intervention in the U.S. financial system and the effects of and changes in trade and monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board; • additions or departures of key members of management; • fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results; and • changes in analysts’ estimates of our financial performance. General Risk Factors We may be a defendant from time to time in a variety of litigation and other actions, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. From time to time, customers and others make claims and take legal action pertaining to the performance of our responsibilities. Whether customer claims and legal action related to the performance of our responsibilities are founded or unfounded, if such claims and legal actions are not resolved in a manner favorable to us, they may result in significant expenses, attention from management and financial liability. Any financial liability or reputational damage could have a material adverse effect on our business, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. 22 Table of Contents S&T BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS There are no unresolved SEC staff comments. Item 2. PROPERTIES S&T Bancorp, Inc. headquarters is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania. We operate in Pennsylvania and Ohio. At December 31, 2022, we operate 73 banking branches and four loan production offices, of which 43 are leased facilities.