First Northwest Bancorp (FNWB) Risk Analysis

First Northwest derives most of its cash flow from dividends paid by First Fed. These dividends are the primary source from which we may pay dividends on our common stock, if any, and principal and interest on our debt obligations. Various federal and Washington laws and regulations, as well as regulatory expectations, limit the amount of dividends that First Fed may pay to First Northwest. See Item 1, "Business – How We Are Regulated," of this Form 10-K for a discussion of regulatory requirements applicable to dividends by First Northwest and First Fed. Through May 2025, we historically declared cash dividends on our common stock. However, we have not done so since then, as part of a prudent approach to capital management. We are not required to pay dividends and there can be no assurance we will resume doing so in the future. Failure to pay dividends could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Our earnings and cash flows are largely dependent on our net interest income. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors beyond our control, including general economic conditions and policies of various governmental and regulatory agencies, particularly the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve decreased the federal funds target rate beginning in September 2024, with the most recent decrease occurring in December 2025. When the Federal Reserve Board decreases the Fed Funds rate, overall interest rates are likely to fall, which may positively impact housing markets by increasing refinancing activity and new home purchases. A falling interest rate environment may also positively affect the U.S. economy and, as a result, our business as a whole. However, there can be no assurance of the timing or amount of any future rate adjustments. Further, there can be no assurance regarding any forecasts or predictions about the effect that any future rate adjustment may have on our results of operations. Further changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates, could influence not only the interest we receive on loans and investments and the amount of interest we pay on deposits and borrowings, but these changes could also affect, among other things, (i) our ability to originate and/or sell mortgage and SBA loans; (ii) the fair value of our financial assets and liabilities, which could negatively impact shareholders' equity, and our ability to realize gains from sales of such assets; (iii) our ability to obtain and retain deposits in competition with other available investment alternatives; (iv) the ability of our borrowers to repay adjustable or variable rate loans; and (v) the average duration of our MBS portfolio and other interest-earning assets. If the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowings increase at a faster rate than the interest rates received on loans and other investments, our net interest income, and therefore earnings, could be adversely affected. Earnings could also be adversely affected if the interest rates received on loans and other investments fall more quickly than the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowings. Increases in interest rates could also have a negative impact on our results of operations by reducing the ability of borrowers to repay their current loan obligations or by reducing our margins and profitability. Our net interest margin is the net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets. Further changes in interest rates, up or down, could adversely affect our net interest margin and, as a result, our net interest income. Although the yield we earn on our assets and our funding costs tend to move in the same direction in response to changes in interest rates, one can rise or fall faster than the other, causing our net interest margin to expand or contract. Our liabilities tend to be shorter in duration than our assets, so they may adjust faster in response to changes in interest rates. As a result, when interest rates rise, our funding costs may rise faster than the yield we earn on our assets, causing our net interest margin to contract until the yields on interest-earning assets catch up. Changes in the slope of the "yield curve", or the spread between short-term and long-term interest rates, could also reduce our net interest margin. Normally, the yield curve is upward sloping, meaning short-term rates are lower than long-term rates. Because our liabilities tend to be shorter in duration than our assets, when the yield curve flattens or even inverts, we could experience pressure on our net interest margin as our cost of funds increases relative to the yield we can earn on our assets. A sustained increase in market interest rates could adversely affect our earnings. As a result of the exceptionally low interest rate environment in the years prior to 2022, a high percentage of our deposits were composed of deposits bearing no or a relatively low rate of interest and having a shorter duration than our assets. We would likely incur a higher cost of funds to retain these deposits in an elevated interest rate environment. If the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowings increase at a faster rate than the interest rates received on loans and other investments, our net interest income, and therefore earnings, would be adversely affected. Changes in interest rates also affect the value of our interest-earning assets, including our securities portfolio. Generally, the fair value of fixed-rate securities fluctuates inversely with changes in interest rates. Unrealized gains and losses on securities available for sale are reported as a separate component of equity, net of tax. Decreases in the fair value of securities available for sale resulting from increases in interest rates could have an adverse effect on our shareholders' equity. Any substantial, unexpected or prolonged change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, our interest rate risk modeling techniques and assumptions likely will not fully predict or capture the impact of actual interest rate changes on our balance sheet. See Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Asset and Liability Management and Market Risk," in this Form 10-K for additional information.

We have established processes and procedures intended to identify, measure, monitor, report, and analyze the types of risk to which we are subject, including capital, market, liquidity, credit, operational, compliance, legal, strategic, technology and reputational risks. Although we seek to manage our exposure to such risks, and employ a broad and diverse set of risk monitoring and mitigation techniques in the process, those techniques are inherently limited because they cannot anticipate the existence or development of risks that are currently unknown or unanticipated. Any system of control and any system to reduce risk exposure, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met. Further, in some cases we use analytical or forecasting models in our management of risks. If the models are inadequate, or are subject to ineffective governance, our risk management program may also prove ineffective. Actions taken to mitigate identified risks may prove less effective than anticipated. If our risk management program proves ineffective, we could suffer unexpected losses and reputational damage.