The Company faces a variety of risks that may affect its operations or financial results, and many of those risks are driven by factors that the Company cannot control or predict. The following discussion addresses those risks that management believes are the most significant, although there may be other risks that could arise, or may prove to be more significant than expected, that may affect the Company’s operations or financial results.

For a discussion of the Company’s risk management, including operational risk, credit risk, market risk , liquidity risk, compliance risk, and legal risk , see “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Risk Management.”

Developments in the business, economic, and geopolitical environment could negatively impact the Company’s business.

The Company’s business can be adversely affected by the general environment – economic, corporate, securities market, regulatory, and geopolitical developments all play a role in client asset valuations, trading activity, interest rates and overall investor engagement, and are outside of the Company’s control. Deterioration in the housing and credit markets, reductions in short-term interest rates, and decreases in securities valuations negatively impact the Company’s results of operations and capital resources.

Extensive regulation of the Company’s businesses limits the Company’s activities and may subject it to significant penalties.

As a participant in the securities, banking and financial services industries, the Company is subject to extensive regulation under both federal and state laws by governmental agencies, supervisory authorities, and SROs. Such regulation continues to grow more extensive and complex , and regulatory proceedings continue to become more frequent and sanctions more severe . The requirements imposed by the Company’s regulators are designed to ensure the integrity of the financial markets, the safety and soundness of financial institutions, and the protection of clients. These regulations often serve to limit the Company’s activities by way of capital, customer protection and market conduct requirements, and restrictions on the business activities that the Company may conduct.

In addition to specific banking laws and regulations, the Company’s banking regulators have broad discretion in connection with their supervisory and enforcement activities and examination policies and could require CSC and/or Schwab Bank to hold more capital, increase liquidity, or limit their ability to pay dividends or CSC’s ability to repurchase shares. The banking regulators could also limit the Company’s ability to grow, including adding assets, launching new products, and undertaking strategic investments.

Despite the Company’s efforts to comply with applicable regulations, there are a number of risks, particularly in areas where applicable regulations may be unclear or where regulators revise their previous guidance. Any enforcement actions or other proceedings brought by the Company’s regulators against the Company or its affiliates, officers or employees could result in fines, penalties, cease and desist orders, enforcement actions, suspension or expulsion, or other disciplinary sanctions,

including limitations on the Company’s business activities, any of which could harm the Company’s reputation and adversely affect the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.

While the Company maintains systems and procedures designed to ensure that it complies with ap plicable laws and regulations, violations could occur. In addition , some legal/regulatory frameworks provide for the imposition of fines or penalties for noncompliance even though the noncompliance was inadvertent or unintentional and even though systems and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations were in place at the time . There may be other negative consequences resulting from a finding of noncompliance, including restrictions on certain activities. Such a finding may also damage the Company’s reputation and could restrict the ability of institutional investment managers to invest in the Company’s securities.

Legislation or changes in rules and regulations could negatively impact the Company’s business and financial results.

New legislation, rule changes, or changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing federal, state and SRO rules and regulations, including changes relating to money market mutual funds and broker-dealer fiduciary duties, may directly affect the operation and profitability of the Company or its specific business lines. The profitability of the Company could also be affected by rules and regulations which impact the business and financial communities generally, including changes to the laws governing taxation, electronic commerce, client privacy and security of client data. In addition, the rules and regulations could result in limitations on the lines of business the Company conducts, modifications to the Company’s business practices, increased capital requirements, or additional costs.

Financial reforms and related regulations may affect the Company’s business activities, financial position and profitability.

There have been extensive changes to the laws regulating financial services firms as a result of the enactment of the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” (the Dodd-Frank Act) . Among other changes:

Implementation of the legislation is ongoing and significant rule-making and interpretations remain to be completed. For example, rules relating to a minimum net stable funding ratio   which will require financial institutions to have a stable funding structure over a one-year horizon have not yet been proposed. In addition, the legislation mandates multiple studies, which could result in additional legislative or regulatory action. CSC will continue to review the impact that proposed rule-making will have on the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations, as such rule-making is issued.

The legislation gives the SEC discretion to adopt rules regarding standards of conduct for broker-dealers providing investment advice to retail customers. The various studies required by the legislation could result in additional rulemaking or legislative action, which could impact the Company’s business and financial results.

The changes resulting from the legislation may impact the profitability of the Company’s business activities, require changes to certain of its business practices, impose upon the Company more stringent capital, liquidity and leverage ratio

requirements or otherwise adversely affect the Company’s business. These changes may also require the Company to invest significant management attention and resources to evaluate and make necessary changes.

Technology and operational failures or errors could subject the Company to losses, litigation, and regulatory actions.

The Company faces operational risk, which is the potential for loss due to inadequate or failed internal processes, systems, and firms or exchanges handling client orders, or from external events and relationships impacting the Company and/or any of its key business partners and vendors. This risk also includes the risk of human error, execution errors, errors in models such as those used for asset management, capital management, risk management and compliance, employee misconduct, unauthorized trading, external fraud, computer viruses, distributed denial of service attacks, terrorist attacks, natural disaster, power outage, capacity constraints , software flaws and similar events .   For example, the Company and other financial institutions have been the target of various denial of service attacks that have, in certain circumstances, made websites, mobile applications and email unavailable for periods of time. It could take several hours or more to restore full functionality to the Company’s technology or other operating systems in the event of an unforeseen event which could affect the Company’s ability to process and settle client transactions. Moreover, instances of fraud or other misconduct, including improper use or disclosure of confidential client, employee, or company information, might also negatively impact the Company’s reputation and client confidence in the Company, in addition to any direct losses that might result from such instances. Despite the Company’s efforts to identify areas of risk, oversee operational areas involving risk, and implement policies and procedures designed to manage these risks, there can be no assurance that the Company will not suffer unexpected losses, reputational damage or regulatory action due to technology or other operational failures or errors, including those of its vendors or other third parties.

While the Company devotes substantial attention and resources to the reliability, capacity and scalability of its systems, extraordinary trading volumes could cause the Company’s computer systems to operate at unacceptably slow speeds or even fail, affecting the Company’s ability to process client transactions and potentially resulting in some clients’ orders being executed at prices they did not anticipate. Disruptions in service and slower system response times could result in substantial losses and decreased client satisfaction. The Company is also dependent on the integrity and performance of securities exchanges, clearing houses and other intermediaries to which client orders are routed for execution and settlement. Systems failures and constraints and transaction error at such intermediaries could result in delays and erroneous or unanticipated execution prices, cause substantial losses for the Company and for its clients, and subject the Company to claims from its clients for damages.

A significant decrease in the   Company’s liquidity could negatively affect the Company’s business and financial management as well as reduce client confidence in the Company.

Maintaining adequate liquidity is crucial to the business operations of the Company, including margin lending, mortgage lending, and transaction settlement, among other liquidity needs. The Company meets its liquidity needs primarily through cash generated by client activity and operating earnings, as well as cash provided by external financing. Fluctuations in client cash or deposit balances, as well as changes in market conditions, may affect the Company’s ability to meet its liquidity needs. A reduction in the Company’s liquidity position could reduce client confidence in the Company, which could result in the loss of client accounts. In addition, if the Company’s broker-dealer or depository institution subsidiaries fail to meet regulatory capital guidelines, regulators could limit the subsidiaries’ operations or their ability to upstream funds to CSC, which could reduce CSC’s liquidity and adversely affect its ability to repay debt and pay cash dividends. In addition, CSC may need to provide additional funding to such subsidiaries.

Factors which may adversely affect the Company’s liquidity position include a reduction in cash held in banking or brokerage client accounts, a dramatic increase in the Company’s client lending activities (including margin , mortgage-related, and personal lending), unanticipated outflows of company cash, increased capital requirements, other regulatory changes or a loss of market or customer confidence in the Company. Schwab may also experience temporary liquidity demands due to timing differences between clients’ transaction settlements and the availability of segregated cash balances.

When cash generated by client activity and operating earnings is not sufficient for the Company’s liquidity needs, the Company must seek external financing. During periods of disruptions in the credit and capital markets, potential sources of external financing could be reduced, and borrowing costs could increase. Although CSC and Schwab maintain committed and uncommitted, unsecured bank credit lines and CSC has a commercial paper issuance program, as well as a universal

shelf registration statement filed with the SEC, financing may not be available on acceptable terms or at all due to market conditions or disruptions in the credit markets. In addition, a significant downgrade in the Company’s credit ratings could increase its borrowing costs and limit its access to the capital markets.

The Company may suffer significant losses from its credit exposures.

The Company’s businesses are subject to the risk that a client, counterparty or issuer will fail to perform its contractual obligations, or that the value of collateral held to secure obligations will prove to be inadequate. While the Company has policies and procedures designed to manage this risk, the policies and procedures may not be fully effective. The Company’s exposure mainly results from margin lending, clients’ options trading, securities lending, mortgage lending, its role as a counterparty in financial contracts and investing activities, and indirectly from the investing activities of certain of the proprietary funds that the Company sponsors.

When clients purchase securities on margin or trade options or futures , the Company is subject to the risk that clients may default on their obligations when the value of the securities and cash in their accounts falls below the amount of clients’ indebtedness. Abrupt changes in securities valuations and the failure of clients to meet margin calls could result in substantial losses.

The Company has exposure to credit risk associated with its securities available for sale and securities held to maturity portfolios, which include   U.S. agency and non-agency mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, corporate debt securities, U.S. agency notes, certificates of deposit, and commercial paper among other investments. These instruments are also subject to price fluctuations as a result of changes in the financial market’s assessment of issuer credit quality, increases in the unemployment rate, delinquency and default rates, housing price declines, changes in prevailing interest rates and other economic factors. A failure to raise the U.S. debt limit and/or a downgrade of the U.S. government’s credit rating could decrease the value of the Company’s securities in both the available for sale and held to maturity portfolios.

Loss of value of securities available for sale and securities held to maturity can negatively affect earnings if management determines that such securities are other than temporarily impaired. The evaluation of whether other-than-temporary impairment exists is a matter of judgment, which includes the assessment of several factors. See “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Critical Accounting Estimates.” If management determines that a security is other-than-temporarily impaired, the cost basis of the security may be adjusted and a corresponding loss may be recognized in current earnings. Certain securities available for sale experienced continued credit deterioration in 2014 , which resulted in impairment charges. Deterioration in the performance of securities available for sale and securities held to maturity could result in the recognition of future impairment charges.

The Company’s loans to banking clients primarily consist of First Mortgages and HELOCs. Increases in delinquency and default rates, housing price declines, increases in the unemployment rate, and other economic factors can result in charges for loan loss reserves and write downs on such loans.

Heightened credit exposures to specific counterparties or instruments (concentration risk) can increase the Company’s risk of loss. Examples of the Company’s credit concentration risk include:

The Company may also be subject to concentration risk when lending to a particular counterparty, borrower or issuer.

The Company sponsors a number of proprietary money market mutual funds and other proprietary funds. Although the Company has no obligation to do so, the Company may decide for competitive or other reasons to provide credit, liquidity or other support to its funds in the event of significant declines in valuation of fund holdings or significant redemption activity that exceeds available liquidity. Such support could cause the Company to take significant charges, could reduce the Company’s liquidity and, in certain situations, could, with respect to proprietary funds other than money market mutual funds, result in the Company having to consolidate a supported fund in its financial statements. If the Company chose not to

provide credit, liquidity or other support in such a situation, the Company could suffer reputational damage and its business could be adversely affected.

Significant interest rate changes could affect the Company’s profitability and financial condition.

The Company is exposed to interest rate risk primarily from changes in the interest rates on its interest-earning assets (such as cash equivalents, short- and long-term investments, and mortgage and margin loans) relative to changes in the costs of its funding sources (including deposits in banking and   uninvested cash in brokerage accounts, short-term borrowings, and long-term debt). Changes in interest rates generally affect the interest earned on interest-earning assets differently than the interest the Company pays on its interest-bearing liabilities. In addition, certain funding sources do not bear interest and their cost therefore does not vary. Overall, the Company is positioned to benefit from a rising interest rate environment; the Company could be adversely affected by a decline in interest rates if the rates that the Company earns on interest-earning assets decline more than the rates that the Company pays on its funding sources, or if prepayment rates increase on the mortgages and mortgage-backed securities that the Company holds. The Company may also be limited in the amount it can reduce interest rates on funding sources, such as deposit accounts , and still offer a competitive return.

As a result of the low interest rate environment, the Company has been waiving and may continue to waive a portion of its management fees for certain Schwab-sponsored money market mutual funds. To the extent the overall yield on certain Schwab-sponsored money market mutual funds falls to a level at or below the management fees on those funds, the Company may waive a portion of its fee in order to continue providing some return to clients. Such fee waivers negatively impact the Company’s asset management and administration fees.

The Company is subject to litigation and regulatory investigations and proceedings and may not be successful in defending itself against claims or proceedings.

The financial services industry faces substantial litigation and regulatory risks. The Company is subject to claims and lawsuits in the ordinary course of business, including arbitrations, class actions and other litigation, some of which include claims for substantial or unspecified damages. The Company is also the subject of inquiries, investigations, and proceedings by regulatory and other governmental agencies.

Litigation and arbitration claims include those brought by the Company’s clients and the clients of third party advisors whose assets are custodied at the Company. Claims from clients of third party advisors may allege losses due to investment decisions made by the third party advisors or the advisors’ misconduct. Litigation claims also include claims from third parties alleging infringement of their intellectual property rights (e.g., patents). Such litigation can require the expenditure of significant Company resources. If the Company were found to have infringed a third-party patent, or other intellectual property rights, it could incur substantial damages, and in some circumstances could be enjoined from using certain technology, or providing certain products or services.

Actions brought against the Company may result in settlements, awards, injunctions, fines, penalties or other results adverse to the Company including reputational harm. Even if the Company is successful in defending against these actions, the defense of such matters may result in the Company incurring significant expenses. Predicting the outcome of matters is inherently difficult, particularly where claims are brought on behalf of various classes of claimants, claimants seek substantial or unspecified damages, or when investigations or legal proceedings are at an early stage. A substantial judgment, settlement, fine, or penalty could be material to the Company’s operating results or cash flows for a particular future period, depending on the Company’s results for that period. In market downturns, the volume of legal claims and amount of damages sought in litigation and regulatory proceedings against financial services companies have historically increased. See “Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – 14.  Commitments and Contingencies.”

Security breaches of the Company’s systems, or those of its clients or third parties, may subject the Company to significant liability and damage the Company’s reputation.

The Company’s business involves the secure processing, storage and transmission of confidential information about the Company and its clients. Information security risks for financial institutions are increasing, in part because of the use of the internet and mobile technologies to conduct financial transactions, and the increased sophistication and activities of organized

crime, activists, hackers and other external parties. The Company’s systems and those of other financial institutions have been and are likely to continue to be the target of cyber attacks, malicious code, computer viruses and denial of service attacks that could result in unauthorized access, misuse, loss or destruction of data (including confidential customer information), account takeovers, unavailability of service or other events. Despite the Company’s efforts to ensure the integrity of its systems, the Company may not be able to anticipate or to implement effective preventive measures against all security breaches of these types, especially because the techniques used change frequently or are not recognized until launched, and because security attacks can originate from a wide variety of sources. Data security breaches may also result from non-technical means, for example, actions by a suborned employee.

Security breaches, including breaches of the Company’s security measures or those of the Company’s third-party service providers or clients, could result in a violation of applicable privacy and other laws and could subject the Company to significant liability or loss that may not be covered by insurance, actions by the Company’s regulators, damage to the Company’s reputation, or a loss of confidence in the Company’s security measures which could harm the Company’s business. The Company may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify its protective measures or to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures.

The Company also faces risk related to external fraud involving the compromise of clients’ personal electronic devices that can facilitate the unauthorized access to login and password information for their various online financial accounts, including those at the Company. Such risk has grown in recent years due to the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime and other external parties , including foreign state-sponsored parties . For example, these parties send fraudulent “phishing” emails to the Company’s clients in order to misappropriate user names, passwords or other personal information. Losses reimbursed to clients under the Company’s guarantee against unauthorized account activity could have a negative impact on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Company relies on outsourced service providers to perform key functions.

The Company relies on external service providers to perform certain key technology, processing, servicing, and support functions. These service providers face technology, operating, business, and economic risks, and any significant failures by them, including the improper use or disclosure of the Company’s confidential client, employee, or company information, could cause the Company to incur losses and could harm the Company’s reputation. An interruption in or the cessation of service by any external service provider as a result of systems failures, capacity constraints, financial difficulties or for any other reason, and the Company’s inability to make alternative arrangements in a timely manner could disrupt the Company’s operations, impact the Company’s ability to offer certain products and services, and result in financial losses to the Company. Switching to an alternative service provider may require a transition period and result in less efficient operations.

Potential strategic transactions could have a negative impact on the Company’s financial position.

The Company evaluates potential strategic transactions, including business combinations, acquisitions, and dispositions. Any such transaction could have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. The process of evaluating, negotiating, and effecting any such strategic transaction may divert management’s attention from other business concerns, and might cause the loss of key clients, employees, and business partners. Moreover, integrating businesses and systems may result in unforeseen expenditures as well as numerous risks and uncertainties, including the need to integrate operational, financial, and management information systems and management controls, integrate relationships with clients and business partners, and manage facilities and employees in different geographic areas. In addition, an acquisition may cause the Company to assume liabilities or become subject to litigation or regulatory proceedings . Further, the Company may not realize the anticipated benefits from an acquisition, and any future acquisition could be dilutive to the Company’s current stockholders’ percentage ownership or to earnings per common share.

The Company’s acquisitions and dispositions are typically subject to closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and the absence of material adverse changes in the business, operations or financial condition of the entity being acquired or sold. To the extent the Company enters into an agreement to buy or sell an entity, there can be no guarantee that the transaction will close when expected, or at all. If a material transaction does not close, the Company’s stock price could decline.

The Company’s industry is characterized by aggressive price competition .

The Company continually monitors its pricing in relation to competitors and periodically adjusts trade commission rates, interest rates on deposits and loans, fees for advisory services, and other fee structures to enhance its competitive position. Increased price competition from other financial services firms, such as reduced commissions to attract trading volume or higher deposit rates to attract client cash balances, could impact the Company’s results of operations and financial condition. To the extent that any of our competitors acquires or is acquired by another institution, that firm may be able to offer products and services at lower prices and/or promote those products and services more aggressively.

The Company faces competition in hiring and retaining qualified employees, especially for employees who are key to the Company’s ability to build and enhance client relationships.

The market for quality professionals and other personnel in the Company’s business is highly competitive. Competition is particularly strong for financial consultants who build and sustain the Company’s client relationships. The Company’s ability to continue to compete effectively will depend upon its ability to attract new employees and retain existing employees while managing compensation costs.

The Company’s stock price has fluctuated historically, and may continue to fluctuate.

The Company’s stock price can be volatile. Among the factors that may affect the volatility of the Company’s stock price are the following:

Changes in the stock market generally or as it concerns the Company’s industry, as well as geopolitical, economic, and business factors unrelated to the Company, may also affect the Company’s stock price.

Future sales of CSC’s equity securities may adversely affect the market price of CSC’s common stock and result in dilution.

CSC’s certificate of incorporation authorizes CSC’s Board of Directors to, among other things, issue additional shares of common or preferred stock or securities convertible or exchangeable into equity securities, without stockholder approval. CSC may issue additional equity or convertible securities to raise additional capital or for other purposes. The issuance of any additional equity or convertible securities could be substantially dilutive to holders of CSC’s common stock and may adversely affect the market price of CSC’s common stock.