REPUBLIC BANCORP INC /KY/ (RBCAA) Business

Item 1. Business.

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OVERVIEW

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The consolidated financial statements included in this report include the accounts of Republic Bancorp, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Republic Bank & Trust Company. As used in this report, the terms “Republic,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Republic Bancorp, Inc. and, where the context requires, Republic Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary. The term the “Bank” refers to the Company’s subsidiary bank, Republic Bank & Trust Company, as well as its wholly owned subsidiary, RBT Insurance Agency LLC. The Company dissolved Republic Insurance Services, Inc., its former insurance captive subsidiary, in 2023. All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

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Republic is an FHC headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, which is the most populous city in Kentucky. The Bank is a Kentucky-based, state-chartered non-member financial institution that provides both traditional and non-traditional banking products and services through five reportable segments using a multitude of delivery channels. While the Bank operates primarily in its geographical market footprint where it has physical locations, its non-brick-and-mortar delivery channels allow it to reach clients across the U.S.

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The principal business of Republic is directing, planning, and coordinating the business activities of the Bank. The financial condition and results of operations of Republic are primarily dependent upon the results of operations of the Bank. As of December 31, 2025, Republic had total assets of $7.04 billion, total loans of $5.45 billion, total deposits of $5.20 billion, and total stockholders’ equity of $1.10 billion. Based on total assets as of December 31, 2025, Republic ranked as the second largest Kentucky-based FHC. The executive offices of Republic are located at 601 West Market Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, telephone number (502) 584-3600. The Company’s website address is www.republicbank.com.

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AVAILABLE INFORMATION

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The Company makes its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, available free of charge through its website, https:republicbank.q4ir.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such material with, or furnishes it to, the SEC. The Company also uses its Investor Relations website to disclose material non-public information and may use the site to satisfy its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, the Company encourages investors, the media, and other interested parties to review the information posted on the Investor Relations website. The website address is provided for informational purposes only; it is not intended to be an active link. The information provided on the Company’s website is not part of this report, and is therefore not incorporated by reference, unless that information is otherwise specifically referenced elsewhere in this report.

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The SEC maintains an internet site at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy statements, information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

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Also available on the Company’s website are its Code of Conduct and Ethics, the charter of each active committee of the Board, and other materials outlining the Company's corporate governance practices. If the Company amends or grants a waiver of one or more of the provisions of its Code of Conduct and Ethics, the Company intends to satisfy the requirements under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K regarding the disclosure of amendments to or waivers from provisions of the Company’s Code of Conduct and Ethics that apply to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions, by posting the required information on our corporate website at www.republicbank.com.

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BUSINESS SEGMENTS

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The Company’s Executive Chair/CEO serves as the Company’s CODM. Income before income tax expense is the reportable measure of segment profit or loss that the CODM regularly reviews and utilizes to allocate resources and evaluate performance.

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As of December 31, 2025, the Company was divided into five reportable segments: (I) Traditional Banking, (II) Warehouse Lending, (III) TRS, (IV) RPS, and (V) RCS. Management considers the first two segments to collectively constitute “Core Bank” or “Core Banking” operations, while the last three segments collectively constitute RPG operations.

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Core Banking Operations:

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The Core Bank consists of the Traditional Banking and Warehouse Lending segments.

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The Traditional Banking segment provides traditional banking products and services primarily to customers in the Company’s market footprint, with all products and services generally offered under the Company’s traditional RB&T brand. As of December 31, 2025, Republic had 47 full-service banking centers with locations as follows:

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●Bellevue— 1

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Traditional Banking results of operations are primarily dependent upon net interest income, which represents the difference between the interest income and fees on interest-earning assets and the interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities used to fund those assets. Principal interest-earning Traditional Banking assets represent investment securities and commercial and consumer loans primarily secured by real estate and/or personal property. Interest-bearing liabilities primarily consist of interest-bearing deposit accounts, SSUAR, and short-term and long-term borrowing sources. FHLB advances have traditionally served as a significant borrowing and liquidity source for the Bank. Net interest income is impacted by both changes in the amount and composition of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, as well as market interest rates.

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Other sources of Traditional Banking income include service charges on consumer and commercial deposit accounts, mortgage banking income, debit and credit card interchange fee income, title insurance commissions, swap fee income and increases in the cash surrender value of BOLI.

