RISK FACTORS

You should consider carefully the following risk factors, in addition to general economic and business risks and all other information in this prospectus, in evaluating an investment in our common stock. Any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition and could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, which could cause you to lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

In December 2019, a coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported in China, and, in March 2020, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. On March 12, 2020 the President of the United States declared the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States a national emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant economic dislocation in the United States as many state and local governments have ordered non-essential businesses to close and residents to shelter in place at home, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. During the second half of 2020, some of these restrictions were removed and some non-essential businesses were allowed to re-open in a limited capacity, adhering to social distancing and disinfection guidelines. It is not clear when the pandemic will abate. This crisis has resulted in an unprecedented slow-down in economic activity and a related increase in unemployment. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, millions of people have filed claims for unemployment, and stock markets have experienced extreme volatility with bank stocks significantly declining in value. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Federal Reserve Board has reduced the benchmark Fed funds rate to a target range of 0% to 0.25%, and the yields on 10 and 30-year treasury notes have declined to historic lows. Certain Federal and state agencies are requiring lenders to provide forbearance and other relief to borrowers (e.g., waiving late payment and other fees). The federal banking agencies have encouraged financial institutions to prudently work with affected borrowers and recently passed legislation has provided relief from reporting loan classifications due to modifications related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Limitations have been placed on our ability to foreclose on properties during the pandemic. Certain industries have been particularly hard-hit, including the travel and hospitality industry, the restaurant industry and the retail industry. Finally, the spread of the coronavirus has caused us to modify our business practices, including employee travel, employee work locations, and cancellation of physical participation in meetings, events and conferences. We may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers and business partners.

Additionally, we are a participating lender in the PPP under the CARES Act beginning in 2021. Under the PPP, small businesses may, subject to certain regulatory requirements, obtain low interest (1%), government-guaranteed SBA loans. These loans may be forgiven if the funds are used for designated expenses and meet certain designated requirements. If our borrowers fail to qualify for PPP loan forgiveness, or if the PPP loans are not fully guaranteed by the US government or if the SBA determines that there is a deficiency in the manner in which we originated, funded or serviced the PPP loans, we risk holding loans with unfavorable terms and may experience losses related to our PPP loans.

Given the ongoing and dynamic nature of the circumstances, we cannot predict the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our business and on our prospects, although we expect our net interest income and net interest margin will be adversely affected. The extent of such impact will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain, including when the pandemic can be controlled and abated and when and how the economy may be fully reopened. As the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related adverse economic consequences, we could be subject to any of the following risks, any of which could have a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, prospects and results of operations:

Moreover, our future success and profitability substantially depends on the management skills of our executive officers and trustees, some of whom have held officer and trustee positions with us for many years. The unanticipated loss or unavailability of key employees due to the outbreak could harm our ability to operate our business or execute our business strategy. We may not be successful in finding and integrating suitable successors in the event of key employee loss or unavailability.

Any one or a combination of the factors identified above could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations and prospects.

Risks Related to our Lending Activities

We intend to increase the origination of commercial real estate loans. These loans involve credit risks that could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

At December 31, 2020, commercial real estate loans totaled $59.5 million, or 31.4% of our loan portfolio. Given their larger balances and the complexity of the underlying collateral, commercial real estate loans generally have more risk than the owner-occupied one- to four-family residential real estate loans we originate. Because the repayment of commercial real estate loans depends on the successful management and operation of the borrower’s properties or related businesses, repayment of such loans can be affected by adverse conditions in the local real estate market or economy. The adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could adversely impact the value of properties securing the loan or the revenues from the borrower’s business, thereby increasing the risk of non-performing loans. If we foreclose on these loans, our holding period for the collateral typically is longer than for a one- to four-family residential property because there are fewer potential purchasers of the collateral. In addition, commercial real estate loans typically involve larger loan balances to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers compared to one- to four-family residential loans. Accordingly, charge-offs on commercial real estate loans may be larger on a per loan basis than those incurred with our residential or consumer loan portfolios.

As our commercial real estate loan portfolio increases, the corresponding risks and potential for losses from these loans may also increase, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We intend to increase the origination of commercial and industrial loans secured by accounts receivable, inventory, equipment or other business assets, the deterioration in value of which could increase the potential for future losses.

At December 31, 2020, $11.8 million, or 6.2% of our total loan portfolio, was comprised of commercial and industrial loans and variable lines of credit to a variety of small and medium-sized businesses in our market area collateralized by general business assets including, among other things, accounts receivable and inventory. These commercial and industrial loans are typically larger in amount than loans to individuals and, therefore, have the potential for larger losses on a per loan basis. Additionally, the repayment of commercial and industrial loans is subject to the ongoing business operations of the borrower. The collateral securing such loans generally includes moveable property such as inventory, which may decline in value more rapidly than we anticipate, or may be difficult to market and sell, exposing us to increased credit risk. Significant adverse changes in the economy or local market conditions in which our commercial lending customers operate could cause rapid declines in loan collectability and the values associated with general business assets, resulting in inadequate collateral coverage that may expose us to credit losses and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our non-owner-occupied real estate loans may expose us to increased credit risk.

At December 31, 2020, $60.4 million, or 31.9% of our total loan portfolio, consisted of loans secured by non-owner-occupied real estate properties. At December 31, 2020, all of our non-owner-occupied real estate loans were performing in accordance with their repayment terms with the exception of four loans totaling $907,000. Loans secured by non-owner-occupied properties generally expose a lender to greater risk of non-payment and loss than loans secured by owner occupied properties because repayment of such loans depend primarily on the tenant’s continuing ability to pay rent to the property owner, who is our borrower, or, if the property owner is unable to find a tenant, the property owner’s ability to repay the loan without the benefit of a rental income stream. In addition, the physical condition of non-owner-occupied properties is often below that of owner-occupied properties due to lenient property maintenance standards that negatively impact the value of the collateral properties. Furthermore, some of our non-owner-occupied real estate loan borrowers have more than one loan outstanding with us. Consequently, an adverse development with respect to one credit relationship may expose us to a greater risk of loss compared to an adverse development with respect to an owner-occupied residential mortgage loan.

A portion of our loan portfolio consists of loan participations. Loan participations may have a higher risk of loss than loans we originate when we are not the lead lender and we have limited control over credit monitoring.

We purchase commercial real estate and commercial and industrial loan participations secured by properties primarily in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania in which we are not the lead lender. Loan participations may have a higher risk of loss than loans we originate because we rely on the lead lender to monitor the performance of the loan. Moreover, our decisions regarding the classification of a loan participation and loan loss provisions associated with a loan participation are made in part based upon information provided by the lead lender. A lead lender also may not monitor a participation loan in the same manner as we would for loans that we originate. At December 31, 2020, our loan participations where we are not the lead lender totaled $9.0 million, or 4.8% of our loan portfolio, and included $6.9 million in commercial real estate loans and $1.3 million in commercial and industrial loans. At December 31, 2020, no loan participations were delinquent. If our underwriting of these participation loans is not sufficient, our non-performing loans may increase and our earnings may decrease.

We have a significant number of loans secured by real estate, and a downturn in the local real estate market could negatively impact our profitability.

At December 31, 2020, approximately $173.3 million, or 91.5%, of our total loan portfolio, was secured by real estate, most of which is located in our primary lending market area, Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, Dauphin and Cumberland Counties, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a severe economic downturn in the U.S. economy. Unemployment in Pennsylvania was at 6.7% as of December 31, 2020. Future declines in the real estate values in our primary lending markets and surrounding markets as a result of the economic downturn could significantly impair the value of the particular collateral securing our loans and our ability to sell the collateral upon foreclosure for an amount necessary to satisfy the borrower’s obligations to us. Changes in agreements or relationships between the United States and other countries may also adversely affect our borrowers. This could require increasing our allowance for loan losses to address the decrease in the value of the real estate securing our loans, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

Unlike larger financial institutions that are more geographically diversified, our profitability depends primarily on the general economic conditions in our primary market area. Local economic conditions have a significant impact on our residential real estate, commercial real estate, construction, commercial and industrial and consumer lending, including, the ability of borrowers to repay these loans and the value of the collateral securing these loans.

Economic conditions in our primary market have recently been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and further deterioration in economic conditions could result in the following consequences, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations:

Moreover, a significant decline in general economic conditions, caused by inflation, acts of terrorism, an outbreak of hostilities or other international or domestic calamities or other factors beyond our control could further impact these local economic conditions and could further negatively affect our financial performance. In addition, deflationary pressures, while possibly lowering our operating costs, could have a significant negative effect on our borrowers, especially our business borrowers, and the values of underlying collateral securing loans, which could negatively affect our financial performance.

If our allowance for loan losses is not sufficient to cover actual loan losses, our earnings could decrease.

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. In determining the amount of the allowance for loan losses, we review our loans and our loss and delinquency experience, and we evaluate economic conditions. If our assumptions or the results of our analyses are incorrect, our allowance for loan losses may not be sufficient to cover losses inherent in our loan portfolio, resulting in additions to our allowance. In addition, our emphasis on loan growth and on increasing our portfolio of commercial real estate and commercial and industrial loans, as well as any future credit deterioration, including as a result of COVID-19, could require us to increase our allowance for loan losses in the future. At December 31, 2020, our allowance for loan losses was 1.51% of total loans and 101.39% of nonperforming loans. Material additions to our allowance would materially decrease our net income.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has delayed the effective date of the implementation of Current Expected Credit Losses, or CECL, standard. CECL will be effective for Prosper Bank on January 1, 2023. CECL will require financial institutions to determine periodic estimates of lifetime expected credit losses on loans, and recognize the expected credit losses as allowances for credit losses. This will change the current method of providing allowances for loan losses that are incurred or probable, which would likely require us to increase our allowance for credit losses, and to greatly increase the types of data we would need to collect and review to determine the appropriate level of the allowance for credit losses.

In addition, bank regulators periodically review our allowance for loan losses and, as a result of such reviews, we may be required to increase our provision for loan losses or recognize further loan charge-offs. Any increase in our allowance for loan losses or loan charge-offs as a result of such review or otherwise may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Uncertainties associated with increased commercial loan originations may result in errors in judging collectability, which may lead to additional provisions for loan losses or charge-offs, which would negatively affect our operations.

Increasing commercial loan originations would likely require us to lend to borrowers with which we have limited experience. Accordingly, we would not have a significant payment history pattern with which to judge future collectability. Further, newly originated loans have not been subjected to unfavorable economic conditions. As a result, it may be difficult to predict the future performance of newly originated loans. These loans may have delinquency or charge-off levels above our recent historical experience, which could adversely affect our future performance.

The level of our commercial real estate loan portfolio may subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny.

The FDIC and the other federal bank regulatory agencies have promulgated joint guidance on sound risk management practices for financial institutions with concentrations in commercial real estate lending. Under the guidance, a financial institution that, like us, is actively involved in commercial real estate lending should perform a risk assessment to identify concentrations. A financial institution may have a concentration in commercial real estate lending if, among other factors, (i) total reported loans for construction, land acquisition and development, and other land represent 100% or more of total capital, or (ii) total reported loans secured by multifamily and non-farm residential properties, loans for construction, land acquisition and development and other land, and loans otherwise sensitive to the general commercial real estate market, including loans to commercial real estate related entities, represent 300% or more of total capital. Based on these factors, we have concluded that we do not currently have a concentration in multifamily and commercial real estate lending, as such loans represent 212% of total bank capital as of December 31, 2020, but based on our business plan, we could have such a concentration risk in the future. The particular focus of the guidance is on exposure to commercial real estate loans that are dependent on the cash flow from the real estate held as collateral and that are likely to be at greater risk to conditions in the commercial real estate market (as opposed to real estate collateral held as a secondary source of repayment or in an abundance of caution). The purpose of the guidance is to guide banks in developing risk management practices and determining capital levels commensurate with the level and nature of real estate concentrations. The guidance states that management should employ heightened risk management practices including board and management oversight and strategic planning, development of underwriting standards, risk assessment and monitoring through market analysis and stress testing. While we believe we have implemented policies and procedures with respect to our commercial real estate loan portfolio consistent with this guidance, bank regulators could require us to implement additional policies and procedures consistent with their interpretation of the guidance that may result in additional costs to us or that may result in the curtailment of our commercial real estate and multi-family lending that would adversely affect our loan originations and profitability.

A portion of our loan portfolio consists of construction loans, which may expose us to increased credit risk.

At December 31, 2020, $8.7 million, or 4.6% of our total loan portfolio, consisted of construction loans. As part of our business strategy, we expect that construction loans will increase both in total amount and as a percentage of our loan portfolio. Construction lending is generally considered to involve a higher degree of risk than single-family permanent mortgage lending because funds are advanced upon the collateral for the project based on an estimate of the costs that will produce a future value at completion. Because of the uncertainties inherent in estimating construction costs, as well as the market value of the completed project and the effects of governmental regulation on real property, it is relatively difficult to evaluate accurately the total funds required to complete a project and the completed project loan-to-value ratio. With regard to loans originated to builders for speculative projects, changes in the demand, such as for new housing and higher than anticipated building costs, may cause actual results to vary significantly from those estimated. A downturn in the housing, or the real estate market, could increase loan delinquencies, defaults, and foreclosures, and significantly impair the value of our collateral and our ability to sell the collateral upon foreclosure.

In addition, during the term of many of our construction loans granted to builders who are building residential units for sale, no payment from the borrower is required since the accumulated interest is added to the principal of the loan through an interest reserve. As a result, these loans often involve the disbursement of funds with repayment substantially dependent on the success of the ultimate project and the ability of the borrower to sell or lease the property or obtain permanent take-out financing, rather than the ability of the borrower or guarantor to repay principal and interest. If our appraisal of the value of a completed project proves to be overstated, we may have inadequate security for the repayment of the loan upon completion of construction of the project and may incur a loss. Because construction loans require active monitoring of the building process, including cost comparisons and on-site inspections, these loans are more difficult and costly to monitor. Increases in market rates of interest may have a more pronounced effect on construction loans by rapidly increasing the end-purchasers' borrowing costs, thereby reducing the overall demand for the project. Properties under construction are often difficult to sell and typically must be completed in order to be successfully sold which also complicates the process of working out problem construction loans. This may require us to advance additional funds and/or contract with another builder to complete construction. Furthermore, in the case of speculative construction loans, there is an added risk associated with identifying an end-purchaser for the finished project.

Our business may be adversely affected by credit risk associated with residential property.

At December 31, 2020, $106.4 million, or 56.2%, of our total loan portfolio, was secured by one- to four-family real estate. 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. A decline in residential real estate values as a result of a downturn in the Pennsylvania housing market could reduce the value of the real estate collateral securing these types of loans. As a result, we have increased risk that we could incur losses if borrowers default on their loans because we may be unable to recover all or part of the defaulted loans by selling the real estate collateral. In addition, if borrowers sell their homes, they may be unable to repay their loans in full from the sale proceeds.

Additionally, while we do not have a specific subprime program targeted at customers with weakened credit histories, we do have loans in our portfolio that have characteristics associated with “subprime loans” (loans that are made with low down-payments to borrowers with weakened credit histories typically characterized by payment delinquencies, previous charge-offs, judgments, bankruptcies, or borrowers with questionable repayment capacity as evidenced by low credit scores or high debt-burden ratios). These loans have higher risk underwriting characteristics and generally expose us to greater risk of non-payment and loss than our typical our one- to four-family residential loans. At December 31, 2020, we had $9.6 million outstanding in subprime first and second residential mortgages of which $667,000 were on non-accrual and $101,000 in subprime home equity lines of credit of which none were on non-accrual.

For these reasons, we may experience higher rates of delinquencies, defaults and losses on our residential mortgage loans.

Risks Related to our Business Strategy

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. Accordingly, any such business expansion can be expected to negatively impact our earnings until certain economies of scale are reached. 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 the opening of new branches or loan production offices.

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 have been integral in the restructuring of our operations, including the implementation of a more aggressive sales culture within our institution. 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.”

Risks Related to Market Interest Rates

A continuation of the historically low interest rate environment and the possibility that we may access higher-cost funds to support our loan growth and operations may adversely affect our net interest income and profitability.

In recent years the Federal Reserve Board’s policy has been to maintain interest rates at historically low levels through its targeted federal funds rate and the purchase of mortgage-backed securities. Our ability to reduce our interest expense may be limited at current interest rate levels while the average yield on our interest-earning assets may continue to decrease, and our interest expense may increase as we access non-core funding sources or increase deposit rates to fund our operations. A continuation of a low interest rate environment or an increase in our cost of funds may adversely affect our net interest margin and net interest income, which would have an adverse effect on our profitability.

Future changes in interest rates could negatively affect our operating results and asset values.

Net income is the amount by which net interest income and noninterest income exceed noninterest expense and the provision for loan losses. Net interest income makes up a majority of our 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 savings 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 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. Furthermore, increases in interest rates may adversely affect our ability to originate loans and/or the ability of our borrowers to make loan repayments on adjustable-rate loans, as the interest owed on such loans would increase as interest rates increase. In a period of declining interest rates, the interest income we earn on our assets may decrease more rapidly than the interest we pay on our liabilities, as borrowers prepay mortgage loans, and mortgage-backed securities and callable securities are called, requiring us to reinvest those cash flows at lower interest rates.

In addition, changes in interest rates can affect the average life of loans and mortgage-backed and related securities. A decline in interest rates generally 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.

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 ultimately affect our earnings.

We monitor interest rate risk through the use of simulation models, including estimates of the amounts by which the fair value of our assets and liabilities (our economic value of equity or “EVE”) and our net interest income would change in the event of a range of assumed changes in market interest rates. As of December 31, 2020 (the most recent date for which information is available), in the event of an instantaneous 100 basis point increase in interest rates, we estimate that we would experience a 4.8% decrease in EVE and a 5.0% increase in net interest income. 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 of Prosper Bank—Management of Market Risk.”

Risks Related to Competitive Matters

Strong competition within our market areas may limit our growth and profitability.

Competition in the banking and financial services industry is intense. In our market area, we compete with commercial banks, savings institutions, mortgage brokerage firms, credit unions, finance companies, mutual funds, insurance companies, and securities brokerage firms and unregulated or less regulated non-banking entities, operating locally and elsewhere. Many of these competitors have substantially greater resources and higher lending limits than we have and offer certain services that we do not or cannot provide. If we must raise interest rates paid on deposits or lower interest rates charged on our loans, our net interest margin and profitability could be adversely affected. In addition, some of our competitors offer loans with lower interest rates on more attractive terms than loans we offer. Competition also makes it increasingly difficult and costly to attract and retain qualified employees. Our profitability depends upon our continued ability to successfully compete in our market area.

The financial services industry could become even more competitive as a result of new legislative, regulatory and technological changes and continued consolidation. Banks, securities firms and insurance companies can merge under the umbrella of a financial holding company, which can offer virtually any type of financial service, including banking, securities underwriting, insurance (both agency and underwriting) and merchant banking. Also, technology has lowered barriers to entry and made it possible for non-banks to offer products and services traditionally provided by banks, such as automatic transfer and automatic payment systems. Many of our competitors have fewer regulatory constraints and may have lower cost structures. Additionally, due to their size, many competitors may be able to achieve economies of scale and, as a result, may offer a broader range of products and services as well as better pricing for those products and services than we can. We expect competition to increase in the future as a result of legislative, regulatory and technological changes and the continuing trend of consolidation in the financial services industry. For additional information see “Business of Prosper Bank—Market Area” and “—Competition.”

Our asset size may make it more difficult for us to compete.

Our asset size may make it more difficult to compete with other financial institutions that are larger and can more easily afford to invest in the marketing and technologies needed to attract and retain customers. Because our principal source of income is the net interest income we earn on our loans and investments after deducting interest paid on deposits and other sources of funds, our ability to generate the revenues needed to cover our expenses and finance such investments is limited by the size of our loan and investment portfolios. Accordingly, we are not always able to offer new products and services as quickly as our competitors. Our lower earnings may also make it more difficult to offer competitive salaries and benefits. In addition, our smaller customer base may make it difficult to generate meaningful noninterest income from non-traditional banking activities. Finally, as a smaller institution, we are disproportionately affected by the continually increasing costs of compliance with new banking and other regulations.

Risks Related to Laws and Regulations

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.

Prosper Bank is subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and the FDIC, and PB Bankshares, Inc. will be subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the Federal Reserve Board. Such regulation and supervision governs 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 and borrowers of Prosper Bank, rather than for our stockholders.

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 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 firms. These changes could materially impact, potentially even retroactively, how we report our financial condition and results of operations.

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 detected, 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.

The Federal Reserve Board may require us to commit capital resources to support Prosper Bank, and we may not have sufficient access to such capital resources.

Federal law requires that a holding company act as a source of financial and managerial strength to its subsidiary bank and to commit resources to support such subsidiary bank. Under the “source of strength” doctrine, the Federal Reserve Board may require a holding company to make capital injections into a troubled subsidiary bank and may charge the holding company with engaging in unsafe and unsound practices for failure to commit resources to a subsidiary bank. A capital injection may be required at times when the holding company may not have the resources to provide it and therefore may be required to attempt to borrow the funds or raise capital. Any loans by a holding company to its subsidiary bank are subordinate in right of payment to deposits and to certain other indebtedness of such subsidiary bank. In the event of a holding company’s bankruptcy, the bankruptcy trustee will assume any commitment by the holding company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a subsidiary bank. Moreover, bankruptcy law provides that claims based on any such commitment will be entitled to a priority of payment over the claims of the institution’s general unsecured creditors, including the holders of its note obligations. Thus, any borrowing that must be done by the PB Bankshares, Inc. to make a required capital injection becomes more difficult and expensive and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, it is possible that we will be unable to borrow funds when we need to do so.

Monetary policies and regulations of the Federal Reserve Board could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition to being affected by general economic conditions, our earnings and growth are affected by the policies of the Federal Reserve Board. An important function of the Federal Reserve Board is to regulate the money supply and credit conditions. Among the instruments used by the Federal Reserve Board to implement these objectives are open market purchases and sales of U.S. government securities, adjustments of the discount rate and changes in banks’ reserve requirements against bank deposits. These instruments are used in varying combinations to influence overall economic growth and the distribution of credit, bank loans, investments and deposits. Their use also affects interest rates charged on loans or paid on deposits.

The monetary policies and regulations of the Federal Reserve Board have had a significant effect on the operating results of financial institutions in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future. The effects of such policies upon our business, financial condition and results of operations cannot be predicted.

We may be required to raise additional capital in the future, but that capital may not be available when it is needed, or it may only be available on unacceptable terms, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are required by federal and state regulatory authorities to maintain adequate levels of capital to support our operations. We may at some point, however, need to raise additional capital to support continued growth or be required by our regulators to increase our capital resources. Our ability to raise additional capital, if needed, will depend on conditions in the capital markets at that time, which are outside of our control, and on our financial performance. Accordingly, we may not be able to raise additional capital, if needed, on terms acceptable to us. If we cannot raise additional capital when needed, our ability to further expand our operations and pursue our growth strategy could be materially impaired and our financial condition and liquidity could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, if we are unable to raise additional capital when required by our bank regulators, we may be subject to adverse regulatory action.

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 and stockholder approval of 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, which would require that our independent auditors review and attest as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We have also elected 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 $1.07 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period.

As a result, our stockholders 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.

Risks Related to Operational Matters

We face significant operational risks because of our reliance on technology. Our information technology systems may be subject to failure, interruption or security breaches.

Information technology systems are critical to our business. Our business requires us to collect, process, transmit and store significant amounts of confidential information regarding our customers, employees and our own business, operations, plans and business strategies. We use various technology systems to manage our customer relationships, general ledger, securities investments, deposits, and loans. Our computer systems, data management and internal processes, as well as those of third parties, are integral to our performance. Our operational risks include the risk of malfeasance by employees or persons outside our company, errors relating to transaction processing and technology, systems failures or interruptions, breaches of our internal control systems and compliance requirements, and business continuation and disaster recovery. There have been increasing efforts by third parties to breach data security at financial institutions. Such attacks include computer viruses, malicious or destructive code, phishing attacks, denial of service or information or other security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of confidential, proprietary and other information, damages to systems, or other material disruptions to network access or business operations. Although we take protective measures and believe that we have not experienced any of the data breaches described above, the security of our computer systems, software, and networks may be vulnerable to breaches, unauthorized access, misuse, computer viruses, or other malicious code and cyber-attacks that could have an impact on information security. Because the techniques used to cause security breaches change frequently, we may be unable to proactively address these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures.

In the event of a breakdown in our internal control systems, improper operation of systems or improper employee actions, or a breach of our security systems, including if confidential or proprietary information were to be mishandled, misused or lost, we could suffer financial loss, loss of customers and damage to our reputation, and face regulatory action or civil litigation. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Insurance coverage may not be available for such losses, or where available, such losses may exceed insurance limits.

We rely on third party vendors, which could expose us to additional cybsersecurity risks.

Third party vendors provide key components of our business infrastructure, including certain data processing and information services. Accordingly, our operations are exposed to risk that these vendors will not perform in accordance with our contractual agreements with them, or we also could be adversely affected if such an agreement is not renewed by the third party vendor or is renewed on terms less favorable to us. If our third-party providers encounter difficulties, or if we have difficulty communicating with those service providers, our ability to adequately process and account for transactions could be affected, and our business operations could be adversely affected, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Threats to information security also exist in the processing of customer information through various other vendors and their personnel. To our knowledge, the services and programs provided to us by third parties have not experienced any material security breaches. However, the existence of cyber-attacks or security breaches at third parties with access to our data, such as vendors, may not be disclosed to us in a timely manner.

We may be subject to risks and losses resulting from fraudulent activities that could adversely impact our financial performance and results of operations.

As a bank, we are susceptible to fraudulent activity that may be committed against us or our clients, which may result in financial losses or increased costs to us or our clients, disclosure or misuse of our information or our client information, misappropriation of assets, privacy breaches against our clients, litigation or damage to our reputation. We are most subject to fraud and compliance risk in connection with the origination of loans, ACH transactions, wire transactions, ATM transactions, checking transactions, and debit cards that we have issued to our customers and through our online banking portals.

We maintain a system of internal controls and insurance coverage to mitigate against such risks, including data processing system failures and errors, and customer fraud. If our internal controls fail to prevent or detect any such occurrence, or if any resulting loss is not insured or exceeds applicable insurance limits, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The cost of additional finance and accounting systems, procedures 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 stand-alone public company. However, the measures we take may not be sufficient to satisfy our obligations as a public company. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, starting with the second annual report that we would expect to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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.

Risks Related to Accounting Matters

Changes in accounting standards could affect reported earnings.

The bodies responsible for establishing accounting standards, including the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory bodies, periodically change the financial accounting and reporting guidance that governs the preparation of our financial statements. These changes can be hard to predict and can materially impact how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, we could be required to apply new or revised guidance retroactively.

Changes in management’s estimates and assumptions may have a material impact on our consolidated 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 consolidated 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 losses and our determinations with respect to amounts owed for income taxes.

Other Risks Related to Our Business

Legal and regulatory proceedings and related matters could adversely affect us.

We have been and may in the future become involved in legal and regulatory proceedings. We consider most of the proceedings to be in the normal course of our business or typical for the industry; however, it is inherently difficult to assess the outcome of these matters, and we may not prevail in any proceedings or litigation. There could be substantial costs and management diversion in such litigation and proceedings, and any adverse determination could have a materially adverse effect on our business, brand or image, or our financial condition and results of our operations.

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, which require us to perform an environmental review before initiating any foreclosure action on non-residential real property, 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.

Societal responses to climate change could adversely affect our business and performance, including indirectly through impacts on our customers.

Concerns over the long-term impacts of climate change have led and will continue to lead to governmental efforts around the world to mitigate those impacts. Consumers and businesses also may change their behavior on their own as a result of these concerns. We and our customers will need to respond to new laws and regulations as well as consumer and business preferences resulting from climate change concerns. We and our customers may face cost increases, asset value reductions and operating process changes. The impact on our customers will likely vary depending on their specific attributes, including reliance on or role in carbon intensive activities. Among the impacts to us could be a drop in demand for our products and services, particularly in certain sectors. In addition, we could face reductions in creditworthiness on the part of some customers or in the value of assets securing loans. Our efforts to take these risks into account in making lending and other decisions, including by increasing our business with climate-friendly companies, may not be effective in protecting us from the negative impact of new laws and regulations or changes in consumer or business behavior.

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

We are a community bank, and our reputation is one of the most valuable components 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 or by retaining, appointing or electing directors 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 and employees. If our reputation is negatively affected by the actions of our employees or directors, by our inability to conduct our operations in a manner that is appealing to current or prospective customers, or otherwise, our business and, therefore, our operating results may be materially adversely affected.

Risks Related to the Offering

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

If you purchase shares of common stock in the stock offering, you may not be able to sell them at or above the purchase price in the stock offering. The purchase price in the offering is based upon an independent third-party appraisal of the pro forma market value of Prosper Bank, pursuant to federal banking regulations and subject to review and approval by the FDIC and the Pennsylvania Department of Banking. The appraisal is not intended, and should not be construed, as a recommendation of any kind as to the advisability of purchasing shares of our common stock. Our aggregate pro forma market value as reflected in the final independent appraisal may exceed the market price of our shares of common stock after the completion of the offering, which may result in our stock trading below the initial offering price of $10.00 per share.

After the shares of our common stock begin trading, the trading price of the common stock will be determined by the marketplace, and will be influenced by many factors outside of our control, including prevailing interest rates, investor perceptions, securities analyst research reports and general industry, geopolitical and economic conditions. Publicly traded stocks, including stocks of financial institutions, often experience substantial market price volatility. These market fluctuations may not be related to the operating performance of particular companies whose shares are traded.

We have broad discretion in using the proceeds of the stock 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 $10.0 million and $13.7 million of the net proceeds of the offering (or $15.9 million at the adjusted maximum of the offering range) in Prosper Bank. We also expect to use a portion of the net proceeds we retain to fund a loan for the purchase of shares of common stock in the offering by our employee stock ownership plan. We may use the remaining net proceeds to invest in short-term and other investments, repurchase shares of our common stock, pay dividends, or for other general corporate purposes. Prosper Bank intends to use the net proceeds it receives to fund new loans, primarily commercial real estate and commercial and industrial loans, enhance existing products and services, invest in securities, expand its banking franchise by acquiring other financial institutions as opportunities arise, or for other general corporate purposes. However, with the exception of the loan to the employee stock ownership plan, we have not allocated specific amounts of the net proceeds for any of these 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 acquiring other financial institutions may require the approval of the FDIC, the Pennsylvania Department of Banking or the Federal Reserve Board. We have not established a timetable for investing the net proceeds, and, accordingly, we may not invest the net proceeds at a time that is most beneficial to PB Bankshares, Prosper Bank or our stockholders.

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 traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market, subject to completion of the offering and compliance with certain conditions. Piper Sandler & Co. has advised us that it intends to make a market in our common stock following the offering, but it is under no obligation to do so or to continue to do so once trading begins. 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. In addition, our public “float,” which is the total number of our outstanding shares less the shares held by our employee stock ownership plan and our directors and executive officers, will be quite limited. As a result, it is unlikely that an active trading market for the common stock will develop or that, if it develops, it will continue. If you purchase shares of common stock, you may not be able to sell them at or above $10.00 per share. Purchasers of common stock in this stock offering should have long-term investment intent and should recognize that there will be a limited trading market in the common stock. This may make it difficult to sell the common stock after the stock offering and may have an adverse impact on the price at which the common stock can be sold.

The capital we raise in the stock 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. We expect our return on equity to remain relatively low until we are able to implement our business plan and leverage the additional capital we receive from the stock offering. Although we anticipate increasing net interest income using proceeds of the stock offering, our return on equity will be reduced by the capital raised in the stock 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.

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, 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. We may also be limited in the payment of dividends under statutory and regulatory provisions.

Our stock-based benefit plans will increase our expenses, which will reduce our net income.

We anticipate that our employee stock ownership plan will purchase up to 8% of the shares of common stock sold in the stock offering with funds borrowed from PB Bankshares. We will record annual employee stock ownership plan expense equal to the fair value of shares of common stock committed to be released to employees, which is estimated to be between (after tax) $56,000 at the minimum of the offering range and $88,000 at the adjusted maximum of the offering range assuming a price of $10.00 per share. If shares of common stock appreciate in value over time, compensation expense relating to the employee stock ownership plan will increase.

We also intend to adopt one or more stock-based benefit plans after the stock offering that would award participants (at no cost to them) shares of our common stock and/or options to purchase shares of our common stock. The number of shares reserved for awards of restricted stock or grants of stock options under any initial stock-based benefit plan may not exceed 4% and 10%, respectively, of the total shares sold in the offering, if these plans are adopted within 12 months after the completion of the conversion. We may reserve shares of common stock for stock awards and stock options in excess of these amounts, provided the stock-based benefit plan is adopted more than one year following the stock offering.

Assuming the market price of the common stock is $10.00 per share; the options are granted with an exercise price of $10.00 per share; the dividend yield on the stock is 0%; the expected option life is ten years; the risk free interest rate is 0.93% (based on the ten-year Treasury rate) and the volatility rate on the shares of common stock is 22.94% (based on an index of publicly traded thrift institutions), the estimated grant-date fair value of the options using a Black-Scholes option pricing analysis is $3.17 per option granted. Assuming this value is amortized over a five-year vesting period, the corresponding annual expense associated with the stock options in the first year after the offering would be $167,000 (after tax) at the adjusted maximum of the offering range. In addition, assuming that all shares of restricted stock are awarded at a price of $10.00 per share, and that the awards vest over a five-year period, the corresponding annual expense associated with restricted stock awarded under the stock-based benefit plan would be $176,000 (after tax) at the adjusted maximum of the offering range in the first year after the offering. Moreover, if we grant shares of common stock or options in excess of these amounts, such grants would increase our costs further.

The fair value of the shares of restricted stock on the date granted under the stock-based benefit plan will be expensed by us over the vesting period of the shares. If the shares of restricted stock to be granted under the plan are repurchased in the open market (rather than issued directly from authorized but unissued shares by PB Bankshares) and cost the same as the purchase price in the stock offering, the reduction to stockholders’ equity due to the stock-based benefit plan would be between $714,000 at the minimum of the offering range and $1.1 million at the adjusted maximum of the offering range. To the extent we repurchase shares of common stock in the open market to fund the grants of shares under the plan, and the price of such shares exceeds the offering price of $10.00 per share, the reduction to stockholders’ equity would exceed the range described above. Conversely, to the extent the price of such shares is below the offering price of $10.00 per share, the reduction to stockholders’ equity would be less than the range described above.

The implementation of stock-based benefit plans is likely to dilute your ownership interest.

We intend to adopt one or more stock-based benefit plans, which will allow participants to be awarded shares of common stock (at no cost to them) and/or options to purchase shares of our common stock, following the stock offering. If these stock-based benefit plans are funded from the issuance of authorized but unissued shares of common stock, stockholders would experience a reduction in ownership interest totaling 12.28%. Although the implementation of the stock-based benefit plan will be subject to stockholder approval, historically, the overwhelming majority of stock-based benefit plans adopted by savings institutions and their holding companies following mutual-to-stock conversions have been approved by stockholders.

We have not determined the timing of the adoption of stock-based benefit plans following the stock offering. Stock-based benefit plans adopted more than one year following the stock offering may exceed regulatory restrictions on the size of stock-based benefit plans adopted within one year, which would increase our costs and the dilution to other stockholders.

If we adopt stock-based benefit plans within one year following the completion of the stock offering, then we may grant shares of common stock or stock options under our stock-based benefit plans for up to 4% and 10%, respectively, of our total outstanding shares. The amount of stock awards and stock options available for grant under the stock-based benefit plans may exceed these amounts, provided the stock-based benefit plans are adopted more than one year following the stock offering. Although the implementation of stock-based benefit plans will be subject to stockholder approval, the determination as to the timing of the implementation of such plans will be at the discretion of our board of directors. Stock-based benefit plans that provide for awards in excess of these amounts would increase our costs beyond the amounts estimated in “—Our stock-based benefit plans will increase our expenses, which will reduce our net income.” Stock-based benefit plans that provide for awards in excess of these amounts could also result in dilution to stockholders in excess of that described in “—The implementation of stock-based benefit plans is likely to dilute your ownership interest.”

Various factors may make takeover attempts more difficult to achieve.

Certain provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws and federal banking laws, including regulatory approval requirements, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of PB Bankshares without our board of directors’ approval. Under regulations applicable to the conversion, for a period of three years following completion of the conversion, no person may offer to acquire or 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 and receive the Federal Reserve Board’s non-objection before acquiring control of a bank holding company. There also are provisions in our articles of incorporation and bylaws that we may use to delay or block a takeover attempt, including a provision that prohibits any person from voting more than 10% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Prosper Bank’s articles of incorporation contain a similar restriction on acquisitions of 5% or more of its common stock, directly or indirectly, for five years following the completion of the conversion of Prosper Bank; this period ends in July 2026. 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 PB Bankshares without the consent of our board of directors, and may increase the cost of an acquisition. Taken as a whole, these statutory or regulatory provisions and provisions in our articles of incorporation and bylaws could result in our being less attractive to a potential acquirer and therefore could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. For additional information, see “Restrictions on Acquisition of PB Bankshares” and “Management—Benefits to be Considered Following Completion of the Conversion.”

Our stock value may be negatively affected by federal regulations that restrict takeovers.

For three years following the stock offering, federal regulations prohibit any person from acquiring or offering to acquire more than 10% of our common stock without the prior written approval of the Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC. See “Restrictions on Acquisition of PB Bankshares, Inc.” for a discussion of applicable federal regulations regarding acquisitions. Certain prospective investors may choose to purchase shares of a company if they believe that the company will be acquired, thereby potentially increasing its stock value. Because federal regulations will restrict any such acquisition for at least three years after the completion of the conversion, these regulations may negatively affect our stock value.

We may take other actions to meet the minimum required sales of shares if we cannot find enough purchasers in the community.

If we are not able to reach the minimum of the offering range, we may do any of the following: increase the maximum purchase limitations and allow all maximum purchase subscribers to increase their orders up to the new maximum purchase limitations; terminate the offering and promptly return all funds; set a new offering range, notify all subscribers of the opportunity to confirm, cancel or change their orders; or take such other actions as may be permitted, to the extent such permission is required, by the FDIC and the Pennsylvania Department of Banking.

You may not revoke your decision to purchase PB Bankshares 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 [extension date], or the number of shares to be sold in the offering is increased to more than 2,777,250 shares or decreased to fewer than 1,785,000 shares.

The distribution of subscription rights could have adverse income tax consequences.

If the subscription rights granted to certain current or former depositors of Prosper Bank are deemed to have an ascertainable value, receipt of such rights may be taxable in an amount equal to such value. Whether subscription rights are considered to have ascertainable value is an inherently factual determination. We have received an opinion of counsel, Luse Gorman, PC, that it is more likely than not that such rights have no value; however, such opinion is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service.