TEXAS CAPITAL BANCSHARES INC/TX 10-K

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS Our business is subject to risk. The following discussion, along with management’s discussion and analysis and our financial statements and footnotes, sets forth the most significant risks and uncertainties that we believe could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Additional risks and uncertainties that management is not aware of or that management currently deems immaterial may also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. There is no assurance that this discussion covers all potential risks that we face. The occurrence of the described risks could cause our results to differ materially from those described in our forward-looking statements included elsewhere in this report or in our other filings with the SEC and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Summary of Risk Factors The following is a summary of the most significant risks and uncertainties that we believe could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition to the following summary, you should consider the other information set forth in this “Risk Factors” section and the other information contained in this report before investing in our securities. Credit Risks • We must effectively manage our credit risks. • A significant portion of our assets consists of commercial loans, which involve a high degree of credit risk. • We are subject to risks arising from conditions in the real estate market, as a significant portion of our loans are secured by commercial and residential real estate. • Our future profitability depends, to a significant extent, upon our middle market business customers. • Our business is concentrated in Texas; our energy industry exposure could adversely affect our performance. • Our mortgage correspondent aggregation business subjects us to additional risks. • We must effectively manage our counterparty risk. • We must maintain an appropriate allowance for credit losses. 15 Table of Contents • Changes in accounting standards could materially affect how we report our financial results. Liquidity Risks • We must effectively manage our liquidity risk. • Our growth plans are dependent on the availability of capital and funding. • We are dependent on funds obtained from borrowing or capital transactions or from our Bank to fund our obligations. Market Risks • We must effectively manage our interest rate risks. • We may be adversely affected by changes in the method of determining LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate, for our variable rate loans, derivative contracts and other financial assets and liabilities. Strategic Risks • We must be effective in developing and executing new lines of business and new products and services while managing associated risks. • We compete with many banks and other financial service providers. • We must effectively execute our business strategy in order to continue our asset and earnings growth. Operational Risks • We, our vendors and customers must effectively manage our information systems risk which may experience disruption, failure or breach in security. • Our operations rely extensively on a broad range of external vendors. • We must continue to attract, retain and develop key personnel. • Our accounting estimates and risk management processes rely on management judgment, which may prove inadequate or be adversely impacted by inaccurate assumptions or models. • Our risk management strategies and processes may not be effective; our controls and procedures may fail or be circumvented. • Our business is susceptible to fraud. Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risks • We are subject to extensive government regulation and supervision. • We must maintain adequate regulatory capital to support our business objectives. • We are subject to claims and litigation in the ordinary course of our business, including claims that may not be covered by our insurers. Other Risks Affecting Our Business • Our business faces unpredictable economic and business conditions. • The COVID-19 pandemic is adversely affecting us and our customers, employees and third-party service providers, and the adverse impacts on our business, financial position, operations and prospects have been and are expected to continue to be significant. • As a participating lender in the Small Business Administration’s PPP, we may be subject to additional risks regarding our Bank’s processing of PPP loans and are dependent on the federal government’s continuation and support of the program. • The impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) on us and our customers contributes to uncertainty and risk related to our customers’ future demand for credit and our future results. • We are subject to environmental liability risk associated with lending activities. • Severe weather, earthquakes, other natural disasters, pandemics, acts of war or terrorism and other external events could significantly impact our business. Risks Relating to Our Securities • Our stock price can be volatile. • The trading volume in our common stock is less than that of other larger financial services companies. • Our preferred stock is thinly traded. • An investment in our securities is not an insured deposit. • The holders of our indebtedness and preferred stock have rights that are senior to those of our common stockholders. • We do not currently pay dividends on our common stock. • Federal legislation and regulations impose restrictions on the ownership of our common stock. • Anti-takeover provisions of our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and Delaware law may make it more difficult for you to receive a change in control premium. • Our Bank is subject to regulatory and contractual limitations on the payment of its subordinated notes. 16 Table of Contents Risk Factors Associated With Our Business Credit Risks We must effectively manage our credit risks . The risk of non-payment of loans is inherent in commercial banking, which may result from many factors, including: • Adverse changes in local, U.S. and global economic and industry conditions; • Business and market disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and governmental restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic; • Declines in the value of collateral, including asset values that are directly or indirectly related to external factors such as commodity prices, real estate values or interest rates; • Concentrations of credit associated with specific loan categories, industries or collateral types; and • Exposures to individual borrowers and to groups of entities that may be affiliated on some basis that individually and/or collectively represent a larger percentage of our total loans or capital than might be considered common at other banks of similar size. We rely heavily on information provided by third parties when originating and monitoring loans. If this information is intentionally or negligently misrepresented and we do not detect such misrepresentations, the credit risk associated with the transaction may be increased. Although we attempt to manage our credit risk by carefully monitoring the concentration of our loans within specific loan categories and industries and through prudent loan approval and monitoring practices in all categories of our lending, we cannot assure you that our approval and monitoring procedures will reduce these lending risks. Our significant number of large credit relationships (above $20 million) could exacerbate credit problems precipitated by a regional or national economic downturn. Competitive pressures could erode underwriting standards, leading to a decline in general credit quality and increases in credit defaults and non-performing asset levels. If our credit portfolio management routines, policies and procedures are not able to adequately adapt to changes in economic, competitive or other conditions that affect customers and the quality of the loan portfolio, we may incur increased losses that could adversely affect our financial results and lead to increased regulatory scrutiny, restrictions on our lending activity or financial penalties. A significant portion of our assets consists of commercial loans, which involve a high degree of credit risk. We generally invest a greater proportion of our assets in commercial loans to business customers than other banking institutions of our size, and our business plan calls for continued efforts to increase our assets invested in these loans. At December 31, 2020, approximately 36% of our LHI portfolio was comprised of commercial loans. Commercial loans may involve a higher degree of credit risk than other types of loans due, in part, to their larger average size, the effects of changing economic conditions on the businesses of our commercial loan customers, the dependence of borrowers on operating cash flow to service debt and our reliance upon collateral which may not be readily marketable. Due to the greater proportion of these commercial loans in our portfolio and because the balances of these loans are, on average, larger than other categories of loans, losses incurred on a relatively small number of commercial loans could have a materially adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition. We are subject to risks arising from conditions in the real estate market, as a significant portion of our loans are secured by commercial and residential real estate . At December 31, 2020, approximately 61% of our loans held for investment portfolio was comprised of loans with real estate as the primary component of collateral. Our real estate lending activities, and our exposure to fluctuations in real estate collateral values, are significant and may increase as our assets increase. The market value of real estate can fluctuate significantly in a relatively short period of time as a result of market conditions in the geographic area in which the real estate is located, in response to factors such as economic downturns, changes in the economic health of industries heavily concentrated in a particular area and in response to changes in market interest rates, which influence capitalization rates used to value revenue-generating commercial real estate. If the value of real estate serving as collateral for our loans declines materially, a significant part of our loan portfolio could become under-collateralized and losses incurred upon borrower defaults would increase. Conditions in certain segments of the real estate industry, including homebuilding, lot development and mortgage lending, may have an effect on values of real estate pledged as collateral for our loans. The inability of purchasers of real estate, including residential real estate, to obtain financing may weaken the financial condition of our borrowers who are dependent on the sale or refinancing of property to repay their loans. Changes in the economic health of certain industries can have a significant impact on other sectors or industries which are directly or indirectly associated with those industries, and may impact the value of real estate in areas where such industries are concentrated. Our future profitability depends, to a significant extent, upon our middle market business customers . Our future profitability depends, to a significant extent, upon revenue we receive from middle market business customers, and their ability to continue to meet their loan obligations. Adverse economic conditions or other factors affecting this market segment, and our failure to timely identify and react to unexpected economic downturns, may have a greater adverse effect on us than on other financial 17 Table of Contents institutions that have a more diversified customer base. Additionally, our inability to grow our middle market business customer base in a highly competitive market could affect our future growth and profitability. Our business is concentrated in Texas; our energy industry exposure could adversely affect our performance . Although more than 50% of our loan exposure is outside of Texas and more than 50% of our deposits are sourced outside of Texas, our Texas concentration remains significant compared to other peer banks. A majority of our loans held for investment, excluding mortgage finance loans and other national lines of business, are to businesses with headquarters or operations in Texas. As a result, our financial condition and results of operations may be strongly affected by any prolonged period of economic recession or other adverse business, economic or regulatory conditions affecting Texas businesses and financial institutions. While the Texas economy is more diversified than in the 1980’s, the energy sector continues to play an important role. At December 31, 2020 our outstanding energy loans represented 3% of total loans held for investment. Furthermore, energy production and related industries represent a significant part of the economies in some of the primary markets in which we operate. Our energy loans consist primarily of producing reserve-based loans to exploration and production companies with a smaller portion of our loan balances attributable to royalty owners, midstream operators, saltwater disposal and other service companies whose businesses primarily relate to production, not exploration and development, of oil and gas. These businesses have been significantly affected by volatility in oil and natural gas prices, reserve depletion curves, material declines in the level of drilling and production activity in Texas and in other areas of the United States and material fluctuations in investor interest in oil and gas exploration and production investments. We experienced an increase in non-performing assets and higher charge-offs primarily related to energy loans during 2017, and they still remain elevated compared to the overall loan portfolio. There is no assurance that we will not be materially adversely impacted by the direct and indirect effects of current and future conditions in the energy industry in Texas and nationally. Our mortgage correspondent aggregation business subjects us to additional risks. In 2015, we launched our mortgage correspondent aggregation (“MCA”) business, a correspondent lending program that complements our mortgage warehouse lending business, in 2015. Volatility in the mortgage industry has caused uncertainty related to the pricing of the mortgage loans that we seek to purchase, as well as uncertainty in the pricing of those loans when they are sold or securitized. Similar uncertainty exists with respect to volatility in the value of mortgage servicing rights ("MSRs") on our balance sheet. This volatility may cause the actual returns on mortgage sales or securitization transactions to be less than anticipated, which could adversely affect our overall loans held for sale volumes and the profitability of this line of business. Fluctuations in the value of MSRs that we hold on our balance sheet could require that we recognize impairments in the value of such assets and/or actual losses on the disposition of such assets. Additionally, non-bank competitors may have a pricing advantage as they are not subject to the same capital maintenance requirements relative to mortgage loans and MSRs as our Bank. Our MCA business subjects us to additional interest rate risk and price risk, which may have an adverse effect on our business. The persistent low interest rate environment has in certain cases resulted in an increase in the value of MSRs, causing other market participants and competitors who are planning to hold MSRs for a longer term to be more aggressive in their pricing of the underlying loan purchases than a participant like our Bank that does not plan to hold MSRs on a long-term basis. While we believe market and competitive conditions may improve in the future, a prolonged low interest rate environment could adversely affect the economics of our MCA business over a longer period of time. Conversely, an environment of rising interest rates could have a significant effect on loan volumes in our MCA business if refinancing and home purchase activities are reduced. We have entered into loan purchase commitments and forward sales commitments in connection with the MCA business, as well as interest rate swap futures and forward sale commitments of mortgage-backed securities in connection with holding MSRs. While we believe that our hedging strategies will be successful in mitigating our exposure to interest rate risk associated with the purchase of mortgage loans held for sale and holding of MSRs, no hedging strategy can completely protect us. Poorly designed strategies, improperly executed transactions, or inaccurate assumptions regarding future interest rates or market conditions could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. We are from time to time required to hold or repurchase mortgage loans or reimburse investors as a result of breaches in contractual representations and warranties under the agreements pursuant to which we purchase and sell mortgage loans. While our agreements with the originators and sellers of mortgage loans provide us with legal recourse against them that may allow us to recover some or all of our losses, these companies are frequently not financially capable of paying large amounts of damages and as a result we can offer no assurance that we will not bear all of the risk of loss. We may incur other costs and losses as a result of actual or alleged violations of regulations related to the origination and purchase of residential mortgage loans. The origination of residential mortgage loans is governed by a variety of federal and state laws and regulations, which are frequently changing. We sell residential mortgage loans that we have purchased or that we have originated to various parties, including Ginnie Mae and GSEs such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and other financial institutions that purchase mortgage loans for investment or private label securitization. We may also pool FHA-insured and VA-guaranteed mortgage loans which back securities issued by Ginnie Mae. Our accrued mortgage repurchase liability represents management’s best estimate of the probable loss that we may expect to incur for the representations and warranties in 18 Table of Contents the contractual provisions of our sales of mortgage loans, but there is no assurance that our losses will not materially exceed such amounts. We must effectively manage our counterparty risk . Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty and other relationships. Our Bank has exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and routinely executes transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including commercial banks, brokers and dealers, investment banks, and other financial market participants. Many of these transactions expose our Bank to credit risk in the event of a default by a counterparty or client. In addition, our Bank’s credit risk may be increased when the collateral securing its loans cannot be realized upon or is liquidated at prices not sufficient to recover the full amount of its credit or derivative exposure. Any such losses could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We must maintain an appropriate allowance for credit losses . Our experience in the banking industry indicates that some portion of our loans will become delinquent, and some may only be partially repaid or may never be repaid at all. We maintain an allowance for credit losses on loans, which is a reserve established through a provision for credit losses charged to expense each quarter, that is consistent with management’s assessment of the collectability of the loan portfolio in light of the amount of loans committed and outstanding and current and future economic conditions and market trends. When specific loan losses are identified, the amount of the expected loss is removed, or charged-off, from the allowance. Our methodology for establishing the appropriateness of the allowance for credit losses on loans depends on our subjective application of risk grades as indicators of each borrower’s ability to repay specific loans, together with our assessment of how actual or projected changes in competitor underwriting practices, competition for borrowers and depositors and other conditions in our markets are likely to impact improvement or deterioration in the collectability of our loans as compared to our historical experience. Our business model makes our Bank more vulnerable to changes in underlying business credit quality than other banks with which we compete. We have a substantially larger percentage of commercial, real estate and other categories of business loans relative to total assets than most other banks in our market and our individual loans are generally larger as a percentage of our total earning assets than other banks. We have substantially increased our liquidity in recent years, and these funds have primarily been invested in low-yielding deposits with federal agencies and other financial institutions. And, we have had a substantially smaller portion of our assets consists of securities and other earning asset categories that can be less vulnerable to changes in local, regional or industry-specific economic trends, causing our potential for credit losses to be more severe than other banks. However, during 2020, we began deploying some of our excess liquidity into securities to improve income, but the most significant portion of earning assets still remains in loans. Our business model has focused on growth in various loan categories that can be more sensitive to changes in economic trends. We believe our ability to maintain an above-peer rate of growth in commercial loans is dependent on maintaining above-peer credit quality metrics. The failure to maintain above-peer credit quality metrics would have a material adverse impact on our growth and profitability. Historically, we have sought to take action prior to economic downturns by slowing growth rates and decreasing the risk level of our assets by, among other things, allowing runoff of loans that we believe may not perform well during a weakening or declining economic environment. If our assessment of inherent risk and losses in our loan portfolio is inaccurate, or economic and market conditions or our borrowers' financial performance experience material unanticipated changes, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the allowance may become