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Traditional Banking operating expenses consist primarily of salaries and employee benefits; technology, equipment, and communication; occupancy; interchange related expense; marketing and development; FDIC insurance expense; and various other general and administrative costs. Traditional Banking results of operations are significantly impacted by general economic and competitive conditions, particularly changes in market interest rates, government laws and policies, and actions of regulatory agencies.

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Traditional Bank lending activities consist of the following:

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Retail Mortgage Lending — Through its retail banking centers and its online Consumer Direct channel, the Bank originates single-family RRE loans and HELOCs which are typically indexed to Prime. In addition, the Bank originates HEALs through its retail banking centers. Such loans are generally collateralized by owner-occupied, RRE properties. For those loans originated through the Bank’s retail banking centers, the collateral is predominately located in the Bank’s market footprint, while loans originated through its Consumer Direct channel are generally secured by owner-occupied collateral located within and outside of the Bank’s market footprint.

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The Bank offers single-family, first-lien RRE ARMs with interest rate adjustments tied to the SOFR index with specified minimum and maximum adjustments. The Bank generally charges a premium interest rate for its ARMs if the property is nonowner-occupied. The interest rates on the majority of ARMs are adjusted after their fixed rate periods on an annual or semi-annual basis, with most having annual and lifetime limitations on upward rate adjustments to the loan. These loans typically feature amortization periods of up to 30 years and have fixed interest-rate periods generally ranging from five to seven years, with demand dependent upon market conditions. While there is no requirement for clients to refinance their loans at the end of the fixed-rate period, clients have historically done so the majority of the time, as most clients are interest-rate-risk averse on first-lien mortgage loans.

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Single-family, first-lien RRE loans with fixed-rate periods of 15, 20, and 30 years are primarily originated and sold into the secondary market. MSR’s attached to the sold portfolio are either sold along with the loan or retained. Loans sold into the secondary market, along with their corresponding MSR’s, are included as a component of the Company’s Traditional Banking segment, as discussed elsewhere in this report. The Bank, as it has in the past, may retain such longer-term, fixed-rate loans from time to time in the future to help combat NIM compression.

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As part of the sale of loans with servicing retained, the Bank records MSR’s. MSR’s represent an estimate of the present value of future cash servicing income, net of estimated costs, which the Bank expects to receive on loans sold with servicing retained by the Bank. MSR’s are capitalized as separate assets. This transaction is posted to net gain on sale of loans, a component of noninterest income under “mortgage banking income” in the income statement. Management considers all relevant factors, in addition to pricing considerations from other servicers, to estimate the fair value of the MSR’s to be recorded when the loans are initially sold with servicing retained by the Bank. The carrying value of MSR’s is initially amortized in proportion to and over the estimated period of net servicing income. MSR amortization is recorded as a reduction to net servicing income.

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With the assistance of an independent third-party, the MSR’s asset is reviewed at least quarterly for impairment based on the fair value of the MSR’s using groupings of the underlying loans based on predominant risk characteristics. Any impairment of a grouping is reported as a valuation allowance. A primary factor influencing the fair value is the estimated remaining life of the underlying loans serviced which is significantly influenced by market interest rates. During a period of declining interest rates, the fair value of the MSR’s is expected to decline due to increased anticipated prepayment speeds within the portfolio. Alternatively, during a period of rising interest rates, the fair value of MSR’s would be expected to increase as prepayment speeds on the underlying loans would be expected to decline.

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The Bank does, on occasion, purchase single-family, first-lien RRE loans made to low-to-moderate income borrowers and/or secured by property located in low-to-moderate income areas, which assists the Bank in meeting its obligations under the CRA. In connection with loan purchases, the Bank receives various representations and warranties from the sellers regarding the quality and characteristics of the loans.

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Correspondent Lending — During 2014, 2015 and 2023, the Bank purchased select blocks of single family, first-lien mortgage loans for investment from Warehouse Lending clients through its Correspondent Lending channel. These loans were purchased at a premium that is amortized into interest income over the expected life of the loan utilizing the level-yield. Loans acquired through the Correspondent Lending channel are generally made to borrowers outside of the Bank’s historical market footprint. During the first quarter of 2024, management elected to sell $67 million of the loans purchased in 2023 and the sale was completed during the second quarter of 2024.

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Commercial Lending — As described in detail below, the Bank conducts commercial lending activities primarily through the following groups/divisions: Corporate Banking, CRE Banking, Commercial Banking, Business Banking, Private Banking, and Retail Banking channels and clients are primarily located within the Bank’s market footprint or in an adjoining market. In general, all commercial lending credit approvals and processing are prepared and underwritten through the Bank’s centralized CCAD.

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Credit opportunities are generally driven by the following: companies expanding their businesses; companies acquiring new businesses; and/or companies refinancing existing debt from other institutions. The Bank has a primary focus on C&I, CRE, and multi-family lending.

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C&I loans typically include those secured by general business assets, which consist of equipment, accounts receivable, inventory, and other business assets owned by the borrower/guarantor. Credit facilities include annually renewable LOCs and term loans with maturities typically ranging from three to five years and may also involve financial covenant requirements. These requirements are monitored by the Bank’s CCAD. Underwriting for C&I loans is based upon the borrower’s capacity to repay these loans from operating cash flows, typically measured by EBITDA, with capital strength, collateral, and management experience also important underwriting considerations. The targeted C&I credit size for client relationships is typically between $1 million and $10 million, with higher targets between $10 million and $35 million targeted by the Corporate Banking group.

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CRE and multi-family loans are typically secured by improved property such as office buildings, medical facilities, retail centers, warehouses, apartment buildings, condominiums, schools, religious institutions, and other types of commercial use property. The CRE Banking group, which launched in 2022, focuses on large CRE projects, typically in amounts from $5 million to $25 million. Borrowers are generally single-asset entities and the underlying collateral is nonowner-occupied. Primary underwriting considerations are cash flow projections (current and historical), financial capacity of sponsors, and collateral value financed.

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Fixed rate financing and reciprocal interest rate swaps are used as well. Given the size of these credits, the Bank generally seeks established, well-known borrowers and projects with low credit risk.

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The Commercial Banking group focuses on small and medium-sized C&I and CRE owner-occupied opportunities. Borrowers are generally single-asset entities and loan sizes typically range from $1 million to $5 million. As with Corporate Banking, the primary underwriting considerations are cash flow projections (current and historical), quality of leases, financial capacity of sponsors, and collateral value of property financed. Interest rates offered are based on both fixed and variable interest-rate formulas.

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The Business Banking group, reporting under Retail Banking in most markets, focuses on locally based small businesses in the Bank’s market footprint with primary annual revenues up to $10 million and borrowings between $350,000 and $1 million. The needs of these clients range from expansion or acquisition financing, equipment financing, owner-occupied real estate financing, and smaller operating lines of credit.

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The Bank is an SBA Preferred Lending Partner, which allows the Bank to underwrite and approve its own SBA loans in an expedited manner. The Bank makes loans to borrowers generally up to $3 million under both the SBA “7A Program” and the “504 Program” for CRE owner-occupied opportunities. The Bank utilizes these programs to reduce credit risk exposure.

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Lease financing receivables, which are generally direct financing leases, are reported at their principal balance outstanding, including any lease residual amount, net of any unearned income, deferred loan fees and costs, and applicable ACLL. Leasing income is recognized on the basis that achieves a constant periodic rate of return on the outstanding lease financing balances over the lease terms. During the fourth quarter of 2025, approximately $82 million of loans and leases were reclassified from held for investment to HFS, as the Bank entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement to sell its St. Louis-based RBF operations during December 2025. The transaction closed in February 2026 and the Company recorded a gain, net of broker commissions, of $6 million as a result of the sale in the first quarter of 2026. See additional discussion under the section titled “Recent Developments” of Part II Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

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Construction & Land Development Lending — The Bank originates business loans for the construction of both single-family, residential properties and commercial properties (apartment complexes, shopping centers and office buildings) to borrowers primarily located within the Bank’s market footprint or in an adjoining market. While not a major focus for the Bank, the Bank may originate loans for the acquisition and development of residential or commercial land into buildable lots.

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Single-family, residential-construction loans are made in the Bank’s market area to established homebuilders with solid financial records. The majority of these loans are made for “contract” homes that the builder has already pre-sold to a homebuyer.

