NASDAQ: RBB

We have supported our organic growth with disciplined strategic growth. Between 2011 and 2018 we successfully completed six whole-bank acquisitions and, in 2022, a bank branch acquisition in Hawaii. All of our acquisitions have been accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting and, accordingly, the operating results of the acquired entities have been included in the consolidated financial statements from their respective acquisition dates.

We will continue to consider opportunistic acquisitions that we believe will be beneficial to our long-term growth strategy and will be accretive to our shareholders.

We operate as a minority depository institution (“MDI”), which is defined by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) as a federally insured depository institution ("IDI") where 51% or more of the voting stock is owned by minority individuals or a majority of the board of directors is minority and the community that the institution serves is predominantly minority. A MDI is eligible to receive support from the FDIC and other federal regulatory agencies such as training, technical assistance and review of proposed new deposit taking and lending programs, and the adoption of applicable policies and procedures governing such programs. We intend to maintain our MDI designation, as it is expected that at least 51% of our issued and outstanding shares of capital shall remain owned by minority individuals. The MDI designation has been historically beneficial to us, and we continue to use the program for technical assistance.

We operate 24 banking offices in Arcadia, Cerritos, Diamond Bar, Irvine, Los Angeles, Monterey Park, Oxnard, Rowland Heights, San Gabriel, Silver Lake, Torrance, and Westlake Village, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manhattan, Brooklyn, Flushing, and Elmhurst, New York; the Chinatown and Bridgeport neighborhoods of Chicago, Illinois; Edison, New Jersey; and Honolulu, Hawaii. Our primary source of revenue is providing loans to customers, who are predominantly small and middle-market businesses and individuals.

We generate our revenue primarily from interest received on loans and, to a lesser extent, from interest received on investment securities. We also derive income from noninterest sources, such as fees received in connection with various lending and deposit services, loan servicing, gain on sales of loans and wealth management services. Our principal expenses include interest expense on deposits and borrowings, and operating expenses, such as salaries and employee benefits, occupancy and equipment, data processing, and income tax expense.

We completed six whole bank acquisitions and one branch acquisition from July 2011 through January 2022. All of our acquisitions have been accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting and, accordingly, the operating results of the acquired entities have been included in the consolidated financial statements from their respective acquisition dates.

As of December 31, 2025, we had total consolidated assets of $4.2 billion, gross consolidated loans of $3.3 billion, deposits of $3.4 billion and shareholders’ equity of $523.4 million. Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “RBB.”

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Our Strategic Plan

We update our strategic plan annually to reflect our growth, recent developments and describe our business objectives over a reasonable planning horizon. Our current strategic plan contains the following key elements:

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Maintain regulatory capital levels in excess of Basel III requirements;

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Provide commercial banking services and products primarily to small to midsized commercial enterprises operating within Asian-centric communities or that can benefit from our areas of core lending expertise;

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Maintain a board of directors comprised of business leaders who work closely with community leaders;

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Attract and retain an experienced management team with demonstrated industry knowledge and lending expertise;

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Focus on a target market consisting of businesses that:

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are located in southern California, the San Francisco Bay area, the Chicago metropolitan area, the New York metropolitan area (including northern New Jersey), Nevada and Hawaii;

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provide or receive goods or services to or from Asian countries, primarily Chinese-speaking regions, such as China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan;

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have loan needs of $1 million to $20 million (average loan size of $3 million to $7 million); and

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prioritize using bankers with strong market knowledge who are dedicated to serving the local markets in which we operate.

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Provide five main lending products:

1)

Commercial real estate (“CRE”) lending consisting of owner occupied and non-owner occupied commercial property, including loans secured by single-family residences for a business purposes and multi-family residential property;

2)
Construction and land development (“C&D”) loans comprised of residential construction, commercial construction and land acquisition and development construction;

3)

Commercial and Industrial (“C&I”) lending that emphasizes asset-based lending, trade finance, working capital lines of credit, and term loans secured by inventory, accounts receivables, fixed assets and real estate;

4)

Single-family residential (“SFR”) mortgage lending primarily to Asian-Americans willing to provide higher down payment amounts and pay higher fees and interest rates in return for reduced documentation requirements. The Company originates these loans through its correspondent banking relationships, and through its branch network. In addition, we offer 15-year and 30-year qualified mortgage loans that are sold directly to the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), and in most cases, the Company retains the loan servicing rights and obligations; and

5)

Small Business Administration (“SBA”) loans consisting primarily of 7(a) loans through our SBA Preferred Lender status with the ability to sell the SBA guarantee portion of the loan in the secondary market subject to market conditions.

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Our Competition

We view the Asian-centric banking market, including the Company, as comprised of banks divided into three overlapping segments: publicly-traded banks, locally-based banks, and banks that are subsidiaries of Taiwanese or Chinese banks. These banks promote competition for attracting deposits and making loans in the markets we target.

In addition to Chinese-American banks, we also compete with other banks in the region for deposits, loans, and other banking products. Although we were founded by and market primarily to Chinese-Americans, we have broadened our marketing efforts to include all Asian-American communities. In certain geographic markets where we currently operate, there is an overlap between Chinese-American, Korean-American, and other Asian-American banks for loan and deposit business. We aim to grow both organically and potentially through opportunistic acquisitions in these markets.

Lending Activities

We seek to be the premier provider of lending products and services in our market areas and serve the credit needs of high quality business and individual borrowers in the communities we serve. Our lending strategy is to maintain a broadly diversified loan portfolio based on the type of customer (e.g., businesses versus individuals), type of loan product (e.g., owner occupied commercial real estate, commercial loans, etc.), geographic location and industries in which our business customers are engaged. We principally focus our lending activities on loans that we originate from borrowers located in our market areas.

We strive to expedite all requests from potential borrowers by promptly responding after we receive the required financials and certain preliminary information. Our ability to provide quick responses to borrowers with financial solutions, while performing appropriate underwriting if a borrower decides to move forward, is primarily due to our experienced banking professionals who understand the needs of borrowers in our target markets and their expertise in the Company’s commercial lending practices. In addition, our credit approval process is streamlined since decision-making often only requires a couple of key executive management members while any loans that exceed executive management's delegated authority is elevated to a board loan committee which meets at regularly scheduled meetings and whenever needed.

We have five principal lending areas:

SFR Loans. We originate qualified SFR mortgage loans and non-qualified, alternative documentation SFR mortgage loans through wholesale and retail channels, including our branch network, to accommodate the needs of the Asian-centric and selected niche markets. The qualified SFR mortgage loans are 15-year and 30-year conforming mortgages and may be sold directly to FNMA and FHLMC. As of December 31, 2025, we had $1.66 billion of SFR mortgage loans, representing 50.0% of our total loan portfolio compared to $1.49 billion, or 48.9% at December 31, 2024. We had $2.1 million in non-accrual SFR real estate loans as of December 31, 2025, compared to $11.5 million in non-accrual loans at December 31, 2024.

We originate non-qualified SFR mortgage loans generally to hold for investment. The loans generated through our retail branch network are to our customers and referrals, many of whom establish a deposit relationship with us. During 2025, we originated $202.8 million of SFR mortgage loans through our retail channel and $210.9 million of such loans through our wholesale channels. During 2024, we originated $102.8 million of SFR mortgage loans through our retail channel and $80.4 million of such loans through our wholesale channels.

We have sold non-qualified SFR mortgage loans to other banks and investors. SFR mortgage loans held for sale ("HFS") consist primarily of first trust deed mortgages on SFR properties located in California, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey. SFR mortgage loans HFS are generally sold with the servicing rights retained, however most recent loan sales have been servicing released.

In 2025, we identified new channels for secondary market sales for SFR loans that the Bank originated. We completed two sales transactions with two other counterparties, both insured US banks, in addition to other bidders for our mortgage products, which creates a lever for liquidity and additional fee income. As we identify additional counterparties who are able and willing to purchase our SFR mortgage loans, we expect to use this channel to grow additional fee income while increasing origination volume.

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Commercial Real Estate Loans. We offer real estate loans for owner occupied and non-owner occupied commercial property, including loans secured by single-family residences for business purposes, multi-family residential property and construction and land development loans. Our management team has an extensive knowledge of the markets where we operate and our borrowers; we take a conservative approach to CRE lending, focus on high quality credits with low loan-to-value ratios, income-producing properties with stable cash flow, and strong collateral profiles. The real estate securing our existing CRE loans includes a wide variety of property types, such as multi-family properties, mixed-use residential and commercial, mobile home parks, hotels, offices, apartments, warehouses and retail centers.

The total CRE portfolio was
$1.3 billion, or
39.3% of our total loan portfolio, at
December 31, 2025, of which $154.7 million was secured by owner occupied properties, compared to
$1.2 billion, or 39.3% of our total loan portfolio, at
December 31, 2024, of which $160.2 million was secured by owner occupied properties. The multi-family residential loan portfolio totaled $745.3 million as of
December 31, 2025, compared to $605.5 million as of
December 31, 2024. Nonaccrual CRE loans totaled $8.2 million at
December 31, 2025, and $17.1 million at December 31, 2024, of which $9.7 million were held for sale.

Construction and Land Development Loans. Our C&D loans are comprised of residential construction, commercial construction and land acquisition and development construction. Interest reserves are generally established on real estate construction loans. As of
December 31, 2025, our real estate construction loan portfolio totaled
$155.5 million, or
4.7% of our total loan portfolio, and was divided among the following categories:
$100.0 million of commercial construction; $
51.8 million of residential construction; and $
3.6 million of land acquisition and development. As of
December 31, 2024, the C&D loans totaled
$173.3 million and were comprised of $98.0 million of commercial construction; $58.4 million of residential construction; and $17.0 million of land acquisition and development. There were $
28.0 million non-accrual C&D loans as of
December 31, 2025, compared to $44.6 million as of
December 31, 2024.

Commercial and Industrial Loans. We have significant expertise in small to middle market C&I lending. Our success is the result of our products and market expertise. We focus on delivering high-quality, customized and quick turnaround service for our clients while maintaining an appropriate balance between disciplined underwriting and flexibility and responsiveness to our clients. Our trade financing unit provides international letters of credit, SWIFT, export advice, trade finance discounts and foreign exchange to many of our C&I loan customers. As of December 31, 2025, we had outstanding C&I loans of $140.1 million, or 4.2% of our total loan portfolio, compared to $129.6 million, or 4.2% of our total loan portfolio as of December 31, 2024. C&I loans on nonaccrual totaled $5.1 million at December 31, 2025, and $6.3 million at December 31, 2024, of which $1.5 million were held for sale.

SBA Loans. We are designated as a Preferred Lender under the SBA Preferred Lender Program. We offer SBA 7(a) variable-rate loans. We originate all loans to hold for investment and move loans to available for sale as management decides which loans to sell. We generally sell the guaranteed portion of the SBA loans that we originate. Our SBA loans are typically made to small-sized manufacturing, wholesale, retail, hotel/motel and service businesses for working capital needs or business expansions. SBA loans can have any maturity up to 25 years. Typically, non-real estate secured loans mature in less than 10 years. Collateral may include inventory, accounts receivable and equipment, and personal guarantees. From time to time, we also originate SBA 504 loans. As of December 31, 2025, our SBA loan portfolio totaled $56.0 million, or 1.7% of our total loan portfolio compared to $47.3 million, or 1.5% at December 31, 2024. Our non-accrual SBA loans as of December 31, 2025, were $1.2 million, compared to $1.5 million as of December 31, 2024.

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Deposits

The quality of our deposit franchise and access to stable funding are key components to our success. We offer traditional depository products, including checking, savings, money market and time deposits, to individuals, businesses, municipalities and other entities through our branch network. In addition, we offer retail deposit products where customers are able to achieve FDIC insurance for balances on deposit in excess of the $250,000 FDIC limit through the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (“CDARS”) and Insured Cash Sweep (“ICS”) programs. Deposits are insured by the FDIC up to statutory limits. Time deposits include deposits acquired through both retail and wholesale channels. Wholesale channels include brokered deposits, collateralized deposits from the State of California, and deposits acquired through internet listing services.

As an Asian-centric business bank that focuses on successful businesses and their owners, many of our depositors choose to leave large deposits with us. We monitor all deposit relationships over $250,000 on a quarterly basis and consider a relationship to be stable if there are any three or more of the following characteristics: (i) relationships with us (as a director or shareholder); (ii) deposits within our market area; (iii) additional non-deposit services with us; (iv) electronic banking services with us; (v) active demand deposit account with us; (vi) deposits at market interest rates; and (vii) longevity of the relationship with us. As many of our customers have more than $250,000 on deposit with us, we believe that using this method reflects a more accurate assessment of the stability of our deposit base. At December 31, 2025, $2.7 billion, or 80.6%, of our relationships are less than or equal to $250,000 or are over $250,000 and meet our defined criteria to be considered a stable deposit.

Many of our management team members, including our branch managers, have worked together for up to 30 years, and our deposits relationships have been cultivated over that time period. Our ability to gather deposits, particularly stable deposits, is an important aspect of our business franchise and we believe these deposits are a significant driver of franchise value as a cost efficient and stable source of funding to support our growth. As of December 31, 2025, we had $3.4 billion of total deposits, with a weighted average spot rate of 2.90%.

Other Subsidiaries

In addition to the Bank and RAM, the Bancorp has three statutory business trusts acquired through our business acquisitions as follows:

TFC Statutory Trust. In connection with our 2016 acquisition of TomatoBank and its holding company, TFC, we acquired the TFC Statutory Trust (the “TFC Trust”), a statutory business trust that was established by TFC in 2006 under the laws of Connecticut as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

FAIC Statutory Trust I. In connection with our 2018 acquisition of First American International Bank ("FAIB") and its holding company, First American International Corp. ("FAIC"), we acquired the FAIC Statutory Trust I (“FAIC Trust I”), a statutory business trust that was established by FAIC in 2004 under the laws of Delaware as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

PGBH Trust I. In connection with our 2020 acquisition of PGB and its holding company, PGBH, we acquired Pacific Global Bank Trust I (“PGB Capital Trust I”), a statutory business trust that was established by PGB in 2004 under the laws of Delaware as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Each of the foregoing trusts issued trust preferred securities representing undivided preferred beneficial interests in the assets of the trusts. The proceeds of these trusts preferred securities were invested in certain securities issued by us, with similar terms to the relevant series of securities issued by the trusts, which we refer to as subordinated debentures. We guarantee on a limited basis the payments of distributions on the capital securities of the trusts and payments on redemption of the capital securities of the trusts. We are the owner of all the beneficial interests represented by the common securities of the trusts.

In addition, the Bank has a wholly-owned subsidiary, FAIB Capital Corp. ("FAIBCC"), a real estate investment trust, which was acquired through the acquisition of FAIC in 2018. FAIBCC is a New York State corporation formed on August 28, 2013. The purpose of this real estate investment trust is to minimize New York State and local taxes. As of December 31, 2025, FAIBCC had $533.7 million in assets.

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Human Capital Resources

We believe in the value of teamwork and the power of participation and collaboration. We cultivate an environment where it is understood that we need each other to be successful. We value accountability because it is essential to our success, and we accept our responsibility to hold ourselves and others accountable for meeting shareholder commitments and achieving exceptional standards of performance. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment that empowers our employees to make more meaningful contributions within our Company and the communities we serve.

Staffing Model. The majority of our staff are regular full-time employees, however we also employ regular part-time associates. We do not outsource job functions or use subcontractors to fill open positions, and rarely use seasonal or temporary employees. None of our employees are represented by any collective bargaining unit or are parties to a collective bargaining agreement. As of December 31, 2025, we had 369 full-time equivalent employees.

Health & Safety. We are focused on conducting our business in a safe manner and in compliance with all local, state and federal safety and health regulations, and special safety concerns.

Benefits. We are committed to offering a competitive total compensation package. We regularly compare compensation and benefits with peer companies and market data, making adjustments as needed to ensure compensation stays competitive. We also offer a wide array of benefits for our associates and their families, including:

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Competitive bonus programs;

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Comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits;

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401(k) plan including a competitive company match;

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Flexible work schedules;

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Paid time off, holidays and bank holidays;

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Internal training and development; and

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Employee Assistance Plans.

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 1055 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1200, Los Angeles, California 90017, and our telephone number at that address is (213) 627-9888.

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Available Information

We invite you to visit our website at www.royalbusinessbankusa.com, to access free of charge our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, all of which are made available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with or furnish it to the SEC. The content of our website is not incorporated into and is not part of this Annual Report. In addition, you can write to us to obtain a free copy of any of those reports at RBB Bancorp, 1055 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1200, Los Angeles, California 90017, Attn: Investor Relations. These reports are also available through the SEC’s Public Reference Room, located at 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549 and online at the SEC’s website, available at http://www.sec.gov. Investors can obtain information about the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room by calling 800-SEC-0330. Our Code of Ethics and other corporate governance documents are located on our website at www.royalbusinessbankusa.com.

Supervision and Regulation

General

Financial institutions, their holding companies and their affiliates are extensively regulated under U.S. federal and state laws. As a result, our growth and earnings performance may be affected not only by management decisions and general economic conditions, but also by the requirements of federal and state statutes and by the regulations and policies of various bank regulatory agencies, including the DFPI, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”), the FDIC, and the CFPB. Furthermore, tax laws administered by the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities, accounting rules developed by the FASB, securities laws administered by the SEC and state securities authorities, anti-money laundering laws enforced by the Treasury, and mortgage related rules, including with respect to loan securitization and servicing by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and agencies such as FNMA and FHLMC, have an impact on our business. The effect of these statutes, regulations, regulatory policies and rules are significant to the financial condition and results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, including the Bank, and the nature and extent of future legislative, regulatory or other changes affecting financial institutions are impossible to predict with any certainty. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statute and regulatory provision referred to below and is not intended to be an exhaustive description of all applicable statutes and regulations.

Bancorp, as the sole shareholder of the Bank, is a bank holding company under federal law and regulation. As a bank holding company, Bancorp is registered with, and is subject to regulation by, the Federal Reserve under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (“BHCA”). Under the BHCA, Bancorp is subject to periodic examination by the Federal Reserve. Bancorp is required to file with the Federal Reserve periodic reports of Bancorp’s operations and such additional information regarding Bancorp and its subsidiaries as the Federal Reserve may require. Bancorp is also a bank holding company within the meaning of Section 1280 of the California Financial Code. Therefore, Bancorp and its subsidiaries are subject to examination by, and may be required to file reports with the DFPI.

Under changes made by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”), a bank holding company must act as a source of financial and managerial strength to each of its subsidiary banks and commit resources to support each such subsidiary bank. In order to fulfill its obligations as a source of strength, the Federal Reserve may require a bank holding company to make capital injections into a troubled subsidiary bank. In addition, the Federal Reserve may charge the bank holding company with engaging in unsafe and unsound practices if the bank holding company fails to commit resources to a subsidiary bank or if it undertakes actions that the Federal Reserve believes might jeopardize the bank holding company’s ability to commit resources to such subsidiary bank. The Federal Reserve also has the authority to require a bank holding company to terminate any activity or to relinquish control of a nonbank subsidiary (other than a nonbank subsidiary of a bank) upon the Federal Reserve’s determination that such activity or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness and stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

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The Bank is a California-chartered bank, but is not a member of the Federal Reserve System (a “non-member bank”). The deposit accounts of the Bank are insured by the FDIC’s Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) to the maximum extent provided under federal law and FDIC regulations. As a California-chartered FDIC-insured non-member bank, the Bank is subject to the examination, supervision, reporting and enforcement requirements of the DFPI, the chartering authority for California banks, and as a non-member bank, the FDIC.

California-chartered banks are required to pay supervisory assessments to the DFPI to fund its operations. The amount of the assessment paid by a California bank to the DFPI is calculated on the basis of the institution’s total assets, including consolidated subsidiaries, as reported to the DFPI. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Bank paid supervisory assessments to the DFPI totaling $310,000 and $303,000.

The Bank operates branches in California, Illinois, Nevada, New York, New Jersey and Hawaii. While the DFPI remains the Bank’s primary state regulator, the Bank’s operations in these jurisdictions are subject to examination and supervision by local bank regulators, and transactions with customers in those jurisdictions are subject to local laws, including consumer protection laws.

Legislative and regulatory initiatives, which necessarily impact the regulation of the financial services industry, are introduced from time-to-time. We cannot predict whether or when potential legislation or new regulations will be enacted, and if enacted, the effect that new legislation or any implemented regulations and supervisory policies would have on our financial condition and results of operations. The Dodd-Frank Act, by way of example, contains a comprehensive set of provisions designed to govern the practices and oversight of financial institutions and other participants in the financial markets. The Dodd-Frank Act made extensive changes in the regulation of financial institutions and their holding companies. Some of the changes brought about by the Dodd-Frank Act have been modified by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act of 2018 (the “Regulatory Relief Act”), signed into law on May 24, 2018. The Dodd-Frank Act has increased the regulatory burden and compliance costs of the Company. Moreover, bank regulatory agencies can be more aggressive in responding to concerns and trends identified in examinations, which could result in an increased issuance of enforcement actions to financial institutions requiring action to address credit quality, liquidity, risk management, and capital adequacy, as well as other safety and soundness concerns.

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Acquisitions, Activities and Change in Control

The primary purpose of a bank holding company is to control and manage banks. The BHCA generally requires the prior approval by the Federal Reserve for any merger involving a bank holding company or any acquisition of control by a bank holding company of another bank or bank holding company. Subject to certain conditions (including deposit concentration limits established by the BHCA and the Dodd-Frank Act), the Federal Reserve may allow a bank holding company to acquire banks located in any state of the United States. In approving interstate acquisitions, the Federal Reserve is required to give effect to applicable state law limitations on the aggregate amount of deposits that may be held by the acquiring bank holding company and its IDI affiliates in the state in which the target bank is located (provided that those limits do not discriminate against out-of-state depository institutions or their holding companies) and state laws that require that the target bank have been in existence for a minimum period of time (not to exceed five years) before being acquired by an out-of-state bank holding company. Furthermore, in accordance with the Dodd-Frank Act, bank holding companies must be well-capitalized and well-managed in order to effect interstate mergers or acquisitions.

The BHCA generally prohibits Bancorp from acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any company that is not a bank and from engaging in any business other than that of banking, managing and controlling banks or furnishing services to banks and their subsidiaries. This general prohibition is subject to a number of exceptions. The principal exception allows bank holding companies to engage in, and to own shares of companies engaged in, certain businesses found by the Federal Reserve prior to November 11, 1999 to be “so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident thereto.” This authority would permit Bancorp to engage in a variety of banking-related businesses, including the ownership and operation of a savings association, or any entity engaged in consumer finance, equipment leasing, the operation of a computer service bureau (including software development) and mortgage banking and brokerage. The BHCA generally does not place territorial restrictions on the domestic activities of nonbank subsidiaries of bank holding companies.

Additionally, bank holding companies that meet certain eligibility requirements prescribed by the BHCA and elect to operate as financial holding companies may engage in, or own shares in companies engaged in, a wider range of nonbanking activities, including securities and insurance underwriting and sales, merchant banking and any other activity that the Federal Reserve, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, determines by regulation or order is financial in nature or incidental to any such financial activity or that the Federal Reserve determines by order to be complementary to any such financial activity and does not pose a substantial risk to the safety or soundness of depository institutions or the financial system generally. Bancorp has elected to be a bank holding company.

In order to maintain Bancorp’s status as a bank holding company, Bancorp and the Bank must be well-capitalized, well-managed, and have at least a satisfactory CRA rating. If the Federal Reserve subsequently determines that Bancorp, as a bank holding company, is not well-capitalized or well-managed, Bancorp would have a period of time during which to achieve compliance, but during the period of noncompliance, the Federal Reserve may place any limitations on Bancorp it believes to be appropriate. Furthermore, if the Federal Reserve subsequently determines that the Bank, as a bank holding company subsidiary, has not received a satisfactory CRA rating, Bancorp would not be able to commence any new financial activities or acquire a company that engages in such activities.

Federal law also prohibits any person or company from acquiring “control” of an FDIC-insured depository institution or its holding company without prior notice to the appropriate federal bank regulator. “Control” is conclusively presumed to exist upon the acquisition of 25% or more of the outstanding voting securities of a bank or bank holding company, but may arise under certain circumstances between 5% and 24.99% ownership.

Under the California Financial Code, any proposed acquisition of “control” of the Bank by any person (including a company) must be approved by the Commissioner of the DFPI. The California Financial Code defines “control” as the power, directly or indirectly, to direct the Bank’s management or policies or to vote 25% or more of any class of the Bank’s outstanding voting securities. Additionally, a rebuttable presumption of control arises when any person (including a company) seeks to acquire, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of any class of the Bank’s outstanding voting securities.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

The Dodd-Frank Act provided for the creation of the CFPB as an independent entity within the Federal Reserve with broad rulemaking, supervisory, and enforcement authority over consumer financial products and services, including deposit products, residential mortgages, home-equity loans and credit cards. The CFPB’s functions include investigating consumer complaints, conducting market research, rulemaking, supervising and examining bank consumer transactions, and enforcing rules related to consumer financial products and services. CFPB regulations and guidance apply to all financial institutions and banks with $10 billion or more in assets, which are also subject to examination by the CFPB. As the Bank has less than $10 billion in assets, it is not examined by the CFPB for compliance with CFPB regulations, although it is examined by the FDIC and the DFPI.

The CFPB has enforcement authority over unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices (“UDAAP”). UDAAP is considered one of the most far reaching enforcement tools at the disposal of the CFPB and covers all consumer and small business financial products or services such as deposit and lending products or services such as overdraft programs and third-party payroll card vendors. It is a wide-ranging regulatory net that potentially picks up the gaps not included in other consumer laws, rules and regulations. Violations of UDAAP can be found in many areas and can include advertising and marketing materials, the order of processing and paying items in a checking account or the design of client overdraft programs. The scope of coverage includes not only direct interactions with clients and prospects but also actions by third-party service providers. The Dodd-Frank Act does not prevent states from adopting stricter consumer protection standards. State regulation of financial products and potential enforcement actions could also adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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Regulatory Capital Requirements

Bank holding companies and banks are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by state and federal agencies. These agencies may establish higher minimum requirements if, for example, a banking organization previously has received special attention or has a high susceptibility to interest rate risk. Risk-based capital requirements determine the adequacy of capital based on the risk inherent in various classes of assets and off-balance sheet items. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the Federal Reserve must apply consolidated capital requirements to depository institution holding companies that are no less stringent than those currently applied to depository institutions. The Dodd-Frank Act additionally requires capital requirements to be countercyclical so that the required amount of capital increases in times of economic expansion and decreases in times of economic contraction, consistent with safety and soundness.

Under federal regulations, bank holding companies and banks must meet certain risk-based capital requirements. Basel III is currently applicable to Bancorp and the Bank. Basel III requires financial institutions to maintain a minimum “capital conservation buffer” on top of each of the minimum-risk based capital ratios to avoid restrictions on capital distributions such as dividends and equity repurchases and other payments such as discretionary bonuses to executive officers.

Basel III subjects bank holding companies and banks to the following risk-based capital requirements:

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a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%, plus a 2.5% “capital conservation buffer,” or 7.0%;

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a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer, or 8.5%;

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a minimum ratio of Total (Tier 1 plus Tier 2) capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer, or 10.5%; and

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a minimum leverage ratio of 4%, calculated as the ratio of Tier 1 capital to balance sheet exposures plus certain off-balance sheet exposures.

To be considered “well capitalized,” a bank holding company or bank must have the following minimum ratios: (i) a CET1 capital ratio of 6.5%, (ii) a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.0%, (iii) a Total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0%, and (iv) a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 5.0%. As of December 31, 2025, the Company's capital ratios exceeded the minimum capital adequacy guideline percentage requirements to be considered "well capitalized" under the Basel III capital rules.

The Basel III final framework provides for a number of deductions from and adjustments to CET1. These include, for example, a limitation on the amount of mortgage servicing rights, deferred tax assets dependent upon future taxable income and significant investments in non-consolidated financial entities that may be held on a Bank's balance sheet, with any excess to be deducted from CET1. Basel III also includes, as part of the definition of CET1 capital, a requirement that banking institutions include the amount of Additional Other Comprehensive Income (“AOCI”), which primarily consists of unrealized gains and losses on available for sale securities, which are not required to be treated as other-than-temporary impairment, net of tax, in calculating regulatory capital. Banking institutions had the option to opt out of including AOCI in CET1 capital if they elected to do so in their first regulatory report following January 1, 2015. As permitted by Basel III, we elected to exclude AOCI from CET1.

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The Dodd-Frank Act excludes trust preferred securities issued after May 19, 2010 from being included in Tier 1 capital, unless the issuing company is a bank holding company with less than $500 million in total assets. Trust preferred securities issued prior to that date will continue to count as Tier 1 capital for bank holding companies with less than $15 billion in total assets. The trust preferred securities issued by our unconsolidated subsidiary capital trusts qualify as Tier 1 capital up to a maximum limit of 25% of total Tier 1 capital. Any additional portion of our trust preferred securities would qualify as “Tier 2 capital.”

In addition, goodwill and most intangible assets are deducted from Tier 1 capital. For purposes of applicable total risk-based capital regulatory guidelines, Tier 2 capital (sometimes referred to as “supplementary capital”) is defined to include, subject to limitations: perpetual preferred stock not included in Tier 1 capital, intermediate-term preferred stock and any related surplus, certain hybrid capital instruments, perpetual debt and mandatory convertible debt securities, allowances for credit losses, and intermediate-term subordinated debt instruments. The maximum amount of qualifying Tier 2 capital is 100% of qualifying Tier 1 capital. For purposes of determining total capital under federal guidelines, total capital equals Tier 1 capital, plus qualifying Tier 2 capital, minus investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries, reciprocal holdings of bank holding company capital securities, and deferred tax assets and other deductions.

We had outstanding subordinated debentures and subordinated notes in the aggregate principal amount of $135.3 million as of December 31, 2025. Of this amount, $15.4 million is attributable to subordinated debentures issued to statutory trusts in connection with prior issuances of trust preferred securities, which qualifies as Tier 1 capital, and $119.9 million is attributable to outstanding subordinated notes, which qualifies as Tier 2 capital.

In addition to the uniform risk-based capital guidelines and regulatory capital ratios that apply across the industry, the regulators have the discretion to set individual minimum capital requirements for specific institutions at rates significantly above the minimum guidelines and ratios. Future changes in regulations or practices could further reduce the amount of capital recognized for purposes of capital adequacy. Such a change could affect our ability to grow and could restrict the amount of profits, if any, available for the payment of dividends.

In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act requires the federal banking agencies to adopt capital requirements that address the risks that the activities of an institution poses to the institution and the public and private stakeholders, including risks arising from certain enumerated activities.

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In February 2019, the U.S. federal bank regulatory agencies approved a final rule modifying their regulatory capital rules and providing an option to phase-in over a three-year period the Day 1 adverse regulatory capital effects of CECL accounting standard. Additionally, in March 2020, the U.S. federal bank regulatory agencies issued an interim final rule that provided banking organizations an option to delay the estimated CECL impact on regulatory capital for an additional two years for a total transition period of up to five years to provide regulatory relief to banking organizations to better focus on supporting lending to creditworthy households and businesses in light of strains on the U.S. economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective January 1, 2022, we adopted ASU 2016-13, reflected the full effect of CECL at December 31, 2022, and did not elect the three-year or five-year CECL phase-in options on regulatory capital.

Prompt Corrective Action

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act ("FDIA") requires federal banking agencies to take “prompt corrective action” (“PCA”) in respect to depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. The FDIA includes the following five capital tiers: “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized,” and “critically undercapitalized.” A depository institution’s capital tier will depend upon how its capital levels compare with various relevant capital measures and certain other factors, as established by regulation. Effective January 1, 2015, the Basel III Capital Rules revised the PCA requirements. Under the revised PCA provisions of the FDIA, an IDI generally will be classified in the following categories based on the capital measures indicated:

PCA Category

Total Risk-Based Capital Ratio

Tier 1 Risk-Based Capital Ratio

CET1 Risk-Based Ratio

Tier 1 Leverage Ratio

Well capitalized

10%

8%

6.50%

5%

Adequately capitalized

8%

6%

4.50%

4%

Undercapitalized

< 8%

< 6%

< 4.5%

< 4%

Significantly undercapitalized

< 6%

< 4%

< 3.0%

< 3%

Critically undercapitalized

Tangible Equity/Total Assets =< 2%

As of December 31, 2025, the Bank’s capital ratios exceeded the minimum capital adequacy guideline percentage requirements of the federal banking agencies for “well capitalized” institutions under the Basel III capital rules on a fully phased-in basis.

An institution may be downgraded to, or deemed to be in, a capital category that is lower than indicated by its capital ratios if it is determined to be in an unsafe or unsound condition or if it receives an unsatisfactory examination rating with respect to certain matters. A bank’s capital category is determined solely for the purpose of applying PCA regulations and the capital category may not constitute an accurate representation of such bank’s overall financial condition or prospects for other purposes.

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The FDIA generally prohibits a depository institution from making any capital distributions (including payment of a dividend) or paying any management fee to its parent holding company, if the depository institution would thereafter be “undercapitalized.” “Undercapitalized” institutions are subject to growth limitations and are required to submit capital restoration plans. If a depository institution fails to submit an acceptable plan, it is treated as if it is “significantly undercapitalized.” “Significantly undercapitalized” depository institutions may be subject to a number of requirements and restrictions, including orders to sell sufficient voting stock to become “adequately capitalized,” requirements to reduce total assets, and cessation of receipt of deposits from correspondent banks. “Critically undercapitalized” institutions are subject to the appointment of a receiver or conservator.

The capital classification of a bank holding company and a bank affects the frequency of regulatory examinations, the bank holding company’s and the bank’s ability to engage in certain activities and the deposit insurance premium paid by a bank.

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Dividend Payments

Bancorp’s ability to pay dividends to its shareholders may be affected by both general corporate law considerations and the policies of the Federal Reserve applicable to bank holding companies. As a California corporation, Bancorp is subject to the limitations of California law, which allows a corporation to distribute cash or property to shareholders, including a dividend or repurchase or redemption of shares, if the corporation meets either a retained earnings test or a “balance sheet” test. Under the retained earnings test, Bancorp may make a distribution from retained earnings to the extent that its retained earnings exceed the sum of (a) the amount of the distribution plus (b) the amount, if any, of dividends in arrears on shares with preferential dividend rights. Bancorp may also make a distribution if, immediately after the distribution, the value of its assets equals or exceeds the sum of (a) its total liabilities plus (b) the liquidation preference of any shares which have a preference upon dissolution over the rights of shareholders receiving the distribution. Indebtedness is not considered a liability if the terms of such indebtedness provide that payment of principal and interest thereon are to be made only if, and to the extent that, a distribution to shareholders could be made under the balance sheet test. A California corporation may specify in its articles of incorporation that distributions under the retained earnings test or balance sheet test can be made without regard to the preferential rights amount. Bancorp’s articles of incorporation do not address distributions under either the retained earnings test or the balance sheet test.

As a general matter, the Federal Reserve has indicated that the board of directors of a bank holding company should eliminate, defer or significantly reduce dividends to shareholders if: (i) Bancorp’s net income available to shareholders for the past four quarters, net of dividends previously paid during that period, is not sufficient to fully fund the dividends; (ii) the prospective rate of earnings retention is inconsistent with Bancorp’s capital needs and overall current and prospective financial condition; or (iii) Bancorp will not meet, or is in danger of not meeting, its minimum regulatory capital adequacy ratios. The Federal Reserve also possesses enforcement powers over bank holding companies and their nonbank subsidiaries to prevent or remedy actions that represent unsafe or unsound practices or violations of applicable statutes and regulations. Among these powers is the ability to proscribe the payment of dividends by banks and bank holding companies.

The terms of our subordinated notes also limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. If we are not current on our payment of interest on our subordinated notes, we may not pay dividends on our common stock. The amount of future dividends by Bancorp will depend on our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements and other factors, and will be determined by our board of directors in accordance with the capital management and dividend policy.

The Bank is a legal entity that is separate and distinct from its holding company. Bancorp is dependent on the performance of the Bank for funds, which may be received as dividends from the Bank, for use in the operation of Bancorp and the ability of Bancorp to pay dividends to its stockholders. Future cash dividends by the Bank will also depend upon management’s assessment of future capital requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Bank paid $45.0 million and $20.0 million, respectively, of dividends to Bancorp. Dividends on common stock during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, totaled $11.3 million and $11.7 million.

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Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders Depository institutions are subject to the restrictions contained in the Federal Reserve Act (the “FRA”) with respect to loans to directors, executive officers and principal stockholders. Under the FRA, loans to directors, executive officers and stockholders who own more than 10% of a depository institution and certain affiliated entities of any of the foregoing, may not exceed, together with all other outstanding loans to such person and affiliated entities, the institution’s loans-to-one-borrower limit. Federal regulations also prohibit loans above amounts prescribed by the appropriate federal banking agency to directors, executive officers, and stockholders who own more than 10% of an institution, and their respective affiliates, unless such loans are approved in advance by a majority of the board of directors of the institution. Any “interested” director may not participate in the voting. The proscribed loan amount, which includes all other outstanding loans to such person, as to which such prior board of director approval is required, is the greater of $25,000 or 5% of capital and surplus up to $500,000. The Federal Reserve also requires that loans to directors, executive officers and principal stockholders be made on terms substantially the same as offered in comparable transactions to non-executive employees of the bank and must not involve more than the normal risk of repayment. There are additional limits on the amount a bank can loan to an executive officer.

Transactions between a bank and its “affiliates” are quantitatively and qualitatively restricted under Sections 23A and 23B of the FRA. Section 23A restricts the aggregate amount of covered transactions with any individual affiliate to 10% of the capital and surplus of the financial institution. The aggregate amount of covered transactions with all affiliates is limited to 20% of the institution’s capital and surplus. Certain transactions with affiliates are required to be secured by collateral in an amount and of a type described in Section 23A and the purchase of low quality assets from affiliates are generally prohibited.

Section 23B generally provides that certain transactions with affiliates, including loans and asset purchases, must be on terms and under circumstances, including credit standards, that are substantially the same or at least as favorable to the institution as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with non-affiliated companies. The Federal Reserve has promulgated Regulation W, which codifies prior interpretations under Sections 23A and 23B of the FRA and provides interpretive guidance with respect to affiliate transactions. Affiliates of a bank include, among other entities, a bank’s holding company and companies that are under common control with the bank. Bancorp is considered to be an affiliate of the Bank.

The Dodd-Frank Act generally enhanced the restrictions on transactions with affiliates under Section 23A and 23B of the FRA, including an expansion of the definition of “covered transactions” and an increase in the amount of time for which collateral requirements regarding covered credit transactions must be satisfied. Insider transaction limitations are expanded through the strengthening of loan restrictions to insiders and the expansion of the types of transactions subject to the various limits, including derivatives transactions, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements and securities lending or borrowing transactions. Restrictions are also placed on certain asset sales to and from an insider to an institution, including requirements that such sales be on market terms and, in certain circumstances, approved by the institution’s board of directors.

Loans to One Borrower

Under California law, our ability to make aggregate secured and unsecured loans-to-one-borrower is limited to 25% and 15%, respectively, of unimpaired capital and surplus. At December 31, 2025, the Bank’s regulatory limit on aggregate secured loans-to-one-borrower was $144.4 million and unsecured loans-to-one borrower was $86.6 million. The Bank did not have any loans to one borrower that exceeded either of these limits at December 31, 2025.

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Safety and Soundness Standards/Risk Management

The federal banking agencies have adopted guidelines that establish operational and managerial standards to promote the safety and soundness of federally insured depository institutions. The guidelines set forth standards for internal controls, information systems, internal audit systems, loan documentation, credit underwriting, interest rate exposure, asset growth, compensation, fees and benefits, asset quality and earnings.

In general, the safety and soundness guidelines prescribe the goals to be achieved in each area, and each institution is responsible for establishing its own procedures to achieve those goals. If an institution fails to comply with any of the standards set forth in the guidelines, the financial institution’s primary federal regulator may require the institution to submit a plan for achieving and maintaining compliance. If a financial institution fails to submit an acceptable compliance plan, or fails in any material respect to implement a compliance plan that has been accepted by its primary federal regulator, the regulator is required to issue an order directing the institution to cure the deficiency. Until the deficiency cited in the regulator’s order is cured, the regulator may restrict the financial institution’s rate of growth, require the financial institution to increase its capital, restrict the rates the institution pays on deposits or require the institution to take any action the regulator deems appropriate under the circumstances. Noncompliance with the standards established by the safety and soundness guidelines may also constitute grounds for other enforcement action by the federal bank regulatory agencies, including cease and desist orders and civil money penalty assessments.

During the past decade, the bank regulatory agencies have increasingly emphasized the importance of sound risk management processes and strong internal controls when evaluating the activities of the financial institutions they supervise. Properly managing risks has been identified as critical to the conduct of safe and sound banking activities and has become even more important as new technologies, product innovation, and the size and speed of financial transactions have changed the nature of banking markets. The agencies have identified a spectrum of risks facing a banking institution including, but not limited to, credit, market, liquidity, operational, legal, and reputational risk. In particular, recent regulatory pronouncements have focused on operational risk, which arises from the potential that inadequate information systems, operational problems, breaches in internal controls, fraud, or unforeseen catastrophes will result in unexpected losses. New products and services, third-party risk management and cybersecurity are critical sources of operational risk that financial institutions are expected to address in the current environment. The Bank is expected to have active board and senior management oversight; adequate policies, procedures, and limits; adequate risk measurement, monitoring, and management information systems; and comprehensive internal controls.

Branching Authority

California banks, such as the Bank, may, under California law, establish a banking office so long as the bank’s board of directors approves the banking office and the DFPI is notified of the establishment of the banking office. Deposit-taking banking offices must be approved by the FDIC, which considers a number of factors, including financial history, capital adequacy, earnings prospects, character of management, needs of the community and consistency with corporate power. The Dodd-Frank Act permits insured state banks to engage in de novo interstate branching if the laws of the state where the new banking office is to be established would permit the establishment of the banking office if it were chartered by such state. Finally, we may also establish banking offices in other states by merging with banks or by purchasing banking offices of other banks in other states, subject to certain restrictions.

Community Reinvestment Act Requirements

The CRA requires the Bank to have a continuing and affirmative obligation in a safe and sound manner to help meet the credit needs of its entire community, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Federal regulators regularly assess the Bank’s record of meeting the credit needs of its communities. A bank’s compliance with its CRA obligations is based on a performance-based evaluation system, which bases CRA ratings on an institution’s lending, service, and investment performance, resulting in a rating by the appropriate bank regulator of “outstanding,” “satisfactory,” “needs to improve,” or “substantial noncompliance.” The Bank received a “satisfactory” rating on its most recent CRA examination, which was conducted in May 2023. The federal banking agencies may take compliance with fair lending laws and practices, including CRA into account when regulating and supervising other activities.

On October 24, 2023, the federal regulatory agencies jointly issued a final rule to strengthen and modernize regulations implementing the CRA, but in light of litigation, the agencies issued a joint proposal in July 2025 to rescind this rule and reinstate the CRA framework that existed prior to the 2023 final rule.

Anti-Money Laundering and OFAC Regulation

The USA Patriot Act is designed to deny terrorists and criminals the ability to obtain access to the U.S. financial system and has significant implications for depository institutions, brokers, dealers and other businesses involved in the transfer of money. The USA Patriot Act mandates financial services companies to have policies and procedures with respect to measures designed to address any or all of the following matters: (i) customer identification programs; (ii) money laundering; (iii) terrorist financing; (iv) identifying and reporting suspicious activities and currency transactions; (v) currency crimes; and (vi) cooperation between financial institutions and law enforcement authorities. Banking regulators also examine banks for compliance with the economic sanctions regulations administered by OFAC. Failure of a financial institution to maintain and implement adequate anti-money laundering and OFAC programs, or to comply with all of the relevant laws or regulations, could have serious legal and reputational consequences for the institution.

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Concentrations in Commercial Real Estate

Concentration risk exists when financial institutions deploy too many assets to any one industry or segment. Concentration stemming from commercial real estate is one area of regulatory concern. The CRE Concentration Guidance, provides supervisory criteria, including the following numerical indicators, to assist bank examiners in identifying banks with potentially significant commercial real estate loan concentrations that may warrant greater supervisory scrutiny: (i) commercial real estate loans exceeding 300% of capital and increasing 50% or more in the preceding three years; or (ii) construction and land development loans exceeding 100% of capital. The CRE Concentration Guidance does not limit banks’ levels of commercial real estate lending activities, but rather guides institutions in developing risk management practices and levels of capital that are commensurate with the level and nature of their commercial real estate concentrations. Based on the Bank’s loan portfolio, the Bank does not exceed these guidelines.

Mortgage and Mortgage-Related Products

The Dodd-Frank Act significantly expanded underwriting requirements applicable to loans secured by 1-4 family residential real property and augmented federal law combating predatory lending practices. In addition to numerous disclosure requirements, the Dodd-Frank Act imposed new standards for mortgage loan originations on all lenders, including banks and savings associations, in an effort to strongly encourage lenders to verify a borrower’s ability to repay, while also establishing a presumption of compliance for certain “qualified mortgages.” The Dodd-Frank Act generally requires lenders or securitizers to retain an economic interest in the credit risk relating to loans that the lender sells, and other asset-backed securities that the securitizer issues, if the loans do not comply with the ability-to-repay standards described below. The risk retention requirement generally is 5%, but could be increased or decreased by regulation.

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The Volcker Rule

On December 10, 2013, the federal regulatory agencies issued final rules to implement the prohibitions required by the Volcker Rule under the Dodd-Frank Act. Under the final regulations, banking entities are generally prohibited, subject to significant exceptions from: (i) short-term proprietary trading as principal in securities and other financial instruments, and (ii) sponsoring or acquiring or retaining an ownership interest in private equity and hedge funds. Revisions to the Volcker Rule in 2019, that became effective in 2020, simplify and streamline the compliance requirements for banks that do not have significant trading activities. In 2020, the OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC, SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission finalized further amendments to the Volcker Rule. The amendments include new exclusions from the Volcker Rule’s general prohibitions on banking entities investing in and sponsoring private equity funds, hedge funds, and certain other investment vehicles (collectively “covered funds”). The amendments in the final rule, which became effective on October 1, 2020, clarify and expand permissible banking activities and relationships under the Volcker Rule.

Additional Restrictions on Bancorp and Bank Activities

The activities of bank holding companies are generally limited to the business of banking, managing, or controlling banks, and other activities that the Federal Reserve has determined to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto. Bank holding companies that qualify and register as “financial holding companies” are also able to engage in certain additional financial activities, such as merchant banking, and securities and insurance underwriting, subject to limitations set forth in federal law. We are not at this date a “financial holding company.

The BHCA requires a bank holding company to obtain prior approval of the Federal Reserve before: (i) taking any action that causes a bank to become a controlled subsidiary of the bank holding company; (ii) acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of voting shares of any bank or bank holding company, if the acquisition results in the acquiring bank holding company having control of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities of such bank or bank holding company, unless such bank or bank holding company is majority-owned by the acquiring bank holding company before the acquisition; (iii) acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of a bank; or (iv) merging or consolidating with another bank holding company.

Because California permits commercial banks chartered by the state to engage in any activity permissible for national banks, the Bank can form subsidiaries to engage in activates “closely related to banking” or “nonbanking” activities and expanded financial activities. However, to form a financial subsidiary, the Bank must be well capitalized and would be subject to the same capital deduction, risk management and affiliate transaction rules as applicable to national banks. Generally, a financial subsidiary is permitted to engage in activities that are “financial in nature” or incidental thereto, even though they are not permissible for a national bank to conduct directly within the bank. The definition of “financial in nature” includes, among other items, underwriting, dealing in, or making a market in securities, including, for example, distributing shares of mutual funds. The subsidiary may not, however, engage as principal in underwriting insurance (other than credit life insurance), issue annuities, or engage in real estate development, investment, or merchant banking.

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Enforcement Powers of Federal and State Banking Agencies

The federal bank regulatory agencies have broad enforcement powers, including the power to terminate deposit insurance, impose substantial fines and other civil and criminal penalties, and appoint a conservator or receiver for financial institutions. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could subject us and our officers and directors to administrative sanctions and potentially substantial civil money penalties. In addition to the grounds discussed above under “Prompt Corrective Actions,” the appropriate federal bank regulatory agency may appoint the FDIC as conservator or receiver for a banking institution (or the FDIC may appoint itself, under certain circumstances) if any one or more of a number of circumstances exist, including, without limitation, the fact that the banking institution is undercapitalized and has no reasonable prospect of becoming adequately capitalized, fails to become adequately capitalized when required to do so, fails to submit a timely and acceptable capital restoration plan or materially fails to implement an accepted capital restoration plan. The DFPI also has broad enforcement powers over us, including the power to impose orders, remove officers and directors, impose fines and appoint supervisors and conservators.

Deposit Insurance

The FDIC is an independent federal agency that insures deposits, up to prescribed statutory limits, of federally insured banks and savings institutions and safeguards the safety and soundness of the banking and savings industries. The FDIC insures our customer deposits through the DIF up to prescribed limits of $250,000 for each depositor pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act. The amount of FDIC assessments paid by each DIF member institution is based on its relative risk of default as measured by regulatory capital ratios and other supervisory factors. The FDIC uses a performance score and a loss-severity score to calculate an initial assessment rate for the Bank. In calculating these scores, the FDIC uses the Bank’s capital level and regulatory supervisory ratings and certain financial measures to assess the Bank’s ability to withstand asset-related stress and funding-related stress. The FDIC also has the ability to make discretionary adjustments to the total score based upon significant risk factors that are not adequately captured in the calculations. In addition to ordinary assessments described above, the FDIC has the ability to impose special assessments in certain instances.

We are generally unable to control the amount of assessments that we are required to pay for FDIC insurance. If there are additional bank or financial institution failures or if the FDIC otherwise determines, we may be required to pay even higher FDIC assessments than the recently increased levels. These increases in FDIC insurance assessments may have a material and adverse effect on our earnings and could have a material adverse effect on the value of, or market for, our common stock.

Under the FDIA, the FDIC may terminate deposit insurance upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC.

Due to the decline in the DIF reserve ratio below the statutory minimum of 1.35% as of June 30, 2020, caused by extraordinary growth in insured deposits during the first and second quarters of 2020, the FDIC established a Restoration Plan in September 2020 to restore the DIF reserve ratio to meet or exceed the statutory minimum of 1.35% within eight years. The Restoration Plan did not include an increase in the deposit insurance assessment rate. On June 21, 2022, however, the FDIC adopted an Amended Restoration Plan and notice of proposed rulemaking to increase the deposit insurance assessment rates as it was otherwise at risk of not reaching the statutory minimum by the statutory deadline of September 30, 2028. In conjunction with the Amended Restoration Plan, the FDIC adopted a final rule on October 18, 2022 that increased initial base deposit insurance assessment rates by 2 basis points, beginning with the first quarterly assessment period of 2023, to improve the likelihood that the reserve ratio would be restored to 1.35% by September 30, 2028. The proposed rule was adopted as final without change.

Also, in the final rule adopted on October 18, 2022, the FDIC incorporated Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2022-02, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (ASC 326) Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures in the risk-based deposit insurance assessment system applicable to all large and highly complex IDIs. In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-02, which eliminates accounting guidance for troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”) and introduces new disclosures and enhances existing disclosures concerning certain loan refinancings and restructurings when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty. The FDIC final rule amends the assessment regulations to include a new term, “modifications to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty,” in two financial measures—the underperforming assets ratio and the higher-risk assets ratio—used to determine deposit insurance assessments for large and highly complex IDIs. The final rule became effective on January 1, 2023, and was applicable to the first quarterly assessment period of 2023.

In November 2023, the FDIC issued a final rule to implement a special assessment to recover losses to the DIF arising from the protection of uninsured depositors following the closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March 2023. The special assessment is based on an IDI’s estimated uninsured deposits as of December 31, 2022, adjusted to exclude the first $5.0 billion of estimated uninsured deposits and will be assessed at a quarterly rate of 3.36 bps, over eight quarterly assessment periods beginning in the first quarter of 2024. The FDIC approved an interim final rule in December 2025 to reduce the special assessment for the eighth collection quarter to 2.97 bps. The interim final rule aims to ensure the FDIC will collect the exact amount needed through the special assessment to match the total losses preventing either over- or under-collection. The interim final rule also requires the FDIC to provide an offset to regular quarterly deposit insurance assessments for banks subject to the special assessment if the aggregate amount collected exceeds losses, following the final resolution of litigation between the FDIC and one of the bank entities. Our deposits have been below $5 billion and therefore the Bank has not been subject to this special assessment. To the extent to which any such additional future assessments will impact our future deposit insurance expense is currently uncertain.

Operations, Consumer and Privacy Compliance Laws

The Bank is also subject to certain consumer laws and regulations that are designed to protect consumers in transactions with banks. These laws include, among others: Truth in Lending Act; Truth in Savings Act; Electronic Funds Transfer Act; Expedited Funds Availability Act; Equal Credit Opportunity Act; Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act; Fair Housing Act; Fair Credit Reporting Act; Fair Debt Collection Act; Home Mortgage Disclosure Act; Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act; laws regarding unfair and deceptive acts and practices; and usury laws. These laws and regulations mandate certain disclosure requirements and regulate the manner in which financial institutions must deal with customers when taking deposits or making loans to such customers. The Bank must comply with the applicable provisions of these consumer protection laws and regulations as part of their ongoing customer relations. Many states and local jurisdictions have consumer protection laws analogous, and in addition, to those listed above. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could give rise to regulatory sanctions, customer rescission rights, action by state and local attorneys general, and civil or criminal liability.

Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB has broad authority to regulate and supervise the retail consumer financial products and services activities of banks and various nonbank providers. The CFPB has authority to promulgate regulations, issue orders, guidance and policy statements, conduct examinations and bring enforcement actions with regard to consumer financial products and services. The creation of the CFPB by the Dodd-Frank Act has led to, and is likely to continue to lead to, enhanced and strengthened enforcement of consumer financial protection laws.

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Federal law currently contains extensive customer privacy protection provisions. Under these provisions, a financial institution must provide to its customers, at the inception of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution’s policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers’ nonpublic personal financial information. These provisions also provide that, except for certain limited exceptions, a financial institution may not provide such personal information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that such information may be provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure. In June 2018, the California legislature passed the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (the “CCPA”), which took effect on January 1, 2020. The CCPA, which covers businesses that obtain or access personal information on California resident consumers, grants consumers enhanced privacy rights and control over their personal information, and imposes significant requirements on covered companies with respect to consumer data privacy rights. We expect this trend of state-level activity to continue, and are continually monitoring developments in other states in which we operate.

The Federal Reserve and other bank regulatory agencies also have adopted guidelines for safeguarding confidential, personal customer information. These guidelines require financial institutions to create, implement and maintain a comprehensive written information security program designed to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer information, protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information and protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any customer. Financial institutions are also required to implement policies and procedures regarding the disclosure of nonpublic personal information about consumers to non-affiliated third parties. In general, financial institutions must provide explanations to consumers on policies and procedures regarding the disclosure of such nonpublic personal information and, except as otherwise required by law, prohibits disclosing such information. The Bank has adopted a customer information security and privacy program to comply with such requirements.

Operations, consumer and privacy compliance laws and regulations also mandate certain disclosure and reporting requirements and regulate the manner in which financial institutions must deal with customers when taking deposits, making loans, collecting loans, and providing other services. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations can subject the Bank to lawsuits and penalties, including enforcement actions, injunctions, fines or criminal penalties, punitive damages to consumers, and the loss of certain contractual rights.

Federal Home Loan Bank System

The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) of San Francisco. Among other benefits, each FHLB serves as a reserve or central bank for its members within its assigned region. Each FHLB is financed primarily from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB system. Each FHLB makes available loans or advances to its members in compliance with the policies and procedures established by the board of directors of the individual FHLB. Each member of the FHLB of San Francisco is required to own stock in an amount equal to the greater of (i) a membership stock requirement, or (ii) an activity based stock requirement (based on a percentage of outstanding advances). There can be no assurance that the FHLB will pay dividends at the same rate it has paid in the past, or that it will pay any dividends in the future.

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Securities and Corporate Governance

The Company is subject to the disclosure and regulatory requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, both as administered by the SEC. As a company listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, we are subject to NASDAQ listing standards for listed companies. The Company is also subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, and other federal and state laws and regulations which address, among other issues, required executive certification of financial presentations, corporate governance requirements for board audit and compensation committees and their members, and disclosure of controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, auditing and accounting, executive compensation, and enhanced and timely disclosure of corporate information. NASDAQ has also adopted corporate governance rules, which are intended to allow stockholders and investors to more easily and efficiently monitor the performance of companies and their directors. Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, management and the Company's independent registered public accounting firm are required to assess the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. These assessments are included in Part II—Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.

Incentive Compensation Guidance

The federal bank regulatory agencies have issued comprehensive guidance intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of those organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The incentive compensation guidance sets expectations for banking organizations concerning their incentive compensation arrangements and related risk-management, control and governance processes. The guidance, which covers all employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of an organization, is based upon the key principles that a banking organization’s incentive compensation arrangements should (i) provide incentives that do not encourage risk-taking beyond the organization’s ability to effectively identify and manage risks, (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management, and (iii) be supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the organization’s board of directors. In accordance with the Dodd-Frank Act, the federal banking agencies prohibit incentive-based compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risk taking by covered financial institutions (generally institutions, like us, that have over $1 billion in assets) and are deemed to be excessive, or that may lead to material losses.

The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of banking organizations, such as the Company, that are not “large, complex banking organizations.” These reviews will be tailored to each organization based on the scope and complexity of the organization’s activities and the prevalence of incentive compensation arrangements. The findings of the supervisory initiatives will be included in reports of examination. Deficiencies will be incorporated into the organization’s supervisory ratings, which can affect the organization’s ability to make acquisitions and take other actions. Enforcement actions may be taken against a banking organization if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the organization’s safety and soundness, and the organization is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires that the federal banking agencies issue a rule related to incentive-based compensation. No final rule implementing this provision of the Dodd-Frank Act has, as of the date of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, been adopted, but a proposed rule was published in May 2024. The proposed rule is intended to (i) prohibit incentive-based payment arrangements that the banking agencies determine could encourage certain financial institutions to take inappropriate risks by providing excessive compensation or that could lead to material financial loss, (ii) require the board of directors of those financial institutions to take certain oversight actions related to incentive-based compensation, and (iii) require those financial institutions to disclose information concerning incentive-based compensation arrangements to the appropriate federal regulator. Although a final rule has not been issued, the Company and the Bank have undertaken efforts to ensure that their incentive compensation plans do not encourage inappropriate risks, consistent with the principles identified above.

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Future Legislative Developments

Various legislative acts are from time to time introduced in Congress and the California legislature. This legislation may change banking statutes and the environment in which we operate in substantial and unpredictable ways. We cannot determine the ultimate effect that potential legislation, if enacted, or implementing regulations and interpretations with respect thereto, would have on our financial condition or results of operations.

The new presidential administration and many members of Congress have advocated for changes in financial services regulation, potentially including amendments to the Dodd-Frank Act and other federal banking laws, and structural changes to the CFPB. It is possible, though uncertain, that Congress and/or the relevant federal agencies may seek to roll back or modify some or much of the rulemaking and regulatory guidance issued under the previous presidential administration. Additionally, the full impact of the leadership changes at banking regulatory agencies on the enforcement and supervisory priorities of each agency is not fully known at this time. It is therefore unclear at the present time what effect the aforementioned changes will have on the banking industry as a whole or the Company specifically.

Regulation of Non-Bank Subsidiaries

Non-bank subsidiaries are subject to additional or separate regulation and supervision by other state, federal and self-regulatory bodies. Additionally, any foreign-based subsidiaries would also be subject to foreign laws and regulations.

Federal and State Taxation

Bancorp and the Bank report their income on a consolidated basis using the accrual method of accounting and are subject to federal income taxation in the same manner as other corporations with some exceptions. We have not been audited by the Internal Revenue Service. For 2025, 2024, and 2023, we were subject to a maximum federal income tax rate of 21.00%, California state income tax rate of 10.84% and various other state and local tax rates, including a New York state and New York City income tax rate of 9.43% and 8.85%.

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