ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP (ASB) FY 2023 MD&A

ITEM 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion is management’s analysis to assist in the understanding and evaluation of the consolidated financial condition and results of operations of the Corporation. It should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and footnotes and the selected financial data presented elsewhere in this report. Within the tables presented, certain columns and rows may not sum due to the use of rounded numbers for disclosure purposes.

The detailed financial discussion that follows focuses on 2023 results compared to 2022. For a discussion of 2022 results compared to 2021, see the Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Overview

The Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Wisconsin, providing a broad array of banking and nonbanking products and services to businesses and consumers primarily within our three-state footprint. The Corporation’s primary sources of revenue, through the Bank, are net interest income (predominantly from loans and investment securities) and noninterest income (principally fees and other revenue from financial services provided to customers or ancillary services tied to loans and deposits).

Performance Summary and 2024 Outlook

•Diluted earnings per common share of $1.13 in 2023 decreased $1.21, or 52%, from 2022, mainly as a result of one-time items related to the balance sheet repositioning the Corporation announced in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the FDIC special assessment.

•Average loans of $29.5 billion for the full year of 2023 increased $3.3 billion, or 13%, from a year ago, driven by increases in all major loan categories. For 2024, the Corporation expects period end loan growth of 4% to 6%.

•Average deposits of $31.3 billion for the full year of 2023 increased $2.6 billion, or 9%, from a year ago, driven by increases in time deposits, network transaction deposits, interest-bearing demand deposits, and savings deposits, partially offset by decreases in noninterest-bearing demand deposits and money market deposits. For 2024, the Corporation expects period end core customer deposit growth of 3% to 5%.

•Net interest income of $1.0 billion in 2023 increased $82 million, or 9%, from 2022. Net interest margin of 2.81% in 2023 decreased 10 bp from 2.91% in 2022. The increase in net interest income was driven by growth of earning assets while margin compressed as a result of a shift in mix within deposits into higher cost funding from noninterest-bearing demand deposits. For 2024, the Corporation expects net interest income growth of 2% to 4%.

•Provision for credit losses was $83 million in 2023, compared to $33 million in 2022. For 2024, the Corporation expects to adjust the provision to reflect changes to risk grades, economic conditions, loan volumes, and other indications of credit quality.

•Noninterest income of $63 million in 2023 decreased $219 million, or 78%, from 2022, primarily due to one-time items related to the balance sheet repositioning announced in the fourth quarter of 2023. For 2024, the Corporation expects noninterest income compression of 0% to 2%.

•Noninterest expense of $814 million in 2023 increased $67 million, or 9%, from 2022, as a result of the FDIC special assessment of $31 million and the continued investment in people and technology. For 2024, the Corporation expects noninterest expense growth of 2% to 3%.

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Income Statement Analysis

Net Interest Income

Table 1 Net Interest Income Analysis

(a) The yield on tax-exempt loans and securities is computed on a fully tax-equivalent basis using a tax rate of 21% and is net of the effects of certain disallowed interest deductions.

(b) Nonaccrual loans and loans held for sale have been included in the average balances.

(c) Interest income includes amortization of net deferred loan origination costs and net accreted purchase loan discount.

Net interest income is the primary source of the Corporation’s revenue. Net interest income is the difference between interest income on interest-earning assets, such as loans and investment securities, and the interest expense on interest-bearing deposits and other borrowings used to fund interest-earning and other assets or activities. Net interest income is affected by the amount and composition of earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, as well as the sensitivity of the balance sheet to changes in interest rates, including characteristics such as the fixed or variable nature of the financial instruments, contractual maturities, re-pricing frequencies, loan prepayment behavior, and the use of interest rate derivative financial instruments.

Interest rate spread and net interest margin are utilized to measure and explain changes in net interest income. Interest rate spread is the difference between the yield on earning assets and the rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities that fund those assets. The net interest margin is expressed as the percentage of net interest income to average earning assets. The net interest margin

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exceeds the interest rate spread because net free funds, principally noninterest-bearing demand deposits and stockholders’ equity, also support earning assets. To compare tax-exempt asset yields to taxable yields, the yield on tax-exempt loans and investment securities is computed on a fully tax-equivalent basis. Net interest income, interest rate spread, and net interest margin are discussed on a fully tax-equivalent basis.

Table 1 provides average daily balances of earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, the associated interest income and expense, and the corresponding interest rates earned and paid, as well as net interest income, interest rate spread, and net interest margin on a fully tax-equivalent basis for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021. Table 2 presents additional information to facilitate the review and discussion of fully tax-equivalent net interest income, interest rate spread, and net interest margin.

Notable Contributions to the Change in 2023 Net Interest Income

•Fully tax-equivalent net interest income and net interest income were both up $82 million, or 8% and 9%, respectively, compared to 2022. Average loans increased $3.3 billion, or 13%, and average investments and other short-term investments increased $744 million, or 10%, compared to 2022. The increase in net interest income was driven by a higher federal funds target rate combined with growth in all major loan categories. Since December 31, 2022, the Federal Reserve increased the federal funds target interest rate 100 bp, which contributed to the yield on earning assets increasing by 178 bp. See sections Interest Rate Risk and Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk for a discussion of interest rate risk and market risk.

•Average interest-bearing liabilities increased $5.3 billion, or 22%, compared to 2022. Average interest-bearing deposits increased $4.1 billion, or 20%, compared to 2022, primarily driven by increases in time deposits, network transaction deposits, interest-bearing demand deposits, and savings deposits, partially offset by a decrease in money market deposits. Average noninterest-bearing demand deposits decreased $1.5 billion, or 19%, compared to 2022. Average FHLB advances increased $957 million, or 34%, to fund balance sheet growth. The cost of interest-bearing liabilities increased 235 bp from 2022.

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Table 2 Rate/Volume Analysis(a)

(a) The change in interest due to both rate and volume has been allocated in proportion to the relationship to the dollar amounts of the change in each.

(b) The yield on tax-exempt loans and securities is computed on a fully tax-equivalent basis using a tax rate of 21% and is net of the effects of certain disallowed interest deductions.

Provision for Credit Losses

The provision for credit losses is predominantly a function of the Corporation’s reserving methodology and judgments as to other qualitative and quantitative factors used to determine the appropriate level of the ACLL, which focuses on changes in the size and character of the loan portfolio, changes in levels of individually evaluated and other nonaccrual loans, historical losses and delinquencies in each portfolio category, the risk inherent in specific loans, concentrations of loans to specific borrowers or industries, existing economic conditions and economic forecasts, the fair value of underlying collateral, and other factors which could affect potential credit losses. The forecast the Corporation used for December 31, 2023 was the Moody's baseline scenario from November 2023, which was reviewed against the December 2023 baseline scenario with no material updates made, over a 2 year reasonable and supportable period with straight-line reversion to historical losses over the second year of the period. See additional discussion under the sections titled Loans, Credit Risk, Nonperforming Assets, and Allowance for Credit Losses on Loans.

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Noninterest Income

Table 3 Noninterest Income

N/M = Not Meaningful

(a) Includes the deposit premium on the sale of branches net of miscellaneous costs to sell. See Note 2 Acquisitions and Dispositions of the notes to the consolidated financial statements for additional details on the branch sales.

(b) $ in millions. Excludes assets held in brokerage accounts.

Notable Contributions to the Change in 2023 Noninterest Income

•The one-time 2023 loss on the mortgage portfolio sale was the result of a sale of $969 million of residential mortgages, related to the balance sheet repositioning announced in the fourth quarter of 2023, the net proceeds which were used to pay down higher cost funding.

•Investment securities gains (losses), net decreased from 2022, driven primarily by the sale of lower yielding AFS securities with a carrying value of $715 million at a net loss of $65 million, related to the balance sheet repositioning announced in the fourth quarter of 2023, in order to reinvest in higher yielding and lower risk-weighted GNMA securities.

•Service charges and deposit account fees are down from 2022, driven by the reduction and elimination of many deposit account fees in the third quarter of 2022.

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Noninterest Expense

Table 4 Noninterest Expense

(a) Average FTEs without overtime

Notable Contributions to the Change in 2023 Noninterest Expense

•FDIC assessment expense increased from 2022, primarily driven by a one-time assessment of $31 million resulting from the special assessment pursuant to systemic risk incurred by the FDIC on member banks as a result of the bank failures in the first quarter of 2023 and higher assessment rates for 2023.

•Personnel costs increased from 2022, largely driven by merit increases and benefits expense.

•Technology costs increased from 2022, driven by digital investments tied to our strategic initiatives.

Income Taxes

The Corporation recognized income tax expense of $23 million for 2023, compared to income tax expense of $94 million for 2022. The Corporation's effective tax rate was 11.21% for 2023, compared to an effective tax rate of 20.34% for 2022. The decrease in income tax expense during 2023 was primarily driven by a decrease in income before taxes in 2023. The decrease in the effective tax rate during 2023 was primarily driven by a decrease in state tax expense and the effect of tax exempt interest.

See Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the notes to consolidated financial statements for the Corporation’s income tax accounting policy. Income tax expense recorded on the consolidated statements of income involves the interpretation and application of certain accounting pronouncements and federal and state tax laws and regulations. The Corporation is subject to examination by various taxing authorities. Examination by taxing authorities may impact the amount of tax expense and/or the reserve for uncertainty in income taxes if their interpretations differ from those of management, based on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their examinations. See Note 13 Income Taxes of the notes to consolidated financial statements for more information.

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Balance Sheet Analysis

•At December 31, 2023, total assets were $41.0 billion, up $1.6 billion, or 4%, from December 31, 2022.

•Interest-bearing deposits in other financial institutions were $425 million at December 31, 2023, up $268 million, or 171%, from December 31, 2022. AFS investment securities, at fair value increased $859 million, or 31%, to $3.6 billion, while HTM investment securities, net, at amortized cost decreased by $100 million, or 3%, to $3.9 billion. See section Investment Securities Portfolio and Note 3 Investment Securities of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional information on the Corporation's portfolio of investment securities.

•At December 31, 2023, total loans were $29.2 billion, up $417 million, or 1%, from December 31, 2022, due to increases of $874 million, or 63%, in auto finance and $160 million, or 2%, in CRE lending, partially offset by a decrease of $647 million, or 8%, in residential mortgages as a result of a one-time mortgage portfolio sale related to the balance sheet repositioning announced in the fourth quarter of 2023. See section Loans and Note 4 Loans of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional information on loans.

•At December 31, 2023, total deposits of $33.4 billion were up $3.8 billion, or 13%, from December 31, 2022, driven by increases in brokered CDs of $3.9 billion and interest-bearing demand deposits of $1.7 billion, or 25%, partially offset by decreases in money market deposits of $1.9 billion, or 23%, and noninterest-bearing demand deposits of $1.6 billion, or 21%. See section Deposits and Customer Funding and Note 8 Deposits of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional information on deposits.

•At December 31, 2023, FHLB advances of $1.9 billion were down $2.4 billion, or 55%, from December 31, 2022, and securities sold under agreements to repurchase of $327 million were down $258 million, or 44%, as proceeds from the issuance of brokered deposits and the balance sheet repositioning were used to pay down the advances. Additionally, other long-term funding of $541 million was up $293 million, or 118%, as a result of the issuance of subordinated debt. See section Other Funding Sources and Note 9 Short and Long-Term Funding of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional details on funding.

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Loans

Table 5 Period End Loan Composition

The Corporation has long-term guidelines relative to the proportion of Commercial and Business, CRE, and Consumer loan commitments within the overall loan portfolio, with each targeted to represent 30 to 40% of the overall loan portfolio. The targeted long-term guidelines were unchanged during 2023 and 2022. Furthermore, certain sub-asset classes within the respective portfolios are further defined and dollar limitations are placed on these sub-portfolios. These guidelines and limits are reviewed quarterly and approved annually by the ERC. These guidelines and limits are designed to create balance and diversification within the loan portfolios.

During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Corporation completed a one-time mortgage portfolio sale of $969 million of residential mortgages sold at a loss of $136 million related to the balance sheet repositioning. The proceeds of this sale were used to pay down higher cost funding and increase liquidity capacity.

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The Corporation's loan distribution and interest rate sensitivity as of December 31, 2023 are summarized in the following table:

Table 6 Loan Distribution and Interest Rate Sensitivity

(a) Demand loans, past due loans, overdrafts, and credit cards are reported in the “Within 1 Year” category.

At December 31, 2023, $19.5 billion, or 67%, of the total loans outstanding and $16.4 billion, or 90%, of the commercial loans outstanding were floating rate, adjustable rate, re-pricing within one year, or maturing within one year.

Credit Risk

An active credit risk management process is used for commercial loans to ensure that sound and consistent credit decisions are made. Credit risk is controlled by detailed underwriting procedures, comprehensive loan administration, and periodic review of borrowers’ outstanding loans and commitments. Borrower relationships are formally reviewed and graded on an ongoing basis for early identification of potential problems. Further analysis by customer, industry, and geographic location are performed to monitor trends, financial performance, and concentrations. See Note 4 Loans of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional information on managing overall credit quality.

The loan portfolio is widely diversified by types of borrowers, industry groups, and market areas primarily within the Corporation's lending footprint. Significant loan concentrations are considered to exist when there are amounts loaned to numerous borrowers engaged in similar activities that would cause them to be similarly impacted by economic or other conditions. At December 31, 2023, no significant concentrations existed in the Corporation’s loan portfolio in excess of 10% of total loan exposure.

Commercial and business lending: The commercial and business lending classification primarily includes commercial loans to large corporations, middle market companies, small businesses, and asset-based and equipment financing.

Table 7 Largest Commercial and Industrial Industry Group Exposures, by NAICS Subsector

(a) Includes REIT lines

(b) 58% of the total utilities exposure comes from renewable energy sources (wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal).

(c) Includes mortgage warehouse lines

The remaining commercial and industrial portfolio is spread over a diverse range of industries, none of which exceed 2% of total loan exposure.

The CRE-owner occupied portfolio is spread over a diverse range of industries, none of which exceed 2% of total loan exposure.

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The credit risk related to commercial and business lending is largely influenced by general economic conditions and the resulting impact on a borrower’s operations or on the value of underlying collateral, if any.

Commercial real estate - investor: CRE-investor is comprised of loans secured by various non-owner occupied or investor income producing property types.

Table 8 Largest Commercial Real Estate-Investor Property Type Exposures

The remaining CRE-investor portfolio is spread over various other property types, none of which exceed 2% of total loan exposure.

Credit risk is managed in a similar manner to commercial and business lending by employing sound underwriting guidelines, lending primarily to borrowers in local markets and businesses, periodically evaluating the underlying collateral, and formally reviewing the borrower’s financial soundness and relationship on an ongoing basis.

Real estate construction: Real estate construction loans are primarily short-term or interim loans that provide financing for the acquisition or development of commercial income properties, multi-family projects, or residential development, both single family and condominium. Real estate construction loans are made to developers and project managers who are generally well known to the Corporation and have prior successful project experience. The credit risk associated with real estate construction loans is generally confined to specific geographic areas but is also influenced by general economic conditions. The Corporation controls the credit risk on these types of loans by making loans in familiar markets to developers, reviewing the merits of individual projects, controlling loan structure, and monitoring project progress and construction advances.

Table 9 Largest Real Estate Construction Property Type Exposures

The remaining real estate construction portfolio is spread over various other property types, none of which exceed 2% of total loan exposure.

The Corporation’s current lending standards for CRE and real estate construction lending are determined by property type and specifically address many criteria, including: maximum loan amounts, maximum LTV, requirements for pre-leasing and/or presales, minimum borrower equity, and maximum loan-to-cost. Currently, the maximum standard for LTV is 80%, with lower limits established for certain higher risk types, such as raw land that has a 50% LTV maximum. The Corporation’s LTV guidelines are in compliance with regulatory supervisory limits. In most cases, for real estate construction loans, the loan amounts include interest reserves, which are built into the loans and sized to fund loan payments through construction and lease up and/or sell out.

Residential mortgages: Residential mortgage loans are primarily first lien home mortgages with a maximum loan-to-collateral value without credit enhancement (e.g., private mortgage insurance) of 80%. The residential mortgage portfolio is focused primarily in the Corporation's three-state branch footprint, with approximately 88% of the outstanding loan balances in the Corporation's branch footprint at December 31, 2023. The rates on adjustable rate mortgages adjust based upon the movement in the underlying index which is then added to a margin and rounded to the nearest 0.125%. That result is then subjected to any periodic caps to produce the borrower's interest rate for the coming term. Most of the adjustable rate mortgages have an initial fixed rate term of 3, 5, 7 or 10 years.

The Corporation generally retains certain fixed-rate residential real estate mortgages in its loan portfolio, including retail and private banking jumbo mortgages and CRA-related mortgages. As part of management's historical practice of originating and servicing residential mortgage loans, generally the Corporation's 30 year, agency conforming, fixed-rate residential real estate mortgage loans have been sold in the secondary market with servicing rights retained. Subject to management's analysis of the current interest rate environment, among other market factors, the Corporation may choose to retain mortgage loan production on its balance sheet.

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The Corporation’s underwriting and risk-based pricing guidelines for residential mortgage loans include minimum borrower FICO score and maximum LTV of the property securing the loan. Residential mortgage products generally are underwritten using FHLMC and FNMA secondary marketing guidelines.

Home equity: Home equity consists of both home equity lines of credit and closed-end home equity loans. The Corporation’s credit risk monitoring guidelines for home equity are based on an ongoing review of loan delinquency status, as well as a quarterly review of FICO score deterioration and property devaluation. The Corporation does not routinely obtain appraisals on performing loans to update LTV ratios after origination; however, the Corporation monitors the local housing markets by reviewing the various home price indices and incorporates the impact of the changing market conditions in its ongoing credit monitoring process. For junior lien home equity loans, the Corporation is unable to track the performance of the first lien loan if it does not own or service the first lien loan. However, the Corporation obtains a refreshed FICO score on a quarterly basis and monitors this as part of its assessment of the home equity portfolio.

The Corporation’s underwriting and risk-based pricing guidelines for home equity lines of credit and loans consist of a combination of both borrower FICO score and the original cumulative LTV against the property securing the loan. Currently, the Corporation's policy sets the maximum acceptable LTV at 90%. The Corporation's current home equity line of credit offering is priced based on floating rate indices and generally allows 10 years of interest-only payments followed by a 20-year amortization of the outstanding balance. The loans in the Corporation's portfolio generally have an original term of 20 years with principal and interest payments required.

Indirect Auto: The Corporation currently purchases retail auto sales contracts via a network of approved auto dealerships across 14 states throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwestern United States. The auto dealerships finance the sale of automobiles as the initial lender and then assign the contracts to the Corporation pursuant to dealer agreements. The Corporation’s underwriting and pricing guidelines are based on a dual risk grade derived from a combination of FICO auto score and proprietary internal custom score. Minimum grade and FICO score standards ensure the credit risk is appropriately managed to the Corporation’s risk appetite. Further, the grade influences loan-specific parameters such as vehicle age, term, LTV, loan amount, mileage, payment and debt service thresholds, and pricing. Maximum loan terms offered are 84 months on select grades with vehicle age, mileage, and other limitations in place to qualify. The program is designed to capture primarily prime and super prime contracts. Over time, the Corporation expects roughly 60% of originations to be secured by used vehicles.

Other consumer: Other consumer consists of student loans, short-term personal installment loans, and credit cards. The Corporation had $63 million and $76 million of student loans at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, the majority of which are government guaranteed. Federally guaranteed student loan payments resumed in October 2023 after over three years of payment moratoriums that began as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Corporation is not originating new student loans and the student loan portfolio is in run-off. Credit risk for non-government guaranteed student loans, short-term personal installment loans, and credit cards is influenced by general economic conditions, the characteristics of individual borrowers, and the nature of the loan collateral. Risks of loss are generally on smaller average balances per loan spread over many borrowers. Once charged off, there is usually less opportunity for recovery of these smaller consumer loans. Credit risk is primarily controlled by reviewing the creditworthiness of the borrowers, monitoring payment histories, and taking appropriate collateral and guarantee positions.

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Nonperforming Assets

Management is committed to a proactive nonaccrual and problem loan identification philosophy. This philosophy is implemented through the ongoing monitoring and review of all pools of risk in the loan portfolio to ensure that problem loans are identified quickly and the risk of loss is minimized. Table 10 provides detailed information regarding NPAs, which include nonaccrual loans, OREO, and other nonperforming assets:

Table 10 Nonperforming Assets

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Table 10 Nonperforming Assets (continued)

(a) Primarily closed branches and other bank operated real estate facilities, pending disposition.

(b) 2023 and 2022 include repossessed assets while 2019 includes a partial settlement of a debt by receiving units of ownership interest in an oil and gas LLC.

(c) On January 1, 2023, the Corporation adopted ASU 2022-02. Under this update, TDRs were eliminated and replaced with a modified loan classification. As a result, amounts

reported for 2023 and forward will not be comparable to prior period reported amounts.

Nonaccrual loans: Nonaccrual loans are considered to be one indicator of potential future loan losses. See management’s accounting policy for nonaccrual loans in Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 4 Loans of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional nonaccrual loan disclosures. See also sections Credit Risk and Allowance for Credit Losses on Loans.

Accruing loans past due 90 days or more: Loans past due 90 days or more but still accruing interest are classified as such where the underlying loans are both well secured (the collateral value is sufficient to cover principal and accrued interest) and are in the process of collection.

Restructured loans: Loans are considered restructured loans if concessions have been granted to borrowers that are experiencing financial difficulty. On January 1, 2023, the Corporation adopted ASU 2022-02 prospectively. As a result, loans that were restructured prior to adoption are no longer considered TDRs, and loans restructured since January 1, 2023 are considered restructured. As a result, periods prior to 2023 are no longer comparable. See also Note 4 Loans of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional restructured loans disclosures.

Potential problem loans: The level of potential problem loans is another predominant factor in determining the relative level of risk in the loan portfolio and in determining the appropriate level of the ACLL. Potential problem loans are generally defined by management to include loans rated as substandard by management that are collectively evaluated; however, there are circumstances present to create doubt as to the ability of the borrower to comply with present repayment terms. The decision of management to include performing loans in potential problem loans does not necessarily mean that the Corporation expects losses to occur, but that management recognizes a higher degree of risk associated with these loans.

OREO: Management actively seeks to ensure OREO properties held are monitored to minimize the Corporation's risk of loss.

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Allowance for Credit Losses on Loans

Credit risks within the loan portfolio are inherently different for each loan type. Credit risk is controlled and monitored through the use of lending standards, a thorough review of potential borrowers, and ongoing review of loan payment performance. Active asset quality administration, including early problem loan identification and timely resolution of problems, aids in the management of credit risk and the minimization of loan losses. Credit risk management for each loan type is discussed in the section entitled Credit Risk. See Note 4 Loans of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional disclosures on the ACLL.

To assess the appropriateness of the ACLL, the Corporation focuses on the evaluation of many factors, including but not limited to: evaluation of facts and issues related to specific loans, management’s ongoing review and grading of the loan portfolio, credit report refreshes, consideration of historical loan loss and delinquency experience on each portfolio category, trends in past due and nonaccrual loans, the level of potential problem loans, the risk characteristics of the various classifications of loan segments, changes in the size and character of the loan portfolio, concentrations of loans to specific borrowers or industries, existing economic conditions and economic forecasts, the fair value of underlying collateral, funding assumptions on lines, and other qualitative and quantitative factors which could affect potential credit losses. The forecast the Corporation used for December 31, 2023 was the Moody's baseline scenario from November 2023, which was reviewed against the December 2023 baseline scenario with no material updates made, over a 2 year reasonable and supportable period with straight-line reversion to historical losses over the second year of the period. Assessing these factors involves significant judgment. Because each of the criteria used is subject to change, the ACLL is not necessarily indicative of the trend of future credit losses on loans in any particular segment. Therefore, management considers the ACLL a critical accounting estimate, see section Critical Accounting Estimates for additional information on the ACLL. See section Nonperforming Assets for a detailed discussion on asset quality. See also Note 4 Loans of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional ACLL disclosures. Table 5 provides information on loan growth and period end loan composition, Table 10 provides additional information regarding NPAs, and Table 11 and Table 12 provide additional information regarding activity in the ACLL.

The loan segmentation used in calculating the ACLL at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was generally comparable. The methodology to calculate the ACLL consists of the following components: a valuation allowance estimate is established for commercial and consumer loans determined by the Corporation to be individually evaluated, using discounted cash flows, estimated fair value of underlying collateral, and/or other data available. Loans are segmented for criticized loan pools by loan type as well as for non-criticized loan pools by loan type, primarily based on risk rating rates after considering loan type, historical loss and delinquency experience, credit quality, and industry classifications. Loans that have been criticized are considered to have a higher risk of default than non-criticized loans, as circumstances were present to support the lower loan grade, warranting higher loss factors. Additionally, management allocates ACLL to absorb losses that may not be provided for by the other components due to qualitative factors evaluated by management, such as limitations within the credit risk grading process, known current economic or business conditions that may not yet show in trends, industry or other concentrations with current issues that impose higher inherent risks than are reflected in the loss factors, and other relevant considerations. The total allowance is available to absorb losses from any segment of the loan portfolio.

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Table 11 Allowance for Credit Losses on Loans

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Table 11 Allowance for Credit Losses on Loans (continued)

Table 12 Net (Charge Offs) Recoveries(a)

(a) Ratio of net charge offs to average loans by loan type.

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Notable Contributions to the Change in the Allowance for Credit Losses on Loans

•Total loans increased $417 million, or 1%, from December 31, 2022, driven by increases in auto finance and CRE lending resulting from the Corporation's strategic initiatives, partially offset by a decrease in residential mortgage lending. See also Note 4 Loans of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional information on loans.

•Potential problem loans increased $166 million, or 62%, from December 31, 2022, largely driven by increases in potential problem loans within the Corporation's CRE-investor and commercial and industrial portfolios. See also Note 4 Loans of the notes to consolidated financial statements and section Nonperforming Assets for additional disclosures on the changes in asset quality.

•Total nonaccrual loans increased $38 million, or 34%, from December 31, 2022, primarily driven by increases in nonaccrual loans within the Corporation's commercial and industrial and residential mortgage portfolios, partially offset by a decrease in nonaccrual loans within the CRE-investor portfolio. See also Note 4 Loans of the notes to consolidated financial statements and section Nonperforming Assets for additional disclosures on the changes in asset quality.

•For the year ended December 31, 2023, net charge offs increased $47 million from December 31, 2022, primarily driven by an increase in charge off amounts in the Corporation's commercial and industrial portfolio. See Tables 11 and 12 for additional information regarding the activity in the ACLL.

Management believes the level of ACLL to be appropriate at December 31, 2023.

Consolidated net income and stockholders’ equity could be affected if management’s estimate of the ACLL is subsequently materially different, requiring additional or less provision for credit losses to be recorded. Management carefully considers numerous detailed and general factors, its assumptions, and the likelihood of materially different conditions that could alter its assumptions. While management uses currently available information to recognize losses on loans, future adjustments to the ACLL may be necessary based on newly received appraisals, updated commercial customer financial statements, rapidly deteriorating customer cash flow, and changes in economic conditions that affect our customers. Additionally, larger credit relationships do not inherently create more risk, but can create wider fluctuations in net charge offs and asset quality measures. As an integral part of their examination processes, various federal and state regulatory agencies also review the ACLL. These agencies may require additions to the ACLL or may require that certain loan balances be charged off or downgraded into criticized loan categories when their credit evaluations differ from those of management, based on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their examinations.

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Investment Securities Portfolio

Management of the investment securities portfolio involves the maximization of income while actively monitoring the portfolio's liquidity, market risk, quality of the investment securities, and its role in balance sheet and capital management. The Corporation classifies its investment securities as AFS, HTM, or equity securities on the consolidated balance sheets at the time of purchase. Securities classified as AFS may be sold from time to time in order to help manage interest rate risk, liquidity, credit quality, capital levels, or to take advantage of relative value opportunities in the marketplace. Investment securities classified as AFS and equity are carried at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets, while investment securities classified as HTM are carried at amortized cost on the consolidated balance sheets.

Table 13 Investment Securities Portfolio

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Table 13 Investment Securities Portfolio (continued)

At December 31, 2023, the Corporation’s investment securities portfolio did not contain securities of any single non-government or non-GSE issuer that were payable from and secured by the same source of revenue or taxing authority where the aggregate carrying value of such securities exceeded 5% of stockholders’ equity.

During the fourth quarter of 2023 as part of the balance sheet repositioning, the Corporation sold lower yielding AFS securities with a carrying value of $715 million at a net loss of $65 million and reinvested the proceeds in higher yielding and lower risk-weighted GNMA securities.

During the first quarter of 2022, the Corporation redesignated approximately $1.6 billion of mortgage-related securities from AFS to HTM. The reclassification of these investment securities was accounted for at fair value. Management elected to transfer these investment securities as the Corporation has the positive intent and ability to hold these investment securities to maturity. See Note 22 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional information on the unrealized losses on investment securities transferred from AFS to HTM.

The Corporation did not recognize any credit-related write-downs to the allowance for credit losses on investments during 2023, 2022, or 2021. See Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for management's accounting policy for investment securities and Note 3 Investment Securities of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional investment securities disclosures.

AFS and HTM Securities

U.S. Treasury Securities: U.S. Treasury Securities, including Treasury bills, notes, and bonds, are debt obligations issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

Municipal Securities: The municipal securities relate to various state and political subdivisions and school districts. The municipal securities portfolio is regularly assessed for credit quality and deterioration.

Agency Residential and Agency Commercial Mortgage-Related Securities: Residential and commercial mortgage-related securities include predominantly GNMA, FNMA, and FHLMC MBS and CMOs. The fair value of these mortgage-related

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securities is subject to inherent risks, such as prepayment risk and interest rate changes. The Corporation regularly assesses the valuation of these securities.

Private-Label Residential Mortgage-Related Securities: Private-label residential mortgage-related securities are the most senior AAA-rated tranche CMO securities issued by a non-agency sponsor and collateralized by Prime Jumbo residential mortgage loans.

AFS Securities

Agency Securities: Agency securities are debt obligations that are issued by a U.S. GSE or other federally related entity, and have an implied guarantee from the U.S. government.

FFELP Asset Backed Securities: FFELP asset backed securities are collateralized with government guaranteed student loans.

SBA Asset Backed Securities: SBA asset backed securities are securities whose underlying assets are loans from the SBA. These loans are backed by the U.S. government.

Other Debt Securities: Other debt securities are primarily comprised of debt securities that mature within 3 years and have a rating of A.

Equity Securities

Equity Securities with Readily Determinable Fair Values: The Corporation's portfolio of equity securities with readily determinable fair values is primarily comprised of CRA Qualified Investment mutual funds and other mutual funds.

Equity Securities without Readily Determinable Fair Values: The Corporation's portfolio of equity securities without readily determinable fair values primarily consists of Visa Class B restricted shares that the Corporation received in 2008 as part of Visa's initial public offering, along with an investment in a private SBA loan fund.

Regulatory Stock (FHLB and Federal Reserve System)

In addition to the AFS, HTM, and equity investment securities noted above, the Corporation is also required to hold certain regulatory stock. The Corporation is required to maintain Federal Reserve Bank stock and FHLB stock as member banks of both the Federal Reserve System and the FHLB, and in amounts as required by these institutions. See Note 3 Investment Securities of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional information on the regulatory stock.

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Table 14 Investment Securities Portfolio Maturity Distribution(a)

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Table 14 Investment Securities Portfolio Maturity Distribution (continued)(a)

(a) Expected maturities will differ from contractual maturities, as borrowers may have the right to call or repay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.

(b) Yields on tax-exempt securities are computed on a fully tax-equivalent basis using a tax rate of 21% and are net of the effects of certain disallowed interest deductions.

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Analysis of Deposits and Funding

Deposits and Customer Funding

The following table summarizes the composition of our deposits and customer funding:

Table 15 Period End Deposit and Customer Funding Composition