inadequate, requiring larger provisions for loan losses that can materially decrease our earnings. Certain of our loans individually represent a significant percentage of our total allowance for credit losses. Adverse collection experience in a relatively small number of these loans could require an increase in the provision for credit losses. Federal regulators periodically review our allowance for credit losses and, based on their judgments, which may be different than ours, may require us to change classifications or grades of loans, increase the allowance for credit losses or recognize further loan charge-offs. Any increase in the allowance for credit losses or in the amount of loan charge-offs required by our methodology or regulatory agencies could have a negative effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Changes in accounting standards could materially affect how we report our financial results. The Financial Accounting Standards Board and the SEC may change the financial accounting and reporting standards, or the interpretation of those standards, that govern the preparation of our external financial statements from time to time. The impact of these changes or the application thereof on our financial condition and operations can be difficult to predict. For example, we adopted ASU 2016-13 Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326) on January 1, 2020 which replaced the incurred loss methodology for determining our provision for credit losses and allowance for credit losses with the CECL model. Implementation of CECL requires that we determine periodic estimates of lifetime expected future credit losses on loans in the provision for credit losses in the period when the loans are booked. Our adoption of CECL resulted in an increase to the allowance for credit losses by $9.1 million. The impact of CECL in future periods will be significantly influenced by the composition, characteristics and quality of our loan portfolio, as well as the prevailing economic conditions and forecasts utilized. Should these factors materially change, we may be required to increase or decrease our allowance for credit losses, decreasing or increasing our reported income, and introducing additional volatility into our reported earnings. Liquidity Risks 19 Table of Contents We must effectively manage our liquidity risk . Our Bank requires liquidity in the form of available funds to meet its deposit, debt and other obligations as they come due, borrower requests to draw on committed credit facilities as well as unexpected demands for cash payments. While we are not subject to Basel III liquidity regulations, the adequacy of our liquidity is a matter of regulatory interest given the significant portion of our balance sheet represented by loans as opposed to securities and other more marketable investments. Our Bank’s principal source of funding consists of customer deposits, supplemented by our short-term and long-term borrowings, including federal funds purchased and FHLB borrowings. We also rely on the availability of the mortgage secondary market provided by Ginnie Mae and the GSEs to support the liquidity of our residential mortgage assets. A substantial majority of our Bank’s liabilities consist of demand, savings, checking and money market deposits, which are payable on demand or upon relatively short notice. By comparison, a substantial portion of our assets are loans, most of which, excluding our mortgage finance loans and mortgage loans held for sale, cannot be collected or sold in so short a time frame, creating the potential for an imbalance in the availability of liquid assets to satisfy depositors and loan funding requirements. We have historically held smaller balances of marketable securities than many of our competitors, limiting our ability to increase our liquidity by completing market sales of these assets. During 2020, we deployed some of our excess liquidity into marketable securities. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings, the sale of securities and loans and other sources, or an inability to access the capital markets, could have a substantial negative effect on our Bank’s liquidity. We actively manage our available sources of funds to meet our expected needs under normal and financially stressed conditions, but there is no assurance that our Bank will be able to make new loans, meet ongoing funding commitments to borrowers and replace maturing deposits and advances as necessary under all possible circumstances. Our Bank’s ability to obtain funding could be impaired by factors beyond its control, such as disruptions in financial markets, negative expectations regarding the financial services industry generally or in our markets or negative perceptions of our Bank, including our credit ratings. Our Bank sources a significant volume of its demand deposits from financial services companies, mortgage finance customers and other commercial sources, resulting in a larger percentage of large deposits and a smaller number of sources of deposits than would be typical of other banks in our markets, creating concentrations of deposits that carry a greater risk of unexpected material withdrawals. In recent periods over half of our total deposits have been attributable to customers whose balances exceed the $250,000 FDIC insurance limit. Many of these customers actively monitor our financial condition and results of operations and could withdraw their deposits quickly upon the occurrence of a material adverse development affecting our Bank or their businesses. Significant deterioration in our credit quality or a downgrade in our credit ratings could affect funding sources such as financial institutions and broker dealers. In response to this risk we have increased our liquidity and developed more sophisticated techniques for monitoring and planning for changes in liquidity and capital over the past several years, but there is no assurance that we will maintain or have access to sufficient funding and capital to fully mitigate our liquidity risk. One potential source of liquidity for our Bank consists of “brokered deposits” arranged by brokers acting as intermediaries, typically larger money-center financial institutions. We receive deposits provided by certain of our customers in connection with our delivery of other financial services to them or their customers which are subject to regulatory classification as “brokered deposits” even though we consider these to be relationship deposits and they are not subject to the typical risks or market pricing associated with conventional brokered deposits. If we do not maintain our regulatory capital above the level required to be well capitalized we would be required to obtain FDIC consent for us to continue to accept deposits classified as brokered deposits, and there can be no assurance that the FDIC would consent under any circumstances. We could also be required to suspend or eliminate deposit gathering from any source classified as “brokered” deposits. The FDIC can change the definition of brokered deposits or extend the classification to deposits not currently classified as brokered deposits. These non-traditional deposits are subject to greater operational and reputational risk of unexpected withdrawal than traditional demand and time deposits, particularly those provided by consumers. A significant decrease in our balances of relationship brokered deposits could have a material adverse effect upon our financial condition and results of operations. See Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations below for further discussion of our liquidity. Our growth plans are dependent on the availability of capital and funding . Our historical ability to raise capital through the sale of capital stock and debt securities may be affected by economic and market conditions or regulatory changes that are beyond our control. Adverse changes in our operating performance or financial condition could make raising additional capital difficult or more expensive or limit our access to customary sources of funding, including inter-bank borrowings, repurchase agreements and borrowings from the Federal Reserve Bank ("FRB") or the Federal Home Loan Bank ("FHLB"). Unexpected changes in requirements for capital resulting from regulatory actions could require us to raise capital at a time, and at a price, that might be unfavorable, or could require that we forego continuing growth or reduce our current loan portfolio. We cannot offer assurance that capital and funding will be available to us in the future, in needed amounts, upon acceptable terms or at all. Our efforts to raise capital could require the issuance of securities at times and with maturities, conditions and rates that are disadvantageous, and which could have a dilutive impact on our current stockholders. Factors that could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital or necessary funding include conditions in the capital markets, our financial performance, our credit ratings, regulatory actions and general economic conditions. Increases in our cost of capital, including dilution and 20 Table of Contents increased interest or dividend requirements, could have a direct adverse impact on our operating performance and our ability to achieve our growth objectives. Trust preferred securities are no longer viable as a source of new long-term debt capital as a result of regulatory changes. The treatment of our existing trust preferred securities as capital may be subject to further regulatory change prior to their maturity, which could require the Company to seek additional capital. Our mortgage finance business has experienced, and will likely continue to experience, highly variable usage of our funding capacity resulting from seasonal demands for credit, surges in consumer demand driven by changes in interest rates and month-end “spikes” of residential mortgage closings. These spikes could also result in our Bank having capital ratios that are below internally targeted levels or even levels that could cause our Bank to not be well capitalized and could affect liquidity levels. At the same time managing this risk by declining to respond fully to the needs of our customers could severely impact our business. We have responded to these variable funding demands by, among other things, increasing the extent of participations sold in our mortgage loan interests, as needed, and by maintaining a substantial borrowing relationship with the FHLB. Our mortgage finance customers have in recent periods provided significant low-cost deposit balances associated with the borrower escrow accounts created at the time certain mortgage loans are funded, which have benefitted our liquidity and net interest margin. In response to competitive pressures, we sometimes find it necessary to pay interest on some of these accounts, as regulations allow or require and this trend may continue, which can affect our ability to reduce our costs of funds. Individual escrow account balances also experience significant variability monthly as principal and interest payments, as well as ad valorem taxes and insurance premiums , are paid periodically. While the short average holding period of our mortgage interests of approximately 20 days will allow us, if necessitated by a funding shortfall, to rapidly decrease the size of the portfolio and its associated capital and funding requirements, any such action might significantly damage our business and important mortgage finance relationships. We are dependent on funds obtained from borrowing or capital transactions or from our Bank to fund our obligations. We are a financial holding company engaged in the business of managing, controlling and operating our Bank. We conduct no material business or other activity at the parent company level other than activities incidental to holding equity and debt investments in our Bank. As a result, we rely on the proceeds of capital transactions, borrowings under our revolving line of credit, payments of interest and principal on loans made to our Bank and dividends on preferred stock issued by our Bank to pay our operating expenses, to satisfy our obligations to debtholders and to pay dividends on our preferred stock. The profitability of our Bank is subject to fluctuation based upon, among other things, the cost and availability of funds, changes in interest rates and economic conditions in general. Our Bank’s ability to pay dividends to us is subject to regulatory limitations that can, under certain adverse circumstances, prohibit the payment of dividends to us. Our right to participate in any distribution from the liquidation or sale of our Bank’s assets is subject to the prior claims of our Bank’s creditors. If we are unable to access funds from capital transactions, borrowing under our revolving line of credit or dividends or interest on loan payments from our Bank, we may be unable to satisfy our obligations to creditors or debtholders or pay dividends on our preferred stock. Changes in our Bank’s operating results or capital requirements could require us to convert subordinated notes or preferred stock of our bank held by us into common equity, reducing our cash flow available to meet our obligations. Market Risks We must effectively manage our interest rate risk . Our profitability is dependent to a large extent on our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income paid to us on our loans and investments and the interest we pay to third parties such as our depositors, lenders and debtholders. Changes in interest rates can impact our profits and the fair values of certain of our assets and liabilities. Models that we use to forecast and plan for the impact of rising and falling interest rates may be incorrect or fail to consider the impact of competition and other conditions affecting our loans and deposits. Periods of unusually low or volatile interest rates have a material effect on our earnings. During the first quarter of 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve reduced the target Federal Funds rate to between zero and 0.25%, and there is an expectation that Federal Reserve policy will maintain a low interest rate environment for the foreseeable future. Increases in interest rates and economic conditions affecting consumer demand for housing can have a material impact on the volume of mortgage originations and refinancings, adversely affecting the profitability of our mortgage finance business. Interest rate risk can also result from mismatches between the dollar amounts of repricing or maturing assets and liabilities and from mismatches in the timing and rates at which our assets and liabilities reprice. We actively monitor and manage the balances of our maturing and repricing assets and liabilities to reduce the adverse impact of changes in interest rates, but there can be no assurance that we will be able to avoid material adverse effects on our net interest margin in all market conditions. Rising interest rates in prior periods have increased our interest expense, with a commensurate adverse effect on our net interest income, and may be expected to do so in future periods. In a rising rate environment, competition for cost-effective deposits increase, making it more costly for us to fund loan growth. Rapid and unexpected volatility in interest rates creates additional uncertainty and potential for adverse financial effects. There can be no assurance that we will not be materially adversely affected by future changes in interest rates. 21 Table of Contents We may be adversely affected by changes in the method of determining LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate, for our variable rate loans, derivative contracts and other financial assets and liabilities . Our business relies upon a large volume of loans, derivative contracts and other financial instruments which are directly or indirectly dependent on LIBOR to establish their interest rate and/or value. The administrator of LIBOR has proposed to extend publication of the most commonly used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings to June 30, 2023 and to cease publishing other LIBOR settings on December 31, 2021. The U.S. federal banking agencies have issued guidance strongly encouraging banking organizations to cease using U.S. dollar LIBOR as a reference rate in new contracts as soon as practicable and in any event by December 31, 2021. It is not possible to know whether LIBOR will continue to be viewed as an acceptable market benchmark, what rate or rates may become accepted alternatives to LIBOR, or what the effect of any such changes in views or alternatives may have on the financial markets for LIBOR-linked financial instruments. While we have established a working group consisting of key stakeholders from throughout the company to monitor developments relating to LIBOR uncertainty and changes and to guide the Bank’s response, the impact of these developments on our business and financial results is not yet known. The transition from LIBOR may cause us to incur increased costs and face additional risks. Uncertainty as to the nature of alternative reference rates and as to potential changes in or other reforms to LIBOR may adversely affect LIBOR rates and the value of LIBOR-based loans originated prior to 2021. If LIBOR rates are no longer available, any successor or replacement interest rates may perform differently, which may affect our net interest income, change our market risk profile and require changes to our risk, pricing and hedging strategies. Any failure to adequately manage this transition could adversely impact our reputation . Strategic Risks We must be effective in developing and executing new lines of business and new products and services while managing associated risks . Our business strategy requires that we develop and grow new lines of business and offer new products and services within existing lines of business in order to compete successfully in offering a premier and differentiated client banking experience to ensure future client acquisition and retention of existing clients and realize our strategic priorities for both loans and deposits. Substantial costs, risks and uncertainties are associated with these efforts, particularly in instances where the markets are not fully developed. Developing and marketing new activities requires that we invest significant time and resources before new sources of revenues, funding and profits can be realized. Timetables for the development and launch of new activities may not be achieved and price and profitability targets may not prove feasible or their realization may be delayed. External factors, such as compliance with regulations, receipt of necessary licenses or permits, competitive alternatives and shifting market preferences, may also adversely impact the successful execution of new activities. New activities necessarily entail additional risks and may present additional risks to the effectiveness of our system of internal controls and risk management strategies. All service offerings, including current offerings and new activities, may become more risky due to changes in economic, competitive and market conditions beyond our control. Our regulators could determine that our risk management practices are not adequate or our capital levels are not sufficiently in excess of well-capitalized levels and take action to restrain our growth. Failure to successfully manage these risks, generally and to the satisfaction of our regulators, in the development and implementation of new lines of business or new products or services could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We compete with many banks and other financial service providers . Competition among providers of financial services in our markets, in Texas, regionally and nationally, is intense. We compete with other financial and bank holding companies, state and national commercial banks, savings and loan associations, consumer finance companies, credit unions, securities brokerages, insurance companies, mortgage banking companies, money market mutual funds, asset-based non-bank lenders, government sponsored or subsidized lenders and other financial services providers. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources, lending limits and technological resources and larger branch networks than we do, and are able to offer a broader range of products and services than we can, including systems and services that could more effectively protect customers from cyber threats. Many competitors offer lower interest rates and more liberal loan terms that appeal to borrowers but adversely affect net interest margin and assurance of repayment. We are increasingly faced with competition in many of our products and services by non-bank providers who may have competitive advantages of size, access to potential customers and fewer regulatory requirements. Failure to compete effectively for deposit, loan and other banking customers in any of our lines of business could cause us to lose market share, slow or reverse our growth rate or suffer adverse effects on our financial condition and results of operations. We must effectively execute our business strategy in order to continue our asset and earnings growth . Our core strategy is to develop our business principally through organic growth by offering a premier and differentiated banking experience to companies in high-value business segments. Our prospects for continued growth must be considered in light of the risks, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by growing companies. In order to execute our business strategy successfully, we must, among other things: • continue to identify and expand into suitable markets and lines of business, in Texas, regionally and nationally; • develop new products and services and execute our full range of products and services more efficiently and effectively; 22 Table of Contents • attract and retain qualified bankers in each of our targeted market segments to build our customer base; • respond to market opportunities promptly and nimbly while balancing the demands of risk management and compliance with regulatory requirements; • expand our loan portfolio in an intensely competitive environment while maintaining credit quality; • attract sufficient deposits and capital to fund our anticipated loan growth and satisfy regulatory requirements; • control expenses; and • acquire and maintain sufficient qualified staffing and information technology and operational resources to support growth and compliance with regulatory requirements. Failure to effectively execute our business strategy could have a material adverse effect on our business, future prospects, financial condition or results of operations. Operational Risks We, our vendors and customers must effectively manage our information systems risk which may experience disruption, failure or breach in security.. We, our vendors and customers all rely heavily on communications and information systems to conduct our respective businesses, store sensitive data and work effectively together. The financial services industry is undergoing rapid technological changes with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. Our ability to compete successfully depends in part upon our ability to use technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands. Many of our larger competitors invest substantially greater resources in technological capabilities than we do. We may not be able to effectively protect, develop and manage mission critical systems and IT infrastructure to support strategic business initiatives, which could impair our ability to achieve financial, operational, compliance and strategic objectives and negatively affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. Our communications and information systems and those of our vendors and customers remain vulnerable to unexpected disruptions, failures and cyber-attacks. Any disruption, failure or breach in security of these systems could result in significant disruption to our operations. Information security breaches and cyber-security-related incidents include, but are not limited to, attempts to access information, including customer and company information, malicious code, computer viruses and denial of service attacks that could result in unauthorized access, misuse, loss or destruction of data (including confidential customer information), account takeovers, unavailability of service or other events. These types of threats may derive from human error, fraud or malice on the part of external or internal parties or may result from accidental technological failure. The risk, frequency and intensity of such attacks is escalating, including as a result of remote working arrangements implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of the internet and telecommunications technologies to conduct financial transactions, and the increased sophistication of these threats. Material failures or interruptions of these systems could impair our ability to serve our customers and to operate our business and could damage our reputation, result in a loss of business, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny or enforcement or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability. While we have developed extensive recovery plans, we cannot assure that those plans will be effective to prevent adverse effects upon us and our customers resulting from system failures. Cloud technologies are also critical to the operation of our systems, and our reliance on cloud technologies is growing. Service disruptions in cloud technologies may lead to delays in accessing, or the loss of, data that is important to our businesses and may hinder our clients’ access to our products and services. We collect and store sensitive data, including personally identifiable information of our customers and employees and in the ordinary course of business must allow certain of our vendors access to that data. Breaches of our systems or our vendors' or customers’ systems, thefts of data and other breaches and criminal activity may result in significant costs to respond, liability for customer losses if we or our vendors are at fault, damage to our customer relationships, regulatory scrutiny and enforcement and loss of future business opportunities due to reputational damage. Even the most well protected information, networks, systems and facilities remain potentially vulnerable because attempted security breaches, particularly cyber-attacks and intrusions, or disruptions will occur in the future, and because the techniques used in such attempts are constantly evolving and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, and in some cases are designed not to be detected and, in fact, may not be detected. Accordingly, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate security barriers or other preventative measures, and thus it is virtually impossible for us to entirely mitigate this risk. Breaches can be perpetrated by unknown third parties, but could also be facilitated by employees either inadvertently or by consciously attempting to create disruption or certain acts of fraud. Our customers and employees have been, and will continue to be, targeted by parties using fraudulent e-mails and other communications in attempts to misappropriate passwords, bank account information or other personal information or to introduce viruses or other malware through "Trojan horse" programs to our information systems, the information systems of our merchants or third-party service providers and/or our customers' computers. Although we, with the help of third-party service providers, will continue to implement information security technology solutions and establish operational procedures to protect sensitive data, there can be no assurance that these 23 Table of Contents measures will be effective. We advise and provide training to our customers and evaluate and impose security requirements on our vendors regarding protection of their respective information systems, but there is no assurance that these actions will have the intended positive effects or will be effective to prevent losses. In some cases we may elect to contribute to the cost of responding to cybercrime against our customers, even when we are not at fault, in order to maintain valuable customer relationships. Successful cyber-attacks on our Bank, vendors or customers may affect the reputation of our Bank, and failure to meet customer expectations could have a material impact on our ability to attract and retain deposits as a primary source of funding. A security breach or other significant disruption of our information systems or those related to our customers, merchants and our third party vendors, including as a result of cyber-attacks, could (i) disrupt the proper functioning of our networks and systems and therefore our operations and/or those of certain of our customers; (ii) result in the unauthorized access to, and destruction, loss, theft, misappropriation or release of confidential, sensitive or otherwise valuable information of ours or our customers; (iii) result in a violation of applicable privacy, data breach and other laws, subjecting us to additional regulatory scrutiny and exposing us to civil litigation, governmental fines and possible financial liability; (iv) require significant management attention and resources to remedy the damages that result; or (v) harm our reputation or cause a decrease in the number of customers that choose to do business with us. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our operations rely extensively on a broad range of external vendors. We rely on a large number of vendors to provide products and services necessary to maintain our day-to-day operations, particularly in the areas of operations, treasury management systems, information technology and security. This reliance exposes us to the risk that these vendors will not perform as required by our agreements as well as risks resulting from disruptions in communications with our vendors, cyber-attacks and security breaches at our vendors, failure of a vendor to provide services for other reasons and poor performance of services. An external vendor’s failure to perform in any of these areas could be disruptive to our operations, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as cause reputational damage. External vendors who must have access to our information systems in order to provide their services have been identified as significant sources of information technology security risk. While we have implemented an active program of oversight to address this risk, there can be no assurance that we will not experience material security breaches associated with our vendors. We must continue to attract, retain and develop key personnel . Our success depends to a significant extent upon our ability to attract, develop and retain experienced bankers in each of our lines of business and markets as well as managers in operational areas, compliance and other support areas to build and maintain the infrastructure and controls required to support continuing loan and deposit growth. Competition for the best people in our industry can be intense, and there is no assurance that we will continue to have the same level of success in this effort that has supported our historical results. Factors that affect our ability to attract, develop and retain key employees include our compensation and benefits programs, our profitability, our ability to establish appropriate succession plans for key talent, our reputation for rewarding and promoting qualified employees and market competition for employees with certain skills, including information systems development and security. The cost of employee compensation is a significant portion of our operating expenses and can materially impact our results of operations. The unanticipated loss of the services of key personnel could have an adverse effect on our business. Although we have entered into employment agreements with certain key employees, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in retaining them. Our accounting estimates and risk management processes rely on management judgment, which may prove inadequate or be adversely impacted by inaccurate assumptions or models. The processes we use to estimate expected credit losses for purposes of establishing the allowance for credit losses and to measure the fair value of financial instruments, certain of our liquidity and capital planning tools, as well as the processes we use to estimate the effects of changing interest rates and other market measures on our financial condition and results of operations, all depend upon management’s judgment. Management’s judgment and the data relied upon by management may be based on assumptions that prove to be inaccurate, particularly in times of market stress or other unforeseen circumstances. Additionally, CECL requires the application of greater management judgment that is supported by new models and more data elements, including macroeconomic forecasts, than the previous allowance standard. Our adoption of the CECL model is expected to increase the complexity, and associated risk, of the analysis and processes relying on management judgment, which could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations. Our risk management strategies and processes may not be effective; our controls and procedures may fail or be circumvented . We continue to invest in the development of risk management techniques, strategies, assessment methods and related controls and monitoring approaches on an ongoing basis. However, these risk management strategies and processes may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure in all economic market environments or against all types of risk. Any failures in our risk management strategies and processes to accurately identify, quantify and monitor our risk exposure could limit our ability to effectively manage our risks. Management regularly reviews and updates our internal controls over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures, and corporate governance policies and procedures. Any system of controls, however well designed and operated, is based in part on certain assumptions and management judgment and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurances that the objectives of the system are met. Any failure or circumvention of our controls and procedures or 24 Table of Contents failure to comply with regulations related to controls and procedures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our business is susceptible to fraud. Our business exposes us to fraud risk from our loan and deposit customers, the parties they do business with, as well as from our employees, contractors and vendors. We rely on financial and other data from new and existing customers which could turn out to be fraudulent when accepting such customers, executing their financial transactions and making and purchasing loans and other financial assets. In times of increased economic stress we are at increased risk of fraud losses. We believe we have underwriting and operational controls in place to prevent or detect such fraud, but we cannot provide assurance that these controls will be effective in detecting fraud or that we will not experience fraud losses or incur costs or other damage related to such fraud, at levels that adversely affect our financial results or reputation. Our lending customers may also experience fraud in their businesses which could adversely affect their ability to repay their loans or make use of our services. Our exposure and the exposure of our customers to fraud may increase our financial risk and reputation risk as it may result in unexpected loan losses that exceed those that have been provided for in our allowance for credit losses. Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risks We are subject to extensive government regulation and supervision . We, as a bank holding company and financial holding company, and our Bank as a national bank, are subject to extensive federal and state regulation and supervision, and the potential for regulatory enforcement actions, that impact our business on a daily basis. See the discussion above at Business - Regulation and Supervision . These regulations affect our lending practices, permissible products and services and their terms and conditions, customer relationships, capital structure, investment practices, accounting, financial reporting, operations and our ability to grow, among other things. These regulations also impose obligations to maintain appropriate policies, procedures and controls to detect, prevent and report money laundering and terrorist financing and to verify the identities of our customers. The level of regulatory scrutiny that we are subject to may fluctuate over time, based on numerous factors, including as a result of the upcoming change in the U.S. presidential administration. In addition, Congress, state legislatures, and federal and state regulatory agencies continually review banking laws, regulations and policies for possible changes. Changes to statutes, regulations or regulatory policies, including changes in interpretation or implementation of statutes, regulations or policies, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways. Material changes in regulation and requirements imposed on financial institutions, such as the Dodd-Frank Act, Basel III Capital Rules, European Union's General Data Protection Regulations and California Consumer Privacy Act CCPA result in additional costs, impose more stringent capital, liquidity and leverage requirements, limit the types of financial services and products we may offer and increase the ability of non-bank financial services providers to offer competing financial services and products, among other things. Such changes could result in new regulatory obligations which could prove difficult, expensive or competitively impractical to comply with if not equally imposed upon non-bank financial services providers with whom we compete. We are subject to a continuous program of examinations by our regulators concerning, among other things, lending practices, reserve methodology, compliance with changing regulations and interpretations, BSA/AML compliance, our management of interest rate, liquidity, capital and operational risk, enterprise risk management, regulatory and financial accounting practices and policies and related matters, which can divert management’s time and attention from focusing on our business. We devote a significant amount of management time and expense to enhancing the infrastructure to support our compliance obligations, which can pose significant regulatory enforcement, financial and reputational risks if not appropriately addressed. The Regulatory Relief Act passed on May 22, 2018, has provided a limited degree of regulatory relief for institutions of our size. Uncertainty regarding how our regulators will evaluate capital and liquidity planning going forward remains a risk. We continue to increase our capital and liquidity and expand our regulatory compliance staffing and systems in order to address continuing regulatory requirements. There is no assurance that our financial performance in future years will not be similarly burdened. We expend substantial effort and incur costs to maintain and improve our systems, controls, accounting, operations, information security, compliance, audit effectiveness, analytical capabilities, staffing and training in order to satisfy regulatory requirements. We cannot offer assurance that these efforts will be accepted by our regulators as satisfying the legal and regulatory requirements applicable to us. Failure to comply with relevant laws, regulations or policies could result in sanctions by regulatory agencies, civil money penalties and/or reputation damage, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. While we have policies and procedures designed to prevent any such violations, there can be no assurance that such violations will not occur. We must maintain adequate regulatory capital to support our business objectives . Under regulatory capital adequacy guidelines and other regulatory requirements, we must satisfy capital requirements based upon quantitative measures of assets, liabilities and certain off-balance sheet items. Our satisfaction of these requirements is subject to qualitative judgments by regulators that may differ materially from management’s and that are subject to being determined retroactively for prior periods. Additionally, regulators can make subjective assessments about the adequacy of capital levels, even if our Bank's 25 Table of Contents reported capital exceeds the “well-capitalized” requirements. Our ability to maintain our status as a financial holding company and to continue to operate our Bank as we have in recent periods is dependent upon a number of factors, including our Bank qualifying as “well capitalized” and “well managed” under applicable prompt corrective action regulations and upon our company qualifying on an ongoing basis as “well capitalized” and “well managed” under applicable Federal Reserve regulations. Failure to meet regulatory capital standards could have a material adverse effect on our business, including damaging the confidence of customers in us, adversely impacting our reputation and competitive position and retention of key personnel. Any of these developments could limit our access to: • brokered deposits; • the Federal Reserve discount window; • advances from the FHLB; • capital markets transactions; and • development of new financial services. Failure to meet regulatory capital standards may also result in higher FDIC assessments. If we fall below guidelines for being deemed “adequately capitalized” the OCC or Federal Reserve could impose restrictions on our activities and a broad range of regulatory requirements in order to effect “prompt corrective action.” The capital requirements applicable to us are in a process of continuous evaluation and revision in connection with actions of the Basel Committee, our regulators and the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act. We cannot predict the final form, or the effects, of these regulations on our business, but among the possible effects are requirements that we slow our rate of growth or obtain additional capital which could reduce our earnings or dilute our existing stockholders. We are subject to claims and litigation in the ordinary course of our business, including claims that may not be covered by our insurers. Customers and other parties we engage with assert claims and take legal action against us on a regular basis and we regularly take legal action to collect unpaid borrower obligations, realize on collateral and assert our rights in commercial and other contexts. These actions frequently result in counter-claims against us. Litigation arises in a variety of contexts, including lending activities, employment practices, commercial agreements, fiduciary responsibility related to our wealth management services, intellectual property rights and other general business matters. Claims and legal actions may result in significant legal costs to defend us or assert our rights and may result in reputational damage that adversely affects existing and future customer relationships. If claims and legal actions are not resolved in a manner favorable to us we may suffer significant financial liability or adverse effects upon our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. See Legal Proceedings below for additional disclosures regarding legal proceedings. We purchase insurance coverage to mitigate a wide range of operating risks, including general liability, errors and omissions, professional liability, business interruption, cyber-crime, fraud and property loss, for events that may be materially detrimental to our Bank or customers. There is no assurance that our insurance will be adequate to protect us against material losses in excess of our coverage limits or that insurers will perform their obligations under our policies without attempting to limit or exclude coverage. We could be required to pursue legal actions against insurers to obtain payment of amounts we are owed, and there is no assurance that such actions, if pursued, would be successful. Other Risks Affecting Our Business Our business faces unpredictable economic and business conditions . Our business is directly impacted by general economic and business conditions in Texas, the United States and internationally. The credit quality of our loan portfolio necessarily reflects, among other things, the general economic conditions in the areas in which we and our customers conduct our respective businesses. Our continued financial success can be affected by other factors that are beyond our control, including: • national, regional and local economic conditions; • the value of the U.S. Dollar in relation to the currencies of other advanced and emerging market countries; • the performance of both domestic and international equity and debt markets and valuation of securities traded on recognized domestic and international exchanges; • general economic consequences of international conditions, such as weakness in European and South American sovereign debt and currencies and the U.K.'s referendum to exit from the European Union, and the impact of those conditions on the US and global economies; • legislative and regulatory changes impacting our industry; 26 Table of Contents • the financial health of our customers and economic conditions affecting them and the value of our collateral, including effects from the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued price volatility of oil and gas and other commodities; • the incidence of fraud, illegal payments, security breaches and other illegal acts among or impacting our Bank and our customers; • structural changes in the markets for origination, sale and servicing of residential mortgages; • changes in governmental economic and regulatory policies, including the extent and timing of intervention in credit markets by the Federal Reserve or withdrawal from that intervention, generally as well as changes attributable to presidential and congressional elections; • changes in the availability of liquidity at a systemic level; and • material inflation or deflation. Substantial deterioration in any of the foregoing conditions can have a material adverse effect on our prospects and our results of operations and financial condition. There is no assurance that we will be able to return to our historical rate of growth or our profitability. Our Bank's customer base is primarily commercial in nature, and our Bank does not have a significant retail branch network or retail consumer deposit base. In periods of economic downturn, business and commercial deposits may be more volatile than traditional retail consumer deposits. As a result, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected to a greater degree by these uncertainties than competitors having a larger retail customer base. The COVID-19 pandemic is adversely affecting us and our customers, employees and third-party service providers, and the adverse impacts on our business, financial position, operations and prospects have been and are expected to continue to be significant. As a result of the unprecedented uncertainty, volatility and disruption in financial markets and in governmental, commercial and consumer activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, business and consumer customers of the Bank are experiencing varying degrees of financial distress, which is expected to increase over coming months and will likely adversely affect their ability to timely pay interest and principal on their loans and the value of the collateral securing their obligations. This in turn has influenced the recognition of credit losses in our loan portfolios and has increased our allowance for credit losses, particularly as businesses remain closed and as more customers are expected to draw on their lines of credit or seek additional loans to help finance their businesses. Disruptions to our customers’ businesses could also result in declines in, among other things, wealth management revenue. These developments as a consequence of the pandemic are materially impacting our business and the businesses of our customers and are expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial results, as evidenced by our results for the prior quarters in 2020. In order to protect the health of our customers and employees, and to comply with applicable government directives, we have modified our business practices, including restricting employee travel, directing employees to work from home insofar as is possible, cancelling in-person meetings and implementing our business continuity plans and protocols to the extent necessary. We may take further such actions that we determine are in the best interest of our employees, customers and communities or as may be required by government order. These actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and similar actions by our vendors and business partners, have not materially impaired our ability to support our employees, conduct our business and serve our customers, but there is no assurance that these actions will be sufficient to successfully mitigate the risks presented by COVID-19 or that our ability to operate will not be materially affected going forward. For instance, our business operations may be disrupted if key personnel or significant portions of our employees are unable to work effectively, including because of illness, quarantines, government actions, or other restrictions in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, if any of our vendors or business partners become unable to continue to provide their products and services, which we rely upon to maintain our day-to-day operations, our ability to serve our customers could be impacted. COVID-19 does not yet appear to be contained and could affect significantly more households and businesses. Given the ongoing and dynamic nature of the circumstances, it is not possible to accurately predict the extent, severity or duration of these conditions or when normal economic and operating conditions will resume. For this reason, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affects our business, operations and financial condition, as well as our regulatory capital and liquidity ratios and credit ratings, is highly uncertain and unpredictable and depends on, among other things, new information that may emerge concerning the scope, duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, actions taken by governmental authorities and other parties in response to the pandemic, the scale of distribution and public acceptance of any vaccines for COVID-19 and the effectiveness of such vaccines in stemming or stopping the spread of COVID-19. The adverse impact on the markets in which we operate and on our business, operations and financial condition is expected to remain elevated until the pandemic subsides. As a participating lender in the Small Business Administration’s PPP, we may be subject to additional risks regarding our Bank’s processing of PPP loans and are dependent on the federal government’s continuation and support of the program. Due to the short timeframe between the passing of the CARES Act and the beginning of the PPP, there is some ambiguity in the laws, rules and guidance regarding the operation of the PPP. Several other large banks have been subject to litigation regarding the process and procedures that such banks used in processing applications for the PPP. We may be exposed to the risk of 27 Table of Contents litigation, from both customers and non-customers who approached our Bank requesting PPP loans, regarding the process and procedures used by our Bank in processing applications for the PPP. Any such litigation filed against the Company or the Bank may be costly, regardless of the outcome, and result in significant financial liability or adversely affect our reputation. Any financial liability, litigation costs or reputational damage caused by PPP-related litigation could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, while the PPP loans are fully guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) and we believe that the majority of these loans will be forgiven, there can be no assurance that the borrowers will use or have used the funds appropriately or will have satisfied the staffing or payment requirements to qualify for forgiveness in whole or in part. Any portion of the loan that is not forgiven must be repaid by the borrower. 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 our Bank, which may or may not be related to an ambiguity in the laws, rules or guidance regarding operation of the PPP, the SBA may deny its liability under the guaranty, reduce the amount of the guaranty, or, if we have already been paid under the guaranty, seek recovery from us of any loss related to the deficiency. The impact of the Tax Act on us and our customers contributes to uncertainty and risk related to our customers' future demand for credit and our future results. The extent to which increased economic activity expected to result from the Tax Act has spurred additional economic activity or affected the extent of borrowing by our customers is unclear, although the continuation of the current economic expansion provides some evidence of a positive effect. At the same time, some of our customers may have elected to use their additional cash flow from lower taxes to fund their business, decreasing borrowing needs. The elimination of the federal income tax deductibility of business interest expense for a significant number of our customers effectively increases the cost of borrowing and makes equity or hybrid funding relatively more attractive. This could have a long-term negative impact on business customer borrowing. We realized a significant increase in our after-tax net income available to stockholders attributable to the Tax Act beginning in 2018, but there is no guarantee that future years' results will have the same benefit. The continued compression of net interest margin at our bank and for competitor banks indicates that some or all of the expected benefit from the Tax Act has been lost as the banks and financial services companies we compete with have elected to lower interest rates and fees and we have responded in order to remain competitive. Additionally, the tax benefits could be repealed as a result of future political or regulatory actions, including as a result of changes proposed by the new U.S. presidential administration. There is no assurance that the current or anticipated benefits of the Tax Act will be realized in future periods. We are subject to environmental liability risk associated with lending activities. A significant portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real property. During the ordinary course of business, we may foreclose on and take title to properties securing certain loans. There is a risk that hazardous or toxic substances could be found on these properties, and that we may be liable for remediation costs, as well as for personal injury and property damage. Environmental laws may require us to incur substantial expenses and may materially reduce the affected property's value by limiting our ability to use or sell it. Although we have policies and procedures requiring environmental review before initiating any foreclosure action on real property, these reviews may not be sufficient to detect all potential environmental hazards. The remediation costs and any other financial liabilities associated with an environmental hazard could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Future laws or regulations or more stringent interpretations or enforcement policies with respect to existing laws and regulations may increase our exposure to environmental liability. Severe weather, earthquakes, other natural disasters, pandemics, acts of war or terrorism and other external events could significantly impact our business . Severe weather, earthquakes, other natural disasters, pandemics (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), acts of war or terrorism and other adverse external events could have a significant impact on our ability to conduct business. Such events could affect the stability of our deposit base, impair the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans, impair the value of collateral securing loans, cause significant property damage, result in loss of revenue and/or cause us to incur additional expenses. Recent hurricanes caused extensive flooding and destruction along the coastal areas of Texas and in other areas in the US, including communities where we conduct business. Although management has established disaster recovery policies and procedures, the occurrence of any such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Risks Relating to Our Securities Our stock price can be volatile. Stock price volatility may make it more difficult for you to resell your common stock when you want and at prices you find attractive. Our stock price can fluctuate significantly in response to a variety of factors including, among other things: • actual or anticipated variations in quarterly and annual results of our operations; • changes in recommendations by securities analysts; • changes in composition and perceptions of the investors who own our stock and other securities; 28 Table of Contents • changes in ratings from national rating agencies on publicly or privately-owned debt securities and deposits in our Bank; • operating and stock price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to us; • news reports relating to trends, concerns and other issues in the financial services industry, including regulatory actions against other financial institutions; • actual or expected economic conditions that are perceived to affect our company such as changes in commodity prices, real estate values or interest rates; • perceptions in the marketplace regarding us and/or our competitors; • new technology used, or services offered, by competitors; • significant acquisitions or business combinations, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by or involving us or our competitors; • changes in government regulations and interpretation of those regulations, changes in our practices requested or required by regulators and changes in regulatory enforcement focus; • impacts and disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; and • geopolitical conditions such as acts or threats of terrorism or military conflicts. General market fluctuations, industry factors and general economic and political conditions and events, such as economic slowdowns or recessions, interest rate changes or credit loss trends, could also cause our stock price to decrease regardless of operating results. The trading volume in our common stock is less than that of other larger financial services companies. Although our common stock is traded on Nasdaq, the trading volume in our common stock is less than that of other larger financial services companies. Given the lower trading volume of our common stock, significant sales of our common stock, or the expectation of these sales, could cause our stock price to fall. In addition, a substantial majority of common stock outstanding is held by institutional investors, and trading activity involving large positions may increase volatility of the stock price. Concentration of ownership by institutional investors and inability to execute trades covering large numbers of shares can increase volatility of stock price. Changes in general economic outlook or perspectives on our business or prospects by our institutional investors, whether factual or speculative, can have a major impact on our stock price. Our preferred stock is thinly traded . There is only a limited trading volume in our preferred stock due to the small size of the issue and its largely institutional holder base. Significant sales of our preferred stock, or the expectation of these sales, could cause the price of the preferred stock to fall substantially. An investment in our securities is not an insured deposit. Our common stock, preferred stock and indebtedness are not bank deposits and, therefore, are not insured against loss by the FDIC, any other deposit insurance fund or by any other public or private entity. Investment in our common stock is inherently risky for the reasons described in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this report and is subject to the same market forces that affect the price of securities of any company. As a result, if you acquire our common stock, preferred stock or indebtedness, you may lose some or all of your investment. The holders of our indebtedness and preferred stock have rights that are senior to those of our common stockholders . As of December 31, 2020, we had $111.0 million outstanding in subordinated notes issued by our holding company and $113.4 million outstanding in junior subordinated notes that are held by statutory trusts which issued trust preferred securities to investors. At December 31, 2020, our Bank had $175.0 million in subordinated notes outstanding. Payments of the principal and interest on our trust preferred securities are conditionally guaranteed by us to the extent not paid by each trust, provided the trust has funds available for such obligations. Our subordinated notes and junior subordinated notes are senior to our shares of preferred stock and common stock in right of payment of dividends and other distributions. We must be current on interest and principal payments on our indebtedness before any dividends can be paid on our preferred stock or our common stock. In the event of our bankruptcy, dissolution or liquidation, the holders of our indebtedness must be satisfied before any distributions can be made to our preferred or common stockholders. If certain conditions are met, we have the right to defer interest payments on the junior subordinated debentures (and the related trust preferred securities) at any time or from time to time for a period not to exceed 20 consecutive quarters in a deferral period, during which time no dividends may be paid to holders of our preferred stock or common stock. Because our Bank’s subordinated notes are obligations of the Bank, they would in liquidation of our Bank or sale of its assets receive payment before any amounts would be payable to holders of our common stock, preferred stock or subordinated notes. At December 31, 2020, we had issued and outstanding 6 million shares of our 6.50% Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A, having an aggregate liquidation preference of $150.0 million. Our preferred stock is senior to our shares of common stock in right of payment of dividends and other distributions. We must be current on dividends payable to holders of 29 Table of Contents preferred stock before any dividends can be paid on our common stock. In the event of our bankruptcy, dissolution or liquidation, the holders of our preferred stock must be satisfied before any distributions can be made to our common stockholders. We do not currently pay dividends on our common stock . We have not paid dividends on our common stock and we do not expect to do so for the foreseeable future. Our ability to pay dividends is limited by regulatory restrictions and the need to maintain sufficient consolidated capital. The ability of our Bank to pay dividends to us is limited by its obligation to maintain sufficient capital and by other regulatory restrictions as discussed above under the heading Supervision and Regulation - Restrictions on Payment of Dividends by Our Bank . Federal legislation and regulations impose restriction on the ownership of our common stock . The ability of a third party to acquire us is limited under applicable U.S. banking laws and regulations. The BHCA requires any bank holding company (as defined therein) to obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve prior to acquiring, directly or indirectly, more than 5% of our outstanding Common Stock. Any “company” (as defined in the BHCA) other than a bank holding company would be required to obtain Federal Reserve approval before acquiring “control” of us. “Control” generally means (i) the ownership or control of 25% or more of a class of voting securities, (ii) the ability to elect a majority of the directors or (iii) the ability otherwise to exercise a controlling influence over management and policies. A holder of 25% or more of our outstanding Common Stock, other than an individual, is subject to regulation and supervision as a bank holding company under the BHCA. In addition, under the CIBC Act and the Federal Reserve’s regulations thereunder, any person, either individually or acting through or in concert with one or more persons, is required to provide notice to the Federal Reserve prior to acquiring, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of our outstanding common stock. Anti-takeover provisions of our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and Delaware law may make it more difficult for you to receive a change in control premium . Certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make a merger, tender offer or proxy contest more difficult, even if such events were perceived by many of our stockholders as beneficial to their interests. These provisions include advance notice for nominations of directors and stockholders' proposals, and authority to issue “blank check” preferred stock with such designations, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. In addition, as a Delaware corporation, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law which, in general, prevents an interested stockholder, defined generally as a person owning 15% or more of a corporation's outstanding voting stock, from engaging in a business combination with our company for three years following the date that person became an interested stockholder unless certain specified conditions are satisfied. Our Bank is subject to regulatory and contractual limitation on the payment of its subordinated notes . Under the FDIA, “critically undercapitalized” banks may not, beginning 60 days after becoming critically undercapitalized, make any payment of principal or interest on their subordinated debt (subject to certain limited exceptions). In addition, under Section 18(i) of the FDIA, our Bank is required to obtain the advance consent of the FDIC to retire any part of its subordinated notes. Under the FDIA, a bank may not pay interest on its subordinated notes if such interest is required to be paid only out of net profits, or distribute any of its capital assets, while it remains in default on any assessment due to the FDIC. Our Bank’s subordinated indebtedness is unsecured and subordinate and junior in right of payment to the Bank’s obligations to its depositors, its obligations under banker’s acceptances and letters of credit, its obligations to any Federal Reserve Bank, certain obligations to the FDIC, and its obligations to its other creditors, whether now outstanding or hereafter incurred, except any obligations which expressly rank on a parity with or junior to the subordinated notes. 30 Table of Contents ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS None.