ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
TriState Capital Holdings, Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” the “holding company,” the “parent company,” or the “Company”) is a bank holding company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Company has three wholly owned subsidiaries: TriState Capital Bank (the “Bank”), a Pennsylvania chartered bank; Chartwell, a registered investment advisor; and Chartwell TSC Securities Corp. (“CTSC Securities”), a registered broker-dealer. Through our bank subsidiary we serve middle-market businesses in our primary markets throughout the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and New York and we also serve high-net-worth individuals on a national basis through our private banking channel. We market and distribute our banking products and services through a scalable branchless banking model, which creates significant operating leverage throughout our business as we continue to grow. Through our investment management subsidiary, we provide investment management services primarily to institutional investors, mutual funds and individual investors on a national basis. Our broker-dealer subsidiary, CTSC Securities, supports the marketing efforts for Chartwell’s proprietary investment products.
On October 20, 2021, the Company announced that it entered into a definitive agreement under which Raymond James will acquire the outstanding shares of stock of the Company for consideration that is a combination of cash and Raymond James stock at a fixed exchange rate, valued in aggregate at approximately $1.1 billion based on the trading value of Raymond James’ stock on the announcement date. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in 2022.
We operate two reportable segments: Bank and Investment Management.
•The Bank segment provides commercial banking products and services to middle-market businesses and private banking products and services to high-net-worth individuals through the Bank. Total assets of the Bank were $12.93 billion as of December 31, 2021.
•The Investment Management segment provides investment management services primarily to institutional investors, mutual funds and individual investors through Chartwell and also supports marketing efforts for Chartwell’s proprietary investment products through CTSC Securities. Assets under management of Chartwell were $11.84 billion as of December 31, 2021.
For additional financial information by segment, refer to Note 23, Segments, to our consolidated financial statements.
Our Business Strategy
Our success has been built upon the vision and focus of our executive management team to combine the sophisticated products, services and risk management efforts of a large financial institution with the personalized service of a community bank. We believe that our results-based culture, combined with a well-managed middle-market and private banking business, and our targeted investment management business, will allow us to continue to grow and generate attractive returns for shareholders. The key components of our business strategies are described below:
Our Sales and Distribution Culture. We focus on efficient and profitable sales and distribution of investment management services and banking products and services to middle-market businesses and private banking clients. Our relationship managers and distribution professionals have significant experience in the banking and financial services industries and are focused on client service. In our banking business, we monitor net interest income contribution, loan and deposit growth, and asset quality by market and by relationship manager. Our compensation program is designed within our banking business to incentivize our regional presidents and relationship managers to prudently grow their loans, deposits and profitability, while maintaining strong asset quality. In our investment management business, our compensation program is designed to incentivize new assets under management while maximizing the retention of existing clients and exceeding benchmark investment performance.
Disciplined Risk Management. We place a strong emphasis on effective risk management as an integral component of our organizational culture and responsible growth strategy. We use our risk management infrastructure to establish risk appetite, monitor existing operations, support decision-making and improve the success rate of existing products and services as well as new initiatives. A major part of our risk management effort is focused on our balanced, lower-risk loan portfolio. This includes our focus on growing loans originated through our private banking channel. We believe these loans have lower credit risk because they are typically secured by readily liquid collateral, such as marketable securities, and/or are personally guaranteed by high-net-worth borrowers. In addition, we mitigate risk associated with these loans through active daily monitoring of the collateral, utilizing our proprietary technology. We
also focus on increasing non-interest income, including the expansion of our investment management business organically as well as through acquisitions.
Experienced Professionals. Having successful and high quality professionals is critical to continuing to drive prudent growth in our business. In addition to our experienced executive management team and board of directors, we employ highly experienced personnel across our entire organization. Our commercial and private banking presidents as well as our regional banking presidents have an average of more than 30 years of banking experience and our middle-market and private banking relationship managers have an average of over 20 years of banking experience. Chartwell’s mission is successfully executed through the dedication of investment professionals who average over 20 years of industry experience. We believe that our distinct business model, culture, and scalable platform enable us to attract and retain high quality professionals. Additionally, our low overhead costs give us the financial capability to attract and incentivize qualified professionals who desire to work in an entrepreneurial and results-oriented organization.
Technology Enabled Efficient and Scalable Operating Model. With respect to our banking business, we believe our branchless banking model gives us a competitive advantage by eliminating the overhead and management requirements of a traditional branch network. Moreover, we believe that we have a scalable platform and organizational infrastructure that positions us to grow our revenue more rapidly than our operating expenses. We also believe that our investment management business has an efficient and scalable business model that focuses on institutional direct clients and wholesale distribution channels to reach retail investors. This enables us to invest in meaningful technology development that appeals to these sophisticated needs and competes with premier providers, while having longer obsolescence cycles and better return on investment.
Lending Strategy. We generate loans through our middle-market banking and private banking channels. These channels provide diversification and offer significant responsible growth opportunities in breadth and scale.
•Middle-Market Banking Channel. Our middle-market banking channel primarily targets businesses with revenues between $5.0 million and $300.0 million located within our primary markets. To capitalize on this opportunity, each of our representative offices is led by an experienced regional president so we can understand the unique borrowing needs of the middle-market businesses in their area. They are supported by highly experienced relationship managers with reputations for success in targeting middle-market business customers and maintaining strong credit quality within their loan portfolios.
•Private Banking Channel. We provide loan products and services nationally to executives and high-net-worth individuals, most of whom we source through referral relationships with independent broker-dealers, wealth managers, family offices, trust companies and other financial intermediaries. Our private banking products primarily include loans secured by cash and/or marketable securities. The Company also originates loans secured by cash value life insurance and other asset-based loans. Our relationship managers have cultivated referral arrangements with 351 financial intermediaries. Under these arrangements, the financial intermediaries are able to refer their clients to us for responsive and sophisticated banking services. We believe many of our referral relationships with these intermediaries also create cross-selling opportunities with respect to our deposit products and our investment management business. Since inception, we have had no charge-offs related to our loans secured by cash, marketable securities and/or cash value life insurance.
As shown in the following table, we have continued to achieve loan growth through both of our banking channels. As of December 31, 2021, loans and leases sourced through our middle-market banking channel were $3.88 billion, or 36.0% of our loans held-for-investment.
As of December 31, 2021, loans sourced through our private banking channel were $6.89 billion, or 64.0% of our loans held-for-investment, of which $6.82 billion, or 99.0%, were secured by cash, marketable securities and/or cash value life insurance. We expect continued strong loan and deposit growth in this channel, in part because we added 102 new loan referral relationships during the year
ended December 31, 2021, for a total of 351 referral relationships at the end of 2021. We have also experienced continued growth in the number of customers resulting from our existing referral relationships.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| December 31, | | 2021 Change from 2020 |
(Dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | | Amount | Percent |
Middle-market banking offices: | | | | | |
Western Pennsylvania | $ | 979,660 | | $ | 884,860 | | | $ | 94,800 | | 10.7% |
Eastern Pennsylvania | 1,019,547 | | 867,267 | | | 152,280 | | 17.6% |
New Jersey | 661,099 | | 572,607 | | | 88,492 | | 15.5% |
New York | 592,573 | | 572,265 | | | 20,308 | | 3.5% |
Ohio | 623,947 | | 532,619 | | | 91,328 | | 17.1% |
Total middle-market banking loans | 3,876,826 | | 3,429,618 | | | 447,208 | | 13.0 | % |
Total private banking loans | 6,886,498 | | 4,807,800 | | | 2,078,698 | | 43.2 | % |
Loans and leases held-for-investment | $ | 10,763,324 | | $ | 8,237,418 | | | $ | 2,525,906 | | 30.7 | % |
Deposit Funding Strategy. Since inception, we have focused on creating and growing a branchless, diversified, stable, and low cost deposit channels, both in our primary markets and across the United States. As of December 31, 2021, we consider approximately 92% of our total deposits to be sourced from direct customer relationships. We believe our sources of deposits continue to provide excellent opportunities for growth both within our primary markets and nationally.
We take a multi-faceted approach to our deposit growth strategy. We believe our relationship managers are an integral part of this approach and, accordingly, we measure and incentivize them to increase the breadth and scope of deposits associated with their relationships. We have relationship managers who are specifically dedicated to deposit generation and treasury management, and we plan to continue adding such professionals as appropriate to support our growth. Additionally, we believe that our financial performance and our products and services, which are targeted to our markets, enhance our responsible growth of cost-effective deposits.
Investment Management Strategy. We will continue to execute on our investment management strategy of organically growing our business through innovative distribution strategies, as well as selectively acquiring other investment management assets that complement Chartwell’s business, as evidenced by our acquisition of Columbia Partners, L.L.C. in 2018. We believe that this segment has and will continue to enhance our recurring fee revenue, build robust institutional relationships, provide new product offerings for our national network of financial intermediaries, and leverage our financial services distribution capabilities through the financial intermediaries with which our banking business has worked and developed.
Our Markets
For our middle-market banking business, our primary markets of Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and New York include the four major metropolitan statistical areas (“MSA”) of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio and New York (which includes northern New Jersey). We believe that our primary markets including these MSAs are long-term, attractive markets for the types of products and services that we offer, and we anticipate that these markets will continue to support our projected growth. With respect to our loans and other financial services and products, we selected the locations for our representative offices partially based upon the number of middle-market businesses located in these MSAs and their respective states. According to SNL Financial, as of December 31, 2021, there were over 849,000 middle-market businesses in our primary markets with annual sales between $5.0 million and $300.0 million, which represented approximately 10% of the national total of such businesses as of that date. The 2021 aggregate population of the four MSAs in which our headquarters and four representative offices are located was approximately 30 million, which represented approximately 9% of the national population. We believe that the population and business concentrations within our primary markets provide attractive opportunities to grow our business.
In addition to our commercial bank focus on middle-market businesses in our primary markets, our private banking business focuses on serving clients on a national basis. We primarily source this business through referral relationships with independent broker-dealers, wealth managers, family offices, trust companies and other financial intermediaries. We view our product offerings as being most appealing to those households with $500,000 or more in net worth (not including their primary residence).
Through all of our distribution channels, we pursue and create deposit relationships, including treasury management relationships, with customers in our primary markets and throughout the United States. Because our deposit operations are centralized in our Pittsburgh headquarters, all of our deposits are aggregated and accounted for in that MSA. For these distribution and reporting reasons, we do not consider deposit market share in any MSA or any of our primary markets to be relevant data. However, for
perspective on the size of the deposit markets in which we have offices, the total aggregate domestic deposits of banks headquartered within the four MSAs was approximately $3.1 trillion as of December 31, 2021, according to SNL Financial.
Our investment management products are primarily distributed in two markets. These markets and their relative percentage of our assets under management as of December 31, 2021, were as follows: institutional and sub-advisory (81%) and broker-dealers and registered investment advisors (19%).
Institutional and Sub-Advisory. Chartwell maintains a dedicated sales and client service staff to focus on the distribution of its products to a wide variety of institutional and sub-advisory clients, including corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, public pension plans, Taft-Hartley plans, foundations, endowments and registered investment companies. As of December 31, 2021, assets under management in the institutional and sub-advisory market included $3.41 billion in equity products and $6.21 billion in fixed-income products.
Broker-Dealer and Independent Registered Investment Advisors. Chartwell maintains sales staff dedicated to calling on national, regional and independent broker-dealers and registered investment advisors. Broker-dealers and registered investment advisors use Chartwell’s products to meet the needs of their customers, who are typically retail and/or high-net-worth investors. As of December 31, 2021, assets under management in the broker-dealer and independent registered investment advisor market included $1.56 billion in equity products and $661.0 million in fixed-income products.
Our Products and Services
We offer our clients an array of products and services, including loan and deposit products, cash management services, capital market services such as interest rate swaps and investment management products.
Our loan products include, among others, loans secured by cash, marketable securities, cash value life insurance, commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans, personal loans, asset-based loans, acquisition financing, and letters of credit. Our deposit products are designed for sophisticated client needs and include, among others, checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, certificates of deposit, and Promontory’s Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service® (“CDARS®”) and Insured Cash Sweep® (“ICS®”) services. Our liquidity and treasury management services are built to support clients in sophisticated and complex situations and include online balance reporting, online bill payment, remote deposit, liquidity services, wire and ACH services, foreign exchange and controlled disbursement. Our investment management business provides equity and fixed income advisory and sub-advisory services to third party mutual funds, series trust mutual funds, and to separately managed accounts for a spectrum of clients, but primarily focused on ultra-high-net-worth and institutional clients, including corporations, ERISA plans, Taft-Hartley funds, municipalities, endowments and foundations. We expect to continue to develop and implement additional products for our clients, including additional investment management product offerings to our financial intermediary referral sources.
More information about our key products and services, including a discussion about how we manage our products and services within our overall business and enterprise risk strategy, is set forth below.
Loans and Leases
Our primary source of income in our Bank segment is interest on loans and leases. Our loan and lease portfolio primarily consist of loans to our private banking clients, commercial and industrial loans and leases, and real estate loans secured by commercial real estate properties. Our loan and lease portfolio represents the largest component of our earning assets.
The following table presents the composition of our loan and lease portfolio as of December 31, 2021.
| | | | | | | | |
(Dollars in thousands) | December 31, 2021 | Percent of Loans |
Private banking loans | $ | 6,886,498 | | 64.0 | % |
Middle-market banking loans: | | |
Commercial and industrial | 1,513,423 | | 14.1 | % |
Commercial real estate | 2,363,403 | | 21.9 | % |
Total middle-market banking loans | 3,876,826 | | 36.0 | % |
Loans and leases held-for-investment | $ | 10,763,324 | | 100.0 | % |
Private Banking Loans. Our private banking loans are comprised of both personal and commercial loans sourced through our private banking channel, which operates on a national basis. These loans primarily consist of loans made to high-net-worth individuals, trusts and businesses that may be secured by cash, marketable securities, cash value life insurance and/or other financial assets and to a
lesser degree, residential property. We also have a small number of unsecured loans and lines of credit in our private banking loans. The primary source of repayment for these loans is the income and assets of the borrowers. Since a majority of our private banking loans are secured by cash, marketable securities and/or cash value life insurance which is actively monitored on a daily basis utilizing our proprietary technology, we believe the credit risk inherent in this portfolio is lower than the risk associated with other types of loans.
Our private banking lines of credit predominantly are due on demand or have terms of 365 days or less. Our term loans (other than mortgage loans) in this category generally have maturities of three to five years. On an accommodative basis, we have made personal residential real estate loans consisting primarily of first and second mortgage loans for residential properties, including jumbo mortgages. Our residential mortgage loans typically have maturities of seven years or less. On a limited basis we originated mortgage loans with maturities of up to 10 years and acquired other residential mortgages that had original maturities of up to 30 years. Our personal lines of credit typically have floating interest rates. We examine the personal cash flow, amount of outstanding business and related debt service, and liquidity of our individual borrowers when underwriting our private banking loans not secured by cash, marketable securities and/or cash value life insurance. In some cases we require our borrowers to agree to maintain a minimum level of liquidity that will be sufficient to repay the loan.
The table below includes all loans made through our private banking channel by collateral type as of the date indicated.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
(Dollars in thousands) | December 31, 2021 | Percent of Private Banking Loans | Percent of Loans |
Private banking loans: | | | |
Secured by cash, marketable securities and/or cash value life insurance | $ | 6,816,517 | | 99.0 | % | 63.3 | % |
Secured by real estate | 37,285 | | 0.5 | % | 0.4 | % |
Other | 32,696 | | 0.5 | % | 0.3 | % |
Total private banking loans | $ | 6,886,498 | | 100.0 | % | 64.0 | % |
Commercial and Industrial Loans and Leases. Our commercial and industrial loan and lease portfolio primarily includes loans and leases made to a variety of commercial borrowers generally for the purposes of financing production, operating capacity, accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, acquisitions and recapitalizations. Cash flow from the borrower’s operations is the primary source of repayment for these loans, except for certain commercial loans that are secured by marketable securities. The primary risks associated with commercial and industrial loans include a deterioration in cash flow, a decline in the value of collateral securing these loans, increased leverage and/or reduced liquidity. We work throughout the lending process to manage and mitigate such risks within this portfolio. In addition, a portion of our commercial and industrial loans consist of loans to private investment funds for short-term liquidity purposes which are secured by their ability to call additional capital and/or the net asset value of the investments held and managed by the fund.
Our commercial and industrial loans and leases include both lines of credit and term loans. Lines of credit generally have maturities ranging from one to five years. Availability under our commercial lines of credit is typically limited to a percentage of the value of the assets securing the line. Those assets typically include accounts receivable, inventory and equipment, or in the case of fund financing, the value of uncalled capital and/or the investments held by the borrowing funds. Depending on the risk profile of the borrower, we require borrowing base certificates representing and supporting borrowing availability after applying appropriate eligibility and advance percentage rates to the collateral. Our commercial and industrial term loans and leases generally have maturities between three to seven years, and typically do not extend beyond 10 years. Our commercial and industrial lines of credit and term loans typically have floating interest rates.
The table below shows the composition of our commercial and industrial loan and lease portfolio by borrower industry as of December 31, 2021.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
(Dollars in thousands) | December 31, 2021 | Percent of Commercial and Industrial Loans | Percent of Loans |
Industry: | | | |
Finance and Insurance | $ | 573,215 | | 37.9 | % | 5.3 | % |
Real Estate, Rental and Leasing | 300,739 | | 19.9 | % | 2.8 | % |
Service | 195,977 | | 12.9 | % | 1.8 | % |
Manufacturing | 112,827 | | 7.5 | % | 1.0 | % |
Transportation & Warehousing | 72,519 | | 4.8 | % | 0.7 | % |
Wholesale Trade | 50,149 | | 3.3 | % | 0.5 | % |
Information | 49,155 | | 3.2 | % | 0.5 | % |
Construction | 29,680 | | 2.0 | % | 0.3 | % |
Mining | 22,029 | | 1.5 | % | 0.2 | % |
Retail Trade | 3,670 | | 0.2 | % | — | % |
| | | |
All other | 103,463 | | 6.8 | % | 1.0 | % |
Total commercial and industrial loans and leases | $ | 1,513,423 | | 100.0 | % | 14.1 | % |
Commercial Real Estate Loans. We concentrate on making commercial real estate loans to experienced borrowers that have an established history of successful projects. The cash flow from income-producing properties or the sale of property from for-sale construction and development loans are generally the primary sources of repayment for these loans. The equity sponsors of our borrowers generally provide a secondary source of repayment from their excess global cash flows and liquidity. The primary risks associated with commercial real estate loans include credit risk arising from the dependency of repayment upon income generated from the property securing the loan, the vulnerability of such income to changes in market conditions, and difficulty in liquidating collateral securing the loans. We work throughout the lending process to manage and mitigate such risks within our commercial real estate loan portfolio. The commercial real estate portfolio also includes loans secured by owner-occupied real estate and the primary source of repayment for these loans is cash flow from the borrower’s business.
Our commercial real estate loans are primarily made to borrowers with projects or properties located within our primary markets. Our relationship managers are experienced lenders who are familiar with the trends within their local real estate markets.
The table below shows the composition of our commercial real estate portfolio as of December 31, 2021.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
(Dollars in thousands) | December 31, 2021 | Percent of Commercial Real Estate Loans | Percent of Loans |
Commercial real estate loans: | | | |
Multifamily | $ | 731,781 | | 31.0 | % | 6.8 | % |
Office | 540,765 | | 22.9 | % | 5.0 | % |
Industrial | 382,120 | | 16.2 | % | 3.6 | % |
Retail | 309,891 | | 13.0 | % | 2.7 | % |
Educational/Other Centers | 113,276 | | 4.8 | % | 1.1 | % |
Developed Land | 71,470 | | 3.0 | % | 0.7 | % |
Self Storage | 60,645 | | 2.6 | % | 0.6 | % |
Senior Housing/Healthcare | 48,013 | | 2.0 | % | 0.4 | % |
Hotel | 39,032 | | 1.7 | % | 0.4 | % |
Residential | 35,998 | | 1.5 | % | 0.3 | % |
Raw Land | 30,412 | | 1.3 | % | 0.3 | % |
Total commercial real estate loans | $ | 2,363,403 | | 100.0 | % | 21.9 | % |
| | | |
Loan and Lease Underwriting
Our focus on maintaining strong asset quality is pervasive through all aspects of our lending activities, including our loan and lease underwriting function. We are selective in targeting our lending to middle-market businesses, commercial real estate investors and
developers, and high-net-worth individuals that we believe will meet our credit standards. Our credit standards are determined by our Credit Risk Policy Committee that is made up of senior bank officers, including our Chief Credit Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Bank President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President of Commercial Banking and President of Private Banking.
Our underwriting process is multilayered. Prospective loans are first reviewed by our relationship managers and regional presidents. The prospective commercial and certain private banking loans are then discussed in a pre-screen group composed of the Chief Credit Officer, Senior Credit Officer, President of Commercial Banking, President of Private Banking and all of our regional presidents. Applications for prospective loans that are accepted are fully underwritten by our credit administration group in combination with the relationship manager. Finally, the prospective loans are submitted to our Senior Loan Committee for approval, with the exception of certain loans that are fully secured by cash, marketable securities and/or cash value life insurance. Members of the Senior Loan Committee include our Chairman, Vice Chairman, Bank President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Credit Officer, Senior Credit Officer, President of Commercial Banking, President of Private Banking and our regional presidents. All of our lending personnel, from our relationship managers to the members of our Senior Loan Committee, have significant experience that benefits our underwriting process.
We maintain high credit quality standards. Each credit approval, renewal, extension, modification or waiver is documented in written form to reflect all pertinent aspects of the transaction. Our underwriting analysis generally includes an evaluation of the borrower’s business, industry, operating performance, financial condition and typically includes a sensitivity analysis of the borrower’s ability to repay the loan. Our underwriting is conducted by our team of highly experienced portfolio managers.
Our lending activities are subject to internal exposure limits that restrict concentrations of loans within our portfolio to certain targets and maximums based on a percentage of total loan commitments and as a multiple of total risk-based capital. These exposure limits are approved by our Senior Loan Committee and our board of directors. Our internal exposure limits are established to avoid unacceptable concentrations in a number of areas, including in our different loan categories and in specific industries. In addition, we have established a preferred lending limit that is significantly lower than our legal lending limit.
Our loan portfolio includes Shared National Credits (“SNC”). Effective January 1, 2018, the bank regulatory agencies revised the SNC definition to increase the loan size from $20 million or more to $100 million or more and shared by three or more financial institutions. We are typically part of the originating bank group in connection with these loan participations. We utilize the same underwriting criteria for these loans that we use for loans that we originate directly. These loans are to borrowers typically located within our primary markets and are generally made to companies that are known to us and with whom we have direct contact. We participate in the SNC loans of the financial intermediaries that refer private banking loans to us. These intermediaries are also a source of significant deposit balances. These loans have helped us to diversify the risk inherent in our loan portfolio by allowing us to access a broader array of corporations with different credit profiles, repayment sources, geographic footprints and with larger revenue bases than those businesses associated with our direct loans. Still, we are focused more on growing our direct loans than SNC loans. As of December 31, 2021, we had $250.0 million of SNC loans compared to $273.6 million as of December 31, 2020.
Loan and Lease Portfolio Concentrations
Geographic criteria. We focus on developing client relationships with companies that have headquarters and/or significant operations within our primary markets.
The table below shows the composition of our commercial loan and lease portfolios based upon the states where our borrowers are located. Loans and leases to borrowers located in our four primary market states made up 83.0% of our total commercial loans outstanding as of December 31, 2021. When those loans are aggregated with our loans to borrowers located in states that are contiguous to our primary market states, the percentage increases to approximately 88.5% of our commercial loan and lease portfolio.
Loans in contiguous and other states include loans to the financial intermediaries that have substantial deposits with us, and are a referral source for private banking loans.
| | | | | | | | |
(Dollars in thousands) | December 31, 2021 | Percent of Total Commercial Loans |
Geographic region of borrower: | | |
Pennsylvania | $ | 1,368,082 | | 35.3 | % |
New Jersey | 634,324 | | 16.4 | % |
New York | 627,823 | | 16.2 | % |
Ohio | 585,009 | | 15.1 | % |
Contiguous states | 214,913 | | 5.5 | % |
Other states | 446,675 | | 11.5 | % |
Total commercial loans and leases | $ | 3,876,826 | | 100.0 | % |
Diversified lending approach. We are committed to maintaining a diversified loan and lease portfolio. We also concentrate on making loans and leases to businesses where we have or can obtain the necessary expertise to understand the credit risks commonly associated with the borrower’s industry. We generally avoid lending to businesses that would require a high level of specialized industry knowledge not present within the Bank.
Deposits
An important aspect of our business franchise is the ability to gather deposits and establish and grow meaningful relationships related to liquidity and treasury management customers. Deposits provide the primary source of funding for our lending activities. We offer traditional depository products including checking accounts, money market deposit accounts and certificates of deposit in addition to CDARS® and ICS® reciprocal products. We also offer cash management and treasury management services, including online balance reporting, online bill payment, remote deposit, liquidity services, wire and automated clearing house (“ACH”) services and collateral disbursement. Our deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to statutory limits.
As of December 31, 2021, non-brokered deposits represented approximately 91.7% of our total deposits. Our non-brokered deposit sources primarily include deposits from financial institutions, high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trust companies, wealth management firms, and corporations and their executives. We compete for deposits by offering a range of deposit products at competitive rates. We also attract deposits by offering customers a variety of cash management services. We maintain direct customer relationships with nearly all of our depositors that participate in CDARS® and ICS® reciprocal deposits.
The table below shows the balances of our deposit portfolio by type as of the dates indicated.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| December 31, | | 2021 Change from 2020 |
(Dollars in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | | Amount | Percent |
Non-brokered deposits: | | | | | |
Non-interest bearing checking accounts | $ | 776,256 | | $ | 456,426 | | | $ | 319,830 | | 70.1 | % |
Interest bearing checking accounts | 4,139,343 | | 2,911,669 | | | 1,227,674 | | 42.2 | % |
Money market deposit accounts | 4,905,108 | | 3,482,381 | | | 1,422,727 | | 40.9 | % |
Certificates of deposit | 728,163 | | 885,310 | | | (157,147) | | (17.8) | % |
Total non-brokered deposits | 10,548,870 | | 7,735,786 | | | 2,813,084 | | 36.4 | % |
Brokered deposits: | | | | | |
Interest bearing checking accounts | 179,180 | | 157,165 | | | 22,015 | | 14.0 | % |
Money market deposit accounts | 726,985 | | 445,416 | | | 281,569 | | 63.2 | % |
Certificates of deposit | 49,354 | | 150,722 | | | (101,368) | | (67.3) | % |
Total brokered deposits | 955,519 | | 753,303 | | | 202,216 | | 26.8 | % |
Total deposits | $ | 11,504,389 | | $ | 8,489,089 | | | $ | 3,015,300 | | 35.5 | % |
Non-brokered deposits to total deposits | 91.7 | % | 91.1 | % | | | |
Investment Management Products
Chartwell Investment Partners manages $11.84 billion in a variety of equity and fixed income investment styles, for over 250 institutional investors, mutual funds and individual investors as of December 31, 2021. A description of each investment style is provided below.
Equity Investment Strategies:
•Small Cap Value: Chartwell’s Small Cap Value portfolio employs a traditional value style supplemented with both deep and relative value stocks. Our opportunity set is selected using multiple valuation yardsticks and focuses heavily on company valuation relative to history. Portfolio decisions result from business reviews assessing the prospects of erasing these valuation discounts with a focus on fundamental and event-driven catalysts which we believe the market should recognize. The portfolio aims to be well diversified across all economic sectors and exhibit better growth, profitability and financial strength characteristics than the small cap value benchmark. Our objective is to outperform small cap value benchmarks over the long term while producing lower risk scores versus peers.
•Mid Cap Value: Chartwell’s Mid Cap Value portfolio employs a traditional value style supplemented with both deep and relative value stocks, similar to Chartwell’s Small Cap Value strategy. Our objective is to outperform mid cap value benchmarks over the long term while producing lower risk scores versus peers.
•SMID Cap Value: For clients in our SMID Cap Value portfolio, we invest in a select set of value oriented companies with small to mid-market caps focused on securities held in Chartwell’s Small Cap Value and Mid Cap Value portfolios.
•Small Cap Growth: Our Small Cap Growth portfolio invests in a select set of small growth oriented companies that have demonstrated strong increases in earnings per share. More significantly, we look to invest in companies that have historically continued to broaden, deepen and enhance their fundamental capabilities, competitive positions, product and service offerings and customer bases. Our plan is to invest in these companies for an intermediate time horizon. Our portfolios focus on a narrow set of such investments.
•Dividend Value: The objective of our Dividend Value strategy is to deliver investment returns that exceed the Russell 1000 Value index over a full market cycle by focusing on stocks with above-average dividend yields. We invest in the highest 40% of dividend-yielding stocks to take advantage of the attractive risk-return characteristics of this subset. A secondary consideration is the inclusion of companies that raise their dividends on a consistent basis. Finally, we employ a valuation overlay that we believe enhances total returns and aids in downside protection.
•Covered Call: The objective of our Covered Call strategy is to provide market-like returns in rising equity markets while earning superior returns in flat or down equity markets. We combine a portfolio of higher yielding stocks with a disciplined covered call strategy to provide a lower volatility total return solution for clients. Our focus is on creating a well-diversified portfolio of stocks that we believe are undervalued relative to their strong and/or improving fundamentals. The addition of a tactical and flexible call overwriting strategy seeks to provide additional cash flow and reduced volatility of returns.
•Large Cap Growth: The objective of our Large Cap Growth strategy is to help clients outperform benchmarks by owning a diversified portfolio of Premier Growth companies. These are businesses that possess some or all of the following characteristics: large and growing total addressable markets, superior products or services, and sustainable competitive advantages. We seek to hold positions in these companies when doing so is likely to generate significant long term capital appreciation.
Fixed Income Investment Strategies:
•Intermediate/Core/Short Duration Fixed Income: Chartwell’s philosophy of investment grade fixed income management stresses security selection, preservation of principal, and compounding of the income stream as keys to consistently add value in the bond market. We focus our research efforts in the corporate sector of the market. Because the return potential of any bond tends to be asymmetric, with limited capital appreciation potential but considerably greater capital loss potential, Chartwell targets high quality credits with stable-to improving profiles.
•Core Plus Fixed Income: With flexibility to adjust to each client’s specific guidelines, Chartwell’s Core Plus product invests across both the U.S. Investment Grade and High Yield markets. By strategically expanding our credit-driven, valued-based opportunity set, the portfolio is able to take advantage of Chartwell’s broad ranging corporate bond expertise and to benefit from the potential for increased income, total return and diversification.
•High Yield Fixed Income: Chartwell’s philosophy of high yield bond management stresses preservation of principal and compounding of the income stream as keys to adding value in the high yield bond market. In evaluating investment candidates our perspective is that of a lender. We focus on the higher quality tiers of the market, which offer an attractive yield premium but a lower incidence of credit erosion relative to the market as a whole. Chartwell believes that the consistent application of high credit standards and strict trading disciplines is the most predictable route to outperformance in the high yield bond market.
•Short Duration BB-Rated High Yield Fixed Income: Chartwell’s philosophy of high yield bond management stresses preservation of principal and compounding of the income stream as keys to adding value in the high yield bond market. Again, our focus is on the higher quality tiers of the market, which offer an attractive yield premium but a lower incidence of credit erosion relative to the market as a whole. We focus on duration of less than three years with maximum maturities of five years.
Balanced Investment Strategies:
•Conservative Allocation: The Conservative Allocation strategy is managed utilizing Chartwell’s value-oriented security selection process and includes the Chartwell Income Fund as one of its main products. While the majority of funds managed under this strategy are invested in bonds, it may invest up to 30% of its assets in dividend-paying common stocks. We believe the fund’s balanced, income-oriented approach may afford a greater level of price stability than an all equity portfolio.
Our total assets under management of $11.84 billion increased $1.58 billion, or 15.4%, as of December 31, 2021, from $10.26 billion as of December 31, 2020. We reported new business and new flows from existing accounts and acquired assets of $2.11 billion and market appreciation of $1.06 billion, partially offset by outflows of $1.59 billion during the year ended December 31, 2021.
The following table shows the changes of our assets under management by investment style for the year ended December 31, 2021.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Year Ended December 31, 2021 |
(Dollars in thousands) | Beginning Balance | Inflows (1) | Outflows (2) | Market Appreciation (Depreciation) | Ending Balance |
Equity investment styles | $ | 4,042,000 | | $ | 431,000 | | $ | (970,000) | | $ | 951,000 | | $ | 4,454,000 | |
Fixed income investment styles | 5,663,000 | | 1,628,000 | | (494,000) | | 72,000 | | 6,869,000 | |
Balanced investment styles | 558,000 | | 49,000 | | (123,000) | | 37,000 | | 521,000 | |
Total assets under management | $ | 10,263,000 | | $ | 2,108,000 | | $ | (1,587,000) | | $ | 1,060,000 | | $ | 11,844,000 | |
(1)Inflows consist of new business and contributions to existing accounts.
(2)Outflows consist of business lost as well as distributions from existing accounts.
Competition
We operate in a very competitive industry and face significant competition for customers from bank and non-bank competitors, particularly regional and national institutions, in originating loans, attracting deposits and providing other financial services. We compete for loans and deposits based upon the personal and responsive service offered by our highly experienced relationship managers, access to management and interest rates. As a result of our low operating costs, we believe we are able to compete for customers with the competitive interest rates that we pay on deposits and that we charge on our loans.
Our most direct competition for deposits comes from commercial banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, money market funds and brokerage firms, particularly national and large regional banks, many of which target the same customers as we do. With respect to our deposits from treasury management, competition is mainly based on sophistication and reliability of service, experience and expertise with our clients’ businesses, and fee structure. Competition for other deposit products is generally based on length and depth of relationship, comfort with the bank, and pricing. Our cost of funds fluctuates with market interest rates and our ability to further reduce our cost of funds may be affected by higher rates being offered by other financial institutions. During certain interest rate environments, additional significant competition for deposits may be expected to arise from corporate and government debt securities and money market mutual funds.
Our competition in making commercial loans comes principally from national, regional and large community banks and insurance companies. Many large national and regional commercial banks have a significant number of branch offices in the areas in which we operate. Competition for our private banking loans is more limited than for commercial loans due largely to our niche offering of loans backed by cash, marketable securities and/or or cash value life insurance, which represent 63% of our entire loan portfolio as of
December 31, 2021. Aggressive pricing policies and terms of our competitors on middle-market and private banking loans may result in a decrease in our loan origination volume and a decrease in our yield on loans. We compete for loans principally through the quality of products and service we provide to middle-market customers, financial services firms, and private banking referral relationships, while maintaining competitive interest rates, loan fees and other loan terms.
Our relationship-based approach to business also enables us to compete with other financial institutions in attracting loans and deposits. Our relationship managers and regional presidents have significant experience in the banking industry in the markets they serve and are focused on customer service. By capitalizing on this experience and by tailoring our products and services to the specific needs of our clients, we have been successful in cultivating stable relationships with our customers and also with financial intermediaries who refer their clients to us for banking services. We believe our approach to customer relationships will assist us in continuing to compete effectively for loans and deposits in our primary markets and nationally through our private banking channel.
The investment management business is intensely competitive. In the markets where we compete, there are over 1,000 firms which we consider to be primary competitors. In addition to competition from other institutional investment management firms, Chartwell, along with the active-management industry, competes with passive index funds, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) and investment alternatives such as hedge funds. We compete for investment management business by delivering excellent investment performance with a committed customer service model.
Employees and Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021, we had 361 full-time employees with 308 in our bank segment and 53 in our investment management segment. During 2021, our voluntary turnover rate was 7.8%. We consider our employee relations to be very good, and we aspire to keep them exceptional. Our employees are not represented by a collective bargaining unit.
Compensation and Benefits
We endeavor to create an environment based in fairness, respect, and equal opportunity that encourages high-performance; provides challenging opportunities; promotes safety and well-being; fosters diversity and new thought; and rewards execution. We focus on attracting, developing, and retaining a team of exceptionally talented and motivated employees. We conduct regular assessments of our compensation and benefits practices and pay levels to help ensure that employees are compensated competitively and fairly. We provide every full-time employee the ability to participate in comprehensive benefits programs, including paid time off, company-paid health insurance and medical concierge services, § 401(k) plan with a company funded matching program, and company-paid identity theft protection.
Health, Safety, and Wellness
The safety, health and wellness of our employees is always a top priority for us. We know that the success of our business is intricately tied to the well-being of our team. We have always approached this priority with a holistic approach, focused on physical, mental, and financial health, and continuously review existing and potential programming and the evolving needs of our team. We strongly encourage work-life balance, minimize the employee portion of health care premiums and sponsor a medical concierge service that provides healthcare education and support from personal consultants designed to help employees and their families navigate their healthcare experience.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we used this holistic approach to craft our strategy and execution. We promptly initiated remote work plans to enhance the health environment within our offices and mitigate against transmission of the virus by significantly reducing the number of employees working on-site. As an essential business, we retained an in-office-work environment, and took many initiatives to promote the health and well-being of those in our offices, including continuous enhanced cleaning, paid on-site parking, delivered lunches, and access to on-site nurses in our offices with mandatory temperature checks. In consideration the financial health of our team during this time, we established enhanced benefit programs to address expenses tied to balancing work with life under quarantine conditions, including stipends for employees working in our offices as well as working from home to assist in that transition, which we ultimately made permanent through salary increases. We also formed a COVID-19 steering team to advise on the Company’s overall response to the pandemic, including developing and monitoring mitigation strategies; tracking relevant national, state and local government guidelines, directives and regulations; and assessing appropriate work-in-office protocols.
Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce and culture. To foster this goal, we focus on promoting a culture that leverages the talents of all employees, as well as implementing practices that attract, develop, and retain diverse talent. For example, we are a member of Vibrant Pittsburgh, an economic development nonprofit that seeks to accelerate the growth rate of diverse workers in the Pittsburgh region, and we continue to pursue similar opportunities where we have our loan production offices.
Supervision and Regulation
The following is a summary of material laws, rules and regulations governing banks, investment management businesses and bank holding companies, but does not purport to be a complete summary of all applicable laws, rules and regulations. These laws and regulations may change from time to time and the regulatory agencies often have broad discretion in interpreting them. We cannot predict the outcome of any future changes to these laws, regulations, regulatory interpretations, guidance and policies, which may have a material and adverse impact on the financial markets in general, and our operations and activities, financial condition, results of operations, growth plans and future prospects.
General
The common stock and preferred stock of TriState Capital Holdings, Inc. is publicly traded and listed and, as a result, we are subject to securities laws and stock market rules, including oversight from the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules.
Banking is highly regulated under federal and state law. Regulation and supervision by the federal and state banking agencies are intended primarily for the protection of depositors, the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) administered by the FDIC, consumers and the banking system as a whole, and not for the protection of our investors. We are a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, and are subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Federal Reserve. TriState Capital Bank is a commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is not a member of the Federal Reserve System and is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (the “PDBS”) and the FDIC. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) examines the Bank for compliance with federal consumer protection laws and regulations.
Our investment management business is subject to extensive regulation in the United States. Chartwell and CTSC Securities are subject to federal securities laws, principally the Securities Act of 1933, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, state laws regarding securities fraud and regulations and rules promulgated by various regulatory authorities, including the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), state regulators and stock exchanges. With respect to certain derivative products, our investment management business also may be subject to regulation by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and the National Futures Association (“NFA”). Changes in laws, regulations or governmental policies, both domestically and abroad, and the costs associated with compliance, could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and/or cash flows.
This system of supervision and regulation establishes a comprehensive framework for our operations. Failure to meet regulatory standards could have a material and adverse impact on our operations and activities, financial condition, results of operations, growth plans and future prospects.
Regulatory Developments
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”), enacted in 2010, has resulted in broad changes to the U.S. financial system where its provisions have resulted in enhanced regulation and supervision of the financial services industry. In May 2018, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (“EGRRCPA”) was signed into law. While the EGRRCPA preserves the fundamental elements of the post Dodd-Frank regulatory framework, it includes modifications that are intended to result in meaningful regulatory relief for smaller and certain regional banking organizations.
Over several years the Department of Labor (“DOL”) developed a rule governing the circumstances in which a person rendering investment advice with respect to an employee benefit plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), would be treated as a fiduciary for the recipient of the advice. DOL finalized a regulation in 2016, but extended the effective date, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit effectively vacated the rule in 2018. In December 2020, the DOL finalized a new fiduciary regulation that becomes fully effective in February 2022. A similar rule, issued by the SEC, popularly known as Regulation BI, for best interest took effect in June 2020. These regulations will affect our investment advisory business, but we cannot predict the nature or extent of these effects at this time, or whether these regulations will change in the future.
Regulatory Capital Requirements
Capital adequacy. The Federal Reserve monitors the capital adequacy of our holding company, on a consolidated basis, and the FDIC and the PDBS monitor the capital adequacy of TriState Capital Bank. The regulatory agencies use a combination of risk-based ratios and a leverage ratio to evaluate capital adequacy and consider these capital levels when taking action on various types of applications and when conducting supervisory activities related to safety and soundness. The current capital rules, which began to take effect for us in 2015, are popularly known as the Basel III Capital Rules because they are based on international standards known as Basel III.
The risk-based capital standards are designed to make regulatory capital requirements more sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banking institutions and their holding companies, to account for off-balance sheet exposure, and to minimize disincentives for holding liquid assets. Assets and off-balance sheet items, such as letters of credit and unfunded loan commitments, are assigned to broad risk categories, each with appropriate risk weights. Regulatory capital, in turn, is classified into three categories of capital. Common Equity Tier 1 capital (“CET 1”) includes common equity, retained earnings, and minority interests in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, less goodwill, most intangible assets and certain other assets. Additional “Tier 1” capital includes, among other things, qualifying non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock. “Tier 2” capital includes, among other things, qualifying subordinated debt and allowances for credit losses, subject to limitations. Total risk-based capital is the total of all three categories. The resulting capital ratios represent capital as a percentage of average assets or total risk-weighted assets, including off-balance sheet items.
The Basel III Capital Rules require banks and bank holding companies generally to maintain four minimum capital standards to be “adequately capitalized”: (1) a tier 1 capital to total average assets ratio (“tier 1 leverage capital ratio”) of at least 4%; (2) a common equity tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (“CET 1 risk-based capital ratio”) of at least 4.5%; (3) a tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (“tier 1 risk-based capital ratio”) of at least 6%; and (4) a total risk-based capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (“total risk-based capital ratio”) of at least 8%. These capital requirements are minimum requirements. Higher capital levels may be required if warranted by the particular circumstances or risk profiles of individual institutions, or if required by the banking regulators due to the economic conditions impacting our primary markets. For example, the Basel III Capital Rules provide that higher capital may be required to take adequate account of, among other things, a bank’s or bank holding company’s credit, market, operational, or other risks.
In addition, the Basel III Capital Rules subject a banking organization to certain limitations on capital distributions and discretionary bonus payments to executive officers if the organization does not maintain a capital conservation buffer (a ratio of CET1 to total risk-based assets of at least 2.5% on top of the minimum risk-based capital requirements). The implementation of the capital conservation buffer began on January 1, 2016, and the full 2.5% requirement took effect on January 1, 2019. As a result, the Company and the Bank must meet or exceed the following capital ratios to satisfy the Basel III Capital Rule requirements and to avoid the limitations on capital distributions and discretionary bonus payments to executive officers:
•tier 1 leverage ratio of 4.0%;
•CET1 risk-based capital ratio of 7.0%;
•tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.5%; and
•total risk-based capital ratio of 10.5%.
When assets are risk weighted for the purpose of the risk-based capital ratios, the Basel III Capital Rules present a large number of risk weight categories, depending on the nature of the assets, generally ranging from 0% for U.S. government and agency securities, to 600% for certain equity exposures. These categories may result in higher risk weights than under the earlier rules for a variety of asset classes, including certain commercial real estate mortgages. Additional aspects of the Basel III Capital Rules that have particular relevance to us include:
•a formula-based approach, referred to as the collateral haircut approach, to determine the risk weight of eligible margin loans collateralized by liquid and readily marketable debt or equity securities, where the collateral is marked to fair value daily, and the transaction is subject to daily margin maintenance requirements;
•consistent with the prior risk-based capital rules, assigning exposures secured by single family residential properties to either a 50% risk weight for first-lien mortgages that meet prudential underwriting standards or a 100% risk weight category for all other mortgages;
•providing for a 20% credit conversion factor for the unused portion of a commitment with an original maturity of one year or less that is not unconditionally cancellable (previously set at 0%);
•assigning a 150% risk weight to all exposures that are non-accrual or 90 days or more past due (previously set at 100%), except for those secured by single family residential properties, which will be assigned a 100% risk weight, consistent with the prior risk-based capital rules;
•applying a 150% risk weight instead of a 100% risk weight for certain high volatility commercial real estate loans for acquisition, development and construction; and
•the option to use a formula-based approach referred to as the simplified supervisory formula approach to determine the risk weight of various securitization tranches in addition to the previous “gross-up” method (replacing the credit ratings approach for certain securitization).
Capital guidelines may continue to evolve and may have material impacts on us or our banking subsidiary.
In the first quarter of 2020, U.S. federal regulatory authorities issued an interim final rule that provides banking organizations that adopt CECL during the 2020 calendar year with the option to delay the impact of CECL on regulatory capital for up to two years (beginning January 1, 2020), followed by a three-year transition period. Due to the delayed implementation of CECL under the CARES Act, the Company will be eligible and has elected to utilize the two-year delay of CECL’s impact on its regulatory capital (from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021) followed by the three-year transition period of CECL impact on regulatory capital (from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024).
Based on our calculations, we expect that TriState Capital Holdings, Inc. and TriState Capital Bank will continue to meet all minimum capital requirements, inclusive of the capital conservation buffer, without material adverse effects on our business. However, the capital rules may continue to evolve over time and future changes may have a material adverse effect on our business. Failure to meet capital guidelines could subject us to a variety of enforcement remedies, including issuance of a capital directive, a prohibition on accepting brokered deposits, other restrictions on our business and the termination of deposit insurance by the FDIC.
Prompt corrective action regulations. Under the prompt corrective action regulations, the FDIC is required and authorized to take supervisory actions against undercapitalized insured depository institutions. For this purpose, a bank is placed in one of the following five categories based on its capital level: “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized,” and “critically undercapitalized.”
Under the current prompt corrective action provisions of the FDIC, after adopting the Basel III Capital rules, an insured depository institution generally will be classified in the following categories based on the capital measures indicated:
| | | | | |
“Well capitalized” | “Adequately capitalized” |
Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 5%, | Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 4%, |
CET 1 risk-based ratio of at least 6.5%, | CET 1 risk-based ratio of at least 4.5%, |
Tier 1 risk-based ratio of at least 8%, | Tier 1 risk-based ratio of at least 6%, and |
Total risk-based ratio of at least 10%, and | Total risk-based ratio of at least 8% |
Not subject to written agreement, order, capital directive or prompt corrective action directive that requires a specific capital level. | |
| |
“Undercapitalized” | “Significantly undercapitalized” |
Tier 1 leverage ratio less than 4%, | Tier 1 leverage ratio less than 3%, |
CET 1 risk-based ratio less than 4.5%, | CET 1 risk-based ratio less than 3%, |
Tier 1 risk-based ratio less than 6%, or | Tier 1 risk-based ratio less than 4%, or |
Total risk-based ratio less than 8% | Total risk-based ratio less than 6% |
| |
“Critically undercapitalized” | |
Tangible equity to total assets equal to or less than 2% | |
Various consequences flow from a bank’s prompt corrective action category. A bank that is adequately capitalized but not well capitalized must obtain a waiver from the FDIC in order to continue to accept, renew or roll over brokered deposits. Federal banking regulators are required to take various mandatory supervisory actions and are authorized to take other discretionary actions with respect to institutions in the three undercapitalized categories. The severity of the action depends upon the capital category in which the institution is placed. Subject to a narrow exception, banking regulators must appoint a receiver or conservator for an institution that is critically undercapitalized. An institution that is categorized as undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized, or critically undercapitalized is required to submit an acceptable capital restoration plan to its appropriate federal banking agency. An undercapitalized institution also is generally prohibited from increasing its average total assets, making acquisitions, establishing any branches or engaging in any new lines of business, except under an accepted capital restoration plan or with FDIC approval. The regulations also establish procedures for downgrading an institution to a lower capital category based on supervisory factors other than capital.
A bank holding company must guarantee that a subsidiary bank performs under a capital restoration plan, including an obligation to contribute capital to the bank up to the lesser of 5% of an “undercapitalized” subsidiary bank’s assets at the time it became “undercapitalized” or the amount required to meet regulatory capital requirements.
The prompt corrective action classification of a bank affects the frequency of regulatory examinations, the bank’s ability to engage in certain activities and the deposit insurance premiums paid by the bank. As of December 31, 2021, TriState Capital Bank met the requirements to be categorized as “well capitalized” based on the aforementioned ratios for purposes of the prompt corrective action regulations.
Source of Strength Doctrine for Bank Holding Companies
Under longstanding Federal Reserve policy which has been codified by the Dodd-Frank Act, we are required to act as a source of financial strength to, and to commit resources to support, TriState Capital Bank. This support may be required at times when we may not be inclined to provide it. In addition, any capital loans that we make to TriState Capital Bank are subordinate in right of payment to deposits and to certain other indebtedness of TriState Capital Bank. In the event of our bankruptcy, any commitment by us to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of TriState Capital Bank will be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to a priority of payment. These obligations are in addition to the performance guaranty we must provide in the event that TriState Capital Bank is required to develop a capital restoration plan under prompt corrective action.
Acquisitions by Bank Holding Companies
We must obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve before: (1) acquiring more than five percent of the voting stock of any bank or other bank holding company; (2) acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of any bank or bank holding company; or (3) merging or consolidating with any other bank holding company. The Federal Reserve may determine not to approve any of these transactions if it would result in or tend to create a monopoly or substantially lessen competition or otherwise function as a restraint of trade, unless the anticompetitive effects of the proposed transaction are clearly outweighed by the public interest in meeting the convenience and needs of the community to be served. The Federal Reserve also may not approve a transaction in which the resulting institution would hold a share of state or nationwide deposits in excess of certain caps. The Federal Reserve is also required to consider the financial condition and managerial resources and future prospects of the bank holding companies and banks concerned, the convenience and needs of the community to be served, whether the transaction would result in greater or more concentrated risks to the stability of the United States banking or financial system, and the records of a bank holding company and its subsidiary bank(s) in compliance with applicable banking, consumer protection, and anti-money laundering laws.
Scope of Permissible Bank Holding Company Activities
In general, the Bank Holding Company Act limits the activities permissible for bank holding companies to the business of banking, managing or controlling banks and such other activities as the Federal Reserve has determined to be so closely related to banking as to be properly incident thereto.
A bank holding company may elect to be treated as a financial holding company if it and its depository institution subsidiaries are categorized as “well capitalized” and “well managed.” and if its depository institution subsidiaries have Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) records of at least “satisfactory.” A financial holding company may engage in a range of activities that are (1) financial in nature or incidental to such financial activity or (2) complementary to a financial activity and which do not pose a substantial risk to the safety and soundness of a depository institution or to the financial system generally. These activities include securities dealing, underwriting and market making, insurance underwriting and agency activities, merchant banking and insurance company portfolio investments. Expanded financial activities of financial holding companies generally will be regulated according to the type of such financial activity: banking activities by banking regulators, securities activities by securities regulators and insurance activities by insurance regulators. While we may determine in the future to elect financial holding company status, we do not have an intention to make that election at this time.
The Bank Holding Company Act does not place territorial limitations on permissible non-banking activities of bank holding companies. The Federal Reserve has the power to order any bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate its ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve has reasonable grounds to believe that continuation of such activity or such ownership or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness, safety or stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.
Dividends
As a bank holding company, we are subject to certain restrictions on dividends under applicable banking laws and regulations. The Federal Reserve has issued a policy statement that provides that a bank holding company should not pay dividends unless: (1) its net income over the last four quarters (net of dividends paid during that period) has been sufficient to fully fund the dividends; (2) the prospective rate of earnings retention appears to be consistent with the capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition of the bank holding company and its subsidiaries; and (3) the bank holding company will continue to meet minimum required capital adequacy ratios. Accordingly, a bank holding company should not pay cash dividends that exceed its net income or that can only be funded in ways that weaken the bank holding company’s financial health, such as by borrowing. The Dodd-Frank Act and the Basel III Capital Rules impose additional restrictions on the ability of banking institutions to pay dividends, such as limits that come into play when the capital conservation buffer falls below the required ratio. In addition, in the current financial and economic environment, the Federal Reserve has indicated that bank holding companies should carefully review their dividend policy and has discouraged payment ratios that are at maximum allowable levels unless both asset quality and capital are very strong.
A part of our income could be derived from, and a potential material source of our liquidity could be, dividends from TriState Capital Bank. The ability of TriState Capital Bank to pay dividends to us is also restricted by federal and state laws, regulations and policies. Under applicable Pennsylvania law, TriState Capital Bank may only pay cash dividends out of its accumulated net earnings, subject to certain requirements regarding the level of surplus relative to capital.
Under federal law, TriState Capital Bank may not pay any dividend to us if the Bank is undercapitalized or the payment of the dividend would cause it to become undercapitalized. The FDIC may further restrict the payment of dividends by requiring TriState Capital Bank to maintain a higher level of capital than would otherwise be required for it to be adequately capitalized for regulatory purposes. Moreover, if, in the opinion of the FDIC, TriState Capital Bank is engaged in an unsafe or unsound practice (which could include the payment of dividends), the FDIC may require, generally after notice and hearing, the Bank to cease such practice. The FDIC has indicated that paying dividends that deplete a depository institution’s capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsafe banking practice.
Incentive Compensation Guidance
The federal banking agencies have issued comprehensive guidance intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of those organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The incentive compensation guidance sets expectations for banking organizations concerning their incentive compensation arrangements and related risk-management, control and governance processes. In addition, under the incentive compensation guidance, a banking organization’s federal supervisor may initiate enforcement action if the organization’s incentive compensation arrangements pose a risk to the safety and soundness of the organization. Further, provisions of the Basel III regime described above limit discretionary bonus payments to bank and bank holding company executives if the institution’s regulatory capital ratios fail to exceed certain thresholds. The scope and content of the U.S. banking regulators’ policies on incentive compensation are likely to continue evolving. In 2016, the federal banking agencies, together with certain other federal agencies, proposed a regulation to limit certain incentive-based compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risks by banks, bank holding companies, and certain other financial institutions. We do not know whether and when the agencies will finalize this regulation, what the final requirements will be, and how a final rule would apply to institutions of our size.
Restrictions on Transactions with Affiliates and Loans to Insiders
Federal law strictly limits the ability of banks to engage in transactions with their affiliates, including their bank holding companies. Section 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act, impose quantitative limits, qualitative standards, and collateral requirements on certain transactions by a bank with, or for the benefit of, its affiliates, and generally require those transactions to be on terms at least as favorable to the bank as transactions with non-affiliates. The Dodd-Frank Act significantly expands the coverage and scope of the limitations on affiliate transactions within a banking organization, including an expansion of the covered transactions to include credit exposures related to derivatives, repurchase agreements and securities lending arrangements and an increase in the amount of time for which collateral requirements regarding covered transactions must be satisfied.
Federal law also limits a bank’s authority to extend credit to its directors, executive officers and principal shareholders, as well as to entities controlled by such persons. Among other things, extensions of credit to insiders are required to be made on terms that are substantially the same as, and follow credit underwriting procedures that are not less stringent than, those prevailing for comparable transactions with unaffiliated persons. In addition, the terms of such extensions of credit may not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features and may not exceed certain limitations on the amount of credit extended to such persons, individually and in the aggregate, which limits are based, in part, on the amount of the bank’s capital. TriState Capital Bank maintains a policy that does not permit loans to employees, including executive officers.
FDIC Deposit Insurance Assessments
FDIC-insured banks are required to pay deposit insurance assessments to the FDIC, which fund the DIF. An institution’s assessment rate is determined by a number of factors and metrics, including the weighted average of the institution’s CAMELS composite rating, and metrics to measure the institution’s ability to withstand asset-related stress and funding-related stress, and has different calculation methodologies for banks that are considered “large banks” for regulator examination purposes, which the Bank began implementing in the fourth quarter of 2020. The rate also may be adjusted by the institution’s long-term unsecured debt and its brokered deposits. In addition, the FDIC can impose special assessments in certain instances. The FDIC has in past years raised assessment rates to increase funding for the DIF.
All assessment rates may change based on the reserve ratio of the DIF. The Dodd-Frank Act changed the way that deposit insurance premiums are calculated, increased the minimum designated reserve ratio of the DIF from 1.15% to 1.35% of the estimated amount of total insured deposits, and eliminated the upper limit for the reserve ratio designated by the FDIC each year, and eliminates the requirement that the FDIC pay dividends to depository institutions when the reserve ratio exceeds certain thresholds. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of total estimated insured deposits has grown very rapidly while the funds in the DIF have grown at a normal rate, causing the DIF reserve ratio to fall below the statutory minimum of 1.35%. The FDIC adopted a restoration plan on September 15, 2020, to restore the DIF reserve ratio to at least 1.35% by September 30, 2028. Under the restoration plan, the FDIC will continue to closely monitor the factors that affect the DIF reserve ratio and maintain its current schedule of assessment rates. Any future changes in insurance premiums could have an adverse effect on the operating expenses and results of operations and we cannot predict what insurance assessment rates will be in the future.
Further increases in assessment rates or special assessments may occur in the future, especially if there are significant additional financial institution failures. Continued action by the FDIC to replenish and increase the DIF as well as the changes contained in the Dodd-Frank Act, or changes in the assessment calculation methodologies, may result in higher assessment rates, which could reduce our profitability or otherwise negatively impact our operations, financial condition or future prospects.
Branching and Interstate Banking
TriState Capital Bank is permitted to establish branch offices within Pennsylvania, subject to the approval of the PDBS and the FDIC. The Bank is also permitted to establish additional offices outside of Pennsylvania, subject to prior regulatory approval.
TriState Capital Bank operates four representative offices, with one each located in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and New York. Because our representative offices are not branches for purposes of applicable state law and FDIC regulations, there are restrictions on the types of activities we may conduct through our representative offices. Relationship managers in our representative offices may solicit loan and deposit products and services in their markets and act as liaisons to our headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, consistent with our centralized operations and regulatory requirements, we do not disburse or transmit funds, accept loan repayments or accept or contract for deposits or deposit-type liabilities through our representative offices.
Community Reinvestment Act
TriState Capital Bank has a responsibility under the CRA, and related FDIC regulations to help meet the credit needs of its communities, including low-income and moderate-income borrowers. In connection with its supervision of TriState Capital Bank, the FDIC is required to assess the Bank’s record of compliance with the CRA. The Bank’s failure to maintain a satisfactory record of CRA performance could result in denial of certain corporate applications, such as for branches or mergers, or in restrictions on its or our activities, including additional financial activities if we elect to be treated as a financial holding company.
CRA regulations provide that a financial institution may elect to have its CRA performance evaluated under the strategic plan option. The strategic plan enables the institution to structure its CRA goals and objectives to address the needs of its community consistent with its business strategy, operational focus, capacity and constraints. The Bank has operated under FDIC approved CRA Strategic Plans since January 1, 2013 and has maintained an Outstanding CRA rating since its first examination under a strategic plan in 2015.
The federal banking agencies have indicated their intent to engage in an interagency rulemaking process to modernize the CRA regulatory framework.
Financial Privacy
The federal banking and securities regulators have adopted rules that limit the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose non-public information about consumers to non-affiliated third parties. These limitations require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to a non-affiliated third party. These regulations affect how consumer information is transmitted through financial services companies and
conveyed to outside vendors. In addition, consumers may also prevent disclosure of certain information among affiliated companies that is assembled or used to determine eligibility for a product or service, such as that shown on consumer credit reports and asset and income information from applications. Consumers also have the option to direct banks and other financial institutions not to share information about transactions and experiences with affiliated companies for the purpose of marketing products or services. In addition to applicable federal privacy regulations, TriState Capital Bank is subject to certain state privacy laws.
Anti-Money Laundering and OFAC
Under federal law, including the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) and the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, certain financial institutions must maintain anti-money laundering programs that are reasonably designed to prevent and detect money laundering and terrorist financing, including enhanced scrutiny of account relationships, and to comply with the recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the BSA including the requirement to report suspicious activities. The programs are required to include established internal policies, procedures and controls; a designated compliance officer; an ongoing employee training program; and testing of the program by an independent audit function. Financial institutions are also prohibited from entering into specified financial transactions and account relationships and must meet enhanced standards for due diligence and customer identification in their dealings with foreign financial institutions and foreign customers. Law enforcement authorities also have been granted increased access to financial information maintained by financial institutions to investigate suspected money laundering or terrorist financing. The United States Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) and the federal banking agencies continue to issue regulations and guidance with respect to the application and requirements of the BSA and their expectations for effective anti-money laundering programs. The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, which became law in January 2021, made a number of changes to anti-money laundering laws, including increasing penalties for anti-money laundering violations.
The United States Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) administers laws and Executive Orders that prohibit U.S. entities from engaging in transactions with certain prohibited parties. OFAC publishes lists of persons and organizations suspected of aiding, harboring or engaging in terrorist acts, known as Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons. Generally, if a bank identifies a transaction, account or wire transfer relating to a person or entity on an OFAC list, it must freeze the account or block the transaction, file a suspicious activity report and notify the appropriate authorities.
Bank regulators routinely examine institutions for compliance with these obligations and they must consider an institution’s compliance in connection with the regulatory review of applications, including applications for bank mergers and acquisitions. Failure of a financial institution to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing and comply with OFAC sanctions, or to comply with relevant laws and regulations, could have serious legal, reputational and financial consequences for the institution.
Safety and Soundness Standards
Federal bank regulatory agencies have adopted guidelines that establish general standards relating to internal controls and information systems, internal audit systems, loan documentation, credit underwriting, interest rate exposure, asset growth and compensation, fees and benefits. Additionally, the agencies have adopted regulations that provide the authority to order an institution that has been given notice by an agency that it is not satisfying any of these safety and soundness standards to submit a compliance plan. If, after being so notified, an institution fails to submit an acceptable compliance plan or fails in any material respect to implement an acceptable compliance plan, the agency must issue an order directing action to correct the deficiency and may issue an order directing other actions of the types to which an undercapitalized institution is subject under the “prompt corrective action” provisions of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. If an institution fails to comply with such an order, the agency may seek to enforce such order in judicial proceedings and to impose civil money penalties.
In addition to federal consequences for failure to satisfy applicable safety and soundness standards, the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities Code grants the PDBS the authority to impose a civil money penalty of up to $25,000 per violation against a Pennsylvania financial institution, or any of its officers, employees, directors, or trustees for: (1) violations of any law or department order; (2) engaging in any unsafe or unsound practice; or (3) breaches of a fiduciary duty in conducting the institution’s business.
Bank holding companies are also prohibited from engaging in unsound banking practices. For example, the Federal Reserve’s Regulation Y requires a holding company to give the Federal Reserve prior notice of any redemption or repurchase of its own equity securities, if the consideration to be paid, together with the consideration paid for any repurchases in the preceding year, is equal to 10% or more of the company’s consolidated net worth. The Federal Reserve may oppose the transaction if it concludes that the transaction would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice or would violate any law or regulation. As another example, a bank holding company is forbidden from impairing its subsidiary bank’s soundness by causing it to make funds available to non-banking subsidiaries or their customers if the Federal Reserve deems it not prudent to do so. The Federal Reserve has broad authority to prohibit activities of bank holding companies and their nonbanking subsidiaries that present unsafe and unsound banking practices or that constitute violations of laws or regulations.
In addition to complying with the agencies’ written regulations, standards and guidelines, banks and bank holding companies are regularly examined for safety and soundness by their appropriate federal and state regulators. These examinations are extensive and cover many items, including loan concentrations. At the end of an examination, a bank is assigned ratings for capital, assets, management, earnings, liquidity, and sensitivity to market risk as well as on overall composite rating for these elements, commonly referred to as the CAMELS rating. The Federal Reserve makes comparable findings for bank holding companies. These ratings and the reports on which they are based are highly confidential and not available to the public.
Consumer Laws and Regulations
TriState Capital Bank is subject to numerous laws and regulations intended to protect consumers in transactions with the Bank. These laws include, among others, laws regarding unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices, usury laws, and other federal consumer protection statutes. These federal laws include the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974, the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008, the Truth in Lending Act and the Truth in Savings Act, among others. Many states and local jurisdictions have consumer protection laws analogous, and in addition, to those enacted under federal law. These laws and regulations mandate certain disclosure requirements and regulate the manner in which financial institutions deal with customers when taking deposits, making loans and conducting other types of transactions. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could give rise to regulatory sanctions, customer rescission rights, action by state and local attorneys general and civil or criminal liability.
In addition, the CFPB has broad authority to regulate and supervise retail financial services activities of banks with greater than $10 billion in total consolidated assets and various non-bank providers. The CFPB has authority to promulgate regulations, issue orders, guidance and policy statements, conduct examinations and bring enforcement actions with regard to consumer financial products and services. Because TriState Capital Bank has surpassed $10 billion in total consolidated assets for four consecutive quarters, the CFPB examines TriState Capital Bank for compliance with federal consumer protection laws and regulations. CFPB rulemaking with respect to these federal consumer protection laws also has the potential to have a significant impact on our operations.
Effect of Governmental Monetary Policies
Our commercial banking business and investment management business are affected not only by general economic conditions but also by U.S. fiscal policy and the monetary policies of the Federal Reserve. Some of the instruments of monetary policy available to the Federal Reserve include changes in the discount rate on member bank borrowings, the fluctuating availability of borrowings at the “discount window,” open market operations, the imposition of and changes in reserve requirements against member banks’ deposits and assets of foreign branches, the imposition of and changes in reserve requirements against certain borrowings by banks and their affiliates, and asset purchase programs. These policies influence to a significant extent the overall growth of bank loans, investments, and deposits, as well as the performance of our investment management products and services and the interest rates charged on loans or paid on deposits. We cannot predict the nature of future fiscal and monetary policies or the effect of these policies on our operations and activities, financial condition, results of operations, growth plans or future prospects.
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) implemented a broad range of corporate governance, accounting and reporting measures for companies that have securities registered under the Exchange Act, including publicly-held bank holding companies. Specifically, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the various regulations promulgated thereunder, established, among other things: (i) requirements for audit committees, including independence, expertise, and responsibilities; (ii) responsibilities regarding financial statements for the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the reporting company; (iii) the forfeiture of bonuses or other incentive-based compensation and profits from the sale of the reporting company’s securities by the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer in the 12-month period following the initial publication of any financial statements that later require restatement; (iv) the creation of an independent accounting oversight board; (v) standards for auditors and regulation of audits, including independence provisions that restrict non-audit services that accountants may provide to their audit clients; (vi) disclosure and reporting obligations for the reporting company and their directors and executive officers, including accelerated reporting of stock transactions and a prohibition on trading during pension blackout periods; (vii) a prohibition on personal loans to directors and officers, except certain loans made by insured financial institutions on non-preferential terms and in compliance with other bank regulatory requirements; and (viii) a range of civil and criminal penalties for fraud and other violations of the securities laws.
Asset Management
The asset management industry is subject to extensive federal, state and international laws and regulations promulgated by various governments, securities exchanges, central banks and regulatory bodies that are intended to benefit and protect investors in products. In addition, our distribution activities also may be subject to regulation by U.S. federal agencies, self-regulatory organizations and
securities commissions in those jurisdictions in which we conduct business. Due to the extensive laws and regulations to which we are subject, we must devote substantial time, expense and effort to remaining vigilant about, and addressing, legal and regulatory compliance matters.
Existing U.S. Regulation
Chartwell is a registered investment adviser regulated by the SEC. Chartwell is also currently subject to regulation by the DOL and other government agencies and regulatory bodies. The Investment Advisers Act of 1940 imposes numerous obligations on registered investment advisers such as Chartwell, including recordkeeping, operational and marketing requirements, disclosure obligations and prohibitions on fraudulent activities. The Investment Company Act of 1940 imposes stringent governance, compliance, operational, disclosure and related obligations on registered investment companies and their investment advisers and distributors. The SEC is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, ranging from fines and censure to termination of an investment adviser’s registration. Investment advisers also are subject to certain state securities laws and regulations. Non-compliance with the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Investment Company Act of 1940 or other federal and state securities laws and regulations could result in investigations, sanctions, disgorgement, fines and reputational damage.
Chartwell’s trading and investment activities for client accounts are also regulated under the Exchange Act, and implementing regulations, and the rules of various U.S. exchanges and self-regulatory organizations. These laws, regulations, and rules govern trading on inside information and, market manipulation, and include a broad number of technical requirements and market regulation policies.
CTSC Securities, our broker-dealer subsidiary, is subject to regulations that cover all aspects of the securities business. Much of the regulation of broker-dealers has been delegated to self-regulatory organizations, principally FINRA. These self-regulatory organizations have adopted extensive regulatory requirements relating to matters such as sales practices, compensation and disclosure, and conduct periodic examinations of member broker-dealers in accordance with rules they have adopted and amended from time to time, subject to approval by the SEC. The SEC, self-regulatory organizations and state securities commissions may conduct administrative proceedings that can result in censure, fine, suspension or expulsion of a broker-dealer, its officers or registered employees. These administrative proceedings, whether or not resulting in adverse findings, can require substantial expenditures and can have an adverse impact on the reputation or business of a broker-dealer. The principal purpose of regulation and discipline of broker-dealers is the protection of clients and the securities markets, rather than protection of creditors and stockholders of the regulated entity.
There has been substantial regulatory and legislative activity at federal and state levels regarding standards of care for financial services firms, related to both retirement and taxable accounts. In December 2020, the DOL finalized a new fiduciary regulation that becomes fully effective in February 2022. A comparable rule issued by the SEC, popularly known as Regulation BI, for best interest, took effect in June 2020. Further actions that the DOL, SEC or other applicable regulatory or legislative bodies take to alter duties to clients may impact our business activities and increase our costs.
In addition, Chartwell also may be subject to ERISA and related regulations, particularly insofar as it acts as a “fiduciary” or “investment manager” under ERISA with respect to benefit plan clients. ERISA imposes duties on persons who are fiduciaries of ERISA plan clients, and ERISA and related provisions of the Internal Revenue Code prohibit certain transactions involving the assets of ERISA plan and Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”) clients and certain transactions by the fiduciaries (and several other related parties) to such clients.
Net Capital Requirements
CTSC Securities is a non-clearing broker-dealer subsidiary with a primary business of wholesaling and marketing the proprietary investment products and services provided by Chartwell. CTSC Securities is subject to net capital rules imposed by various federal, state, and foreign authorities that mandate that it maintain certain levels of capital.
Impact of Current Laws and Regulations
The cumulative effect of these laws and regulations adds significantly to the cost of our operations and may reduce revenue opportunities, and thus has a negative impact on our profitability. There has also been a notable expansion in recent years of financial service providers that are not subject to the examination, oversight, and other rules and regulations to which we are subject. In this regard, these providers may have a competitive advantage over us and may successfully compete against traditional banking institutions, with a continuing adverse effect on the banking industry in general.
Future Legislation and Regulatory Reform
New statutes, regulations and policies are regularly proposed that contain wide-ranging proposals for altering the structures, regulations and competitive relationships of financial institutions operating in the United States. We cannot predict whether or in what form any statute, regulation or policy will be proposed or adopted or the extent to which our business may be affected by any new statue or regulation. Future legislation and policies, and the effects of that legislation and those policies, may have a significant influence on our operations and activities, financial condition, results of operations, growth plans or future prospects and the overall growth and distribution of loans, investments and deposits. Such legislation and policies have had a significant effect on the operations and activities, financial condition, results of operations, growth plans and future prospects of commercial banks and investment management businesses in the past and are expected to continue having such effects.
Available Information
All of our reports filed electronically with the SEC, including this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and proxy statements, as well as any amendments to those reports are accessible at no cost on our website at www.tristatecapitalbank.com under “Who We Are,” “Investor Relations,” “SEC Documents”. These filings are also accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. There are risks, many beyond our control, that could cause our financial condition or results of operations to differ materially from management’s expectations. Some of the risks that may affect us are described below. If any of the following risks, singly or together with one or more other factors, actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected. These risks are not the only risks that we may face. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects could also be affected by additional risks that apply to all companies operating in the United States, as well as other risks that are not currently known to us or that we currently consider to be immaterial to our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Further, some statements contained herein constitute forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” on page 4. The risks described below should also be considered together with the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the disclosures in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data”.
Risk Factor Summary
The risks and uncertainties facing our company include, but are not limited to, the following:
Risks Relating to our Business
•COVID-19 and mitigation efforts may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•We may not be able to adequately measure and limit our credit risk, which could lead to unexpected losses.
•Our allowance for credit losses on loans and leases may prove to be insufficient.
•Our business may be adversely affected by competition, changes in interest rates, and market conditions.
•Our private banking business could be negatively impacted by volatility or a prolonged downturn in the securities markets.
•A real estate market downturn could result in losses and adversely affect our profitability.
•Our lending limit may restrict our growth and prevent us from effectively implementing our business strategy.
•The loss of executive team members and other key employees could adversely impact our business and reputation.
•Liquidity risk could impair our ability to fund operations and meet our obligations as they become due.
•If we fail to maintain sufficient capital, we may not be able to maintain regulatory compliance.
•Reductions to our credit ratings may increase funding costs or impair our ability to effectively compete for business.
•A transition away from LIBOR to an alternative reference interest rate could negatively affect the value of our financial assets and liabilities and present operational problems due to market disruption.
•Our ability to maintain our reputation is critical to the success of our business.
•Our financial results depend on management’s selection of accounting methods and certain assumptions and estimates.
•Derivative transactions expose us to additional credit and market risk in our banking business.
•Failure of third parties to provide key components of our business infrastructure could disrupt our operations.
•We could be subject to losses, regulatory action and reputational harm due to fraudulent and negligent acts on the part of loan applicants, our borrowers, our clients, our employees and our vendors.
•The value of our goodwill and other intangible assets may decline in the future.
•Cyber-crime and threats to data security may harm our reputation, and adversely affect our business.
•Any violation of laws regarding the privacy, information security and protection of personal information or another incident involving personal, confidential or proprietary information of individuals could damage our reputation and otherwise adversely affect our operations and financial condition.
•We may have insufficient resources or face operational challenges when implementing new technology.
•We may take tax filing positions or follow tax strategies that may be subject to challenge.
Risks Relating to Our Proposed Acquisition by Raymond James
•Because the market price of Raymond James common stock fluctuates, TriState Capital shareholders cannot be certain of the market value of the merger consideration they will receive.
•The market price of Raymond James common stock after the mergers may be affected by factors different from those currently affecting the shares of our common stock or Raymond James’s common stock.
•We and Raymond James are expected to incur incremental costs related to the mergers and integration.
•The mergers and integration may be more difficult, costly or time-consuming than expected, and we and Raymond James may fail to realize the anticipated benefits of the mergers.
•The future results of the combined company may suffer if the company does not effectively manage its expanded operations.
•The combined company may be unable to retain our and Raymond James’s personnel after the completion of the mergers.
•The Merger Agreement limits our ability to pursue alternatives to the Acquisition and may discourage other companies from trying to acquire us.
•Regulatory approvals for the Acquisition may not be received, may take longer than expected or may impose conditions that are not presently anticipated or cannot be met.
•Failure of the Acquisition to be completed, the termination of the Merger Agreement or a significant delay in the consummation of the Acquisition could negatively impact us.
•We will be subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions while the Acquisition is pending.
•Litigation against us or Raymond James, or the members of our or Raymond James’ board of directors, could prevent or delay the completion of the Acquisition.
Risks Relating to Regulations
•We operate in a highly regulated environment and the laws and regulations that govern our operations, corporate governance, executive compensation and accounting principles, or changes in them, or our failure to comply with them, could subject us to regulatory action or penalties.
•Federal and state bank regulators periodically conduct examinations of our business and we may be required to remediate adverse examination findings or be subject to enforcement actions.
•The Bank’s FDIC deposit insurance premiums and assessments my increase.
•We are subject to numerous laws designed to protect customers, including fair lending laws, and failure to comply with these laws could lead to a wide variety of sanctions.
•We face a risk of noncompliance with and enforcement action under the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations.
•We are a holding company and we depend upon our subsidiaries for liquidity.
•Applicable laws and regulations, including capital and liquidity requirements, may restrict our ability to transfer funds from our subsidiaries to us or other subsidiaries.
•We are now subject to additional regulation because we have surpassed $10 billion in total consolidated assets.
•Our use of third-party service providers and other ongoing third-party business relationships may become subject to increasing regulatory requirements and attention.
Risks Relating to an Investment in our Common Stock and Preferred Stock
•Shares of our common stock, preferred stock and underlying depositary shares are not an insured deposit.
•An active, liquid market for our securities may not be sustained.
•Our preferred stock is thinly traded.
•The market price of our securities may be subject to substantial fluctuations, which may make it difficult for us to raise additional capital or for you to sell your shares at the volume, prices and times desired.
•The rights of holders of our common stock are generally subordinate to the rights of holders of our debt securities and preferred stock and may be subordinate to the rights of holders of any preferred stock or debt securities that we may issue in the future.
•Holders of our preferred stock and depositary shares have limited voting rights.
•We have not paid dividends on our common stock and are subject to regulatory restrictions on our ability to pay dividends.
•Our governance documents, and certain applicable federal and Pennsylvania laws, could make a takeover more difficult.
•There are substantial regulatory limitations on changes of control of bank holding companies.
General Risk Factors
•Climate change and societal responses to climate change could adversely affect our business and performance, including indirectly through impacts on our customers.
•Severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism or other external events could significantly impact our business.
Risks Relating to our Business
COVID-19 and the impact of actions to mitigate it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and such effects will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and are difficult to predict.
Federal, state and local governments have enacted various restrictions in an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19, including the declaration of a national emergency; multiple cities’ and states’ declarations of states of emergency; school and business closings; limitations on social or public gatherings and other social distancing measures, such as working remotely, travel restrictions, quarantines and stay-at-home orders. Such measures have disrupted economic activity and contributed to job losses and reduced levels of consumer and business spending. Although local jurisdictions have subsequently lifted stay-at-home orders and moved to phased opening of businesses, worker shortages, vaccine and testing requirements, new variants of COVID-19 and other health and safety recommendations have impacted the ability of businesses to return to pre-pandemic levels of activity and employment. In response to the economic and financial effects of COVID-19, the Federal Reserve sharply reduced interest rates and instituted quantitative easing measures, which the Federal Reserve began tapering in November 2021 by reducing the pace of its asset purchases, as well as domestic and global capital market support programs. In addition, the President’s Administration, Congress, various federal agencies and state governments have taken measures to address the economic and social consequences of the pandemic, including the passage of the CARES Act. The CARES Act, among other things, provides certain measures to support individuals and businesses in maintaining solvency through monetary relief, including in the form of financing, loan forgiveness and automatic forbearance. The full impact on our business activities as a result of new government and regulatory policies, programs and guidelines, as well as regulators’ reactions to such activities, remains uncertain.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a destabilizing effect on financial markets, key market indices, and overall economic activity. The uncertainty regarding the duration of the pandemic and the resulting economic disruption caused increased market volatility and led to an economic recession. Uncertainty regarding the impacts of a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, including new strains of the virus, as well as a significant decrease in consumer confidence and business generally furthered economic concerns. The continuation of these conditions, the impacts of the CARES Act, and other federal and state measures, specifically with respect to loan forbearances, have adversely impacted our businesses, results of operations, and the business and operations of at least some of our borrowers, customers and business partners. These impacts may be material. In particular, even as COVID-19 vaccines have become widely available, these events have had, and/or can be expected to continue to have, the following effects, among other things:
•impair the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans or other obligations, resulting in increases in delinquencies;
•impair the value of collateral securing loans;
•impair the value of our securities portfolio;
•require an increase in our allowance for credit losses on loans and leases;
•adversely affect the stability of our deposit base, or otherwise impair our liquidity;
•reduce our asset management revenues and the demand for our products and services;
•impair the ability of loan guarantors to honor commitments;
•negatively impact our regulatory capital ratios;
•result in increased compliance risk as we become subject to new regulatory and other requirements associated with any government stimulus programs in which we participated;
•negatively impact the productivity and availability of key personnel and other employees necessary to conduct our business, and of third-party service providers who perform critical services for us, or otherwise cause operational failures due to changes in our normal business practices necessitated by the outbreak and related governmental actions;
•increase cyber and payment fraud risk, and other operational risks, given increased online and remote activity;
•negatively impact revenue and income; and
•impede the success of the Acquisition, such as by delaying regulatory approvals or causing additional regulatory burdens prior to completion of the merger.
Prolonged measures by health or other governmental authorities encouraging or requiring significant restrictions on travel, assembly or other core business practices could further harm our business and those of our customers. Although we have business continuity plans and other safeguards in place, we can provide no assurance that they will continue to be effective.
The ultimate impact of these factors is highly uncertain at this time and we do not yet know the full extent of the impacts on our business, our operations or the national or global economies, nor the pace of the economic recovery when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. The continuing impact of COVID-19 on economic conditions generally and on middle market businesses, in particular, may result in a material adverse effect to our business, financial condition and results of operations in future periods.
In addition, to the extent COVID-19 adversely affects our business, financial condition, and results of operations, and global economic conditions more generally, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in the “Risk Factors” section of this report.
We may not be able to adequately measure and limit our credit risk, which could lead to unexpected losses.
Our business depends on our ability to successfully measure and manage credit risk and maintain disciplined and prudent underwriting standards. The business of lending is inherently risky, and includes the risk that the principal or interest on any loan will not be repaid timely or at all and that the value of any collateral supporting the loan will be insufficient to cover our outstanding exposure. In addition, we are exposed to risks with respect to the period of time over which loans may be repaid, risks relating to proper loan underwriting, risks resulting from changes in economic and industry conditions, and risks inherent in dealing with individual loans and borrowers. The creditworthiness of a borrower is affected by many factors, including local market conditions and general economic conditions, and many of our loans are made to middle-market businesses that may be less able to withstand competitive, economic and financial pressures than larger borrowers.
Our risk management practices, such as monitoring the concentration of our loans within specific industries, employing analytical and forecasting models and our credit approval, review and administrative practices may not adequately reduce credit risk. Additionally, our credit administration personnel, policies and procedures may not adequately adapt to changes in economic or any other conditions affecting customers and the quality of our loan portfolio. As a result, we may incur loan defaults, foreclosures and additional charge-offs, and may be required to significantly increase our ACL, each of which could adversely affect our net income. In addition, the weakening of our underwriting standards for any reason, such as to seek higher yielding loans, or a lack of discipline or diligence by our employees may result in loan defaults, foreclosures, additional charge-offs, or an increase in ACL. Any of these consequences could adversely affect our net income. As a result, our inability to successfully manage credit risk and our underwriting standards could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Our allowance for credit losses on loans and leases may prove to be insufficient, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our experience in the banking industry indicates that some portion of our loans will not be fully repaid in a timely manner or at all. Accordingly, we maintain an ACL that represents management’s judgment of probable losses in our loan portfolio. The level of the allowance reflects management’s continuing evaluation of past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable economic forecasts, including historical charge-offs and subsequent recoveries. Management also considers qualitative factors that influence our credit quality, including, but not limited to, delinquency and non-performing loan trends, changes in loan underwriting guidelines and credit policies, and the results of internal loan reviews. The determination of the ACL is inherently subjective and requires us to make significant assumptions, which may change or be incorrect. Inaccurate assumptions, deterioration of economic conditions, new information, the identification of additional problem loans and other factors, both within and outside of our control, may require us to increase our ACL. In addition, our regulators, as an integral part of their periodic examination, review the adequacy of our ACL and may direct us to make additions to it. Further, if actual charge-offs in future periods exceed the amounts allocated to the ACL, we may need additional provision for loan losses to restore the adequacy of our ACL. While we believe that our ACL was adequate at December 31, 2021, we can provide no assurance that it will be sufficient to cover future loan losses, especially if there is a significant deterioration in economic conditions. If we are required to materially increase our level of ACL for any reason, such increase could materially decrease our net income and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
A material portion of our loan portfolio is comprised of commercial loans secured by general business assets, the deterioration in value of which could expose us to credit losses.
Historically, a material portion of our loans held-for-investment have been comprised of commercial loans to businesses collateralized by business assets including, among other things, accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, cash value life insurance and owner-occupied real estate. These commercial loans are typically larger in amount than loans to individuals and, therefore, have the potential for larger losses on a single loan basis. Additionally, the repayment of commercial loans is subject to the ongoing business operations of the borrower. The collateral securing such loans generally includes movable property, such as equipment and inventory, which may decline in value more rapidly than we anticipate, exposing us to increased credit risk. In addition, a portion of our customer base may be exposed to volatile businesses or industries which are sensitive to commodity prices or market fluctuations, such as energy prices. Accordingly, negative changes in commodity prices, real estate values and liquidity could impair the value of the collateral securing these loans.
Historically, losses in our commercial credits have been higher than losses in other segments of our loan portfolio. Significant adverse changes in various industries could cause rapid declines in values and collectability resulting in inadequate collateral coverage that may expose us to credit losses. An increase in specific reserves and charge-offs related to our commercial and industrial loan portfolio could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects. As of December 31, 2021, we had commercial and industrial loans outstanding of $1.51 billion, or 14.1% of our loans held-for-investment, and owner-occupied commercial real estate loans outstanding of $212.6 million, or 2.0% of our loans held-for-investment.
Our business may be adversely affected by conditions in the financial markets and economic conditions generally, and in the states in which we operate in particular.
If the overall economic climate in the United States, generally, and our market areas, specifically, experiences material disruption, our borrowers may experience difficulties in repaying their loans, the collateral we hold may decrease in value or become illiquid, and the level of non-performing loans, charge-offs and delinquencies could rise and require significant additional provisions for credit losses.
Many of our customers are commercial enterprises whose business and financial condition are sensitive to changes in the general economy of the United States. Our businesses and operations are, in turn, sensitive to these same general economic conditions. If the United States experiences a deterioration or other significant volatility in economic conditions, our growth and profitability could be constrained. In addition, any future downgrade of the credit rating of the United States, failures to raise the U.S. statutory debt limit, or deterioration in the fiscal outlook of the United States federal government, could, among other things, materially adversely affect the market value of the U.S. and other government and governmental agency securities that we may hold, the availability of those securities as collateral for borrowing, and our ability to access capital markets on favorable terms. In addition, any resulting decline in the financial markets could affect the value of marketable securities that serve as collateral for our loans and the ability of our customers to repay loans. In addition, economic conditions in foreign countries, including uncertainty over the stability of the euro currency and the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, as well as concerns regarding terrorism, war and potential hostilities with various countries, could affect the stability of global financial markets, which could negatively affect U.S. economic conditions. Any of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and future prospects.
Our commercial banking operations are concentrated in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio. As a result, our business is affected by changes in the economic conditions of those states and the regions of which they are a part. Our success depends to a significant extent upon the business activity, population, income levels, deposits and real estate activity in these markets, and we are vulnerable to a downturn in the local economies in these areas. For example, low energy prices have adversely impacted and may continue to adversely impact the economies of Western Pennsylvania and Northeastern Ohio, two of our significant commercial banking markets, which have industries focused on shale gas exploration and shale gas production. Although we do not make loans to companies directly engaged in oil and gas production, adverse conditions that affect these market areas could reduce our growth rate, affect the ability of our customers to repay their loans, affect the value of collateral underlying loans, impact our ability to attract deposits and generally affect our business and financial condition. Because of our geographic concentration, we may be less able than other financial institutions to diversify our credit risks across multiple markets.
Weak economic conditions can be characterized by deflation, fluctuations in debt and equity capital markets, lack of liquidity and depressed prices in the secondary market for loans, increased delinquencies on loans, real estate price declines, and lower commercial activity. All of these factors can be detrimental to the business and/or financial position of our customers and their ability to repay loans as well as the value of the collateral supporting our loans, which could adversely impact demand for our credit products as well as our credit quality. Adverse economic conditions and government policy responses to such conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Our non-owner-occupied commercial real estate loan portfolio exposes us to credit risks that may be greater than the risks related to other types of loans.
Our loan portfolio includes non-owner-occupied commercial real estate loans for individuals and businesses for various purposes, which are secured by commercial properties, as well as real estate construction and development loans. As of December 31, 2021, we had outstanding loans secured by non-owner-occupied commercial properties of $2.15 billion, or 20.0%, of our loans held-for-investment. These loans typically involve repayment dependent upon income generated, or expected to be generated, by the secured property. These loans typically expose a lender to greater credit risk than loans secured by other types of collateral due to a number of factors, including the concentration of principal in a limited number of loans and borrowers, the difficulty of liquidating the collateral securing these loans, and the relatively larger loan balances compared to single borrowers. In addition, the amount we may realize after a default is dependent upon factors outside of our control, including, but not limited to, economic conditions, environmental cleanup liabilities, assessments, interest rates, real estate tax rates, operating expenses of the mortgaged property, occupancy rates, zoning laws, regulatory rules, and natural disasters. Accordingly, charge-offs on non-owner-occupied commercial real estate loans may be larger on a per loan basis than those incurred with residential or consumer loan portfolios.
An unexpected deterioration in the credit quality of our non-owner-occupied commercial real estate loan portfolio or the inability of only a few of our largest borrowers to repay their loan obligations could result in us increasing our ACL, which would reduce our profitability and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and future prospects.
Our private banking business could be negatively impacted by rapid volatility or a prolonged downturn in the securities markets.
Marketable-securities-backed private banking loans represent a material portion of our business and constitute the fastest growing portion of our loan portfolio. As of December 31, 2021, we had outstanding marketable-securities-backed private banking loans of $6.82 billion, or 63.3% of our loans held-for-investment. We expect to continue to increase the percentage of our loan portfolio represented by marketable-securities-backed private banking loans in the future. A sharp or prolonged decline in the value of the collateral that secures these loans could materially adversely affect the growth prospects and loan performance in this segment of our loan portfolio and, as a result, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
A downturn in the real estate market, especially in our primary markets, could result in losses and adversely affect our profitability.
A material portion of our loans are secured by real estate as a primary component of collateral. Real estate collateral provides an alternate source of repayment in the event of default by the borrower and may deteriorate in value. A general decline in real estate values, particularly in our primary markets, could impair the value of our collateral and our ability to sell the collateral upon any foreclosure. As a result, our ability to recover the principal amount due on defaulted loans by selling the underlying real estate will be diminished, and we will be more likely to suffer losses on defaulted loans, in turn, which would likely require us to increase our ACL.
In the event of a default with respect to any of these loans, the amount we receive upon sale of the collateral may be insufficient to recover the outstanding principal and interest on the loan. If we are required to re-value the collateral securing a loan to satisfy the debt during a period of reduced real estate values or to increase our ACL, our profitability could be adversely affected, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We are subject to environmental liability risk associated with any real estate collateral we acquire upon foreclosure.
During the ordinary course of business, we may foreclose on and take title to properties securing certain loans. In doing so, there is a risk that hazardous or toxic substances could be found on these properties. The costs associated with investigation and remediation activities could be substantial. If hazardous or toxic substances are found, we may be liable for remediation costs, as well as for personal injury and property damage, including damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination emanating from the property. Although we have policies and procedures to perform an environmental review before initiating foreclosure, these actions may not be sufficient to detect all potential environmental hazards.
Our lending limit may restrict our growth and prevent us from effectively implementing our business strategy.
We are limited in the amount we can lend to a single borrower by the amount of our capital. Generally, under current law, TriState Capital Bank may lend up to 15.0% of the aggregate of its capital, surplus, undivided profits, capital securities, and reserve for loan losses to any one borrower. We have established an internal lending limit that is significantly lower than our legal lending limit and, based upon our current capital levels, the amount we may lend is significantly less than that of many of our competitors and may discourage potential borrowers who have credit needs in excess of our lending limit from doing business with us. We accommodate larger loans by selling participations in those loans to other financial institutions, but this strategy may not always be available. If we are unable to compete effectively for loans, we may not be able to effectively implement our business strategy, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We rely heavily on our executive management team and other key employees, and the loss of the services of any of these individuals could adversely impact our business and reputation.
Our success depends in large part on the performance of our key personnel, as well as on our ability to attract, motivate and retain highly qualified senior and middle management and other skilled employees. Competition for employees is intense, and the process of locating key personnel with the combination of skills and attributes required to execute our business plan may be lengthy. We currently do not have any employment or non-compete agreements with any of our executive officers or key employees other than certain non-solicitation and restrictive agreements from certain key employees in connection with our investment management business. We may not be successful in retaining our key employees, and the loss of one or more of our key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business because of their skills, knowledge of our markets, relationships, industry experience and the difficulty of finding qualified replacement personnel. If the services of any of our key personnel become unavailable for any reason, we may not be able to hire qualified persons on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Our business has grown rapidly, and we may not be able to maintain our historical rate of growth.
Continued growth in our banking business requires that we follow adequate loan underwriting standards and balance loan and deposit growth while managing interest rate risk and our net interest margin, maintaining adequate capital at all times, producing investment
performance results competitive with our peers and benchmarks, further diversifying our revenue sources, meeting the expectations of our clients, and hiring and retaining qualified employees.
We may not be able to sustain our historical rate of growth or continue to grow our business at all. Because of factors such as the uncertainty in the general economy and the possibility of government intervention in the credit markets, it may be difficult for us to repeat our historic earnings growth as we continue to expand. Failure to grow or failure to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business and future prospects, and could adversely affect the implementation our business strategy.
Our utilization of brokered deposits could adversely affect our liquidity and results of operations.
Since our inception, we have utilized both brokered and non-brokered deposits as a source of funds to support our growing loan demand and other liquidity needs. As a bank regulatory supervisory matter, reliance upon brokered deposits as a significant source of funding is discouraged because brokered deposits may not be as stable as other types of deposits and, in the future, those depositors may not renew their deposits, or we may have to pay a higher interest rate to keep those deposits or replace them with other deposits or with funds from other sources. Additionally, if TriState Capital Bank ceases to be categorized as “well capitalized” for bank regulatory purposes, it will not be able to accept, renew or roll over brokered deposits without a waiver from the FDIC. If we are unable to maintain or replace these brokered deposits as they mature, it could adversely affect our liquidity and results of operations. Further, paying higher interest rates to maintain or replace these deposits could adversely affect our net interest margin, net income and financial condition.
Liquidity risk could impair our ability to fund operations and meet our obligations as they become due.
Our ability to implement our business strategy will depend on our liquidity and ability to obtain funding for loan originations, working capital and other general purposes. Our preferred source of funds for our banking business consists of core customer deposits; however, we rely on other sources such as brokered deposits and Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) advances. In addition to our competition with other banks for deposits, such account and deposit balances can decrease when customers perceive alternative investments as providing a better risk/return trade off. If customers move money out of bank deposits and into other investments, we may increase our utilization of brokered deposits, FHLB advances and other wholesale funding sources necessary to fund desired growth levels.
We rely on our ability to generate deposits and effectively manage the repayment and maturity schedules of our loans and investment securities and other sources of liquidity, respectively, to ensure that we have adequate liquidity to fund our banking operations. Any decline in available funding could adversely impact our ability to fund new loan balances, invest in securities, meet our expenses or fulfill obligations such as repaying our borrowings or meeting deposit withdrawal demands, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We may need to raise additional capital in the future, and if we fail to maintain sufficient capital, we may not be able to maintain regulatory compliance.
We face significant capital and other regulatory requirements as a financial institution. We may need to raise additional capital in the future to provide us with sufficient capital resources and liquidity to meet our commitments and business needs, which could include the financing of acquisitions. In addition, we, on a consolidated basis, and TriState Capital Bank, on a stand-alone basis, must meet certain regulatory capital requirements and maintain sufficient liquidity as required by regulators. Regulatory capital requirements could increase from current levels or our regulators could expect us to maintain capital levels that are in excess of such requirements, which could require us to raise additional capital or reduce our operations. Our ability to raise additional capital depends on conditions in the capital markets, economic conditions and a number of other factors, including investor perceptions regarding the banking industry, market conditions and governmental activities, as well as on our financial condition and performance. Accordingly, we may not be able to raise additional capital if needed or on terms acceptable to us. If we fail to maintain adequate levels of capital to meet regulatory requirements, we could be subject to enforcement actions or other regulatory consequences, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Any future reductions in our credit ratings may increase our funding costs or impair our ability to effectively compete for business.
Credit ratings or changes in ratings policies and practices are subject to change at any time, and it is possible that any rating agency will take action to downgrade us in the future. We have used and may in the future use debt as a funding source. One or more rating agencies regularly evaluate us and their ratings of our long-term debt are based on many quantitative and qualitative factors, including capital adequacy, liquidity, asset quality, business mix and level and quality of earnings, and we may not be able to maintain our current credit ratings.
Any future decrease in our credit ratings by one or more rating agencies could impact our access to the capital markets or short-term funding or increase our financing costs, and thereby adversely affect our financial condition and liquidity. In the event of a ratings downgrade, our clients and counterparties may terminate their relationships with us, be less likely to engage in transactions with us, or only engage in transactions with us on terms that are less favorable than those currently in place. We cannot predict whether client relationships or opportunities for future relationships could be adversely affected by clients who choose to do business with a higher-rated institution. The inability to maintain our credit ratings may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or future prospects.
Changes in interest rates could negatively impact the profitability of our banking business.
Our profitability depends to a significant extent on our net interest income, which is the difference between our interest income on interest-earning assets, such as loans and investment securities, and our interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. Net interest income is affected by changes in market interest rates because different types of assets and liabilities may react differently, and at different times, to market interest rate changes. When interest-bearing liabilities mature or reprice more quickly than interest-earning assets in a period, an increase in market rates of interest could reduce net interest income. Similarly, when interest-earning assets mature or reprice more quickly than interest-bearing liabilities, falling interest rates could reduce net interest income. These rates are highly sensitive to many factors beyond our control, including general economic conditions and policies of various governmental and regulatory agencies including, in particular, the Federal Reserve, which has suggested that it may take steps to raise interest rates in 2022. Changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates, could not only influence the interest we receive on loans and securities and the interest we pay on deposits and borrowings, but such changes could also affect our ability to originate loans and obtain deposits, the fair value of our financial assets and liabilities, and the average duration of our assets. If the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowings increase at a faster rate than the interest rates received on loans and other investments, our net interest income, and therefore our net income, could be adversely affected.
Our loans are predominantly variable rate loans, with the majority still being based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). A decline in interest rates could cause the spread between our loan yields and our deposit rates paid to compress our net interest margin, which would adversely affect our net interest income. Further, any substantial, unexpected, prolonged change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
In addition, an increase in interest rates could also have a negative impact on our results of operations by reducing the market value of our investment securities and the ability of borrowers to repay their current loan obligations. These circumstances could not only result in increased loan defaults, foreclosures and charge-offs, but also necessitate increases to our ACL. Each of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and future prospects.
The intention of the United Kingdom’s FCA to cease support of LIBOR by June 30, 2023, could negatively affect the fair value of our financial assets and liabilities, results of operations and net worth, and transition to an alternative reference interest rate could present operational problems and result in market disruption.
Although the publication of most LIBOR rates will cease on June 30, 2023 (excluding 1-week U.S. LIBOR and 2-month U.S. LIBOR, which ceased on December 31, 2021), U.S. banking regulators expected banks, subject to certain exceptions, to cease originating new products using LIBOR by December 31, 2021, and to ensure existing contracts have robust fallback language that includes a clearly defined alternative reference rate. We cannot predict exactly when the capital and debt markets will cease to use LIBOR as a benchmark, whether the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) will become the market benchmark in its place, or what impact such a transition may have on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The selection of SOFR as the alternative reference rate for these products currently presents certain market concerns because SOFR, unlike LIBOR, does not have an inherent term structure. A methodology has been developed to calculate SOFR-based term rates, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published such rates daily since early 2020. However, the methodology has not been tested for an extended period of time, which may limit market acceptance of the use of SOFR. In addition, SOFR may not be a suitable alternative to LIBOR for all of our financial products, and it is uncertain what other rates or indices might be appropriate for that purpose. The replacement of LIBOR also may result in economic mismatches between different categories of instruments that now consistently rely on the LIBOR benchmark.
Inconsistent approaches to a transition from LIBOR to an alternative rate among different market participants and for different financial products may cause market disruption and operational problems, which could adversely affect us, including by exposing us to increased basis risk and resulting costs in connection with this risk, and by creating the possibility of disagreements with counterparties.
The transition has changed, and will continue to change our market risk profiles, requiring changes to risk and pricing models, valuation tools, product design and hedging strategies. We have organized an internal initiative to identify operational and contractual best practices, assess risks, manage the transition from LIBOR, facilitate communication with customers, and monitor the impacts of the transition.
Our investment management business may be negatively impacted by competition, changes in economic and market conditions, changes in interest rates and investment performance.
We derive a material portion of our earnings from Chartwell, our investment management business. Chartwell may be negatively impacted by competition, changes in economic and market conditions, changes in interest rates and investment performance. The investment management business is intensely competitive. There are over 1,000 firms which we consider to be primary competitors of Chartwell. In addition to competition from other institutional investment management firms, Chartwell competes with passive index funds, ETFs and investment alternatives such as hedge funds. Many competitors offer similar products to those offered by Chartwell and the performance of competitors’ products could lead to a loss of investment in similar Chartwell products, regardless of the performance of such products.
Our investment management contracts are typically terminable in nature and our ability to successfully attract and retain investment management clients will depend on, among other things, our ability to compete with our competitors’ investment products, our investment performance, fees, client services, and marketing and distribution capabilities. Most of our clients may withdraw funds from under our management at their discretion at any time for any reason, including as a result of competition or poor performance of our products. If we cannot effectively attract and retain customers, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects may be adversely affected.
Additionally, it is possible our management fees could be reduced for a variety of reasons, including, among other things, pressure resulting from competition or regulatory changes, and we may from time to time reduce or waive investment management fees, or limit total expenses, on certain products or services offered for particular time periods in order to manage fund expenses, to help retain or increase managed assets or for other reasons. If our revenues decline without a commensurate reduction in our expenses, our net income from our investment management business would be reduced, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We cannot guarantee that our investment performance will be favorable in the future. The financial markets and businesses operating in the securities industry are highly volatile and affected by, among other factors, economic conditions and trends in business, all of which are beyond our control. Declines in the financial markets, changes in interest rates or a lack of sustained growth may result in declines in the performance of our investment management business and the assets under management. Because the revenues of our investment management business are, to a large extent, comprised of fees based on assets under management, such declines could adversely affect our business.
We face significant competitive pressures that could impair our growth, decrease our profitability, or reduce our market share.
We operate in the highly competitive financial services industry and face significant competition for customers from bank and non-bank competitors, particularly regional and nationwide institutions, in originating loans, attracting deposits, providing financial management products and services, and providing other financial services. Our competitors are generally larger and may have significantly more resources, greater name recognition, and more extensive and established branch networks or geographic footprints. Because of their scale, many of these competitors can be more aggressive than we can be on loan, deposit and financial services pricing. In addition, many of our non-bank and non-institutional financial management competitors have fewer regulatory constraints and may have lower cost structures. We expect competition to continue to intensify due to financial institution consolidation, legislative, regulatory and technological changes, and the emergence of alternative banking sources and investment management products and services. Additionally, technology has lowered barriers to entry.
Our ability to compete successfully will depend on a number of factors, including our ability to build and maintain long-term customer relationships while ensuring high ethical standards and safe and sound business practices, the scope, relevance, performance and pricing of products and services that we offer, customer satisfaction with our products and services, industry and general economic trends, and our ability to keep pace with technological advances and to invest in new technology. Increased competition could require us to increase the rates we pay on deposits or lower the rates we offer on loans or the fees we charge on banking or investment management products and services, all of which could reduce our profitability. Our failure to compete effectively in our primary markets could cause us to lose market share and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Our ability to maintain our reputation is critical to the success of our business.
Our business plan emphasizes building and maintaining strong relationships with our clients. We have benefited from strong relationships with and among our customers, and also from our relationships with financial intermediaries. As a result, our reputation is one of the most valuable components of our business. If our reputation is negatively affected by the actions of our employees or otherwise, our existing relationships may be damaged. We could lose some of our existing customers, including groups of large
customers who have relationships with each other, and we may not be successful in attracting new customers from competing financial institutions. Any of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
The fair value of our investment securities can fluctuate due to factors outside of our control.
Factors beyond our control can significantly influence the fair value of securities in our portfolio and can cause potential adverse changes to the fair value of these securities. These factors include, but are not limited to, rating agency actions in respect to the securities, defaults by the issuer or with respect to the underlying securities, changes in market interest rates and continued instability in the capital markets. Any of these factors, among others, could cause other-than-temporary impairments and realized or unrealized losses in future periods, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects. The process for determining whether impairment of a security is other-than-temporary often requires complex, subjective judgments about whether there has been a significant deterioration in the financial condition of the issuer, whether management has the intent or ability to hold a security for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value, the future financial performance and liquidity of the issuer and any collateral underlying the security, and other relevant factors which may be inaccurate.
Our financial results depend on management’s selection of accounting methods and certain assumptions and estimates.
Our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) and with general practices within the financial services industry. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that have a possibility of producing results that could be materially different than originally reported.
By engaging in derivative transactions, we are exposed to additional credit and market risk in our banking business.
We use interest rate swaps to help manage interest rate risk in our banking business with respect to recorded financial assets and liabilities when they can be demonstrated to effectively hedge a designated asset or liability and the asset or liability exposes us to interest rate risk or risks inherent in customer related derivatives. We use other derivative financial instruments to help manage other economic risks, such as liquidity and credit risk and risk arising from differences in the amount, timing, and duration of our known or expected cash receipts, which are principally related to certain of our fixed-rate loan assets or certain of our variable-rate borrowings. We also have derivatives that result from a service we provide to certain qualifying customers approved through our credit process.
By engaging in derivative transactions, we are exposed to credit and market risk. Hedging interest rate risk is a complex process, requiring sophisticated models and routine monitoring, and is not a perfect science. As a result of interest rate fluctuations, hedged assets and liabilities will appreciate or depreciate in value. The effect of this unrealized appreciation or depreciation will generally be offset by income or loss on the derivative instruments. If the counterparty fails to perform, credit risk exists to the extent of the fair value gain in the derivative. Market risk exists to the extent that interest rates change in ways that are significantly different from what we expected when we entered into the derivative transaction. The existence of credit and market risk associated with our derivative instruments could adversely affect our net interest income and, therefore, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We may be adversely affected by a decrease in the soundness of other financial services companies.
Our ability to engage in routine funding and other transactions could be adversely affected by the actions and commercial soundness of other financial services companies. The financial services industry is highly interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, servicing, custody arrangements, counterparty relationships, and other relationships. We have exposure to different industries and counterparties, including through transactions with counterparties and intermediaries in the financial services industry such as brokers and dealers, commercial banks, insurance companies, investment banks, mutual and hedge funds, and other institutional clients. In addition, we participate in loans originated by other financial institutions (including shared national credits) and our private banking channel relies on relationships with other financial services companies for referrals. As a result, declines in the financial condition of, defaults of, or even rumors or questions about, one or more financial service companies or the financial services industry generally, may lead to market-wide liquidity, asset quality or other problems and could lead to losses or defaults by us or by other institutions. In addition, problems that arise in our relationships with financial services companies may result in a slow-down or cessation in referrals that we receive from these financial services companies. These problems, losses or defaults could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We rely on third parties to provide key components of our business infrastructure, including to monitor the value of and control marketable securities that collateralize our loans, and a failure of any of these parties to perform for any reason could disrupt our operations.
Third parties provide key components of our business infrastructure such as loan and account servicing, data processing, internet connections, network access, core application processing, statement production and account analysis. Our business depends on the successful and uninterrupted functioning of our information technology and telecommunications systems and third-party servicers. In addition, we utilize the systems of these third parties to provide information to us so that we can quickly and accurately monitor changes in the value of marketable securities that serve as collateral. We also rely on these third parties to provide control over marketable securities for purposes of perfecting our security interests and retaining the collateral in the applicable accounts.
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 or impaired performance of our systems and technology due to malfunctions, programming inaccuracies or other circumstances or events. Replacing vendors or addressing other issues with our third-party service providers could entail significant delay and expense. If we are unable to efficiently replace ineffective service providers, or if we experience a significant, sustained or repeated system failure or service denial, it could compromise our ability to effectively operate, assess and react to a risk in our loan portfolio, damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business or financial damages from customer businesses, and subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We could be subject to losses, regulatory action and reputational harm due to fraudulent and negligent acts on the part of loan applicants, our borrowers, our clients, our employees and our vendors.
In deciding whether to extend credit or enter into other transactions with clients and counterparties, we may rely on information furnished by or on behalf of clients and counterparties, including financial statements, property appraisals, title information, income documentation, account information and other financial information. We may also rely on representations of counterparties as to the accuracy and completeness of such information and, with respect to financial statements, on reports of independent auditors. Any such misrepresentation or incorrect or incomplete information may not be detected prior to funding a loan or during our ongoing monitoring of outstanding loans. In addition, one or more of our employees or vendors could cause a significant operational breakdown or failure, either as a result of human error or fraud. Any of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
New lines of business or new or enhanced products and services may subject us to additional risks.
From time to time, we may develop, grow or acquire new lines of business or offer new products and services. There are substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts, particularly in instances where the markets are not fully developed. In developing, implementing, and marketing new lines of business or new or enhanced products and services, we may invest significant time and resources. Initial timetables for the introduction and development of new lines of business or new products or services may not be achieved and price and profitability targets may not prove feasible. External factors, such as compliance with regulations, competitive alternatives and shifting market preferences, may also impact the successful implementation of a new line of business or a new product or service. Furthermore, any new line of business or new or enhanced product or service could have a significant impact on the effectiveness of our system of internal controls. Failure to successfully manage these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
The value of our goodwill and other intangible assets may decline in the future.
In our prior asset management acquisitions, we have generally recognized intangible assets, including customer relationship intangible assets and goodwill, in our consolidated statements of financial condition, but we may not realize the value of these assets. Management performs an annual review of the carrying values of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets and periodically reviews the carrying values of all other intangible assets to determine whether events and circumstances indicate that an impairment in value may have occurred. Although we have determined that goodwill and other intangible assets were not impaired during 2021, a significant and sustained decline in assets under management in our investment management business, a significant decline in our expected future cash flows, a significant adverse change in the business climate, slower growth rates, or other factors could result in impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets. Should a review indicate impairment, a write-down of the carrying value of the asset would occur, resulting in a non-cash charge which could result in a material charge to earnings and would adversely affect our results of operations.
Unauthorized access, cyber-crime, and other threats to data security may require significant resources, harm our reputation, and adversely affect our business.
We necessarily collect, use and hold personal and financial information concerning individuals and businesses with which we have a relationship. In addition, we provide our clients with the ability to bank and make investment decisions remotely, including over the internet. Threats to data security, including unauthorized access and cyber-attacks, rapidly emerge and change, exposing us to additional costs related to protection or remediation and competing time constraints to secure our data in accordance with customer expectations, statutory and regulatory privacy regulations, and other requirements. It is difficult or impossible to defend against every risk being posed by changing technologies, as well as the intent of criminals, terrorists or foreign governments or their agents with respect to committing cyber-crime. Because of the increasing sophistication of cyber-criminals and terrorists, data breaches could result despite our best efforts. These risks may increase in the future as we continue to increase our internet-based product offerings and expand our internal use of web-based products and applications, and controls employed by our information technology department and our other employees and vendors could prove inadequate to resolve or mitigate these risks.
We could also experience a breach due to intentional or negligent conduct on the part of employees, vendors or other internal sources, software bugs or other technical malfunctions, or other causes. As a result of any of these threats, our customer accounts and the personal and financial information of our customers and employees may become vulnerable to account takeover schemes, identity theft or cyber-fraud. In addition, our customers use their own electronic devices to do business with us and may provide their information to a third party in connection with obtaining services from such third party. Our ability to assure security is limited in these instances. Our systems and those of our third-party vendors may also become vulnerable to damage or disruption due to circumstances beyond our or their control, such as catastrophic events, power anomalies or outages, natural disasters, network failures, viruses and malware.
A breach of our security or the security of any of our third-party vendors that results in unauthorized access to our data, including personal and financial information of our customers, could expose us to a disruption or challenges relating to our daily operations as well as to data loss, litigation, damages, fines and penalties, significant increases in compliance costs, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage. Maintaining our security measures may also create risks associated with implementing and integrating new systems. In addition, our investment management business could be harmed by cyber incidents affecting issuers in which its customers’ assets are invested, and our private banking business could be harmed by such incidents. Any such breaches of security or cyber-incidents could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Beyond breaches of our security or the security of our third-party vendors or their affiliates, as a result of financial entities and technology systems becoming more interdependent and complex, a cyber-incident, information breach or loss, or technology failure that compromises the systems or data of one or more financial entities could have a material impact on counterparties or other market participants, including us. We have taken measures to implement backup systems and other safeguards to support our operations, but our ability to conduct business may be adversely affected by any significant disruptions to us or to third parties with whom we interact.
We are subject to laws regarding the privacy, information security and protection of personal information and any violation of these laws or another incident involving personal, confidential or proprietary information of individuals could damage our reputation and otherwise adversely affect our operations and financial condition.
Our business requires the collection and retention of large volumes of customer data, including personally identifiable information, in various information systems that we maintain and in those maintained by third-party service providers. We also maintain important internal company data such as personally identifiable information about our employees and information relating to our operations. We are subject to complex and evolving laws and regulations governing the privacy and protection of personal information of individuals (including customers, employees, suppliers and other third parties). Various state and federal banking regulators and other law enforcement bodies have also enacted data security breach notification requirements with varying levels of individual, consumer, regulatory or law enforcement notification in the event of a security breach. For example, a final rule that the federal banking agencies issued in November 2021, for which the compliance date is May 1, 2022, requires banking organizations to notify their primary federal regulator of significant computer security incidents within 36 hours of determining that such an incident has occurred. Ensuring that our collection, use, transfer and storage of personal information comply with all applicable laws and regulations may increase our costs. Furthermore, we may not be able to ensure that all of our clients, suppliers, counterparties and other third parties have appropriate controls in place to protect the confidentiality of the information that they exchange with us. If personal, confidential or proprietary information of our customers or others were to be mishandled or misused, we could be exposed to litigation or regulatory sanctions under personal information laws and regulations. Concerns regarding the effectiveness of our measures to safeguard personal information, or even the perception that such measures are inadequate, could cause us to lose customers or potential customers and thereby reduce our revenues. Accordingly, any failure or perceived failure to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws and regulations may subject us to inquiries, examinations and investigations that could result in requirements to modify or cease certain operations or practices or in significant liabilities, fines or penalties, and could damage our reputation and otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and future prospects.
We have a continuing need for technological change, and we may not have the resources to effectively implement new technology, or we may experience operational challenges when implementing new technology.
The financial services industry is continually undergoing rapid technological change with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. The effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial institutions to better serve customers and to reduce costs. Our future success depends, in part, upon our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands, as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations. Although we are committed to keeping pace with technological advances and to investing in new technology, our competitors may, through the use of new technologies that we have not implemented, whether due to cost or otherwise, be able to offer additional or superior products, which would put us at a competitive disadvantage. We also may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services, be successful in marketing such products and services or replace technologies that are out of date with new technologies, which could result in a loss of customers seeking new technology-driven products and services. In addition, the implementation of technological changes and upgrades to maintain current systems and integrate new ones may cause service interruptions, transaction processing errors and system conversion delays, may cause us to fail to comply with applicable laws, and may cause us to incur additional expenses, which may be substantial. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the financial services industry and avoid interruptions, errors and delays could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We may take tax filing positions or follow tax strategies that may be subject to challenge.
The amount of income taxes that we are required to pay on our earnings is based on federal and state legislation and regulations. We provide for current and deferred taxes in our financial statements based on our results of operations, business activity, legal structure, and interpretation of tax statutes. We may take filing positions or follow tax strategies that are subject to audit and may be subject to challenge. Our net income may be reduced if a federal, state or local authority assesses charges for taxes that have not been provided for in our consolidated financial statements. Taxing authorities could change applicable tax laws, challenge filing positions or assess taxes and interest charges. If taxing authorities take any of these actions, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects could be adversely affected, perhaps materially.
Risks Relating to Our Proposed Acquisition by Raymond James
Because the market price of Raymond James common stock fluctuates, TriState Capital shareholders cannot be certain of the market value of the merger consideration they will receive.
Under our pending Acquisition by Raymond James, each share of our common stock that is issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, with certain limited additions and exceptions, will be converted into the right to receive (A) $6.00 in cash and (B) 0.25 shares of Raymond James common stock. The exchange ratio for the stock consideration is fixed and will not be adjusted for changes in the market price of either Raymond James common stock or our common stock. Changes in the price of Raymond James common stock between now and the time of the Acquisition will affect the value that holders of our common stock will receive in the merger. Neither we nor Raymond James are permitted to terminate the Merger Agreement as a result of, in and of itself, any increase or decrease in the market price of our common stock or Raymond James’ common stock. Stock price changes may result from a variety of factors, including general market and economic conditions, changes in our and Raymond James’s businesses, operations and prospects, volatility in the prices of securities in global financial markets, including market prices of our common stock, Raymond James’s common stock and other banking companies, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and regulatory considerations and tax laws, many of which are beyond our and Raymond James’s control. Therefore, at the time of the special meeting, holders of our common stock will not know the market value of the consideration that they will receive at the effective time of the Acquisition. You should obtain current market quotations for shares of Raymond James common stock (NYSE: RJF) and shares of TriState Capital common stock (Nasdaq: TSC).
The market price of Raymond James common stock after the Acquisition may be affected by factors different from those currently affecting the shares of our common stock or Raymond James’s common stock.
Upon consummation of the Acquisition, holders of our common stock will become holders of Raymond James common stock. Raymond James’s business differs from ours and certain adjustments may be made to Raymond James’s and our business as a result of the Acquisition. Accordingly, the results of operations of the combined company and the market price of Raymond James common stock after the completion of the Acquisition may be affected by factors different from those currently affecting the independent results of operations of each of Raymond James and TriState Capital.
We and Raymond James are expected to incur incremental costs related to the Acquisition and integration.
We and Raymond James have incurred and expect to incur a number of incremental costs associated with the Acquisition, including legal, financial advisory, accounting, consulting and other advisory fees, employee benefit-related costs, public company filing fees
and other regulatory fees, financial printing and other printing costs and other related costs. Some of these costs are payable by us or Raymond James regardless of whether or not the Acquisition is completed.
In addition, the combined company will incur integration costs following the completion of the Acquisition and may also incur additional costs to maintain employee morale and to retain key employees. Integration costs may result in the combined company taking charges against earnings following the completion of the Acquisition, and the amount and timing of such charges are uncertain at present. There can be no assurances that the expected benefits related to the integration of the businesses will be realized to offset these transaction and integration costs over time.
The Acquisition and integration may be more difficult, costly or time-consuming than expected, and we and Raymond James may fail to realize the anticipated benefits of the Acquisition.
The success of the Acquisition will depend, in part, on the ability to realize the anticipated synergies from combining our and Raymond James’s businesses. The anticipated benefits of the Acquisition may not be realized fully or at all or may take longer to realize than expected, and could have an adverse effect upon the revenues, levels of expenses and operating results of the combined company following the completion of the Acquisition, which may adversely affect the value of the common stock of the combined company following the completion of the Acquisition.
We and Raymond James have operated and, until the completion of the Acquisition, must continue to and, after completion of the Acquisition, will continue to in some respects operate, independently. It is possible that the integration process could result in the loss of key employees, the disruption of each company’s ongoing businesses or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies that adversely affect the ability to maintain relationships with clients, customers, depositors and employees or to achieve the anticipated benefits of the Acquisition. Integration efforts between the two companies may also divert management attention and resources. These integration matters could have an adverse effect on each company during this transition period and on the combined company for an undetermined period after completion of the Acquisition.
The future results of the combined company following the Acquisition may suffer if the combined company does not effectively manage its expanded operations.
Following the Acquisition, the size of the business of the combined company will increase beyond the current size of either our or Raymond James’s current business. The combined company’s future results will depend, in part, upon its ability to manage this expanded business, which may pose challenges for management, including challenges related to the management and monitoring of new operations and associated increased costs and complexity. The combined company may also face increased scrutiny from governmental authorities as a result of the increased size of its business. There can be no assurances that the combined company will be successful or that it will realize the expected benefits currently anticipated from the Acquisition.
The combined company may be unable to retain our and Raymond James’s personnel after the completion of the Acquisition.
The success of the Acquisition will depend in part on the combined company’s ability to retain the talents and dedication of key employees currently employed by us and Raymond James. It is possible that these employees may decide not to remain with us or Raymond James, as applicable, while the Acquisition is pending or with the combined company after the Acquisition is consummated. If the combined company is unable to retain key employees, including management, who are critical to the successful integration and future operations of the companies, the combined company could face disruptions in its operations, loss of existing customers, loss of key information, expertise or know-how and unanticipated additional recruitment costs. In addition, following the Acquisition, if key employees terminate their employment, the combined company’s business activities may be adversely affected, and management’s attention may be diverted from successfully hiring suitable replacements, all of which may cause the combined company’s business to suffer. The combined company also may not be able to locate or retain suitable replacements for any of our key employees who leave the combined company.
The shares of Raymond James common stock to be received by our shareholders as a result of the Acquisition will have different rights from the shares of our common stock.
Upon consummation of the Acquisition, holders of our common stock will become holders of Raymond James common stock and their rights as holders of Raymond James common stock will be governed by Florida law and the governing documents of Raymond James following the Acquisition. The rights associated with Raymond James common stock are different from the rights associated with our common stock.
We will be subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions while the Acquisition is pending.
Uncertainty about the effects of the Acquisition on employees, customers (including depositors and borrowers), counterparties, suppliers and vendors may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. These uncertainties may impair our ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel and customers pending the consummation of the Acquisition, as such personnel and customers may experience uncertainty about their future roles and relationships following the consummation of the Acquisition. Additionally, these uncertainties could cause our customers, counterparties, suppliers, vendors and others with whom we
deal to seek to change, or fail to extend, existing business relationships with us. In addition, competitors may target our existing customers by highlighting potential uncertainties and integration difficulties that may result from the Acquisition.
In addition, the Merger Agreement restricts us from taking certain actions without Raymond James’ consent while the Acquisition is pending. In particular, we have agreed to operate our business in the ordinary course in all material respects and to refrain from taking certain actions that may adversely affect our ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. These restrictions may prevent us from pursuing attractive business opportunities that may arise prior to the completion of the Acquisition. If the Acquisition is not completed, these restrictions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Merger Agreement limits our ability to pursue alternatives to the Acquisition and may discourage other companies from trying to acquire us.
The Merger Agreement contains “no shop” covenants that restrict our ability to, directly or indirectly, among other things, initiate, solicit, knowingly encourage or knowingly facilitate inquiries or proposals with respect to or, subject to certain exceptions generally related to the exercise of fiduciary duties by our board of directors, engage in any negotiations concerning, or provide any confidential or non-public information or data relating to, any alternative acquisition proposals. These provisions, which include an approximately $42 million termination fee payable under certain circumstances, may discourage a potential third-party acquirer that might have an interest in acquiring all or a significant part of us from considering or proposing that acquisition.
Litigation against us or Raymond James, or the members of our or Raymond James’ board of directors, could prevent or delay the completion of the Acquisition.
The results of any potential legal claims that may be asserted by purported stockholder plaintiffs related to the Acquisition are difficult to predict and could delay or prevent the Acquisition from being completed in a timely manner. Moreover, any litigation could be time-consuming and expensive for the parties and could divert our and Raymond James’ management’s attention away from their regular business. Any lawsuit adversely resolved against us, Raymond James or members of our or Raymond James’ board of directors could have a material adverse effect on each party’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
One of the conditions to the consummation of the Acquisition is the absence of any order, injunction, law, regulation or other legal restraint preventing, prohibiting or making illegal the completion of the Acquisition or any other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Consequently, if a settlement or other resolution is not reached in any lawsuit that is filed or any regulatory proceeding and a claimant secures injunctive or other relief or a regulatory authority issues an order or other directive having the effect of making the Acquisition illegal or otherwise prohibiting consummation of the Acquisition, then such injunctive or other relief may prevent the Acquisition from becoming effective in a timely manner.
Regulatory approvals for the Acquisition may not be received, may take longer than expected or may impose conditions that are not presently anticipated or cannot be met.
Before the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement may be completed, various approvals, consents and non-objections must be obtained from the Federal Reserve, the PDBS, and other regulatory authorities in the United States. In determining whether to grant these approvals, the applicable regulatory authorities consider a variety of factors, including the competitive impact of the proposal in the relevant geographic markets; financial, managerial and other supervisory considerations of each party; convenience and needs of the communities to be served and the record of the insured depository institution subsidiaries under the CRA and the regulations promulgated thereunder; effectiveness of the parties in combating money laundering activities; and the extent to which the proposal would result in greater or more concentrated risks to the stability of the United States banking or financial system. These approvals could be delayed or not obtained at all, including due to either party’s regulatory standing or any other factors considered by regulators when granting such approvals; governmental, political or community group inquiries, investigations or opposition; or changes in legislation or the political environment generally.
The approvals that are granted may impose terms and conditions, limitations, obligations or costs, or place restrictions on the conduct of the combined company’s business or require changes to the terms of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. There can be no assurance that regulators will not impose any such conditions, limitations, obligations or restrictions or that such conditions, limitations, obligations or restrictions will not have the effect of delaying the completion of any of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, imposing additional material costs on or materially limiting the revenues of the combined company following the Acquisition or otherwise reduce the anticipated benefits of the Acquisition if the Acquisition is consummated successfully within the expected timeframe. In addition, there can be no assurance that any such conditions, terms, obligations or restrictions will not result in the delay or abandonment of the Acquisition or termination of the Merger Agreement. Additionally, the completion of the Acquisition is conditioned on the absence of certain orders, injunctions or decrees by any court or regulatory agency of competent jurisdiction that would prohibit or make illegal the completion of any of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Conditions that the regulatory authorities may impose in connection with the Acquisition could have the effect of delaying completion of the Acquisition or of imposing additional costs or limitations on the combined company following the Acquisition. Such conditions may constitute a burdensome condition that may allow Raymond James to terminate the Merger Agreement on or after June 30, 2022.
Failure to complete the Acquisition or a significant delay in the consummation of the Acquisition could negatively impact us.
The Merger Agreement is subject to a number of conditions that must be fulfilled in order to complete the Acquisition, including approval of the Acquisition by our shareholders. These conditions to the consummation of the Acquisition may not be fulfilled and, accordingly, the Acquisition may not be completed or may be significantly delayed. In addition, if the Acquisition is not completed by October 20, 2022, either we or Raymond James can choose to terminate the Merger Agreement. Furthermore, the consummation of the Acquisition may be significantly delayed due to various factors, including potential litigation related to the Acquisition.
If the Acquisition is not consummated or is significantly delayed, our ongoing business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected, and the market price of our common stock may decline significantly, particularly to the extent that the current market price reflects a market assumption that the Acquisition will be consummated. If the consummation of the Acquisition is delayed, including by the receipt of a competing acquisition proposal, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, we have incurred and will incur substantial expenses in connection with the negotiation and completion of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and, under certain circumstances, we may be required to pay a termination fee of approximately $42 million to Raymond James. If the Acquisition is not completed or is significantly delayed, we would have to recognize these expenses without realizing the expected benefits of the Acquisition. Any of the foregoing, or other risks arising in connection with the failure of or delay in consummating the Acquisition, including the diversion of management attention from pursuing other opportunities and the constraints in the Merger Agreement on our ability to make significant changes to our ongoing business during the pendency of the Acquisition, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Additionally, our business may have been adversely impacted by the failure to pursue other beneficial opportunities due to the focus of management on the Acquisition, without realizing any of the anticipated benefits of completing the Acquisition, and the market price of our common stock might decline to the extent that the current market price reflects a market assumption that the Acquisition will be completed. If the Merger Agreement is terminated and a party’s board of directors seeks another merger or business combination, our shareholders cannot be certain that we will be able to find a party willing to engage in a transaction on more attractive terms than the Acquisition.
The Merger Agreement may be terminated in accordance with its terms and the Acquisition may not be completed.
The Merger Agreement is subject to a number of conditions, which must be fulfilled in order to complete the Acquisition. Those conditions include: (i) approval of the Merger Agreement by our shareholders; (ii) the shares of Raymond James common stock that shall be issuable pursuant to the Merger Agreement shall have been authorized for listing on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance; (iii) the shares of Raymond James preferred stock that shall be issuable pursuant to the Merger Agreement shall have been authorized for listing on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance (this condition will be satisfied upon the authorization for listing of the Raymond James depositary shares); (iv) all regulatory approvals necessary to permit the parties to effect the Acquisition and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement shall have been obtained and shall remain in full force and effect and all statutory waiting periods in respect thereof shall have expired or been terminated; (v) no such regulatory approval nor the consummation of the Acquisition and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement shall have resulted in, or is reasonably likely to result in, a burdensome regulatory condition, or if a burdensome regulatory condition was imposed or existed, it is no longer existing or applicable; (vi) the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC by Raymond James in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement shall have become effective and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for such purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the SEC and not withdrawn; and (vii) the absence of any order, injunction, law, regulation or other legal restraint preventing, prohibiting or making illegal the completion of the Acquisition or any other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Each party’s obligation to complete the Acquisition is also subject to the following additional conditions: (A) the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the other party, subject to specified materiality standards; (B) performance in all material respects by the other party of its obligations under the Merger Agreement and receipt of a certificate of specified officers of the other party to such effect; and (C) receipt by such party of an opinion from its specified counsel to the effect that the Acquisition will qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. These conditions to the closing may not be fulfilled in a timely manner or at all, and, accordingly, the Acquisition may not be completed. In addition, the parties can mutually decide to terminate the Merger Agreement at any time, before or after the requisite shareholder approvals, or we or Raymond James may elect to terminate the Merger Agreement in certain other circumstances.
Risks Relating to Regulations
We operate in a highly regulated environment and the laws and regulations that govern our operations, corporate governance, executive compensation and accounting principles, or changes in them, or our failure to comply with them, could subject us to regulatory action or penalties.
Banking is highly regulated under federal and state law. We are subject to extensive regulation and supervision that governs almost all aspects of our operations. As a registered bank holding company, we are subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Federal Reserve. As a commercial bank chartered under the laws of Pennsylvania with $10 billion or more assets, TriState Capital Bank is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the PDBS and the FDIC, and by the CFPB with respect to consumer financial laws. Our investment management business is subject to extensive regulation in the United States. Chartwell and Chartwell TSC are subject to federal securities laws, principally the Securities Act of 1933, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and other regulations promulgated by various regulatory authorities, including the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., stock exchanges, and applicable state laws. Our investment management business also may be subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the National Futures Association. Our investment management business also is affected by various regulations governing banks and other financial institutions. Failure to appropriately comply with any such laws, regulations or regulatory policies could result in sanctions by regulatory agencies, civil monetary penalties or damage to our reputation, all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
The banking agencies have broad enforcement power over bank holding companies and banks, including with respect to unsafe or unsound practices or violations of law. See “Federal and state bank regulators periodically conduct examinations of our business and we may be required to remediate adverse examination findings or be subject to enforcement actions.”
In addition to the safety and soundness focus, there are significant banking regulations relating to other aspects of our business, including consumer protection and community development. With respect to our community development obligations under the CRA, we have an approved CRA strategic plan for the years 2021 through 2023. While we currently believe we will succeed in obtaining approval from the FDIC for our CRA strategic plan commencing in 2024, we cannot guarantee that we will obtain such an approval, in which case we would be subject to the CRA for traditional large banks, which could have material adverse effects on our business, results of operations, financial condition and future prospects. For additional information, see “Supervision and Regulation—Community Reinvestment Act.”
Compliance with the myriad laws and regulations applicable to our organization can be difficult and costly. In addition, these laws, regulations and policies are subject to continual review by governmental authorities, and changes to these laws, regulations and policies, including changes in interpretation or implementation of these laws, regulations and policies, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways and impose additional compliance costs. Further, any new laws, regulations or policies could make compliance more difficult or expensive. Failure to comply with these laws, regulations and policies, even if the failure follows good faith effort or reflects a difference in interpretation, could subject us to restrictions on our business activities, fines and other penalties, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Federal and state bank regulators periodically conduct examinations of our business and we may be required to remediate adverse examination findings or be subject to enforcement actions.
The Federal Reserve, the FDIC, the PDBS, and the CFPB periodically conduct examinations of our business, including our compliance with laws and regulations. If, as a result of an examination, a bank regulatory agency were to determine that our financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, earnings prospects, management, liquidity or other aspects of any of our operations had become unsatisfactory, or that we or TriState Capital Bank were in violation of any law or regulation, it may take a number of different remedial actions. These actions include the power to enjoin “unsafe or unsound” practices, to require affirmative action to correct any conditions resulting from any violation or practice, to issue an administrative order that can be judicially enforced, to direct an increase in our capital, to restrict our growth, to assess civil monetary penalties against us, TriState Capital Bank or our respective officers or directors, to remove officers and directors and, if it is concluded that such conditions cannot be corrected or there is an imminent risk of loss to depositors, to terminate TriState Capital Bank’s charter or deposit insurance and place the Bank into receivership or conservatorship. Any regulatory action against us could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The Bank’s FDIC deposit insurance premiums and assessments may increase.
The deposits of TriState Capital Bank are insured by the FDIC up to legal limits and, accordingly, subject the Bank to the payment of FDIC deposit insurance assessments. The FDIC uses a risk-based assessment system that imposes insurance premiums as determined by multiplying an insured bank’s assessment base by its assessment rate. A bank’s deposit insurance assessment base is generally equal to its total assets minus its average tangible equity during the assessment period. The Bank’s regular assessments are
determined within a range of base assessment rates based in part on the Bank’s CAMELS composite rating, taking into account other factors and adjustments. The CAMELS rating system is a supervisory rating system developed to classify a bank’s overall condition by taking into account capital adequacy, assets, management capability, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity to market and interest rate risk. Moreover, the FDIC has the unilateral authority to change deposit insurance assessment rates and the manner in which deposit insurance is calculated, and also to charge special assessments to FDIC-insured institutions. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of total estimated insured deposits has grown very rapidly while the funds in the FDIC’s DIF have grown at a normal rate, causing the DIF reserve ratio to fall below the statutory minimum of 1.35%. The FDIC adopted a restoration plan on September 15, 2020, to restore the DIF reserve ratio to at least 1.35% by September 30, 2028. Further increases in assessment rates or special assessments may occur in the future, especially if there are significant financial institution failures. Additionally, the Bank has exceeded $10 billion in total assets for four consecutive quarters and has become subject to the FDIC’s large bank pricing methodology, which may result in the Bank paying different, and potentially higher, deposit assessment rates.
We are subject to numerous laws designed to protect consumers, including fair lending laws, and failure to comply with these laws could lead to a wide variety of sanctions.
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act and other fair lending laws and regulations impose nondiscriminatory lending requirements on financial institutions. The Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices, and the Dodd-Frank Act prohibits unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices by financial institutions. The CFPB, the Department of Justice and other federal and state banking agencies are responsible for enforcing these laws and regulations, and, because we have surpassed $10 billion in total consolidated assets for four consecutive quarters, the CFPB examines the Bank for compliance with federal consumer protection laws and regulations. The CFPB also promulgates regulations with respect to these federal consumer protection laws and, accordingly, CFPB rule-making has the potential to have a significant impact on our operations. See “We are now subject to additional regulation because we have surpassed $10 billion in total consolidated assets.”
A successful regulatory challenge to an institution’s performance under fair lending laws and regulations could result in a wide variety of sanctions, including damages and civil money penalties, injunctive relief, restrictions on merger and acquisition activity, restrictions on expansion, and restrictions on entering new business lines. Private parties may also have the ability to challenge an institution’s performance under fair lending laws in private litigation, including through class action litigation. Such actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We face a risk of noncompliance with and enforcement action under the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations.
The Bank Secrecy Act, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and other federal and state laws and regulations require financial institutions, among other duties, to institute and maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and file suspicious activity and currency transaction reports when appropriate. In addition to other bank regulatory agencies, the federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Department of the Treasury is authorized to impose significant civil money penalties for violations of those requirements and may engage in coordinated enforcement efforts with state and federal banking regulators, as well as the Department of Justice, the CFPB, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), and the Internal Revenue Service. We are also subject to increased scrutiny of compliance with the rules enforced by OFAC regarding, among other things, the prohibition of transacting business with, and the need to freeze assets of, certain persons and organizations identified as a threat to the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States. To comply with regulations, guidelines and examination procedures in these areas, we have dedicated significant resources to our anti-money laundering program and OFAC compliance. If our policies, procedures and systems are deemed deficient, we would be subject to liability, including fines and regulatory actions, which may include restrictions on our ability to pay dividends and the necessity to obtain regulatory approvals to proceed with certain aspects of our business plan, and an inability to obtain regulatory approvals for any acquisitions we desire to make. We could also incur increased costs and expenses to improve our anti-money laundering procedures and systems to comply with any regulatory requirements or actions. Failure to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing could also have serious reputational consequences for us. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We are a holding company and we depend upon our subsidiaries for liquidity. Applicable laws and regulations, including capital and liquidity requirements, may restrict our ability to transfer funds from our subsidiaries to us or other subsidiaries.
TriState Capital Holdings, Inc., as the parent company, is a separate and distinct legal entity from our banking and nonbank subsidiaries. We evaluate and manage liquidity on a legal entity basis. Legal entity liquidity is an important consideration as there are legal and other limitations on our ability to utilize liquidity from one legal entity to satisfy the liquidity requirements of another, including the parent company. For instance, the parent company depends on distributions and other payments from our banking and nonbank subsidiaries to fund all payments on our other obligations, including debt obligations. Our bank and investment management subsidiaries are subject to laws that restrict dividend payments or authorize regulatory bodies to prohibit or limit the flow of funds from those subsidiaries to the parent company or other subsidiaries. In addition, our bank and investment management subsidiaries
are subject to restrictions on their ability to lend to or transact with affiliates and to minimum regulatory capital and liquidity requirements, as well as restrictions on their ability to use funds deposited with them in bank or brokerage accounts to fund their businesses. These limitations may hinder our ability to implement our business strategy which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
We are now subject to additional regulation because we have surpassed $10 billion in total consolidated assets.
As of December 31, 2021, we have exceeded $10 billion in total consolidated assets for four consecutive quarters. Federal law imposes heightened requirements on bank holding companies and depository institutions that exceed $10 billion in total consolidated assets. The Bank has become subject to supervision, examination, and enforcement with respect to consumer protection laws by the CFPB. Additionally, other regulatory requirements apply to insured depository institution holding companies and insured depository institutions with $10 billion or more in total consolidated assets, including the restrictions on proprietary trading and investment and sponsorship in hedge funds and private equity funds known as the Volcker Rule. Further, deposit insurance assessment rates are calculated differently, and may be higher, for insured depository institutions with $10 billion or more in total consolidated assets. These and other additional regulatory requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Our use of third-party service providers and other ongoing third-party business relationships may become subject to increasing regulatory requirements and attention.
We regularly use third-party service providers and subcontractors as part of our business. These types of third-party relationships are subject to increasingly demanding regulatory requirements and attention by regulators, including the Federal Reserve, FDIC, and CFPB. Under regulatory guidance, we are required to apply stringent due diligence, conduct ongoing monitoring and maintain effective control over third-party service providers and subcontractors and other ongoing third-party business relationships. These regulatory expectations may change, and potentially become more rigorous in certain ways, due to an interagency effort to replace existing guidance on the risk management of third-party relationships with new guidance. We expect that the regulators will hold us responsible for deficiencies in our oversight and control of our third-party relationships and in the performance of the parties with which we have these relationships. Any such supervisory criticism or regulatory enforcement action could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Risks Relating to an Investment in our Common Stock and Preferred Stock
Shares of our common stock, preferred stock and underlying depositary shares are not an insured deposit.
Shares of our common stock, preferred stock and underlying depositary shares are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other government agency. An investment in our common stock, preferred stock or underlying depositary shares has risks, and you may lose your entire investment.
An active, liquid market for our securities may not be sustained.
Our common stock and depositary shares underlying our 6.75% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Series A Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, no par value (“Series A Preferred Stock”) and our 6.375% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Series B Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, no par value (the “Series B Preferred Stock”) are listed on Nasdaq, but we may be unable to meet continued listing standards. In addition, an active, liquid trading market for such securities may not be sustained. A public trading market having depth, liquidity and orderliness depends upon the presence in the marketplace and independent decisions of willing buyers and sellers of our common stock, over which we have no control. Without an active, liquid trading market for our common stock, shareholders may not be able to sell their shares at the volume, prices and times desired. The lack of an established market could adversely affect the value of our common stock.
Our preferred stock is thinly traded.
There is only a limited trading volume in our preferred stock due to the small size of the issue and its largely institutional holder base. Significant sales of our preferred stock, or the expectation of these sales, could cause the price of our preferred stock to fall substantially.
The market price of our securities may be subject to substantial fluctuations, which may make it difficult for you to sell your shares at the volume, prices and times desired.
The market price of our common stock and depositary shares underlying our Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock may be highly volatile, which may make it difficult to resell shares of our securities at the volume, prices and times desired. There are many factors that may impact the market price and trading volume of our securities, including, without limitation:
•actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results or financial condition or general changes in economic conditions;
•the effects of, and changes in, trade, monetary and fiscal policies, accounting standards, policies, interpretations or principles or in laws or regulations affecting us;
•public reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements or our filings with the SEC;
•publication of research reports about us, our competitors, or the financial services industry or changes in, or failure to meet, securities analysts’ estimates of our performance, or lack of research reports by industry analysts or ceasing of coverage;
•operating and stock price performance of companies that investors deemed comparable to us;
•additional or anticipated sales of our common stock or other securities by us or our existing shareholders;
•significant amounts of short selling of our common stock, or the perception that a significant amount of short sales could occur;
•additions or departures of key personnel;
•perceptions in the marketplace regarding our competitors and/or us;
•significant acquisitions or business combinations, partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by us or our competitors;
•other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory and technological factors affecting our business; and
•other news, announcements or disclosures (whether by us or others) related to us, our competitors, our core market or the financial services industry.
The stock market has experienced substantial fluctuations in recent years, which in many cases have been unrelated to the operating performance and prospects of particular companies. In addition, significant fluctuations in the trading volume in our common stock may cause significant price variations. Increased market volatility may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, which could make it difficult to sell your shares at the volume, prices and times desired.
The rights of holders of our common stock are generally subordinate to the rights of holders of our debt securities and preferred stock and may be subordinate to the rights of holders of any class of preferred stock or any debt securities that we may issue in the future.
Our board of directors has the authority to issue debt securities as well as an aggregate of up to 150,000 shares of preferred stock on the terms it determines without shareholder approval. In 2018, we issued 40,250 shares of Series A Preferred Stock in the form of 1.6 million depositary shares, each representing a 1/40th interest in a share of Series A Preferred Stock. In 2019, we issued 80,500 shares of Series B Preferred Stock in the form of 3.2 million depositary shares, each representing ownership of a 1/40th interest in a share of Series B Preferred Stock. In 2020, we issued 650 shares of Series C perpetual non-cumulative convertible non-voting preferred stock, no par value (“Series C Preferred Stock”). Any debt or shares of preferred stock that we may issue in the future will be senior to our common stock. Because our decision to issue debt or equity securities or incur other borrowings in the future will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, the amount, timing, nature or success of our future capital raising efforts is uncertain. Thus, holders of our common stock bear the risk that our future issuances of debt or equity securities or our incurrence of other borrowings may negatively affect the market price of our common stock.
Holders of our preferred stock and depositary shares have limited voting rights.
Holders of the Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock (and, accordingly, holders of the depositary shares underlying such stock), as well as holders of the Series C Preferred Stock, will have no voting rights with respect to matters that generally require the approval of our voting common shareholders. Holders of preferred stock have voting rights that are generally limited to, with respect to the series of preferred stock held, (i) authorizing, creating or issuing any capital stock ranking senior to such preferred stock as to dividends or the distribution of assets upon liquidation and (ii) amending, altering or repealing any provision of our Articles of Incorporation, so as to adversely affect the powers, preferences or special rights of such series of preferred stock; and with respect to the Series C Preferred Stock, holders have the right to vote on any voluntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the Company.
We have not paid dividends on our common stock and are subject to regulatory restrictions on our ability to pay dividends.
We have not paid any dividends on our common stock since inception and have instead utilized our earnings to finance the growth and development of our business. In addition, if we decide to pay dividends on our common stock in the future (and we have not made such a decision), we are subject to certain restrictions as a result of banking laws, regulations and policies. Moreover, because
TriState Capital Bank is our most significant asset, our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders depends in large part on our receipt of dividends from the Bank, which is also subject to restrictions on dividends as a result of banking laws, regulations and policies. Finally, so long as any shares of our Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock, or Series C Preferred Stock remain outstanding, unless we have paid in full (or declared and set aside funds sufficient for) applicable dividends on the preferred stock, we may not declare or pay any dividend on our common stock, other than a dividend payable solely in shares of common stock or in connection with a shareholder rights plan.
Our corporate governance documents, and certain applicable federal and Pennsylvania laws, could make a takeover more difficult.
Certain provisions of our amended and restated articles of incorporation, our bylaws, as amended, and federal and Pennsylvania corporate and banking laws, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of our organization or conduct a proxy contest, even if those events were perceived by many of our shareholders as beneficial to their interests. These provisions, and the corporate and banking laws and regulations applicable to us:
•empower our board of directors, without shareholder approval, to issue preferred stock, the terms of which, including voting power, are set by our board of directors;
•divide our board of directors into four classes serving staggered four-year terms;
•eliminate cumulative voting in elections of directors;
•require the request of holders of at least 10% of the outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote at a meeting to call a special shareholders’ meeting;
•require at least 60 days’ advance notice of nominations by shareholders for the election of directors and the presentation of shareholder proposals at meetings of shareholders; and
•require prior regulatory application and approval of any transaction involving control of our organization.
These provisions may discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change in control, including circumstances in which our shareholders might otherwise receive a premium over the market price of our shares.
There are substantial regulatory limitations on changes of control of bank holding companies.
With certain limited exceptions, federal regulations prohibit a person or company or a group of persons deemed to be “acting in concert” from, directly or indirectly, acquiring 10% or more (5% or more if the acquirer is a bank holding company) of any class of our voting stock or obtaining the ability to control in any manner the election of a majority of our directors or otherwise direct the management or policies of our company without prior notice or application to and the approval of the Federal Reserve. Similarly, prior approval of the PDBS is required for a person to acquire more than 10% of any class of our outstanding shares. Accordingly, prospective investors need to be aware of and comply with these requirements, if applicable, in connection with any purchase of shares of our common stock. These provisions effectively inhibit certain takeovers, mergers or other business combinations, which, in turn, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
General Risk Factors
Climate change and 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 as a result of these concerns. We and our customers will need to respond to new laws, regulations and supervisory guidance 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. We could face reduced demand for our products and services and reductions in creditworthiness on the part of some of our customers or in the value of assets securing loans in response to efforts to mitigate climate change. 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.
Severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism or other external events could significantly impact our business.
Severe weather, natural disasters, widespread disease or new pandemics, acts of war or terrorism or other adverse external events could have a significant impact on our ability to conduct business. In addition, such events could affect the stability of our deposit base, impair the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans, impair the value of collateral securing loans, cause significant property damage, result in loss of revenue or cause us to incur additional expenses. The occurrence of any of these events in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.