Risk Factors

An investment in Catalyst Bancorp’s common stock is subject to risk, including risks related to our business and this offering.

Specific risks related to our business include, but are not limited to, those related to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic and the associated economic slowdown; our emphasis on residential mortgage lending; our planned increase in commercial and multi-family real estate and commercial lending; our allowance for loan losses; the susceptibility of the markets we operate in to natural disasters; the geographic concentration of our loan portfolio and local and national economic conditions; our net loss for the year ended December 31, 2020 and our prospects for profitability in the near-term; economic conditions in our local market areas; our business strategy to grow our business and operations; our dependence on our management team; our strategy to grow through mergers and acquisitions; our branch office strategy; our liquidity management; competition within our market area; changes in interest rates; reputation risk; our dependence on information technology and telecommunications systems and third-party service providers; cybersecurity risks; our ability to keep pace with technological changes; operational risks resulting from the high volume of transactions we process; acts of terrorism or other external events; and changes in and compliance with laws and regulations and accounting rules and best practices.

Specific risks related to this offering include, but are not limited to, those related to the future trading price of the common stock of Catalyst Bancorp; the trading market for the common stock of Catalyst Bancorp; the broad discretion we have over the use of the net offering proceeds; the intended new stock-based benefit plans; the return on equity after the completion of the offering; anti-takeover factors; the potential lack of dividends on our common stock; the potential for delay in an investor’s ability to sell shares of common stock immediately following the offering; the irrevocability of your investment decision; and, our status as an emerging growth company.

Before making an investment decision, you should read this entire document carefully, including the section entitled “Risk Factors” that follows and that discusses the above risks in further detail.

RISK FACTORS

Risks Related to Our Business

Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Associated Economic Slowdown

The widespread outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and will likely continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Moreover, the longer the pandemic persists, the more material the ultimate effects are likely to be.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact economic and commercial activity and financial markets, both globally and within the United States. In our market area, stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions — and similar orders imposed across the United States to restrict the spread of COVID-19 — resulted in significant business and operational disruptions, including business closures, supply chain disruptions, and mass layoffs and furloughs. Local jurisdictions have subsequently lifted stay-at-home orders and moved to phased reopening of businesses, although capacity restrictions and health and safety recommendations that encourage continued physical distancing and working remotely have limited the ability of businesses to return to pre-pandemic levels of activity.

We have implemented business continuity plans and continue to provide financial services to clients, while taking health and safety measures such as limiting access to the interior of our facilities, frequently cleaning our facilities, and using a remote workforce where possible. Despite these safeguards, we may nonetheless experience business disruptions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected our business and is likely to continue to do so. As of December 31, 2020, we had provided $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans for 86 new and existing customers. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we also granted eligible loan modifications in the form of payment deferral of principal for $23.9 million of loans under the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. Generally, these modifications included the deferral of principal payments for a period of three months and a three-month extension of the maturity date. At December 31, 2020, we had five loans with an outstanding balance of $1.5 million on COVID-19 related extensions. In addition, at December 31, 2020, included in our commercial real estate loans portfolio were nine loans, with an aggregate outstanding balance of $11.7 million at such date, which were secured by hotel properties. While all of such loans were performing in accordance with their terms at such date, the hospitality industry has been particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are closely monitoring our loans in the hotel segment.

The extent to which COVID-19 will continue to negatively affect our business is unknown and will depend on the geographic spread of the virus, the overall severity of the disease, the duration of the pandemic, the actions undertaken by national, state and local governments and health officials to contain the virus or treat its effects, and how quickly and to what extent economic conditions improve and normal business and operating conditions resume. The longer the pandemic persists, the more material the ultimate effects are likely to be.

The continued spread of COVID-19 and the efforts to contain the virus, including stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions, could, among other things: (1) cause changes in consumer and business spending, borrowing and saving habits, which may affect the demand for loans and other products and services we offer, as well as the creditworthiness of potential and current borrowers; (2) cause our borrowers to be unable to meet existing payment obligations, particularly those borrowers that may be disproportionately affected by business shut downs and travel restrictions, such as those operating in the lodging, retail, travel and entertainment industries, resulting in increases in loan delinquencies, problem assets, and foreclosures; (3) cause the value of collateral for loans, especially real estate, to decline in value; (4) reduce the availability and productivity of our employees; (5) require us to increase our allowance for credit losses; (6) cause our vendors and counterparties to be unable to meet existing obligations to us; (7) negatively impact the business and operations of third party service providers that perform critical services for our business; (8) impede our ability to close mortgage loans, if appraisers and title companies are unable to perform their functions; (9) cause the value of our securities portfolio to decline; and (10) cause the net worth and liquidity of loan guarantors to decline, impairing their ability to honor commitments to us.

Any one or a combination of the above events could have a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Lending Activities

Our emphasis on residential mortgage loans exposes us to lending risks.

At December 31, 2020, $99.9 million, or 65.8%, of our loan portfolio was secured by one- to four-family residential real estate and we intend to continue to make loans of this type after the offering. One- to four-family residential mortgage lending is generally sensitive to regional and local economic conditions that significantly impact the ability of borrowers to meet their loan payment obligations, making loss levels difficult to predict. Declines in real estate values could cause some of our residential mortgages to be inadequately collateralized, which would expose us to a greater risk of loss if we seek to recover on defaulted loans by selling the real estate collateral. In addition, a significant portion of our one- to four-family residential loans are considered non-conforming loans, for various reasons, and are not readily saleable into the secondary market.

Our planned increase in commercial and multi-family real estate and commercial lending could expose us to increased lending risks and related loan losses.

At December 31, 2020, we had an aggregate of $41.8 million in commercial real estate, multi-family and commercial and industrial loans (which include non-residential real estate loans, multi-family loans and commercial business loans), which represented 27.6% of our total loan portfolio at that date. Our current business strategy is to increase our originations of commercial real estate loans and commercial and industrial loans in accordance with our underwriting guidelines. Commercial real estate loans generally expose a lender to greater risk of non-payment and loss than one- to four-family residential mortgage loans because repayment of the loans often depends on the successful operation of the properties and the income stream of the borrowers. Such loans typically involve larger loan balances to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers compared to one- to four-family residential mortgage loans.

The offering will allow us to increase our loans-to-one borrower limit which may result in larger loan balances. In addition, to the extent that borrowers have more than one commercial loan outstanding, an adverse development with respect to one loan or one credit relationship could expose us to a significantly greater risk of loss compared to an adverse development with respect to a one- to four-family residential real estate loan. Furthermore, if loans that are collateralized by commercial real estate become troubled and the value of the real estate has been significantly impaired, then we may not be able to recover the full contractual amount of principal and interest that we anticipated at the time we originated the loan, which could cause us to increase our provision for loan losses and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

If our allowance for loan losses is not sufficient to cover actual loan losses, our results of operations would be negatively affected.

In determining the amount of the allowance for loan losses, we analyze, among other things, our loss and delinquency experience by portfolio segments and we consider the effect of existing economic conditions. In addition, we make various assumptions and judgments about the collectability of our loan portfolio, including the creditworthiness of our borrowers and the value of the real estate and other assets serving as collateral for the repayment of many of our loans. If the actual results are different from our estimates, or our analyses are inaccurate, our allowance for loan losses may not be sufficient to cover losses inherent in our loan portfolio, which would require additions to our allowance and would decrease our net income. Our emphasis on loan growth and on increasing our portfolio, as well as any future credit deterioration, will require us to increase our allowance further in the future.

In addition, Federal banking regulators periodically review our allowance for loan losses and could require us to increase our provision for loan losses. Any increase in our allowance for loan losses or loan charge-offs resulting from these regulatory reviews may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

The markets in which we operate are susceptible to hurricanes and other natural disasters, which could result in a disruption of our operations and increases in loan losses.

A significant portion of our business is generated from markets in southern Louisiana that have been, and may continue to be, damaged by major hurricanes, floods, tropical storms, tornadoes and other natural disasters. Natural disasters can disrupt our operations, cause widespread property damage, and severely depress the local economies in which we operate. Natural disasters could harm our operations directly through interference with communications and damage to our facilities and our operational, financial and management information systems, any of which could impair our ability to conduct business. In addition, if the economies in our primary markets experience an overall decline as a result of adverse weather or other natural disasters, demand for loans and our other products and services could be reduced. The rates of delinquencies, foreclosures, bankruptcies and losses in our loan portfolios may increase substantially, as uninsured property losses or sustained job interruption or loss may materially impair borrowers’ abilities to repay their loans. Moreover, the value of real estate or other collateral that secures our loans could be materially and adversely affected by a natural disaster. A natural disaster could, therefore, result in decreased revenue and increased loan losses. All of these consequences could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The geographic concentration of our loan portfolio and lending activities makes us vulnerable to a downturn in our local market area.

While there is not a single employer or industry in our market area on which a significant number of our customers are dependent, a substantial portion of our loan portfolio is comprised of loans secured by property located in the Acadiana region, particularly in St. Landry Parish and contiguous parishes in south central Louisiana. This makes us vulnerable to a downturn in the local economy and real estate markets. Adverse conditions in the local economy such as unemployment, recession, a catastrophic event or other factors beyond our control could impact the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans, which could impact our net interest income. Decreases in local real estate values caused by economic conditions, recent changes in tax laws or other events could adversely affect the value of the property used as collateral for our loans, which could cause us to realize a loss in the event of a foreclosure. Further, deterioration in local economic conditions could drive the level of loan losses beyond the level we have provided for in our allowance for loan losses, which in turn could necessitate an increase in our provision for loan losses and a resulting reduction to our earnings and capital.

Economic conditions could result in increases in our level of non-performing loans and/or reduce demand for our products and services, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Prolonged deteriorating economic conditions could significantly affect the markets in which we do business, the value of our loans and investment securities, and our ongoing operations, costs and profitability. Further, declines in real estate values and sales volumes and elevated unemployment levels may result in higher loan delinquencies, increases in our non-performing and classified assets and a decline in demand for our products and services. These events may cause us to incur losses and may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Reduction in problem assets can be slow, and the process can be exacerbated by the condition of the properties securing non-performing loans and the foreclosure process in Louisiana, where the majority of our borrowers reside. To the extent that we must work through the resolution of assets, economic problems may cause us to incur losses and adversely affect our capital, liquidity, and financial condition.

Risks Related to our Business Strategy

We incurred a net loss in the year ended December 31, 2020, and we may not achieve significant profitability from our business strategies and growth plan in the near term.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we had a net loss of $684,000. Our loss in 2020 compared to net income of $1.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily was the result of a $1.6 million increase in non-interest expense, which included $1.5 million (pre-tax) in prepayment penalties recognized on Federal Home Loan Bank advances, and a $910,000 increase in the provision for loan losses.

We believe growth and expansion of our business operations is essential to our future profitability. We expect to incur expenses related to the implementation of our growth plan, including possible hiring initiatives, and the development and marketing of new products and services. In addition, the conversion and offering will have a short-term adverse impact on our operating results, due to additional costs related to becoming a public company, increased compensation expenses associated with our employee stock ownership plan and the possible implementation of a stock-based benefit plan after the completion of the conversion and offering.

Our ability to achieve profitability depends upon a number of factors, including, we believe, most importantly our ability to increase our revenues and grow our asset size. In order to grow, we need to successfully implement our business strategy, including increasing our loan originations, especially commercial loans, while managing expenses. Our ability to achieve profitability will also be affected by competition with other financial institutions, changes to the interest rate environment that may reduce our profit margins or impair our business strategy, adverse changes in the securities markets, changes in laws or government regulations, changes in consumer spending, borrowing, or saving, and changes in accounting policies, as well as other risks and uncertainties described in this “Risk Factors” section.

We are not in a high-growth market area, and continued adverse economic conditions, especially affecting our market area, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, economic growth in the United States has been slow and unemployment levels are high.

Our success depends primarily on the general economic conditions in our market area which we consider to be St. Landry Parish, Lafayette Parish and adjoining areas in the Acadiana region of south central Louisiana. We have relatively few loans outside of our market area, and, as a result, we have a greater risk of loan defaults and losses in the event of an economic downturn in our market area, as adverse economic conditions may have a negative effect on the ability of our borrowers to make timely payments of their loans. According to the United States census, the estimated July 2019 population of St. Landry Parish was 82,124, representing a 1.5% decrease from the 2010 census population of 83,390. The estimated July 2019 population of Lafayette Parish was 244,390, a 10.2% increase from the 2010 census population. During the same period, the population in Louisiana is estimated to have grown by 2.5%. According to U.S. Census data, the median household income in St. Landry Parish and Lafayette Parish, in 2019 dollars (for 2015-2019), was $36,403 and $56,999, respectively, compared to median household income of $49,969 and $62,843, respectively, for Louisiana and the United States for such period. For the same period, 22.6% and 16.6% of residents of St. Landry Parish and Lafayette Parish, respectively, lived below the poverty level.

Unlike larger banks that are more geographically diversified, we provide banking and financial services to customers primarily in this area. The local economic conditions in our market area, therefore, have a significant impact on our lending, the ability of the borrowers to repay their loans and the value of the collateral securing loans.

Our business strategy includes loan growth, and our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively affected if we fail to grow or fail to manage our growth effectively. Growing our operations could also cause our expenses to increase faster than our revenues.

Our business strategy primarily focuses on loan growth, funded by deposits. Achieving such growth may require us to attract customers that currently bank at other financial institutions in our market area. Our ability to successfully grow will depend on a variety of factors, including our ability to attract and retain experienced bankers, the continued availability of desirable business opportunities, the level of competition from other financial institutions in our market area and our ability to manage our growth. Growth opportunities may not be available or we may not be able to manage our growth successfully. If we do not manage our growth effectively, our financial condition and operating results could be negatively affected. Furthermore, there can be considerable costs involved in opening branches and expanding lending capacity, and generally a period of time is required to generate the necessary revenues to offset these costs, especially in areas in which we do not have an established presence. Accordingly, any such business expansion can be expected to negatively impact our earnings until certain economies of scale are reached. Our expenses could be further increased if we encounter delays in executing our business strategy.

We depend on our management team and other key personnel to implement our business strategy and execute successful operations and we could be harmed by the loss of their services or the inability to hire additional personnel.

We depend on the services of the members of our senior management team who direct our strategy and operations. Our executive officers and lending personnel possess substantial expertise, extensive knowledge of our markets and key business relationships, and will be integral in implementing our business strategy. Any one of them could be difficult to replace. Our loss of these persons, or our inability to hire additional qualified personnel, could impact our ability to implement our business strategy and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our ability to compete in our markets. See “Management.”

We are subject to certain risks in connection with our strategy of growing through mergers and acquisitions.

We expect that acquisitions of banking institutions and other financial service companies within and surrounding our market area will be a component of our business strategy. We anticipate that we will seek to acquire other banking institutions, other financial services companies or branches of financial institutions in the future. Acquisitions typically involve the payment of a premium over book and trading values and, therefore, may result in the dilution of our tangible book value per share. Our ability to engage in future mergers and acquisitions depends on various factors, including: (1) our ability to identify suitable merger partners and acquisition opportunities; (2) our ability to finance and complete transactions on acceptable terms and at acceptable prices; and (3) our ability to receive the necessary regulatory and, when required, shareholder approvals. Our inability to engage in an acquisition or merger for any of these reasons could have an adverse impact on the implementation of our business strategies. Furthermore, mergers and acquisitions involve a number of risks and challenges, including (1) our ability to achieve planned synergies and to integrate the branches and operations we acquire, and the internal controls and regulatory functions of the acquired entity into our current operations and (2) the diversion of management’s attention from existing operations, which may adversely affect our ability to successfully conduct our business and negatively impact our financial results.

The building of market share through our branch office strategy, and our ability to achieve profitability on new branch offices, may increase our expenses and negatively affect our earnings.

We have opened two new branch banking offices in the past two years and we expect to open an additional branch office in Lafayette Parish by year-end 2021. We may open additional offices within our market area and adjacent markets after the conversion as part of our efforts to grow our deposit base. There are considerable costs involved in opening branch offices, especially in light of the capabilities needed to compete in today’s environment. Moreover, new branch offices generally require a period of time to generate sufficient revenues to offset their costs, especially in areas in which we do not have an established presence. Accordingly, new branch offices could negatively impact our earnings and may do so for some period of time. Our investments in products and services, and the related personnel required to implement new policies and procedures, take time to earn returns and can be expected to negatively impact our earnings for the foreseeable future. The profitability of our expansion strategy will depend on whether the income that we generate from the new branch offices will offset the increased expenses resulting from operating these branch offices.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry Generally

Ineffective liquidity management could adversely affect our financial results and condition.

Effective liquidity management is essential for the operation of our business. We require sufficient liquidity to meet customer loan requests, customer deposit maturities/withdrawals, payments on our debt obligations as they come due and other cash commitments under both normal operating conditions and other unpredictable circumstances causing industry or general financial market stress. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities on terms that are acceptable to us could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically or the financial services industry or economy generally. Factors that could detrimentally impact our access to liquidity sources include a downturn in the geographic markets in which our loans and operations are concentrated or difficult credit markets. Our access to deposits may also be affected by the liquidity needs of our depositors. In particular, a majority of our liabilities are checking accounts and other liquid deposits, which are payable on demand or upon several days’ notice, while by comparison, a substantial majority of our assets are loans, which cannot be called or sold in the same time frame. Although we have historically been able to replace maturing deposits and advances as necessary, we might not be able to replace such funds in the future, especially if a large number of our depositors seek to withdraw their accounts, regardless of the reason. A failure to maintain adequate liquidity could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Strong competition within our market area could hurt our profits and slow growth.

Our profitability depends upon our continued ability to compete successfully in our market area. We face intense competition both in making loans and attracting deposits. We continue to face stiff competition for one- to four-family residential loans from other financial service providers, including large national residential lenders, local community banks and credit unions. Other competitors for one- to four-family residential loans include credit unions and mortgage brokers which keep overhead costs and mortgage rates down by selling loans and not holding or servicing them. Our competitors for commercial real estate loans include other community banks and commercial lenders, some of which are larger than us and have greater resources and lending limits than we have and offer services that we do not provide. Price competition for loans and deposits might result in us earning less on our loans and paying more on our deposits, which reduces net interest income. We expect competition to remain strong in the future.

We are a community bank and our ability to maintain our reputation is critical to the success of our business. The failure to do so may adversely affect our performance.

We are a community bank and our reputation is one of the most valuable assets of our business. A key component of our business strategy is to rely on our reputation for customer service and knowledge of local markets to expand our presence by capturing new business opportunities from existing and prospective customers in our market area and contiguous areas. As such, we strive to conduct our business in a manner that enhances our reputation. This is done, in part, by recruiting, hiring and retaining employees who share our core values of being an integral part of the communities we serve, delivering superior service to our customers and caring about our customers. If our reputation is negatively affected by the actions of our employees, by our inability to conduct our operations in a manner that is appealing to current or prospective customers or otherwise, our business and operating results may be materially adversely affected.

We are dependent on our information technology and telecommunications systems and third-party service providers; systems failures, interruptions and cybersecurity breaches could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our business is dependent on the successful and uninterrupted functioning of our information technology and telecommunications systems and third-party service providers. The failure of these systems, or the termination of a third-party software license or service agreement on which any of these systems is based, could interrupt our operations. Because our information technology and telecommunications systems interface with and depend on third-party systems, we could experience service denials if demand for such services exceeds capacity or such third-party systems fail or experience interruptions. If significant, sustained or repeated, a system failure or service denial could compromise our ability to operate effectively, damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business, and/or subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our third-party service providers may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses, phishing schemes and other security breaches. We likely will expend additional resources to protect against the threat of such security breaches and computer viruses, or to alleviate problems caused by such security breaches or viruses. To the extent that the activities of our third-party service providers or the activities of our customers involve the storage and transmission of confidential information, security breaches and viruses could expose us to claims, regulatory scrutiny, litigation costs and other possible liabilities.

Security breaches and cybersecurity threats could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, as well as personally identifiable information about our customers and employees. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. We, our customers, and other financial institutions with which we interact, are subject to ongoing, continuous attempts to penetrate key systems by individual hackers, organized criminals, and in some cases, state-sponsored organizations. While we have established policies and procedures to prevent or limit the impact of cyber-attacks, there can be no assurance that such events will not occur or will be adequately addressed if they do. In addition, we also outsource certain cybersecurity functions, such as penetration testing, to third party service providers, and the failure of these service providers to adequately perform such functions could increase our exposure to security breaches and cybersecurity threats. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other malicious code and cyber-attacks that could have an impact on information security. Any such breach or attacks could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such unauthorized access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, and regulatory penalties; disrupt our operations and the services we provide to customers; damage our reputation; and cause a loss of confidence in our products and services, all of which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We must keep pace with technological change to remain competitive.

Financial products and services have become increasingly technology-driven. Our ability to meet the needs of our customers competitively, and in a cost-efficient manner, is dependent on the ability to keep pace with technological advances and to invest in new technology as it becomes available, as well as related essential personnel. In addition, technology has lowered barriers to entry into the financial services market and made it possible for financial technology companies and other non-bank entities to offer financial products and services traditionally provided by banks. The ability to keep pace with technological change is important, and the failure to do so, due to cost, proficiency or otherwise, could have a material adverse impact on our business and therefore on our financial condition and results of operations.

Because the nature of the financial services business involves a high volume of transactions, we face significant operational risks.

We operate in diverse markets and rely on the ability of our employees and systems to process a high number of transactions. Operational risk is the risk of loss resulting from our operations, including but not limited to, the risk of fraud by employees or outside persons, the execution of unauthorized transactions by employees, errors relating to transaction processing and technology, breaches of our internal control system and compliance requirements, and business continuation and disaster recovery. Insurance coverage may not be available for such losses, or where available, such losses may exceed insurance limits. This risk of loss also includes the potential legal actions that could arise as a result of an operational deficiency or as a result of noncompliance with applicable regulations, adverse business decisions or their implementation, and customer attrition due to potential negative publicity. Although our control testing has not identified any significant deficiencies in our internal control system, a breakdown in our internal control system, improper operation of our systems or improper employee actions could result in material financial loss to us, the imposition of regulatory action, and damage to our reputation.

Acts of terrorism and other external events could impact our business.

Financial institutions have been, and continue to be, targets of terrorist threats aimed at compromising operating and communication systems. Such events could cause significant damage, impact the stability of our facilities and result in additional expenses, impair the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans, reduce the value of collateral securing repayment of our loans, and result in the loss of revenue. The occurrence of any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition.

Regulation of the financial services industry is intense, and we may be adversely affected by changes in laws and regulations.

St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank is subject to extensive government regulation, supervision and examination by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. In addition, Catalyst Bancorp will be subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the Federal Reserve Board. Such regulation, supervision and examination govern the activities in which we may engage and are intended primarily for the protection of the deposit insurance fund and St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank’s depositors and not for the protection of shareholders. Federal and state regulatory agencies have the ability to take strong supervisory actions against financial institutions that have experienced increased loan production and losses and other underwriting weaknesses or have compliance weaknesses. These actions include the entering into of formal or informal written agreements and cease and desist orders that place certain limitations on their operations. If we were to become subject to a regulatory action, such action could negatively impact our ability to execute our business plan, and result in operational restrictions, as well as our ability to grow, pay dividends, repurchase stock or engage in mergers and acquisitions. See “Supervision and Regulation — Federal Banking Regulation — Capital Requirements” for a discussion of regulatory capital requirements.

A tightening of credit markets and liquidity risk could impair our ability to fund operations and jeopardize our financial condition.

Liquidity is essential to our business. A tightening of the credit markets and the inability to obtain adequate funding to replace deposits and fund continued loan growth may affect asset growth, our earnings capability and capital levels negatively. We rely on a number of different sources in order to meet our potential liquidity demands. Our primary sources of liquidity are increases in deposit accounts, including brokered deposits, as well as cash flows from loan payments and our securities portfolio. Borrowings, especially from the Federal Home Loan Bank, also provide us with a source of funds to meet liquidity demands. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings, the sale of loans and other sources could have a substantial negative effect on our liquidity. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities or on terms that are acceptable to us could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically, or the financial services industry or economy in general. Factors that could detrimentally impact our access to liquidity sources include adverse regulatory action against us or a decrease in the level of our business activity as a result of a downturn in the markets in which our loans are concentrated. Our ability to borrow also could be impaired by factors that are not specific to us, such as a disruption in the financial markets, negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry or deterioration in credit markets.

Future changes in interest rates could reduce our profits and affect the value of our assets and liabilities.

Net income is the amount by which net interest income and non-interest income exceed non-interest expense, the provision for loan losses and taxes. Net interest income makes up a majority of our net income and is based on the difference between:

The rates we earn on our assets and the rates we pay on our liabilities are generally fixed for a contractual period of time. Like many financial institutions, our liabilities generally have shorter contractual maturities than our assets. This imbalance can create significant earnings volatility because market interest rates change over time. In addition, changes in interest rates can affect the average life of loans and mortgage-backed and related securities. In a period of rising interest rates, the interest income we earn on our assets may not increase as rapidly as the interest we pay on our liabilities. A decline in interest rates results in increased prepayments of loans and mortgage-backed and related securities as borrowers refinance their debt to reduce their borrowing costs. This creates reinvestment risk, which is the risk that we may not be able to reinvest prepayments at rates that are comparable to the rates we earned on the prepaid loans or securities. Furthermore, an inverted interest rate yield curve, where short-term interest rates (which are usually the rates at which financial institutions borrow funds) are higher than long-term interest rates (which are usually the rates at which financial institutions lend funds for fixed-rate loans) can reduce a financial institution’s net interest margin and create financial risk for financial institutions that originate longer-term, fixed-rate mortgage loans. At December 31, 2020, 25.3% of our loans with maturities after December 31, 2021 consisted of fixed-rate loans.

Any substantial, unexpected, prolonged change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. Changes in the level of interest rates also may negatively affect the value of our assets and liabilities and ultimately affect our earnings.

We monitor interest rate risk through the use of simulation models, including estimates of net portfolio value (“NPV”), which is the estimated market value of assets minus the market value of liabilities adjusted for off-balance sheet items, would change in the event of a range of assumed changes in market interest rates. As of December 31, 2020, in the event of an immediate and sustained 300 basis point increase in interest rates, we estimate that we would experience a 2.7% decrease in NPV. For further discussion of how changes in interest rates could impact us, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Exposure to Changes in Interest Rates.”

Changes in laws and regulations and the cost of regulatory compliance with new laws and regulations may adversely affect our operations and/or increase our costs of operations.

St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank is subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Catalyst Bancorp will be subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the Federal Reserve Board. Such regulation and supervision govern the activities in which an institution and its holding company may engage and are intended primarily for the protection of the federal deposit insurance fund and the depositors of St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank, rather than for our shareholders. Regulatory authorities have extensive discretion in their supervisory and enforcement activities, including the imposition of restrictions on our operations, the classification of our assets and determination of the level of our allowance for loan and lease losses. These regulations, along with existing tax, accounting, securities, insurance and monetary laws, rules, standards, policies, and interpretations, control the methods by which financial institutions conduct business, implement strategic initiatives and tax compliance, and govern financial reporting and disclosures. Any change in such regulation and oversight, whether in the form of regulatory policy, regulations, legislation or supervisory action, may have a material impact on our operations. Further, changes in accounting standards can be both difficult to predict and involve judgment and discretion in their interpretation by us and our independent accounting firm. These changes could materially impact, potentially even retroactively, how we report our financial condition and results of operations. See “— We are subject to an extensive body of accounting rules and best practices. Periodic changes to such rules may change the treatment and recognition of critical financial line items and affect our profitability.”

We are subject to an extensive body of accounting rules and best practices. Periodic changes to such rules may change the treatment and recognition of critical financial line items and affect our profitability.

The nature of our business makes us sensitive to the large body of accounting rules in the United States. From time to time, the governing bodies that oversee changes to accounting rules and reporting requirements may release new guidance for the preparation of our financial statements. These changes can materially impact how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. In some instances, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in the restatement of prior period financial statements. Changes which have been approved for future implementation, or which are currently proposed or expected to be proposed or adopted include requirements that we calculate the allowance for loan and lease losses on the basis of the current expected credit losses over the lifetime of our loans, referred to as the CECL model, which is expected to be applicable to us, as an emerging growth company, beginning in 2023. CECL adoption will have broad impact on our financial statements, which will affect key profitability and solvency measures, including, but not limited to higher loan loss reserve levels and related deferred tax assets. Increased reserve levels also may lead to a reduction in capital levels. Any such changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Under the CECL model, banks will be required to present certain financial assets carried at amortized cost, such as loans held for investment and held-to-maturity debt securities, at the net amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is to be based on information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. This measurement will take place at the time the financial asset is first added to the balance sheet and periodically thereafter. This differs significantly from the “incurred loss” model required under current GAAP, which delays recognition until it is probable a loss has been incurred. The forward-looking modeling required by CECL relies on a number of macroeconomic variables. Unexpected changes to such indicators between periods could potentially result in greater earnings volatility from period to period. Our reserves may need to be adjusted in response to not only our actual experience, but also to external factors. If we are required to materially increase the level of the allowance for loan losses for any reason, such increase could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

An additional impact of CECL will be the asymmetry in accounting between loan related income, which will continue to be recognized on a periodic basis based on the effective interest method, and the related credit losses, which will be recognized up front at origination. This will make periods of loan expansion seem less profitable due to the immediate recognition of expected credit losses. Periods of stable or declining loan levels will look comparatively more profitable as the income trickles in for loans, where losses had been previously recognized.

Non-compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act, Bank Secrecy Act, or other laws and regulations could result in fines or sanctions.

The USA PATRIOT and Bank Secrecy Acts require financial institutions to develop programs to prevent financial institutions from being used for money laundering and terrorist activities. If such activities are suspected, financial institutions are obligated to file suspicious activity reports with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. These rules require financial institutions to establish procedures for identifying and verifying the identity of customers seeking to open new financial accounts. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in fines or sanctions, including restrictions on pursuing acquisitions or establishing new branches. The policies and procedures we have adopted that are designed to assist in compliance with these laws and regulations may not be effective in preventing violations of these laws and regulations. Furthermore, these rules and regulations continue to evolve and expand. Although to date we have not been subject to any fines or other sanctions related to these rules and regulations, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer any penalties or other consequences in the future.

The cost of additional finance and accounting systems, procedures, compliance and controls in order to satisfy our new public company reporting requirements will increase our expenses.

As a result of the completion of this offering, we will become a public reporting company. We expect that the obligations of being a public company, including the substantial public reporting obligations, will require significant expenditures and place additional demands on our management team. We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal controls and procedures for financial reporting and accounting systems to meet our reporting obligations as a public company. However, the measures we take may not be sufficient to satisfy our obligations as a public company. Any failure to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment could have a material adverse effect on our business and stock price. In addition, we may need to hire additional compliance, accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical knowledge, and we may not be able to do so in a timely fashion. As a result, we may need to rely on outside consultants to provide these services for us until qualified personnel are hired. These obligations will increase our operating expenses and could divert our management’s attention from our operations.

Changes in management’s estimates and assumptions may have a material impact on our financial statements and our financial condition or operating results.

In preparing this prospectus as well as periodic reports we will be required to file under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including our financial statements, our management is and will be required under applicable rules and regulations to make estimates and assumptions as of a specified date. These estimates and assumptions are based on management’s best estimates and experience as of that date and are subject to substantial risk and uncertainty. Materially different results may occur as circumstances change and additional information becomes known. Areas requiring significant estimates and assumptions by management include our evaluation of the adequacy of our allowance for loan and lease losses and our determinations with respect to amounts owed for income taxes.

We are subject to environmental liability risk associated with lending activities or properties we own.

A significant portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real estate, and we could become subject to environmental liabilities with respect to one or more of these properties, or with respect to properties that we own in operating our business. During the ordinary course of business, we may foreclose on and take title to properties securing defaulted loans. In doing so, there is a risk that hazardous or toxic substances could be found on these properties. If hazardous conditions or toxic substances are found on these properties, we may be liable for remediation costs, as well as for personal injury and property damage, civil fines and criminal penalties regardless of when the hazardous conditions or toxic substances first affected any particular property. Environmental laws may require us to incur substantial expenses to address unknown liabilities and may materially reduce the affected property’s value or limit our ability to use or sell the affected property. In addition, future laws or more stringent interpretations or enforcement policies with respect to existing laws may increase our exposure to environmental liability. Our policies, may not be sufficient to detect all potential environmental hazards. The remediation costs and any other financial liabilities associated with an environmental hazard could have a material adverse effect on us.

Risks Related to the Offering

The future price of our common stock may be less than the $10.00 per share purchase price in the offering.

If you purchase shares of common stock in the offering, you may not be able to sell them later at or above the $10.00 per share purchase price in the offering. In some cases, shares of common stock issued by newly converted financial institutions or mutual holding companies have traded below the initial offering price. The aggregate purchase price of the shares of common stock sold in the offering will be based on an independent appraisal. The independent appraisal is not intended, and should not be construed, as a recommendation of any kind as to the advisability of purchasing shares of common stock. The independent appraisal is based on certain estimates, assumptions and projections, all of which are subject to change from time to time. After the shares begin trading, the trading price of our common stock will be determined by the marketplace, and may be influenced by many factors, including prevailing interest rates, the overall performance of the economy, changes in federal tax laws, new regulations, investor perceptions of Catalyst Bancorp and the outlook for the financial services industry in general. Price fluctuations in our common stock may be unrelated to our operating performance.

The capital we raise in the offering may negatively impact our return on equity until we can fully implement our business plan. This could negatively affect the trading price of our shares of common stock.

Net income divided by average equity, known as “return on equity,” is a ratio many investors use to compare the performance of a financial institution to its peers. Although we anticipate increasing net interest income using proceeds of the offering, our return on equity will be reduced by the capital raised in the offering, higher expenses from the costs of being a public company, and added expenses associated with our employee stock ownership plan and the stock-based benefit plans we intend to adopt. Until we can implement our business plan and increase our net interest income through investment of the proceeds of the offering, we expect our return on equity to remain relatively low compared to our peer group, which may reduce the value of our shares.

We have broad discretion in using the proceeds of the offering. Our failure to effectively deploy the net proceeds of the offering may have an adverse effect on our financial performance and the value of our common stock.

We intend to invest between $15.7 million and $21.4 million, or $24.7 million if the offering is increased by 15%, of the net proceeds of the offering in St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank. We also expect to use a portion of the net proceeds we retain to fund a loan to the employee stock ownership plan for the purchase of shares of common stock in the offering by the employee stock ownership plan. We may use the remaining net proceeds to invest in short-term investments and for general corporate purposes, including, subject to regulatory limitations, the repurchase of shares of common stock and the payment of dividends. St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank generally intends to use the net proceeds it receives to fund new loans, expand its retail banking franchise by establishing or acquiring new branches or by acquiring other financial institutions or other financial services companies, or for other general corporate purposes. With the exception of the loan to the employee stock ownership plan, we have not allocated specific amounts of the net proceeds for any purposes, and we will have significant flexibility in determining the amount of the net proceeds we apply to different uses and the timing of such applications. Also, certain of these uses, such as any potential acquisition, paying dividends and repurchasing common stock, may require prior regulatory approval. We have not established a timetable for reinvesting the net proceeds, and we cannot predict how long it will take to reinvest the net proceeds. Our failure to utilize these funds effectively and timely would reduce our profitability and may adversely affect the value of our common stock.

At December 31, 2020, St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank had equity of  $50.6 million, and for the year ended December 31, 2020 a return on average equity of -1.33%. Upon completion of the conversion, Catalyst Bancorp, on a consolidated basis, will have shareholders’ equity of between $78.1 million and $93.9 million at the minimum and adjusted maximum of the offering range, respectively. For additional information see “How We Intend to Use the Proceeds from the Offering.”

There may be a limited trading market in our common stock, which would hinder your ability to sell our common stock and may lower the market price of the stock.

We have never issued capital stock and there is no established market for our common stock. We expect that our common stock will be quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “CLST” upon conclusion of the offering, subject to completion of the offering and compliance with certain conditions, including having 300 “round lot” shareholders (shareholders owning more than 100 shares) and at least three companies making a market for our common stock. Piper Sandler & Co. has advised us that it intends to make a market in shares of our common stock following the offering, but it is not obligated to do so or to continue to do so once it begins. While we will attempt before completion of the offering to obtain commitments from at least two other broker-dealers to make a market in shares of our common stock, we may not be able to obtain such commitments. This would result in our common stock not being listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market, which could reduce the liquidity of our common stock.

The development of an active trading market depends on the existence of willing buyers and sellers, the presence of which is not within our control, or that of any market maker. The number of active buyers and sellers of the shares of common stock at any particular time may be limited. Under such circumstances, you could have difficulty selling your shares of common stock on short notice, and, therefore, you should not view the shares of common stock as a short-term investment.

Our stock-based and other benefit plans will increase our costs, which will reduce our net income.

We intend to adopt new stock-based benefit plans after the conversion and offering, subject to shareholder approval, which will increase our annual compensation and benefit expenses related to the stock options and stock awards granted to participants under the new stock-based benefit plans. The actual amount of these new stock-related compensation and benefit expenses will depend on the number of options and stock awards actually granted under the plans, the fair market value of our stock or options on the date of grant, the vesting period, and other factors that we cannot predict at this time. If we adopt stock-based benefit plans within 12 months following the conversion, the total shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to awards of restricted stock and grants of options under such plans would be limited to 4% and 10%, respectively, of the total shares of our common stock sold in the offering. If we award restricted shares of common stock or grant options in excess of these amounts under stock-based benefit plans adopted more than 12 months after the completion of the offering, our costs would increase further.

We also will recognize expense for our employee stock ownership plan when shares are committed to be released to participants’ accounts, and we will recognize expense for restricted stock awards and stock options over the vesting period of awards made to recipients. The expense in the first year following the offering for shares purchased by the employee stock ownership plan in the offering and for our new stock-based benefit plans has been estimated to be approximately $934,000 ($789,000 after tax) at the adjusted maximum of the offering range as set forth in the pro forma financial information under “Pro Forma Data,” assuming the $10.00 per share offering price as fair market value. Actual expense may be higher if the price of our common stock at the time the shares are allocated or awarded is greater than $10.00 per share.

For further discussion of our proposed stock-based plans, see “Management — New Benefit Plans  —  Employee Stock Ownership Plan” and “— Stock Option and Recognition and Retention Plans.”

The implementation of our stock-based benefit plans may dilute your ownership interest.

We intend to adopt stock-based benefit plans following the conversion and offering. The stock-based benefit plan will be funded through either open market purchases, if permitted, or from the issuance of authorized but unissued shares. Our ability to repurchase shares of common stock to fund these plans will be subject to many factors, including applicable regulatory restrictions on common stock repurchases, the availability of stock in the market, the trading price of the stock, our capital levels, alternative uses for our capital and our financial performance. While our intention is to fund the new stock-based benefit plans through open market purchases, shareholders would experience a reduction in ownership interest totaling 12.3% in the event newly issued shares are used to fund stock options and restricted stock awards in an amount equal to 10.0% and 4.0%, respectively, of the total shares issued in the offering.

Various factors may make takeover attempts more difficult to achieve.

Certain provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws and state and federal banking laws, including regulatory approval requirements, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of Catalyst Bancorp without our board of directors’ prior approval.

Under Federal Reserve Board regulations no person may directly or indirectly acquire or offer to acquire beneficial ownership of more than 10% of our common stock without prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board. Under federal law, subject to certain exemptions, a person, entity or group must notify the Federal Reserve Board before acquiring control of a savings and loan holding company. Acquisition of 10% or more of any class of voting stock of a savings and loan holding company creates a rebuttable presumption that the acquirer “controls” the holding company. Also, a savings and loan holding company must obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board before, among other things, acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of any class of voting shares of any bank, including St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank.

There also are provisions in our articles of incorporation that may be used to delay or block a takeover attempt, including a provision that prohibits any person from acquiring or voting more than 10% of the shares of common stock outstanding. Furthermore, shares of restricted stock and stock options that we may grant to employees and directors, stock ownership by our management and directors and other factors may make it more difficult for companies or persons to acquire control of Catalyst Bancorp without the consent of our board of directors. Taken as a whole, these statutory provisions and provisions in our articles of incorporation could result in our being less attractive to a potential acquirer and thus could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

See “Restrictions on Acquisition of Catalyst Bancorp” for a discussion of applicable Federal Reserve Board regulations regarding acquisitions and provisions in our articles of incorporation and bylaws that could impact acquisitions of control of Catalyst Bancorp.

You may not receive dividends on our common stock.

Holders of our common stock are only entitled to receive such dividends as our board of directors may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. The declaration and payment of future cash dividends will be subject to, among other things, regulatory restrictions, our then current and projected consolidated operating results, financial condition, tax considerations, future growth plans, general economic conditions, and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. Catalyst Bancorp will depend primarily upon the proceeds it retains from the offering as well as earnings of St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank to provide funds to pay dividends on our common stock. The payment of dividends by Catalyst Bancorp also is subject to certain regulatory restrictions. Federal law generally prohibits a depository institution from making any capital distributions (including payment of a dividend) to its parent holding company if the depository institution would thereafter be or continue to be undercapitalized, and dividends by a depository institution are subject to additional limitations. As a result, any payment of dividends in the future by Catalyst Bancorp will depend, in large part, on St. Landry Homestead Federal Savings Bank’s ability to satisfy these regulatory restrictions and its earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors.

You may not be able to sell your shares of common stock until you have received a statement reflecting ownership of shares, which will affect your ability to take advantage of changes in the stock price immediately following the offering.

A statement reflecting ownership of shares of common stock purchased in the offering may not be delivered for several days after the completion of the offering and the commencement of trading in the common stock. Your ability to sell the shares of common stock before receiving your ownership statement will depend on arrangements you may make with a brokerage firm, and you may not be able to sell your shares of common stock until you have received your ownership statement. As a result, you may not be able to take advantage of fluctuations in the price of the common stock immediately following the offering.

You may not revoke your decision to purchase Catalyst Bancorp common stock in the subscription or community offerings after you send us your order.

Funds submitted or automatic withdrawals authorized in connection with the purchase of shares of common stock in the subscription and community offerings will be held by us until the completion or termination of the conversion and offering, including any extension of the expiration date and consummation of a syndicated offering. Because completion of the conversion and offering will be subject to regulatory approvals and an update of the independent appraisal prepared by RP Financial, LC., among other factors, there may be one or more delays in completing the conversion and offering. Orders submitted in the subscription and community offerings are irrevocable, and purchasers will have no access to their funds unless the offering is terminated, or extended beyond ____________, or the number of shares to be sold in the offering is increased to more than 5,091,625 shares or decreased to fewer than 3,272,500 shares.

We are an emerging growth company, and any decision on our part to comply only with certain reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an emerging growth company, and, for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation or on any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As an emerging growth company, we also will not be subject to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which would require that our independent auditors review and attest as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We intend to use the extended transition period to delay adoption of new or revised accounting pronouncements applicable to public companies until such pronouncements are made applicable to private companies. Accordingly, our financial statements may not be comparable to the financial statements of public companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

We could remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years, or until the earliest of  (a) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (b) the date that we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which would occur if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, or (c) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period.

As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important, and investors may find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. This could result in a less active trading market for our common stock and the price of our common stock may be more volatile.