Amalgamated Bank (AMAL) Risk Factors

Our accounting policies and methods are fundamental to how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. Our management must exercise judgment in selecting and applying many of these accounting policies and methods so they comply with GAAP and reflect management's judgment of the most appropriate manner in which to report our financial condition and results. In some cases, management must select the accounting policy or method to apply from two or more alternatives, any of which may be reasonable under the circumstances, yet which may result in our reporting materially different results than would have been reported under a different alternative. Certain accounting policies are critical to presenting our financial condition and results of operations. They require management to make difficult, subjective or complex judgments about matters that are uncertain. Materially different amounts could be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions or estimates. The critical accounting policies include the ACL. Because of the uncertainty of estimates involved in this matters, we may be required to significantly increase the allowance or sustain credit losses that are significantly higher than the reserve provided. Any of these could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."

We are subject to regulatory requirements specifying minimum amounts and types of capital that we must maintain. From time to time, the regulators change these regulatory capital adequacy guidelines. If we fail to meet these minimum capital guidelines and other regulatory requirements, we may be restricted in the types of activities we may conduct and we may be prohibited from taking certain capital actions, such as paying dividends and repurchasing or redeeming capital securities. In particular, the capital requirements applicable to us under the Basel III rules, which became fully phased-in on January 1, 2019 required us to satisfy additional, more stringent, capital adequacy standards. The Basel III endgame rules, which were proposed in July 2023, would impose higher capital requirements on U.S. banks with at least $100 billion of assets. While the proposed rules are not currently expected to impact us, and we expect to meet the requirements of the Basel III rules, a failure to meet minimum capital requirements could result in certain mandatory and possible additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have an adverse material effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, these requirements could have a negative impact on our ability to lend, grow deposit balances, make acquisitions or make capital distributions in the form of dividends or share repurchases. Higher capital levels could also lower our return on equity.

Our ability to raise capital will depend on, among other things, conditions in the capital markets, which are outside of our control, and our financial performance. Accordingly, we cannot provide assurance that such capital will be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. Any occurrence that limits our access to capital, may adversely affect our capital costs and our ability to raise capital and, in turn, our liquidity. Further, if we need to raise capital in the future, we may have to do so when many other financial institutions are also seeking to raise capital and would then have to compete with those institutions for investors. Any inability to raise capital on acceptable terms when needed could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and could be dilutive to both tangible book value and our share price. In addition, an inability to raise capital when needed may subject us to increased regulatory supervision and the imposition of restrictions on our growth and business. These restrictions could negatively affect our ability to operate or further expand our operations through loan growth, acquisitions or the establishment of additional branches. These restrictions may also result in increases in operating expenses and reductions in revenues that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price.

We require liquidity to meet our deposit and debt obligations as they come due. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities or on terms that are acceptable to us could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically or the financial services industry or economy generally. Factors that could detrimentally impact our access to liquidity sources include a downturn in the geographic markets in which our loans are concentrated, difficult credit markets, adverse regulatory or judicial actions against labor unions, political organizations or not-for profits, or adverse regulatory actions against us. Our access to deposits may also be affected by the liquidity needs of our depositors, particularly in an inflationary environment where they may be compelled to withdraw deposits in order to cover rising expenses. As a part of our liquidity management, we must ensure we can respond effectively to potential volatility in our customers' deposit balances. Our total on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet deposits totaled $7.32 billion as of December 31, 2023. For instance, our on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet deposits from political campaigns, PACs, and state and national party committee clients totaled $1.19 billion, or 16% of total on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet deposits as of December 31, 2023 and may increase or decrease their deposit balances significantly as we approach an election campaign, resulting in short-term volatility in their deposit balances held with us through election cycles. Additionally, our on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet deposits from labor unions totaled $1.71 billion, or 23% of total on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet deposits as of December 31, 2023. Although we have been able to replace maturing or withdrawn deposits and advances historically as necessary, we might not be able to replace such funds in the future, especially if a large number of our depositors or those depositors with a high concentration of deposits sought to withdraw their accounts. We could encounter difficulty meeting a significant deposit outflow which could negatively impact our profitability or reputation. Any long-term decline in deposit funding would adversely affect our liquidity. While we believe our funding sources are adequate to meet any significant unanticipated deposit withdrawal, we may not be able to manage the risk of deposit volatility effectively. A failure to maintain adequate liquidity could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. The recent bank failures caused substantial market disruption that has not yet stabilized, leading to ongoing concerns about the liquidity of the financial services industry. Ongoing destabilization could exacerbate deposit outflows due to concerns that deposits held at the Bank exceed the amount of insurance provided by the FDIC, which provides basic deposit coverage with limits up to $250,000 per customer. In particular, continuing negative media attention and the rapid spread of rumors, concerns and misinformation on social media could cause panic among investors, depositors, customers and the general public. Deposit outflows could increase if customers with uninsured deposits look for alternative placements for their funds to weather banking sector volatility and instability. Our total estimated uninsured deposits at December 31, 2023 was $4.0 billion. Our cash, off-balance sheet deposits, and borrowing capacity totaled $3.0 billion of immediately available funds, in addition to unpledged securities with two-day availability of $582 million for total liquidity within two-days of $3.6 billion, which provided coverage for 89% of total uninsured deposits. An increase in deposit outflows could require us to seek alternate sources of liquidity to fund our operations and meet withdrawal demands. We may sell investment securities at a loss, negatively impacting our net income, earnings, and capital. As of December 31, 2023, our net unrealized losses on available for sale securities totaled $102.3 million, and our net unrecognized losses on held-to-maturity securities totaled $148.0 million. Other alternate sources of liquidity could include higher-cost borrowings (as a result of competition for liquidity and elevated interest rates), which could negatively affect our financial performance. Regulators could impose new liquidity requirements on banks, which could limit future growth. These changes may be more difficult or expensive than we anticipate. In response to the recent bank failures and loss of public confidence in the banking sector, the government has increased its scrutiny of financial institutions. State and federal lawmakers and regulators have proposed new measures and regulations regarding capital levels, deposit concentrations, liquidity, risk management and deposit insurance. Such legal and regulatory changes could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Like most other companies with an investment management business, our investment management contracts with our clients are typically terminable by the client without cause upon less than 30 days' notice. As a result, even short term declines in the performance of the securities we manage, which can result from factors outside our control such as adverse changes in market or economic conditions or the poor performance of some of the investments we have recommended to our clients, could lead some of our clients to move assets under our management to other asset classes such as broad index funds or treasury securities, or to investment advisors that have investment product offerings or investment strategies different than ours. Therefore, our operating results are heavily dependent on the financial performance of our investment portfolios and the investment strategies we employ in our investment management businesses and even short-term declines in the performance of the investment portfolios we manage for our clients, whatever the cause, could result in a decline in assets under management and a corresponding decline in investment management fees, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

Property Assessed Clean Energy ("PACE") financing is a means of financing energy-efficient upgrades or the installation of renewable energy sources for commercial, industrial and residential properties that are repaid over a selected term through property tax assessments, which are secured by the property itself and paid as an addition to the owners' property tax bills. The unique characteristic of PACE assessments is that the assessment is attached to the property rather than the individual borrower. Active programs for residential PACE financing exist in California, Florida and Missouri. As of December 31, 2023, we had a portfolio of $258.0 million in commercial PACE assessments and $871.9 million in residential PACE assessments. These assessments are pari passu with tax liens and generally have priority over first mortgage liens. Because PACE financing programs are typically enabled through state legislation and authorized at the local government level, variations between each state's programs may expose us to increased compliance costs and risks. In addition, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Release, and Consumer Protection Act ("EGRRCPA") required the CFPB to prescribe regulations relating to residential PACE financings. In May 2023, the CFPB issued a proposed rule, but has not issued a proposed rule implementing EGRRCPA section 307 and amending Regulation ZX to address how TILA applies to PACE transactions. Specifically, the CFPB is contemplating regulations for PACE financing under the ability-to-repay requirements under the Truth in Lending Act, which are currently in place for residential mortgage loans. If final rules are adopted by the CFPB, we may be exposed to increased compliance and regulatory risks related to new residential PACE assessments. If we fail to comply with any final rules adopted by the CFPB, we may face reputational and litigation risks with respect to our PACE assessments.

We must effectively manage credit risk. As a lender, we are exposed to the risk that our borrowers will be unable to repay their loans according to their terms, and that the collateral securing repayment of their loans, if any, may not be sufficient to ensure repayment. In addition, there are risks inherent in making any loan, including risks relating to proper loan underwriting, risks resulting from changes in economic and industry conditions and risks inherent in dealing with individual borrowers, including the risk that a borrower may not provide information to us about its business in a timely manner, and/or may present inaccurate or incomplete information to us, and risks relating to the value of collateral. In order to manage credit risk successfully, we must, among other things, maintain disciplined and prudent underwriting standards and ensure that our lenders follow those standards. The weakening of these standards for any reason, such as an attempt to attract higher yielding loans, a lack of discipline or diligence by our employees in underwriting and monitoring loans, the inability of our employees to adequately adapt policies and procedures to changes in economic or any other conditions affecting borrowers and the quality of our loan portfolio, may result in loan defaults, foreclosures and additional charge-offs and may necessitate that we significantly increase our allowance, each of which could adversely affect our net income.

The majority of our assets and liabilities are monetary in nature and, as a result, we are subject to significant risk from changes in interest rates, which may affect our net interest income as well as the valuation of our assets and liabilities. Our earnings depend significantly on our net interest income, which is the difference between interest income on interest-earning assets, such as loans and securities, and interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. We expect to periodically experience "gaps" in the interest rate sensitivities of our assets and liabilities, meaning that either our interest-bearing liabilities will be more sensitive to changes in market interest rates than our interest-earning assets, or vice versa. In either event, if market interest rates move contrary to our position, this "gap" may work against us, and our earnings may be adversely affected. When interest-bearing liabilities mature or reprice more quickly, or to a greater degree than interest-earning assets in a period, an increase in interest rates could reduce net interest income. Similarly, when interest-earning assets mature or reprice more quickly, or to a greater degree than interest-bearing liabilities, falling interest rates could reduce net interest income. Additionally, an increase in the general level of interest rates may also, among other things, adversely affect the demand for loans and our ability to originate loans and decrease loan prepayment rates or adversely affect our results of operations by reducing the ability of borrowers to make payments under their current adjustable-rate loan obligations. Conversely, a decrease in the general level of interest rates, among other things, may lead to prepayments on our loan and mortgage-backed securities portfolios and increased competition for deposits, potentially reducing our deposit base. Accordingly, changes in the general level of market interest rates may adversely affect our net yield on interest-earning assets, loan origination volume and our overall results. Although our asset-liability management strategy is designed to control and mitigate exposure to the risks related to changes in the general level of market interest rates, those rates are affected by many factors outside of our control, including inflation, recession, unemployment, money supply, international disorder, instability in domestic and foreign financial markets and policies of various governmental and regulatory agencies, particularly the Federal Open Market Committee ("FOMC") of the Federal Reserve. Adverse changes in the U.S. monetary policy or in economic conditions could materially and adversely affect us. In keeping with its commitment to returning inflation to its 2% objective, on January 31, 2024 the FOMC issued a statement that it decided to maintain short-term interest rates at a range of 5.25% to 5.50%, and indicated that the target range would not be reduced until there is greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably towards 2%. We could experience net interest margin compression if our rates on our interest earning assets fail to increase in tandem with rates on our interest-bearing liabilities. Similarly, if short-term interest rates increase and long-term interest rates do not increase, or increase but at a slower rate, we could experience net interest margin compression as our rates on interest earning assets decline measured relative to rates on our interest-bearing liabilities. Any such occurrence could have a material adverse effect on our net interest income and on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may not be able to accurately predict the likelihood, nature and magnitude of changes in market interest rates or how and to what extent they may affect our business. We also may not be able to adequately prepare for or compensate for the consequences of such changes. Any failure to predict and prepare for changes in interest rates or adjust for the consequences of these changes may adversely affect our earnings and capital levels and overall results.

We maintain an allowance for credit losses ("ACL") that represents management's judgment of current expected credit losses and risks inherent in our loan portfolio. As of December 31, 2023, our ACL totaled $65.7 million, which represents approximately 1.49% of our total loans, net. The level of the allowance reflects management's continuing evaluation of loan levels and portfolio composition, observable trends in nonperforming loans, historical loss experience, known and inherent risks in the portfolio, underwriting practices, adequacy of collateral, credit risk grading assessments, forecasted economic conditions, and other factors. The determination of the appropriate level of the ACL is inherently highly subjective and requires us to make significant estimates of and assumptions regarding current credit risks and future trends, all of which may undergo material changes. If, as a result of general economic conditions, there is a decrease in asset quality or growth in the loan portfolio, our management determines that additional increases in ACL are necessary, we may incur additional expenses which will reduce our net income, and our business, results of operations or financial condition may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, inaccurate management assumptions, deterioration of economic conditions affecting borrowers, new information regarding existing loans, identification or deterioration of additional problem loans, acquisition of problem loans and other factors, both within and outside of our control, may require us to increase our ACL.

A borrower's ability to repay their solar loans can be negatively impacted by increases in their payment obligations to other lenders under mortgage, credit card and other loans resulting from increases in base lending rates or structured increases in payment obligations. If a client defaults on solar loan, we may be unsuccessful in our efforts to collect the amount of the loan. We are limited in our ability to collect on these loans if a client is unwilling or unable to repay them. Although solar loans are secured with security filings, we may be limited in our ability to recover any collateral supporting such loans due to the nature of the solar energy system becoming a fixture to the real property. Additionally, these short-term loans are subject to risks of defaults, bankruptcies, fraud, losses and special hazard losses that are not covered by standard hazard insurance. An increase in defaults precipitated by the risks and uncertainties associated with the above operations and activities could have a detrimental effect on our business.