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Commercial-construction loans are made in the Bank’s market to established commercial builders/developers with solid financial records. Typically, these loans are made for investment properties and have tenants pre-committed for some or all of the space. Generally, commercial-construction loans are made for the duration of the construction period and slightly beyond and will either convert to permanent financing with the Bank or with another lender at or before maturity.

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Construction-to-permanent loans are another type of construction-related financing that the Bank offers. These loans are made to borrowers who are going to build a property and retain it for ownership after construction completion. These loans are offered on both owner-occupied and nonowner-occupied CRE.

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Consumer Lending — Traditional Banking consumer loans include home improvement and home equity loans, other secured and unsecured personal loans, and credit cards originated to borrowers primarily located within the Bank’s market footprint or in an adjoining market. In 2024, the Traditional Bank ceased originating new consumer credit cards and sold its $5 million portfolio in the second quarter of 2025. Except for home equity loans, which are actively marketed in conjunction with single family, first lien RRE loans, other Traditional Banking consumer loan products while available, are not and have not been actively promoted in the Bank’s markets.

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Aircraft Lending — Aircraft loans are typically made to purchase or refinance personal aircrafts, along with engine overhauls and avionic upgrades with borrowers across the U.S. Loans typically range between $200,000 and $4 million in size and have terms up to 20 years. The credit characteristics of an aircraft borrower are higher than a typical consumer in that they must demonstrate and indicate a higher degree of creditworthiness for approval.

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The Bank’s other Traditional Banking activities generally consist of the following:

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Private Banking — The Bank provides financial products and services to high-net-worth individuals through its Private Banking department. The Bank’s Private Banking officers have extensive banking experience and are trained to meet the unique financial needs of this clientele.

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Treasury Management Services — The Bank provides various deposit products designed for commercial business clients located throughout its market footprint. Lockbox processing, remote deposit capture, business on-line banking, account reconciliation, and ACH processing are additional services offered to commercial businesses through the Bank’s Treasury Management department. Treasury Management officers work closely with commercial and retail officers to support the cash management needs of Bank clients.

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Internet Banking — The Bank expands its market penetration and service delivery of its RB&T brand by offering clients Internet Banking services and products through its website, www.republicbank.com.

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Mobile Banking — The Bank allows clients to securely access and manage their accounts through its mobile banking application.

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Other Banking Services — The Bank also provides title insurance and other financial institution related products and services.

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Bank Acquisitions — The Bank maintains an acquisition strategy to selectively grow its franchise as a complement to its organic growth strategies.

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See additional discussion regarding the Traditional Banking segment under the Footnote titled “Segment Information” of Part II Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

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The Core Bank provides short-term, revolving credit facilities to mortgage bankers across the U.S. through mortgage warehouse lines of credit. These credit facilities are primarily secured by single-family, first-lien RRE loans. The credit facility enables the mortgage banking clients to close single-family, first-lien RRE loans in their own name and temporarily fund their inventory of these closed loans until the loans are sold to investors approved by the Bank. Individual loans are expected to remain on the warehouse LOC for an average of 15 to 30 days. Advances for reverse mortgage loans and construction loans typically remain on the LOC longer than conventional mortgage loans. Interest income and loan fees are accrued for each individual advance during the time the advance remains on the warehouse LOC and collected when the loan is sold. The Core Bank receives the sale proceeds of each loan directly from the investor and applies the funds to pay off the warehouse advance and related accrued interest and fees. The remaining proceeds are credited to the mortgage banking client.

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See additional discussion regarding the Warehouse Lending segment under the Footnote titled “Segment Information” of Part II Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

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Republic Processing Group Operations:

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Republic Processing Group consists of the Tax Refund Solutions, Republic Payment Solutions and Republic Credit Solutions segments.

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Through the TRS segment, the Bank facilitates the receipt and payment of federal and state tax refund products and offers a credit product through third-party tax preparers across the U.S., as well as through tax-preparation software providers that offer Republic Bank ERAs, RAs and RTs (collectively, the “Tax Providers”). The substantial majority of TRS’s business activity occurs during the first half of each year, while the second half of the year is characterized by limited revenue and costs associated with preparing for the upcoming tax season.

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Contract Expiration:

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As previously disclosed, the Company’s largest Tax Provider contract within TRS based on product volume expired in October 2025 and the Company did not enter into a new contract with this Tax Provider for the 2026 Tax Season (which began in December 2025).

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ERAs/RAs originated through this Tax Provider represented approximately 67% of total ERA/RA dollars originated through TRS from December 2024 through February 2025. As a result, ERA/RA fee income attributable to this Tax Provider accounted for 61% of TRS’s total ERA/RA fee income for the 2025 calendar year, 88% for the fourth quarter of 2024 and 0% during the fourth quarter of 2025, respectively.

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In addition, the Provision for ERAs/RAs originated through this Tax Provider represented 58% of TRS’s total ERA/RA Provision for the 2025 calendar year, 96% for the fourth quarter of 2024 and 0% for the fourth quarter of 2025, respectively.

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Net RT revenue generated from this Tax Provider accounted for approximately 20% of TRS’s total net RT revenue for the 2025 calendar year. RT revenue recognized in the fourth quarter of any year is minimal, as the RT product is primarily earned and recognized during the first half of the year.

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Management estimates that the TRS segment earned approximately $6 million of pre-tax net income from this expiring contract during the twelve month period from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025, which the Company considers to be TRS’s fiscal operating year. Management further estimates that the TRS segment earned approximately $13 million of pre-tax net income from this expiring contract for the 2025 calendar year.

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Management does not believe that the net revenue from this Tax Provider will be replaced during the 2026 calendar year.

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Refund Advances:

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The RA loan product is a loan made in conjunction with the filing of a taxpayer’s federal tax return, which allows the taxpayer to borrow funds as an advance of a portion of their tax refund. The RA product had the following features during the 2024, 2025, and 2026 Tax Seasons:

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Early Season Refund Advances:

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Since its introduction in December of 2022, the ERA loan product has been structured similarly to the RA, with the primary differences being the timing of when the ERAs are originated and the documentation available to underwrite the ERAs. The ERA is originated prior to the taxpayer receiving their fiscal year taxable income documentation, such as Form W-2, and the filing of the taxpayer’s final federal tax return. As such, the Company generally uses paystub information to underwrite the ERA. The repayment of the ERA is incumbent upon the taxpayer client returning to the Bank’s Tax Provider for the filing of their final federal tax return in order for the tax refund to potentially be received by the Bank from the federal government to pay off the advance. The ERA product had the following features during the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Tax Seasons:

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The Company reports fees earned for ERAs/RAs as “Interest income on loans.” The number of days for delinquency eligibility is based on management’s annual analysis of tax return processing times. RAs, including ERAs that were originated related to the first quarter 2024 Tax Season were repaid, on average, within 32 days after the taxpayer’s tax return was submitted to the applicable taxing authority. Since ERAs/RAs do not have a contractual due date, the Company considered the advance delinquent during 2025 if it remained unpaid 35 days after the taxpayer’s tax return was submitted to the applicable taxing authority.

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Provisions on ERAs/RAs are estimated when advances are made. Unpaid ERAs/RAs, related to the first quarter tax filing season of a given year are considered delinquent at June 30th of that year and charged-off. In addition, as of June 30, 2025, RAs that were subject to Tax Provider loan loss guarantees were charged-off and immediately recorded as recoveries of previously charged-off loans with corresponding receivables recorded in other assets for the Tax Provider guarantees. Corresponding receivables are settled during the third quarter of each year. RAs collected during the second half of each year, not subject to loan loss guarantee arrangements, are recorded as recoveries of previously charged-off loans.

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Related to the overall credit losses on ERAs/RAs, the Bank’s ability to control losses is highly dependent upon its ability to predict the taxpayer’s likelihood to receive the tax refund as claimed on the taxpayer’s tax return. In addition, the Bank’s ability to control losses for the ERA product is highly dependent upon the taxpayer returning to a Tax Provider for the filing of their final tax return. Each year, the Bank’s ERA/RA approval model is based primarily on the prior-year’s tax refund payment patterns. Because the substantial majority of the ERA/RA volume occurs each year before that year’s tax refund payment patterns can be analyzed and subsequent underwriting changes implemented, credit losses during a given year could be higher than management’s predictions if tax refund payment patterns change materially between years.

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In response to changes in the legal, regulatory, and competitive environment, management annually reviews and revises the ERA/RA product parameters. Changes in product parameters do not ensure positive results and could have an overall material negative impact on the performance of all ERA/RA product offerings and therefore on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

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See additional discussion regarding the ERA/RA products under the sections titled: