BREAD FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC. (BFH) FY 2023 MD&A

Item 7.    Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A).

The following discussion and analysis of our results of operations and financial condition should be read in conjunction with our audited Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis constitutes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K particularly under “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”. Unless otherwise specified, references to Notes to our audited Consolidated Financial Statements are to the Notes to our audited Consolidated Financial Statements as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and for years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

OVERVIEW

We are a tech-forward financial services company that provides simple, personalized payment, lending and saving solutions. We create opportunities for our customers and partners through digitally enabled choices that offer ease, empowerment, financial flexibility and exceptional customer experiences. Driven by a digital-first approach, data insights and white-label technology, we deliver growth for our partners through a comprehensive product suite, including private label and co-brand credit cards and buy now, pay later (BNPL) products such as installment loans and our “split-pay” offerings. We also offer direct-to-consumer solutions that give customers more access, choice and freedom through our branded Bread CashbackTM American Express® Credit Card and Bread SavingsTM products.

Our partner base consists of large consumer-based businesses, including well-known brands such as (alphabetically) AAA, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Caesars, Dell Technologies, the NFL, Signet, Ulta and Victoria’s Secret, as well as small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Our partner base is well diversified across a broad range of industries, including travel and entertainment, health and beauty, jewelry, sporting goods, home goods, technology and electronics and the industry in which we first began, specialty apparel. We believe our comprehensive suite of payment, lending and saving solutions, along with our related marketing and data and analytics, offers us a significant competitive advantage with products relevant across all customer segments (Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X and Baby Boomers). The breadth and quality of our product and service offerings have enabled us to establish and maintain long-standing partner relationships. We operate our business through a single reportable segment, with our primary source of revenue being from Interest and fees on loans from our various credit card and other loan products, and to a lesser extent from contractual relationships with our brand partners.

Throughout this report, unless stated or the context implies otherwise, the terms “Bread Financial”, “BFH”, the “Company”, “we”, “our” or “us” refer to Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. References to “Parent Company” refer to Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. on a parent-only standalone basis. In addition, in this report we may refer to the retailers and other companies with whom we do business as our “partners”, “brand partners”, or “clients”, provided that the use of the term “partner”, “partnering” or any similar term does not mean or imply a formal legal partnership, and is not meant in any way to alter the terms of Bread Financial’s relationship with any third parties. We offer our credit products through our insured depository institution subsidiaries, Comenity Bank and Comenity Capital Bank, which together are referred to herein as the “Banks”.

Effective March 23, 2022, we changed our corporate name to Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. from Alliance Data Systems Corporation, and on April 4, 2022, we changed our ticker to “BFH” from “ADS” on the NYSE. Neither the name change nor the NYSE ticker change affected our legal entity structure, nor did either change have an impact on our audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

We prepare our audited Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). However, certain information included herein constitutes non-GAAP financial measures. Our calculations of non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the calculations of similarly titled measures by other companies. In particular, Pretax pre-provision earnings (PPNR) is calculated by increasing/decreasing Income from continuing operations before income taxes by the net provision/release in Provision for credit losses. PPNR less gain on portfolio sales then decreases PPNR by the gain on any portfolio sales in the period. We use PPNR and PPNR less gain on portfolio sales as metrics to evaluate our results of operations before income taxes, excluding the volatility that can

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occur within Provision for credit losses and the one-time nature of a gain on the sale of a portfolio. Tangible common equity over Tangible assets (TCE/TA) represents Total stockholders’ equity reduced by Goodwill and intangible assets, net, (TCE) divided by Tangible assets (TA), which is Total assets reduced by Goodwill and intangible assets, net. We use TCE/TA as a metric to evaluate the Company’s capital adequacy and estimate its ability to cover potential losses. Tangible book value per common share represents TCE divided by shares outstanding. We use Tangible book value per common share as a metric to estimate the Company’s potential value. We believe the use of these non-GAAP financial measures provide additional clarity in understanding our results of operations and trends. For a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, please see “Table 6: Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures” that follows.

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

This Business Environment section provides an overview of our results of operations and financial position for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as our related outlook for 2024 and certain of the uncertainties associated with achieving that outlook. This section should be read in conjunction with the other information appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including “Consolidated Results of Operations”, “Risk Factors”, and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”, which provide further discussion of variances in our results of operations over the periods of comparison, along with other factors that could impact future results and the Company achieving its outlook.

Credit sales of $28.9 billion were down 12% when compared with 2022, reflecting a moderation in consumer spending, the sale of the BJ’s portfolio in late February 2023, as well as our proactive and responsible tightening of our underwriting and credit line management given ongoing consumer payment pressures and the resumption of federal student loan payments, partially offset by new brand partner growth. Average credit card and other loans of $18.2 billion increased 3% driven by the addition of new brand partners, as well as further moderation in the consumer payment rate. End-of-period credit card and other loan balances were down 10% due to the decline in Credit sales and the sale of the BJ’s portfolio noted above. Total interest income was up 10% as a result of improved loan yields from rising prime interest rates, partially offset by higher reversals of interest and fees resulting from higher gross credit losses. Net interest margin was 19.5% in 2023 improving slightly from 19.2% in 2022. Non-interest income increased $378 million, primarily related to the $230 million gain on the BJ’s portfolio sale, increased merchant discount fees and interchange revenue earned in 2023, as well as lower payments under our retailer share arrangements due to lower credit sales and higher losses, and lower cardholder and brand partner engagement initiatives in the current year. Overall, Total net interest and non-interest income was $4,289 million, up 12% versus 2022.

From an overall credit quality perspective the exit of the BJ’s portfolio, which had higher than average credit quality, and the downward migration of existing customers’ Vantage scores due to challenging macroeconomic conditions, caused our overall portfolio’s risk score distribution to shift downward relative to December 31, 2022. However, the percentage of Vantage 660+ cardholders was still above pre-pandemic levels due to prudent credit tightening and a more diversified product mix, with co-brand and proprietary cards representing a larger portion of our portfolio.

Provision for credit losses decreased relative to 2022 driven by a reserve release in the current year of $136 million, included in which was $235 million related primarily to the sale of the BJ’s portfolio; as compared with a $626 million reserve build in the prior year. The reserve release in the current year compared with the reserve build in the prior year was partially offset by increased net principal losses of $397 million in the current year.

Our Allowance for credit losses decreased as of December 31, 2023 relative to December 31, 2022, due primarily to the reserve release from the sale of the BJ’s portfolio. Despite the decrease in the Allowance for credit losses, the Reserve rate increased, 12.0% versus 11.5% as of those same respective dates. This increase was due to several factors, including the sale of the BJ’s portfolio which had higher than average credit quality, as noted above. Additionally, the Reserve rate was impacted due to the compounding effect of persistent inflation relative to wage growth, the increased cost of consumer debt, the possibility of higher unemployment levels and the potential impacts from the resumption of federal student loan payments.

Total non-interest expenses increased 8% when compared with 2022, with the increase due to higher Employee compensation and benefits expenses as a result of increased hiring to support our investment in both technology and digital capabilities, higher Card and processing expenses, including fraud, and higher Information processing and communication expenses driven by the transition of our credit card processing services and cloud modernization initiatives. These increases were partially offset by a reduction in Marketing expenses related primarily to decreased spending associated with DTC offerings.

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Throughout 2023 we also continued to execute on our debt plan, strengthen our balance sheet and improve our capital ratios, including our TCE/TA ratio and our Common equity tier 1 capital ratio, which were 9.6% and 12.2%, respectively, as of December 31, 2023. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and Table 6: Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures included in this report. As of December 31, 2023, DTC deposits grew to 34% of our total funding sources, further diversifying our funding base. During 2023 we also obtained our inaugural Parent Company issuer credit ratings, refinanced both our term loan and revolving line of credit, completed offerings of convertible and senior unsecured notes, executed a tender offer and redeemed certain of our outstanding senior unsecured notes, leading to a reduction in Parent Company debt of approximately $500 million.

Our 2024 financial outlook reflects an expected slower rate of Credit sales growth as a result of ongoing strategic credit tightening and continued moderation in consumer spending, both of which consequentially will impact loan growth and the Net loss rate. In addition, our 2024 outlook assumes multiple interest rate decreases by the Federal Reserve in the second half of the year, which will impact Total net interest income. Our outlook does not factor in the potential impacts of the proposed CFPB late fee rule.

Based on our current economic outlook, ongoing strategic credit tightening actions, higher gross credit losses, and visibility into our new business pipeline, we expect 2024 Average credit card and other loans growth to be down low-single digits relative to 2023. Excluding the BJ’s portfolio, we expect 2024 Average credit card and other loans growth to be up low-single digits. Total net interest and non-interest income, excluding gains on portfolio sales, is anticipated to be down low-to-mid single digits, driven by both lower Average credit card and other loans and Net interest margin. Our full year Net interest margin is expected to be lower than 2023, reflecting higher reversals of interest and fees due to higher expected gross credit losses, declining interest rates, and a continued shift in product mix to co-brand and proprietary products.

With our focus on expense discipline and operational excellence initiatives, we expect Total non-interest expense to be lower in 2024 than 2023 based on our current economic outlook. As a result of efficiencies gained in 2023 from our ongoing investments in technology modernization and digital advancement, along with disciplined expense management, we aim to deliver nominal positive operating leverage in 2024.

Our 2024 financial outlook also assumes a Net loss rate in the low 8% range, peaking in the first half of the year with each of the first two quarters in the mid-to-high 8% range as inflation continues to pressure consumers’ ability to pay and moderates their spend. Our outlook is inclusive of our ongoing credit tightening actions and expected slower loan growth impacting the Net loss rate.

We continue to await a final rule from the CFPB regarding credit card late fees, which we anticipate will be published in the coming months. While we cannot speculate on the exact timing or terms of the final rule, we expect that, absent a successful legal challenge, the rule will significantly reduce the safe harbor amount for late fees that we and other credit card issuers are authorized to charge, which would have a significant impact on our business and results of operations for at least the short term and, depending on the effectiveness of the mitigating actions that we may take in response to the rule, potentially over the long term. In anticipation of the final rule being published, we are evaluating a number of strategies designed to limit the impact of the final rule on our business, which may include increased annual percentage rates (APRs) and other fee-based pricing actions, certain underwriting adjustments, changes in brand partner program economics, and continued product diversification strategies. Based on our current estimates, if the rule were to be implemented as proposed and it reduced the late fee safe harbor amount to $8, assuming a hypothetical October 1, 2024 effective date, we expect that our Total net interest and non-interest income for the fourth quarter of 2024 would be negatively impacted by approximately 25% relative to the fourth quarter of 2023, after giving effect to certain of the strategies discussed above that we believe can be implemented by that time. Once the final rule is published, we will take further mitigating actions with our partners. We cannot guarantee, however, the extent to which these strategies will ultimately be successful, either in the short or the long term, and, if not fully successful, the adverse impact on our Total net interest and non-interest income could be greater than our current estimates. At this time, our 2024 financial outlook does not factor in potential impacts of the proposed CFPB late fee rule changes. For an additional discussion of the CFPB’s final rule and related risks and uncertainties, see “Risk Factors—Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risks” and “Business—Supervision and Regulation” elsewhere in this report.

Although we recognize the more challenging macroeconomic and regulatory landscape, we remain focused on generating strong returns through prudent capital and risk management, reflecting our commitment to drive sustainable, profitable growth and build long-term value for our stakeholders.

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CONSOLIDATED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion provides commentary on the variances in our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with the year ended December 31, 2022, as presented in the accompanying tables. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the discussion under “Business Environment”, above. For a discussion of the financial condition and results of operations for 2022 compared with 2021, please refer to Part II, Item 7. “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A)” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2023, which discussion is incorporated herein by reference.

Table 1: Summary of Our Financial Performance

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(1)Includes amounts that related to the previously disclosed discontinued operations associated with the spinoff of our former LoyaltyOne segment in 2021 and the sale of our former Epsilon segment in 2019. For additional information refer to Note 1, “Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

(2)Net interest margin represents annualized Net interest income divided by average Total interest-earning assets. See also Table 5: Net Interest Margin.

(3)Return on average equity represents annualized Income from continuing operations divided by average Total stockholders’ equity.

(nm) Not meaningful, denoting a variance of 100 percent or more.

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Table 2: Summary of Total Net Interest and Non-interest Income, After Provision for Credit Losses

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(nm) Not meaningful, denoting a variance of 100 percent or more.

Total Net Interest and Non-interest Income, After Provision for Credit Losses

Interest income: Total interest income increased for the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily resulting from Interest and fees on loans. The increase during the period, relative to the prior year, was due to both an increase in finance charge yields of approximately 126 basis points driven by increases in the prime interest rate, as well as, to a lesser extent, an increase in Average credit card and other loans; partially offset by higher reversals of interest and fees resulting from higher gross credit losses.

Interest expense: Total interest expense increased for the year ended December 31, 2023, due to the following:

•Interest on deposits increased due to higher average interest rates which increased interest expense by $269 million, as well as higher average balances which increased interest expense by $29 million.

•Interest on borrowings increased due to higher average interest rates which increased funding costs $141 million, partially offset by lower average borrowings which decreased funding costs by approximately $63 million.

Non-interest income: Total non-interest income increased for the year ended December 31, 2023, due to the following:

•Interchange revenue, net of retailer share arrangements, typically a contra-revenue item for us, decreased during the period, driven by cardholder and brand partner engagement initiatives in the prior year, and in the current year an increase in merchant discount fees and interchange revenue earned, as well as a reduction in costs associated with brand partner retailer share arrangements.

•Gain on portfolio sale reflecting the gain we recognized from the sale of the BJ’s portfolio in late February 2023.

Provision for credit losses decreased for the year ended December 31, 2023, driven by reserve releases in the current year of $136 million, of which $235 million was released in the first quarter relating primarily to the sale of the BJ’s portfolio, as compared with a $626 million reserve build in the prior year. The reserve release in the current year compared with the reserve build in the prior year was offset by increased net principal losses of $397 million in the current year. We continue to maintain an elevated reserve rate, 12.0% as of December 31, 2023, due to the compounding effect of persistent inflation

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relative to wage growth, the increased cost of consumer debt, the possibility of higher unemployment levels and the potential impacts from the resumption of federal student loan payments.

Table 3: Summary of Total Non-interest Expenses

Total Non-interest Expenses

Non-interest expenses: Total non-interest expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2023, due to the following:

•Employee compensation and benefits increased due to increased headcount, which was driven by continued digital and technology modernization-related hiring and customer care and collections staffing, increased retirement benefits and higher incentive compensation.

•Card and processing expenses increased due primarily to increased fraud losses, as well as higher card processing, direct mail and statement costs.

•Information processing and communication increased due to an increase in data processing expense driven by the transition of our credit card processing services in June 2022 and cloud modernization initiatives, as well as other software licensing expenses.

•Marketing expenses decreased primarily due to decreased spending associated with DTC offerings and discretionary expenditures.

Income Taxes

The Provision for income taxes increased for the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily related to a $668 million increase in Income from continuing operations before income taxes in 2023. The effective tax rate was 23.8% and 25.4% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in the 2023 effective tax rate resulted from discrete benefits, which were primarily related to a lapse of applicable statutes of limitations. The higher effective tax rate in 2022 was unfavorably impacted by lower Income from continuing operations before income taxes and an increase to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, offset by favorable settlements with tax authorities.

Discontinued Operations

The (Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes includes amounts that relate to the previously

disclosed discontinued operations associated with the spinoff of our former LoyaltyOne segment in 2021 and the sale of

our former Epsilon segment in 2019, and primarily relate to the after-tax impact of contractual indemnification and tax-related matters. For additional information refer to Note 1, “Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Table 4: Summary Financial Highlights – Continuing Operations

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(1)PPNR is calculated by increasing/decreasing Income from continuing operations before income taxes by the net provision/release in Provision for credit losses. PPNR is a non-GAAP financial measure. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and Table 6: Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures.

(2)Return on average assets represents annualized Income from continuing operations divided by average Total assets.

(3)Return on average equity represents annualized Income from continuing operations divided by average Total stockholders’ equity.

(4)Net interest margin represents annualized Net interest income divided by average Total interest-earning assets. See also Table 5: Net Interest Margin.

(5)Loan yield represents annualized Interest and fees on loans divided by Average credit card and other loans.

(6)Efficiency ratio represents Total non-interest expenses divided by Total net interest and non-interest income.

(7)Double leverage ratio represents Parent Company investment in subsidiaries divided by BFH consolidated equity.

(8)The Common equity tier 1 capital ratio represents common equity tier 1 capital divided by total risk-weighted assets.

(9)Total risk-weighted assets are generally measured by allocating assets, and specified off-balance sheet exposures, to various risk categories as defined by the Basel III standardized approach.

(10)Tangible common equity (TCE) represents Total stockholders’ equity reduced by Goodwill and intangible assets, net. Tangible assets (TA) represents Total assets reduced by Goodwill and intangible assets, net. TCE/TA is a non-GAAP financial measure. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and Table 6: Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures.

(11) Tangible book value per common share represents TCE divided by shares outstanding and is a non-GAAP financial measure. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and Table 6: Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures.

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(12)Payment rate represents consumer payments during the last month of the period, divided by the beginning-of-month Credit card and other loans, including held for sale in applicable periods.

(13)Delinquency rate represents outstanding balances that are contractually delinquent (i.e., balances greater than 30 days past due) as of the end of the period, divided by the outstanding principal amount of Credit cards and other loans as of the same period-end.Net loss rate, an annualized rate, represents net principal losses for the period divided by the Average credit card and other loans for the same period, with that Average being the average balance of the loans at the beginning and end of each month, averaged over the period. Delinquency rate as of December 31, 2022 was impacted by the transition of our credit card processing services in June 2022. Net loss rate for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were also impacted by the transition of our credit card processing services.

(14)Reserve rate represents the Allowance for credit losses divided by End-of-period credit card and other loans.

Table 5: Net Interest Margin

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______________________________

(1)Net interest margin represents annualized Net interest income divided by average Total interest-earning assets.

Table 6: Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures

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(nm) Not meaningful, denoting a variance of 100 percent or more.

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ASSET QUALITY

Given the nature of our business, the credit quality of our assets, in particular our Credit card and other loans, is a key determinant underlying our ongoing financial performance and overall financial condition. When it comes to our Credit card and other loans portfolio, we closely monitor Delinquency rates and Net principal loss rates, which reflect, among other factors, our underwriting, the inherent credit risk in our portfolio and the success of our collection and recovery efforts. These rates also reflect, more broadly, the general macroeconomic conditions, including the effects of persistent inflation and high interest rates. Our Delinquency and Net principal loss rates are also impacted by the magnitude of our Credit card and other loans portfolio, which serves as the denominator in the calculation of these rates. Accordingly, changes in the magnitude of our portfolio (whether due to credit tightening, acquisitions or dispositions of portfolios or otherwise) may cause movements in our Delinquency and Net principal loss rates that are not necessarily indicative of the underlying credit quality of the overall portfolio.

Delinquencies: An account is contractually delinquent if we do not receive the minimum payment due by the specified due date. Our policy is to continue to accrue interest and fee income on all accounts, except in limited circumstances, until the balance and all related interest and fees are paid or charged-off. After an account becomes 30 days past due, a proprietary collection scoring algorithm automatically scores the risk of the account becoming further delinquent; based upon the level of risk indicated, a collection strategy is deployed. If after exhausting all in-house collection efforts we are unable to collect on the account, we may engage collection agencies or outside attorneys to continue those efforts, or sell the charged-off balances.

The Delinquency rate is calculated by dividing outstanding principal balances that are contractually delinquent (i.e., balances greater than 30 days past due) as of the end of the period, by the outstanding principal amount of Credit cards and other loans as of the same period-end.

The following table presents the delinquency trends on our Credit card and other loans portfolio based on the principal balances outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:

Table 7: Delinquency Trends on Credit Card and Other Loans

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As of December 31, 2022 the Outstanding balances contractually delinquent, and the related % of Total (i.e., the Delinquency rate), were impacted by the transition of our credit card processing services in June 2022.

As part of our collections strategy, we may offer temporary, short term (six-months or less) forbearance programs in order to improve the likelihood of collections and meet the needs of our customers. Our modifications for customers who have requested assistance and meet certain qualifying requirements, come in the form of reduced or deferred payment requirements, interest rate reductions and late fee waivers. We do not offer programs involving the forgiveness of principal. These temporary loan modifications may assist in cases where we believe the customer will recover from the short-term hardship and resume scheduled payments. Under these forbearance programs, those accounts receiving relief may not advance to the next delinquency cycle, including charge-off, in the same time frame that would have occurred had the relief not been granted. We evaluate our forbearance programs to determine if they represent a more than insignificant delay in payment granted to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty, in which case they would then be considered a Loan Modification. For additional information, see Note 2 “Credit Card and Other Loans – Modified Credit Card Loans” to our audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Net Principal Losses: Our net principal losses include the principal amount of losses that are deemed uncollectible, less recoveries, and exclude charged-off interest, fees and third-party fraud losses (including synthetic fraud). Charged-off interest and fees reduce Interest and fees on loans, while third-party fraud losses are recorded in Card and processing expenses. Credit card loans, including unpaid interest and fees, are generally charged-off in the month during which an account becomes 180 days past due. BNPL loans such as our installment loans and our “split-pay” offerings, including unpaid interest, are generally charged-off when a loan becomes 120 days past due. However, in the case of a customer bankruptcy or death, Credit card and other loans, including unpaid interest and fees, as applicable, are charged-off 60 days after receipt of the notification of the bankruptcy or death, but in any case no later than 180 days past due for Credit card loans and 120 days past due for BNPL loans.

The net principal loss rate is calculated by dividing net principal losses for the period by the Average credit card and other loans for the same period. Average credit card and other loans represent the average balance of the loans at the beginning and end of each month, averaged over the periods indicated. The following table presents our net principal losses for the periods specified:

Table 8: Net Principal Losses on Credit Card and Other Loans

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(1)Net principal losses as a percentage of Average credit card and other loans for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were impacted by the transition of our credit card processing services in June 2022.

CONSOLIDATED LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Overview

We maintain a strong focus on liquidity and capital. Our funding, liquidity and capital policies are designed to ensure that our business has sufficient liquidity and capital resources necessary to support our daily operations, our business growth, and our credit ratings related to our Parent Company’s unsecured senior notes and our public secured financings, and meet our regulatory and policy requirements, including capital and leverage ratio requirements applicable to Comenity Bank (CB) and Comenity Capital Bank (CCB) under Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) regulations, in a cost effective and prudent manner through both expected and unexpected market environments. We also monitor our Double Leverage Ratio, which reflects our Parent Company’s investment in its subsidiaries relative to its consolidated equity, and is often used by regulators and other stakeholders as a measure of the use of debt by a parent entity to fund its subsidiaries.

Our primary sources of liquidity include cash generated from operating activities, our bank credit facility, issuances of unsecured or convertible debt securities by our Parent Company, financings through our securitization programs, and deposits with the Banks. More broadly, we continuously evaluate opportunities to renew and expand our various sources of liquidity. We aim to satisfy our financing needs with a diverse set of funding sources, and we seek to maintain diversity of funding sources by type of instrument, by tenor and by investor base, among other factors, which we believe will mitigate the impact of disruptions in any one type of instrument, tenor or investor.

Our primary uses of liquidity are for underwriting Credit card and other loans, scheduled payments of principal and interest on our debt, operational expenses, capital expenditures, including digital and product innovation and technology enhancements, stock repurchases and dividends.

We may from time to time retire or purchase our outstanding debt or convertible debt securities through cash purchases or exchanges for other securities, in open market purchases, tender offers, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. Such repurchases or exchanges would depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors, and may be funded through the issuance of debt or convertible debt securities. The amounts involved may be material.

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We will also need additional financing in the future to repay or refinance our existing debt at or prior to maturity, and to fund our growth, which may include issuance of additional debt, equity or convertible securities or engaging in other capital markets or financing transactions. Given the maturities of certain of our outstanding debt instruments and the macroeconomic outlook, it is possible that we will be required to repay, extend or refinance some or all of our maturing debt in volatile and/or unfavorable markets.

Because of the alternatives available to us, as discussed above, we believe our short-term and long-term sources of liquidity are adequate to fund not only our current operations, but also our near-term and long-term funding requirements including dividend payments, debt service obligations and repayment of debt maturities and other amounts that may ultimately be paid in connection with contingencies. However, the adequacy of our liquidity could be impacted by various factors, including pending or future legislation, regulation or litigation, macroeconomic conditions and volatility in the financial and capital markets, limiting our access to or increasing our cost of capital, which could make capital unavailable, or available but on terms that are unfavorable to us. These factors could significantly reduce our financial flexibility and cause us to contract or not grow our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

In early March 2023, in response to banking industry developments and increased financial sector volatility, we undertook enhanced daily monitoring of our liquidity and funding positions, and provided multiple daily updates to our Boards of Directors, at both the Bread Financial and Bank-levels, and regulators. The financial sector volatility experienced in March 2023 has since subsided; nevertheless, we continue enhanced daily monitoring of our liquidity and funding positions. We maintain a significant majority of our liquidity portfolio on deposit within the Federal Reserve banking system, and we also have a small investment securities portfolio, classified as available-for-sale, which we hold in relation to the Community Reinvestment Act. We do not have any investment securities classified as held-to-maturity. Our DTC deposit balances grew sequentially each quarter during 2023.

Credit Ratings

In November 2023, we obtained credit ratings for our Parent Company from the major credit rating agencies, Moody’s Investor Services (Moody’s), Standard & Poor’s (S&P) and Fitch Ratings (Fitch), in order to facilitate debt financings and broaden the investor base for our Parent Company debt securities.

Our management approach is designed, among other things, to maintain appropriate and stable Parent Company unsecured debt ratings from the credit rating agencies which help support our access to cost-effective unsecured funding as a component of our overall liquidity and capital resources.

The table below provides a summary of the credit ratings for the senior unsecured long-term debt of Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. as of December 31, 2023:

We also seek to maintain appropriate and stable credit ratings for our credit card securitizations issued through World Financial Network Credit Master Card Trust (WFNMT) from the rating agencies (DBRS, S&P and Fitch). The table below provides a summary of the structured finance credit ratings for certain of the asset-backed securities of WFNMT as of December 31, 2023:

Credit ratings are not a recommendation to buy or hold any securities and they may be revised or revoked at any time at the sole discretion of the rating agency. Downgrades in the ratings of our unsecured or secured debt could result in higher funding costs, as well as reductions in our borrowing capacity in the unsecured or secured debt markets. We believe our

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mix of funding, including the proportion of our DTC (retail) and wholesale deposits, to total funding, reduces the impact that a credit rating downgrade could have on our funding costs and capacity.

Funding Sources

Throughout 2023, we engaged in a number of financing transactions, including entering into a new credit agreement, repaying in full and terminating our prior credit agreement, repaying in full and cancelling an existing series of senior notes, repaying in full a term loan, and consummating certain debt capital markets transactions, including an offering of convertible senior notes, a tender offer to repurchase certain outstanding senior notes, an offering of senior notes and an offering of asset-backed term notes through one of our securitization trusts. In connection with these transactions, during 2023, we reduced our outstanding Parent Company debt by approximately $500 million and refinanced our nearer-term debt maturities. Further, in January 2024, we reduced our Parent Company debt by an additional $100 million in connection with an offering of additional senior notes. Each of these transactions, as well as other matters relating to our liquidity and capital resources during the year, are described in more detail below.

For additional information regarding our outstanding debt and sources of liquidity, see Note 10, “Borrowings of Long-Term and Other Debt” to our audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

Certain of our long-term debt agreements include various restrictive financial and non-financial covenants. If we do not comply with certain of these covenants and an event of default occurs and remains uncured, the maturity of amounts outstanding may be accelerated and become payable, and, with respect to our credit agreement, the associated commitments may be terminated. As of December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all such covenants.

Credit Agreement

In June 2023, we entered into a new credit agreement (the 2023 Credit Agreement) with Parent Company, as borrower, certain of our domestic subsidiaries, as guarantors, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent and lender, and various other financial institutions, as lenders, which provides for a $700 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility (the Revolving Credit Facility) and a $575 million senior unsecured delayed draw term loan facility (the Term Loan Facility), all on terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the 2023 Credit Agreement. The 2023 Credit Agreement replaced, in its entirety, our prior credit agreement dated June 14, 2017, as amended (the 2017 Credit Agreement), which was repaid in full and terminated in June 2023 in connection with the closing of our offering of convertible notes, described below. The 2023 Credit Agreement matures on June 13, 2026.

As of December 31, 2023 under the 2023 Credit Agreement, all $700 million remained available for future borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility, and we did not have any term loans outstanding or available for future borrowings under the Term Loan Facility as discussed in further detail below. The proceeds from the Term Loan Facility were to be used for refinancing existing debt and paying fees, expenses and premiums in connection therewith, while the proceeds from the Revolving Credit Facility may be used for general corporate purposes and working capital needs, including refinancing existing debt, investments, payment of dividends and repurchases of capital stock. Borrowings under the 2023 Credit Agreement bear interest at an annual rate equal to, at our option, either (a) Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus a credit adjustment spread and the applicable margin, (b) Daily Simple SOFR plus a credit adjustment spread and the applicable margin or (c) a base rate set forth in the 2023 Credit Agreement plus the applicable margin, with the applicable margin in each case dependent upon our ratio of (i) consolidated tangible net worth to (ii) consolidated total assets, minus the sum of goodwill and intangible assets, net.

In June 2023, we borrowed $300 million under the Term Loan Facility and used those borrowings, together with cash on hand, to repurchase the Senior Notes due 2024 that were tendered in the Tender Offer (as defined below). In December 2023, we repaid all such borrowings outstanding under the Term Loan Facility with a portion of the net proceeds from our December 2023 offering of 9.750% Senior Notes due 2029 (Senior Notes due 2029) and permanently terminated all commitments under the Term Loan Facility. See “—9.750% Senior Notes due 2029” below.

4.25% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2028

In June 2023, we issued and sold $316 million aggregate principal amount of 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028 (the Convertible Notes). The Convertible Notes bear interest at an annual rate of 4.25%, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, beginning on December 15, 2023. The Convertible Notes mature on June 15,

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2028, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. We used the net proceeds from the offering of the Convertible Notes to repay in full and terminate the 2017 Credit Agreement.

The Convertible Notes are convertible, under certain conditions, until March 15, 2028, and on or after such date without condition, at an initial conversion rate of 26.0247 shares of our common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes, subject to adjustment, which represents a 25% conversion premium based on the last reported sale price of our common stock of $30.74 on June 8, 2023 prior to issuing the Convertible Notes. Upon any such conversion, we will pay cash up to the aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes to be converted and pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of our common stock, or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock (at our election), in respect of the remainder, if any, of our conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes being converted.

At our option, we may redeem for cash, all or a portion of the Convertible Notes on or after June 21, 2026, and before the 51st scheduled trading day before the maturity date, but only if the closing price of our common stock reaches specified targets as defined in the indenture governing the Convertible Notes. The redemption price will equal 100% of the principal amount of the redeemed Convertible Notes plus accrued interest, if any.

If we experience a fundamental change, as defined in the indenture governing the Convertible Notes, the note holders may require us to purchase for cash all or a portion of their notes, subject to specified exceptions, at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Convertible Notes plus any accrued and unpaid interest.

In connection with the issuance of the Convertible Notes, we entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions (the Capped Call) with certain financial institution counterparties. These transactions are expected generally to reduce potential dilution to our common stock upon any conversion of Convertible Notes and/or offset any cash payments we are required to make in excess of the principal amount of the Convertible Notes, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap, based on the cap price. The base price of the Capped Call transactions is $38.43, representing a premium of 25% over the last reported sale price of our common stock of $30.74 on June 8, 2023, while the cap price is initially $61.48, which represents a premium of 100% over that same sale price on June 8, 2023. Within the share price range of $38.43 to $61.48 the Capped Call transactions provide economic value to us from the counterparties, upon maturity or earlier conversion. The Capped Call transactions met the conditions under the related accounting guidance for equity classification and are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis; the price paid of $39 million was recorded in Additional paid-in capital, net of tax, in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Tender Offer for 4.750% Senior Notes Due 2024

Concurrently with the launch of the Convertible Notes offering, we commenced a cash tender offer (the Tender Offer) for any and all of the $850 million in aggregate principal amount of our 4.750% Senior Notes due 2024 (the Senior Notes due 2024) oustanding at that time. The consideration offered for each $1,000 principal amount of the Senior Notes due 2024 was $980, plus accrued and unpaid interest, for any and all notes validly tendered. In June 2023, we repurchased and cancelled $565 million in aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2024 that were validly tendered in the Tender Offer. In December 2023, we redeemed the remaining $285 million of these notes with a portion of the net proceeds from our December 2023 offering of Senior Notes due 2029, and there were no Senior Notes due 2024 outstanding as of December 31, 2023. See “—9.750% Senior Notes due 2029” below.

9.750% Senior Notes due 2029

In December 2023, we issued and sold $600 million aggregate principal amount of 9.750% Senior Notes due 2029 (the Senior Notes due 2029). The Senior Notes due 2029 accrue interest on the outstanding principal amount at the rate of 9.750% per annum from December 22, 2023, payable semi-annually in arrears, on March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning on March 15, 2024. The Senior Notes due 2029 will mature on March 15, 2029, subject to earlier repurchase or redemption. We used the proceeds of the December 2023 offering of Senior Notes due 2029 to redeem in full the outstanding Senior Notes due 2024 and repay in full the outstanding term loans under the Term Loan Facility of our Credit Agreement.

Subsequent to December 31, 2023, in January 2024 we issued and sold an additional $300 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2029. The Senior Notes due 2029 issued in January 2024 were issued as additional notes under the same indenture pursuant to which the initial $600 million of Senior Notes due 2029 were issued in December 2023. The Senior Notes due 2029 that were issued in both December 2023 and January 2024 constitute a single series of notes and

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have the same terms, other than the issue date and issue price. We sold the additional $300 million of Senior Notes due 2029 at an issue price of 101.00% of principal plus accrued interest from December 22, 2023. We used the proceeds of the January 2024 offering of Senior Notes due 2029, together with $100 million of cash on hand, to fund the redemption of $400 million in aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 7.000% Senior Notes due 2026.

Deposits

We utilize a variety of deposit products to finance our operating activities, including funding for our non-securitized credit card and other loans, and to fund the securitization enhancement requirements of the Banks. We offer DTC retail deposit products, as well as deposits sourced through contractual arrangements with various financial counterparties (often referred to as wholesale deposits, and includes brokered deposits). Across both our retail and wholesale deposits, the Banks offer various non-maturity deposit products that are generally redeemable on demand by the customer, and as such have no scheduled maturity date. The Banks also issue certificates of deposit with scheduled maturity dates ranging between January 2024 and December 2028, in denominations of at least $1,000, on which interest is paid either monthly or at maturity.

The following table summarizes our retail and wholesale deposit products as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, by type and associated attributes:

Table 9: Deposits

As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, deposits that exceeded applicable FDIC insurance limits, which are generally $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, per ownership category, were estimated to be $509 million (4% of Total deposits) and $719 million (5% of Total deposits), respectively. The measurement of estimated uninsured deposits aligns with regulatory guidelines.

Overall, during 2023, we continued to improve our funding mix through actions taken to grow our DTC deposits and reduce our Parent Company unsecured borrowings, while maintaining the flexibility of secured, unsecured, and wholesale funding. Typical seasonality of credit card and other loan balance pay downs in the first quarter of 2023, combined with the sale of the BJ’s portfolio in late February 2023, and efforts undertaken throughout the year to reduce our long-term unsecured debt, reduced our funding requirements by over $2.9 billion from year-end 2022. As a result, we opportunistically reduced our wholesale and brokered deposits and paid down a large portion of our secured conduit line balances, discussed further below.

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Conduit Facilities and Securitization Programs

We sell the majority of the credit card loans originated by the Banks to certain of our master trusts (the Trusts). These securitization programs are a principal vehicle through which we finance the Banks’ credit card loans. For this purpose, we use a combination of public term asset-backed notes and private conduit facilities (the Conduit Facilities) with a consortium of lenders, including domestic money center, regional and international banks.

As of December 31, 2022, total capacity under our Conduit Facilities was $6.5 billion, of which $6.1 billion had been drawn down and was included in Debt issued by consolidated variable interest entities (VIEs) in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

During the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, we renewed lender commitments under our Conduit Facilities, bringing our capacity to $5.4 billion, and extended the various maturities to October 2024, February 2025, September 2025 and October 2025. Specifically, in February 2023, the World Financial Network Credit Card Master Note Trust amended its 2009-VFN Conduit Facility, decreasing the capacity from $2.8 billion to $2.7 billion and extending the maturity to October 2024. In December 2023, this facility was again amended extending the maturity to October 2025. In February 2023, in connection with the sale of the BJ’s portfolio, the World Financial Capital Master Note Trust amended its 2009-VFN Conduit Facility removing the assets related to the BJ’s portfolio. In April 2023, this facility was again amended decreasing the capacity from $2.5 billion to $2.3 billion and extending the maturity to February 2025. In March 2023, CCB repaid the Comenity Capital Asset Securitization Trust’s 2022-VFN Conduit Facility and terminated the related lending commitment, decreasing capacity by $1.0 billion. However, the structure of the applicable Trust did not change, including the Trust assets, providing for the option to pledge those assets in the future, and in September 2023, the Comenity Capital Asset Securitization Trust was amended to include a new credit commitment of $250 million with a maturity of September 2025. In June 2023, the World Financial Network Credit Card Master Trust III amended its 2009-VFC conduit facility, extending a portion of the maturity to October 2023, and another portion of the maturity to October 2024. In August 2023, this same facility was amended to replace the maturing commitment with a new $100 million commitment with a maturity of October 2024.

As of December 31, 2023, total capacity under our Conduit Facilities was $5.4 billion, of which $3.6 billion had been drawn and included in Debt issued by consolidated VIEs in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The following table shows the maturities of our borrowing capacity for the Trusts, as of December 31, 2023:

Table 10: Conduit Borrowing Capacity and Maturities

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(1)Total amounts do not include $1.2 billion of debt issued by the Trusts, which was retained by us as a credit enhancement and therefore has been eliminated from the Total.

In May 2023, World Financial Network Credit Card Master Note Trust issued $399 million of Series 2023-A public term asset-backed notes, which mature in May 2026. The offering consisted of $350 million of Class A notes with a fixed interest rate of 5.02% per year, $31 million of Class M notes with a fixed interest rate of 5.27% per year, and $18 million of zero coupon Class B notes. The Class M and B notes were retained by us and eliminated from the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $12.8 billion of securitized credit card loans. Securitizations require credit enhancements in the form of cash, spread deposits, additional loans and subordinated classes. The credit enhancement is principally based on the outstanding balances of the series issued by the Trusts and by the performance of the credit card loans in the Trusts.

Early amortization events as defined within each asset-backed securitization transaction are generally driven by asset performance. We do not believe it is reasonably likely that an early amortization event will occur due to asset performance. However, if an early amortization event were declared for a Trust, the trustee of the particular Trust would retain the interest in the loans along with the excess spread that would otherwise be paid to our Bank subsidiary until the investors

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were fully repaid. The occurrence of an early amortization event would significantly limit or negate our ability to securitize additional credit card loans.

We have secured and continue to secure the necessary commitments to fund our credit card and other loans. However, certain of these commitments are short-term in nature and subject to renewal. There is no guarantee that these funding sources, when they mature, will be renewed on similar terms, or at all, as they are dependent on the availability of the asset-backed securitization and deposit markets at the time.

Regulation RR (Credit Risk Retention) adopted by the FDIC, the SEC, the Federal Reserve Board and certain other federal regulators mandates a minimum five percent risk retention requirement for securitizations. Such risk retention requirements may limit our liquidity by restricting the amount of asset-backed securities we are able to issue or affecting the timing of future issuances of asset-backed securities. We satisfy such risk retention requirements by maintaining a seller’s interest calculated in accordance with Regulation RR.

Stock Repurchase Programs

On July 27, 2023, our Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program to acquire up to $35 million in shares of our outstanding common stock in the open market during the period ended December 31, 2023. The rationale for this repurchase program, and the amount thereof, was to offset the impact of dilution associated with issuances of employee restricted stock units, with the objective of reducing the Company’s weighted average diluted share count to approximately 50 million shares for the second half of 2023, subject to then current estimates and assumptions applicable as of the date of approval.

During the quarter ended September 30, 2023, under the authorized stock repurchase program, we acquired a total of 0.9 million shares of our common stock for $35 million. Following their repurchase, these 0.9 million shares ceased to be outstanding shares of common stock and are now treated as authorized but unissued shares of common stock.

Dividends

For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we paid $42 million, $43 million and $42 million, respectively, in dividends to holders of our common stock. On January 25, 2024, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.21 per share on our common stock, payable on March 15, 2024, to stockholders of record at the close of business on February 9, 2024.

Contractual Obligations

In the normal course of business, we enter into various contractual obligations that may require future cash payments, the vast majority of which relate to deposits, debt issued by consolidated VIEs, long-term and other debt and operating leases.

We believe that we will have access to sufficient resources to meet these commitments.

Cash Flows

The table below summarizes our cash flow activity for the periods indicated, followed by a discussion of the variance drivers impacting our Operating, Investing and Financing activities:

Table 11: Cash Flows

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Cash Flows from Operating Activities primarily include net income adjusted for (i) non-cash items included in net income, such as provision for credit losses, depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes and other non-cash items, and (ii) changes in the balances of operating assets and liabilities, which can fluctuate in the normal course of business due to the amount and timing of payments. We generated cash flows from operating activities of $1,987 million and $1,848 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the net cash provided by operating activities was primarily driven by cash generated from net income for the period after adjusting for the Provision for credit losses and the Gain on portfolio sale. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the net cash provided by operating activities was primarily driven by cash generated from net income for the period after adjusting for the Provision for credit losses.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities primarily include changes in Credit card and other loans. Cash provided by investing activities was $788 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and cash used in investing activities was $5,111 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the net cash provided by investing activities was primarily due to the sale of the BJ’s portfolio, partially offset by the growth of Credit card and other loans, as well as the acquisition of a credit card loan portfolio. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the net cash used in investing activities was primarily due to growth in credit sales and the consequential growth in Credit card and other loans, as well as the acquisition of credit card loan portfolios.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities primarily include changes in deposits and long-term debt. Cash used in financing activities was $3,086 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and cash provided by financing activities was $3,267 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the net cash used in financing activities was primarily driven by net repayments of both debt issued by consolidated variable interest entities (securitizations) and unsecured borrowings, as well as a net decrease in deposits. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the net cash provided by financing activities was primarily driven by a net increase in deposits and net borrowings under conduit facilities.

INFLATION AND SEASONALITY

Although we cannot precisely determine the impact of inflation on our operations, we have generally sought to rely on operating efficiencies from scale, technology modernization and digital advancement, and expansion in lower cost jurisdictions (in select circumstances) to offset increased costs of employee compensation and other operating expenses impacted by inflation. We also recognize that a customer’s ability and willingness to repay us has been negatively impacted by factors such as inflation and the effects of higher interest rates, which results in higher delinquencies that could lead to increased credit losses, as reflected in our increased Reserve rate. If the efforts to control inflation in the U.S. and globally are not successful and inflationary pressures continue to persist, they could magnify the slowdown in the domestic and global economies and increase the risk of a recession, which may adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

With respect to seasonality, our revenues, earnings and cash flows are affected by increased consumer spending patterns leading up to and including the holiday shopping period in the fourth quarter and, to a lesser extent, during the first quarter as Credit card and other loans are paid down. Net loss rates for our Credit card and other loans portfolio also have historically exhibited seasonal patterns and generally tend to be the highest in the first quarter of the year. While the effects of the seasonal trends discussed above remain evident, macroeconomic trends, such as those discussed within the Business Environment sections of our quarterly and annual reports on Forms 10-Q and Form 10-K generally have a more significant impact on our key financial metrics and can outweigh any seasonal impacts that we may experience.

LEGISLATIVE, REGULATORY MATTERS AND CAPITAL ADEQUACY

CB is subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the State of Delaware and the FDIC. CCB is also subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the FDIC, as well as the State of Utah. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can trigger certain mandatory and possibly additional discretionary actions by our regulators. Under capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, both Banks must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of their assets and liabilities as calculated under regulatory accounting practices. The capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by these regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors. In addition, both Banks are limited in the amounts they can pay as dividends to the Parent Company. For additional information about legislative and regulatory matters impacting us, see “Business–Supervision and Regulation” under Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Quantitative measures, established by regulations to ensure capital adequacy, require the Banks to maintain minimum amounts and ratios of Tier 1 capital to average assets, and Common equity tier 1, Tier 1 capital and Total capital, all to risk weighted assets. Failure to meet these minimum capital requirements can result in certain mandatory, and possibly additional discretionary actions by the Banks’ regulators that if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on CB’s and/or CCB’s operating activities, as well as our operating activities. Based on these regulations, as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, each Bank met all capital requirements to which it was subject, and maintained capital ratios in excess of the minimums required to qualify as well capitalized. The Banks seek to maintain capital levels and ratios in excess of the minimum regulatory requirements inclusive of the 2.5% Capital Conservation Buffer. Although Bread Financial is not a bank holding company as defined, we seek to maintain capital levels and ratios in excess of the minimums required for bank holding companies. As of December 31, 2023 the actual capital ratios and minimum ratios for each Bank, as well as Bread Financial, are as follows as of December 31, 2023:

Table 12: Capital Ratios

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(1)The Common equity tier 1 capital ratio represents common equity tier 1 capital divided by total risk-weighted assets.

(2)The Tier 1 capital ratio represents tier 1 capital divided by total risk-weighted assets.

(3) The Total risk-based capital ratio represents total capital divided by total risk-weighted assets.

(4) The Tier 1 leverage capital ratio represents tier 1 capital divided by total average assets, after certain adjustments.

(5) Total risk-weighted assets are generally measured by allocating assets, and specified off-balance sheet exposures, to various risk categories as defined by the Basel III standardized approach.

The Banks adopted the option provided by the interim final rule issued by joint federal bank regulatory agencies, which largely delayed the effects of the current expected credit loss (CECL) model on their regulatory capital for two years, until January 1, 2022, after which the effects are phased-in over a three-year period through December 31, 2024. Under the interim final rule, the amount of adjustments to regulatory capital deferred until the phase-in period includes both the initial impact of our adoption of CECL as of January 1, 2020, and 25% of subsequent changes in our Allowance for credit losses during each quarter of the two-year period ended December 31, 2021. In accordance with the interim final rule, we began to ratably phase-in these effects on January 1, 2022.

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CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

Our discussion and analysis of our results of operations and overall financial condition is based upon our audited Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies described in Note 1, “Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” to our audited Consolidated Financial Statements included as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The preparation of audited Consolidated Financial Statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We continually evaluate our estimates and judgments in determination of our financial position and operating results. Estimates are based on information available as of the date of the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and, accordingly, actual results could differ from these estimates, sometimes materially. Critical accounting estimates are defined as those that are both most important to the portrayal of our financial position and operating results, and require management’s most subjective judgments, which for us is our Allowance for credit losses, Provision for income taxes and Goodwill impairment.

Allowance for Credit Losses

The Allowance for credit losses represents our estimate of expected credit losses over the estimated life of our Credit card and other loans, incorporating future macroeconomic forecasts in addition to information about past events and current conditions. Our estimate under the Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) approach involves significant judgments from a modeling and forecasting perspective, and is significantly influenced by the composition, characteristics and quality of our Credit card and other loans portfolio, as well as the prevailing economic conditions and forecasts utilized.

In estimating our Allowance for credit losses, for each identified segment of loans sharing similar risk characteristics, management uses modeling and estimation techniques that leverage historical data and behavioral relationships, together with third-party projections of certain macroeconomic variables, to estimate expected losses based on historical correlation of realized losses to macroeconomic conditions for each of the segments in our portfolio. We consider the macroeconomic forecast used to be reasonable and supportable over the estimated life of the Credit card and other loans portfolio, with no reversion period. Since the implementation of the CECL guidance, we have maintained a consistent approach to the modeling of life of loan losses in establishing our Allowance for credit losses.

In addition to the quantitative estimate of expected credit losses, we also incorporate qualitative adjustments to the modeled output in order to address risks not inherently captured by the model output, such as Company-specific risks, changes in current macroeconomic conditions, or other relevant factors to ensure the Allowance for credit losses reflects our best estimate of current expected credit losses.

If we used different assumptions in estimating current expected credit losses, the impact on the Allowance for credit losses could have a material effect on our consolidated financial position and results of operations. For example, a 100 basis point increase in the Allowance for credit losses as a percentage of the amortized cost of our Credit card and other loans could have resulted in a change of approximately $189 million in the Allowance for credit losses as of December 31, 2023, with a corresponding change in the Provision for credit losses.

Income Taxes

The income tax laws of the United States, as well as its states and municipalities in which we operate, are inherently complex; the manners in which they apply to our facts is often open to interpretation, and consequentially requires us to make judgments in establishing our Provision for income taxes.

Differences between the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and tax bases of assets and liabilities give rise to deferred tax assets and liabilities, which measure the future tax effects of items recognized in the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and require certain estimates and judgments, in particular with deferred tax assets, in order to determine whether it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the benefit of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. In evaluating our deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis as new facts and circumstances emerge, we analyze and estimate the impact of future taxable income, reversing temporary differences and available tax planning strategies. Uncertainties can lead to changes in the ultimate realization of our deferred tax assets.

A liability for unrecognized tax benefits, representing the difference between a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return and the benefit recognized in the audited Consolidated Financial Statements, inherently requires estimates and judgments. A tax position is recognized only when it is more likely than not to be sustained, based purely on its technical

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merits after examination by the relevant taxing authority, and the amount recognized is the benefit we believe is more likely than not to be realized upon ultimate settlement. We evaluate our tax positions as new facts and circumstances become available, making adjustments to our unrecognized tax benefits as appropriate. Uncertainties can mean the tax benefits ultimately realized differ from amounts previously recognized, with any differences recorded in Provision for income taxes.

Our assessment of the technical merits and measurement of tax benefits associated with uncertain tax positions is subject to a high degree of judgment and estimation. Actual results may differ from our current judgments due to a variety of factors, including interpretations of law by the relevant taxing authorities that differ from our assessments and results of tax examinations. We believe we have adequately provided for any reasonably foreseeable outcome related to these matters. However, our future results may include favorable or unfavorable adjustments to our estimated tax liabilities in the period the assessments are made or resolved, or when statutes of limitation on potential assessments expire. As of December 31, 2023, we had $265 million in unrecognized tax benefits, including interest and penalties, recorded in Other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Goodwill Impairment

Goodwill is recognized for business acquisitions when the purchase price is higher than the fair value of acquired net assets. As required by GAAP, goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment at least annually or when events or circumstances arise that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of our single reporting unit below its carrying value.

We have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting unit is less than its carrying value. Alternatively, we can perform a more detailed quantitative assessment of goodwill impairment. Qualitative factors considered in evaluating goodwill impairment include macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, our overall financial performance, other relevant entity-specific factors and/or a sustained decrease in our share price. If after assessing qualitative factors we conclude that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then the quantitative goodwill impairment test is not necessary. However, if the qualitative factors indicate it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting unit is less than its carrying amount or we elect to skip the qualitative assessment, we would perform a quantitative impairment test.

We apply significant judgment when testing goodwill for impairment, especially when performing the quantitative test

where we perform a valuation of our reporting unit leveraging a combination of the income approach based on discounted cash flows and the market approach based on valuation multiples. The key assumptions used to determine the fair value are primarily unobservable inputs (i.e., Level 3 inputs) including internally developed forecasts to estimate future cash flows, growth rates and discount rates, as well as market valuation multiples (for the market approach). Estimated cash flows are based on internal forecasts grounded in historical performance and future expectations. To discount the estimated cash flows, we use the expected cost of equity taking into account a combination of industry and Company-specific factors we believe a third party market participant would incorporate. We believe the discount rate applied appropriately reflects the risks and uncertainties in the financial markets generally and specifically in our internally developed forecasts. When using valuation multiples under the market approach, we apply comparable publicly traded companies’ multiples (e.g., price to tangible book value or return on tangible equity) to our reporting unit’s operating results.

Given the inherent uncertainty in the judgments involved, we could be exposed to goodwill impairment as a result of adverse impacts from various factors including regulatory or legislative changes, or if future macroeconomic conditions or future operating results differ significantly from our current assumptions.

RECENTLY ADOPTED AND RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

See “Recently Adopted and Recently Issued Accounting Standards” under Note 1, “Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements.