UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from  _______  to _______

Commission file number 001-39028

CROSSFIRST BANKSHARES, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Kansas		26-3212879
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
11440 Tomahawk Creek Parkway
Leawood	KS	66211
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

(913) 312-6822

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share	CFB	The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and ‘‘emerging growth company’’ in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated filer	☒
Non-accelerated filer	☐	Smaller reporting company	☐
		Emerging growth company	☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of voting stock held by nonaffiliates of the Registrant was $469,054,218 (based on the June 30, 2020, closing price of CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. Common Shares of $9.78 as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

As of February 25, 2021, the registrant had 51,645,335 shares of common stock, par value $0.01, outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K incorporates by reference certain information from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement with respect to its 2021 annual meeting of stockholders, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this Annual Report on Form 10-K relates.  

CAUTIONARY NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events and our financial performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “expect,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “strive,” “projection,” “goal,” “target,” “aim,” “would,” “annualized” and “outlook,” or the negative version of those words or other comparable words or phrases of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. Accordingly, we caution that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions, estimates, and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, actual results may prove to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, those factors set forth below under the heading "Risk Factors Summary" and under the heading "Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors," in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with the other cautionary statements included in this report. Because of these risks and other uncertainties, our actual future results, performance or achievements, or industry results, may be materially different from the results indicated by the forward-looking statements in this report. In addition, our past results of operations are not necessarily indicative of our future results. Accordingly, no forward-looking statements should be relied upon, which represent our beliefs, assumptions and estimates only as of the dates on which such forward-looking statements were made. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

RISK FACTORS SUMMARY

•risks associated with the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19;

•our ability to effectively execute our expansion strategy and manage our growth, including identifying and consummating suitable mergers and acquisitions and integrating merged and acquired companies;

•business and economic conditions, particularly those affecting our market areas in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas including a decrease in or the volatility of oil and gas prices or agricultural commodity prices within the region;

•the geographic concentration of our markets in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas;

•concentrations of loans secured by real estate and energy located in our market areas;

•risks associated with our commercial loan portfolio, including the risk for deterioration in value of the general business assets that secure such loans;

•borrower and depositor concentration risks;

•our ability to maintain our reputation;

•our ability to successfully manage our credit risk and the sufficiency of our allowance;

•reinvestment risks associated with a significant portion of our loan portfolio maturing in one year or less;

•our ability to attract, hire and retain qualified management personnel;

•our dependence on our management team, including our ability to retain executive officers and key employees and their customer and community relationships;

•fluctuations in interest rates and the fair value of our investment securities, which could have an adverse effect on our profitability;

•competition from banks, credit unions and other financial services providers;

•our ability to maintain sufficient liquidity and capital;

•system failures, service denials, cyber-attacks and security breaches;

•our ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting;

•employee error, fraudulent activity by employees or customers and inaccurate or incomplete information about our customers and counterparties;

2

•increased capital requirements imposed by banking regulators, which may require us to raise capital at a time when capital is not available on favorable terms or at all;

•costs and effects of litigation, investigations or similar matters to which we may be subject, including any effect on our reputation;

•severe weather, acts of god, acts of war or terrorism;

•compliance with governmental and regulatory requirements, including the Dodd-Frank and Wall Street Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) and other regulations relating to banking, consumer protection, securities and tax matters;

•changes in the laws, rules, regulations, interpretations or policies relating to financial institutions, accounting, tax, trade, monetary and fiscal matters, including the policies of the Federal Reserve and as a result of initiatives of the current administration; and

•risks associated with our common stock.

3

CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc.

2020 Form 10-K Annual Report

Table of Contents

Part	Item Number	Section	Page Number
I
	1	Business	5
	1A	Risk Factors	15
	1B	Unresolved Staff Comments	34
	2	Properties	34
	3	Legal Proceedings	34
	4	Mine Safety Disclosures	35
		Information About Our Executive Officers	35
II
	5	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	36
	6	Selected Financial Data	39
	7	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	39
	7A	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk	72
	8	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	73
		Report of BKD, LLP Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm	74
		Consolidated Financial Statements and Related Notes
		Consolidated Balance Sheets	75
		Consolidated Statements of Income	76
		Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income	77
		Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity	78
		Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	79
		Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements	81
	9	Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	123
	9A	Control and Procedures	123
	9B	Other Information	124
III
	10	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	124
	11	Executive Compensation	124
	12	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	124
	13	Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions and Director Independence	125
	14	Principal Accountant Fees and Services	125
IV
	15	Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules	125
		(a) (1) Financial Statements - See listing in Item 8 above
		(a) (2) Financial Statement Schedules - None required
		(a) (3) Exhibits
	16	Form 10-K Summary	127
		Signatures	127

4

Part I

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

Our Company

CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc., a Kansas corporation and registered bank holding company (the “Company”), is the holding company for CrossFirst Bank (the “Bank”). The Company was initially formed as a limited liability company, CrossFirst Holdings, LLC, on September 1, 2008 to become the holding company for the Bank and converted to a corporation in 2017. The Bank was established as a Kansas state-chartered bank in 2007 and provides a full suite of financial services to businesses, business owners, professionals, and their personal networks throughout our five primary markets located in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Unless we state otherwise or the context otherwise requires, references in the below section to “we,” “our,” “us,” “ourselves,” “our company,” and the “Company” refer to CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc., a Kansas corporation, its predecessors and its consolidated subsidiaries. References to “CrossFirst Bank” and the “Bank” refer to CrossFirst Bank, a Kansas chartered bank and our wholly-owned consolidated subsidiary.

Since opening our first branch in 2007, we have grown organically primarily by establishing eight offices, attracting new clients and expanding our relationships with existing clients, as well as through two strategic acquisitions. Since inception, our strategy has been to build the most trusted bank serving our markets, which we believe has driven value for our stockholders. We remain focused on robust growth and are equally focused on building stockholder value through greater efficiency and increased profitability. We intend to execute our strategic plan through the following:

•Continue organic growth;

•Selectively pursue opportunities to expand through acquisitions or new market development;

•Improve profitability and operating efficiency;

•Attract and develop talent;

•Maintain a branch-lite business model with strategically placed locations; and

•Leverage technology to enhance the client experience and improve profitability.

Developments during the Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2020

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and on March 13, 2020, the U.S. government declared a national emergency with respect to the outbreak. The COVID-19 pandemic required us to institute our business continuity procedures that included having employees work from home or on a rotation basis and meet with customers by appointment only. Our decisions minimized physical contact to protect our employees and customers. No interruptions to our business occurred and our services continued to function using alternative procedures.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and authorized forgivable loans to small businesses. During 2020, we provided $369 million of PPP loans to support current customers and foster relationships with new customers. The loans earn interest at 1%, include fees between 1% and 5% and typically mature in two years. We anticipate the majority of PPP loans provided in 2020 to be forgiven in 2021, which will reduce our outstanding PPP loan balance and accelerate any remaining unearned loan fees.

During the second quarter of 2020, we executed our succession plan pursuant to which Michael J. Maddox was named as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer effective, June 1, 2020, to succeed George F. Jones, Jr. who was appointed as Vice Chairman. In addition, Steve Peterson was promoted to Chief Banking Officer.

We made a strategic decision to lower our exposure to the energy sector in the first quarter of 2020. We expect our energy loan portfolio to continue to decline in 2021. We also made a strategic decision in the fourth quarter of 2020 to lower our exposure to tribal nation lending and anticipate that these loans will decline significantly in 2021.

The Bank opened a smaller branch in Frisco, Texas as part of our growth strategy and moved our Kansas City, Missouri branch to a new, prominent location on the Country Club Plaza in the heart of Kansas City during the third quarter of 2020.

The Company announced a $20 million common stock buyback program in the fourth quarter of 2020. For the year ended December 31, 2020, 609,613 common shares were repurchased for approximately $6 million.

5

Products and Services

The Bank operates as a regional bank providing a broad offering of deposit and lending products to commercial and consumer clients. The Bank’s branches are located in: (i) Leawood, Kansas; (ii) Wichita, Kansas; (iii) Kansas City, Missouri; (iv) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; (v) Tulsa, Oklahoma; (vi) Dallas, Texas; and (vii) Frisco, Texas. We focus mainly on delivering products and services to small and middle market commercial businesses and affluent consumers. We believe that this is a client segment that is underserved by larger bank competitors.

We offer cash and treasury management solutions to our clients to help build and maintain our commercial relationships. We focus on the following loan categories: (i) commercial loans, including enterprise value lending; (ii) commercial real estate loans; (iii) construction and development loans, including home builder lending; (iv) 1-4 family real estate loans; (v) energy loans; and (vi) consumer loans.

We offer deposit banking products including: (i) personal and business checking and savings accounts; (ii) international banking services; (iii) treasury management services; (iv) money market accounts; (v) certificates of deposits; (vi) negotiable order of withdrawal accounts; (vii) automated teller machine access; and (viii) mobile banking.

Competition

The banking and financial services industry is highly competitive, and we compete with a wide range of financial institutions within our markets, including local, regional and national commercial banks and credit unions. We also compete with mortgage companies, trust companies, brokerage firms, consumer finance companies, securities firms, insurance companies, third-party payment processors, financial technology (“Fintech”) companies, and other financial intermediaries. Some of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions and level of regulatory supervision applicable to us.

Human Capital Resources

Employee Profile

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had 328 full-time equivalent employees in locations across the states of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 58% of our current workforce is female, 42% male.

Compensation and Benefits Program

As part of our compensation philosophy, the Company offers and maintains competitive total rewards programs to attract and retain superior talent throughout our market footprint. In addition to competitive base wages, additional programs include annual bonus opportunities, a Company augmented Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Company matched 401(k) Plan, healthcare and insurance benefits, health savings and flexible spending accounts, paid time off, family leave, a Volunteer Time Off (“VTO”) program, flexible work schedules, and employee assistance programs.

Diversity and Inclusion

We believe that an equitable and inclusive environment with diverse teams supports our core values and strategic initiatives, and it is crucial to our efforts to attract and retain key talent. We are focused on maintaining and enhancing our inclusive culture through our CrossFirst Cares program and our IDEA Champions employee resource group. These groups enhance an inclusive culture through company events, participation in our recruitment efforts, and input into our development strategies.

Our ongoing diversity and inclusion initiatives support our goal of engaging employees throughout the Company in creating an inclusive workplace. We are focused on sourcing and hiring candidates with fair and equitable strategies and creating an environment where all employees can develop and thrive.

Community Involvement

We build strong relationships within the communities we serve and support the passions of our employees. We encourage our employees to volunteer their time and talent by serving on boards and providing support to the communities where they live and work.

We understand this commitment makes a broader impact. That is why we help our employees devote their energies to causes that matter to them, to their communities and to those individuals who are most in need. Our CrossFirst Volunteer Time Off program provides paid leave for these volunteer activities.

Our spirit of employee giving is also championed through our Generous Giving program. Through this program, we offer every employee the opportunity to provide financial support for another individual by matching up to $500 per employee gift, per year. Our Generous Giving is designed to give our employees additional resources to make a difference in people’s lives.

6

The intention is to participate in giving back to the community and offer our employees to share in that effort. At the same time, we recognize that participating in these activities enriches all our lives.

Health and Safety

The success of our business is fundamentally connected to the well-being of our people. Accordingly, we are committed to the health, safety and wellness of our employees. We provide our employees and their families with access to a variety of flexible and convenient health and welfare programs. This includes benefits to support their physical and mental well-being; providing tools and resources to help improve or maintain their health status; and offering choices where possible for employees to customize their benefits to meet their needs and the needs of their families. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company implemented significant operating environment changes that leadership determined were in the best interest of our employees, the communities in which we operate, and which comply with government regulations. This includes providing flexible work from home options for a large percentage of our employees, while implementing additional safety measures for employees continuing critical on-site work.

Talent Development

We prioritize and invest in creating opportunities to help employees grow and build their careers using a variety of training and development programs. These include online, classroom and on-the-job learning formats paired with an individualized development approach.

A core tenet of our talent system is to both develop talent from within and supplement with external candidates. This approach has yielded loyalty and commitment in our employee base which benefits our business, our products, and our clients. In 2020, over 15% of our current employees were promoted into roles with increased responsibilities. The addition of new employees and external ideas supports our culture of continuous improvement and a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Our performance management framework includes monthly business and functional reviews, along with one-on-one and quarterly forward-looking goal setting and development discussions, followed by annual opportunities for pay differentiation based on overall employee performance distinction.

Supervision and Regulation

The following is a general summary of the material aspects of certain statutes and regulations that are applicable to us. These summary descriptions are not complete. Please refer to the full text of the statutes, regulations, and corresponding guidance for more information. These statutes and regulations are subject to change, and additional statutes, regulations, and corresponding guidance may be adopted. We are unable to predict future changes or the effects, if any, that these changes could have on our business or our revenues.

General

We are extensively regulated under U.S. federal and state law. As a result, our growth and earnings performance may be affected not only by management decisions and general economic conditions, but also by federal and state statutes and by the regulations and policies of various bank regulatory agencies, including the Office of the State Bank Commissioner of Kansas, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”). Furthermore, tax laws administered by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and state and local taxing authorities, accounting rules developed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), securities laws administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and state securities authorities and Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) laws enforced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury also impact our business. The effect of these statutes, regulations, regulatory policies and rules are significant to our financial condition and results of operations. Further, the nature and extent of future legislative, regulatory or other changes affecting financial institutions are impossible to predict with any certainty.

Federal and state banking laws impose a comprehensive system of supervision, regulation, and enforcement on the operations of banks, their holding companies and their affiliates. These laws are intended primarily for the protection of depositors, clients and the Deposit Insurance Fund of the FDIC (“DIF”) rather than for stockholders.

This supervisory and regulatory framework subjects banks and bank holding companies to regular examination by their respective regulatory agencies, which results in examination reports and ratings that, while not publicly available, can affect the conduct and growth of their businesses.

Regulatory Capital Requirements

The federal banking agencies require that banking organizations meet several risk-based capital adequacy requirements known as the “Basel III Capital Rules.” The Basel III Capital Rules implement the Basel Committee’s December 2010 framework for strengthening international capital standards and certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act.

7

The Basel III Capital Rules require the Company and the Bank to comply with four minimum capital standards: (i) a tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 4.0%; (ii) a CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%; (iii) a tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6.0%; and (iv) a total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%. CET1 capital is generally comprised of common stockholders’ equity and retained earnings subject to applicable regulatory adjustments. Tier 1 capital is generally comprised of CET1 and additional tier 1 capital. Additional tier 1 capital generally includes certain noncumulative perpetual preferred stock and related surplus and minority interests in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries. We are permitted to include qualifying trust preferred securities issued prior to May 19, 2010 as additional tier 1 capital. Total capital includes tier 1 capital (CET1 capital plus additional tier 1 capital) and tier 2 capital. Tier 2 capital is generally comprised of capital instruments and related surplus meeting specified requirements, and may include cumulative preferred stock and long-term perpetual preferred stock, mandatory convertible securities, intermediate preferred stock, and subordinated debt. Also included in tier 2 capital is the allowance for loan and lease losses (“ALLL”) limited to a maximum of 1.25% of risk-weighted assets. The calculation of all types of regulatory capital is subject to deductions and adjustments specified in the regulations.

The Basel III Capital Rules also establish a “capital conservation buffer” of 2.5% above the regulatory minimum risk-based capital requirements. The capital conservation buffer requirement was phased in beginning in January 2016 and is now fully implemented. An institution is subject to limitations on certain activities, including payment of dividends, share repurchases and discretionary bonuses to executive officers, if its capital level is below the buffered ratio.

The Basel III minimum capital ratios as applicable to the Bank and to the Company are summarized in the table below:

	Basel III Minimum For Capital Adequacy Purposes	Basel III Additional Capital Conservation Buffer	Basel III Ratio With Capital Conservation Buffer
Total risk based capital (total capital to risk-weighted assets)	8.00%	2.50%	10.50%
Tier 1 risk based capital (tier 1 to risk-weighted assets)	6.00	2.50	8.50
Common equity tier 1 risk based capital (CET1 to risk-weighted assets)	4.50	2.50	7.00
Tier 1 leverage ratio (tier 1 to average assets)	4.00%	—%	4.00%

In determining the amount of risk-weighted assets for purposes of calculating risk-based capital ratios, a banking organization’s assets, including certain off-balance sheet assets are multiplied by a risk weight factor assigned by the regulations based on perceived risks inherent in the type of asset. As a result, higher levels of capital are required for asset categories believed to present greater risk.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company’s and the Bank’s capital ratios exceeded the minimum capital adequacy guideline percentage requirements under the Basel III Capital Rules.

The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (“EGRRCPA”) directed the federal banking agencies to develop a specified Community Bank Leverage Ratio (“CBLR”), the ratio of a bank’s equity capital to its consolidated assets of not less than 8% and not more than 10%. On November 4, 2019, federal regulators issued final rules that provide certain banks and their holding companies with the option to elect out of complying with the Basel III Capital Rules. The final rule was effective January 1, 2020 for a “Qualifying Community Banking Organization” (“QCBO”) defined as a bank or a bank holding company with:

•a CBLR greater than 9%; provided, that under the CARES Act and regulations issued by federal banking agencies thereunder, effective October 1, 2020, the CBLR has been temporarily reduced to 8% for 2020 and 8.5% for 2021 and will be reset at 9% beginning January 1, 2022;

•total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion;

•total off-balance sheet exposures (excluding derivatives other than credit derivatives and unconditionally cancellable commitments) of 25% or less of total consolidated assets; and

•total trading assets and trading liabilities of 5% or less of total consolidated assets.

As of December 31, 2020, we did not qualify as a QCBO.

8

Prompt Corrective Action

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act requires federal banking agencies to take “prompt corrective action” with respect to depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. For purposes of prompt corrective action, the law establishes five capital tiers: “well-capitalized,” “adequately-capitalized,” “under-capitalized,” “significantly under-capitalized,” and “critically under-capitalized.” A depository institution’s capital tier depends on its capital levels and certain other factors established by regulation. In order to be a “well-capitalized” depository institution, a bank must maintain a CET1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.5% or more, a tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8% or more, a total risk-based capital ratio of 10% or more and a leverage ratio of 5% or more (and is not subject to any order or written directive specifying any higher capital ratio). At each successively lower capital category, a bank is subject to increased restrictions on its operations.

As of December 31, 2020, the Bank met the requirements for being deemed “well-capitalized” for purposes of the prompt corrective action regulations and was not otherwise subject to any order or written directive specifying any higher capital ratios.

Enforcement Powers of Federal and State Banking Agencies

The federal banking regulatory agencies have broad enforcement powers, including the power to terminate deposit insurance, impose substantial fines and other civil and criminal penalties, and appoint a conservator or receiver for financial institutions. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could subject us and our officers and directors to administrative sanctions and potentially substantial civil money penalties.

The Company

General

As a bank holding company, the Company is subject to regulation and supervision by the Federal Reserve under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (“BHCA”). Under the BHCA, the Company is subject to periodic examination by the Federal Reserve. The Company is required to file with the Federal Reserve periodic reports of its operations and such additional information as the Federal Reserve may require.

Acquisitions, Activities and Change in Control

The BHCA generally requires the prior approval by the Federal Reserve for any merger involving a bank holding company or a bank holding company’s acquisition of more than 5% of a class of voting securities of any additional bank or bank holding company or to acquire all or substantially all of the assets of any additional bank or bank holding company.

Federal law also prohibits any person or company from acquiring “control” of an FDIC-insured depository institution or its holding company without prior notice to the appropriate federal bank regulator. “Control” is conclusively presumed to exist upon the acquisition of 25% or more of the outstanding voting securities of a bank or bank holding company, but may arise under certain circumstances between 5% and 24.99% ownership.

Permitted Activities

The BHCA generally prohibits the Company from controlling or engaging in any business other than that of banking, managing and controlling banks or furnishing services to banks and their subsidiaries. This general prohibition is subject to a number of exceptions. The principal exception allows bank holding companies to engage in, and to own shares of companies engaged in, certain businesses found by the Federal Reserve prior to November 11, 1999 to be “so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident thereto.”

Additionally, bank holding companies that meet certain eligibility requirements prescribed by the BHCA and elect to operate as financial holding companies may engage in, or own shares in companies engaged in, a wider range of nonbanking activities, including securities and insurance underwriting and sales, merchant banking and any other activity that the Federal Reserve, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, determines by regulation or order is financial in nature or incidental to any such financial activity or that the Federal Reserve determines by order to be complementary to any such financial activity and does not pose a substantial risk to the safety or soundness of depository institutions or the financial system generally. The Company has not elected to be a financial holding company, and we have not engaged in any activities determined by the Federal Reserve to be financial in nature or incidental or complementary to activities that are financial in nature.

9

Source of Strength

Bank holding companies, such as the Company, are required by statute to serve as a source of financial strength for their subsidiary depository institutions, by providing financial assistance to their insured depository institution subsidiaries in the event of financial distress. Under the source of strength requirement, the Company could be required to provide financial assistance to the Bank should it experience financial distress. Furthermore, the Federal Reserve has the right to order a bank holding company to terminate any activity that the Federal Reserve believes is a serious risk to the financial safety, soundness or stability of any subsidiary bank. The regulators may require these and other actions in support of controlled banks even if such action is not in the best interests of the bank holding company or its stockholders.

Safe and Sound Banking Practices

Bank holding companies and their nonbanking subsidiaries are prohibited from engaging in activities that represent unsafe and unsound banking practices or that constitute a violation of law or regulations. Under certain conditions the Federal Reserve may conclude that certain actions of a bank holding company, such as a payment of a cash dividend, would constitute an unsafe and unsound banking practice. The Federal Reserve also has the authority to regulate the debt of bank holding companies, including the authority to impose interest rate ceilings and reserve requirements on such debt. Under certain circumstances the Federal Reserve may require a bank holding company to file written notice and obtain its approval prior to purchasing or redeeming its equity securities, unless certain conditions are met.

Dividend Payments, Stock Redemptions and Repurchases

The Company’s ability to pay dividends to its stockholders is affected by both general corporate law considerations and the regulations and policies of the Federal Reserve applicable to bank holding companies, including the Basel III Capital Rules. Generally, a Kansas corporation may declare and pay dividends upon the shares of its capital stock either out of its surplus, as defined in and computed in accordance with K.S.A. 17-6404 and 17-6604, and amendments thereto, or in case there is not any surplus, out of its net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared or the preceding fiscal year, or both. If the capital of the corporation, computed in accordance with K.S.A. 17-6404 and 17-6604, and amendments thereto, is diminished by depreciation in the value of its property, or by losses, or otherwise, to an amount less than the aggregate amount of the capital represented by the issued and outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets, then no dividends may be paid out of such net profits until the deficiency in the amount of capital represented by the issued and outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets shall have been repaired.

It is the Federal Reserve’s policy that bank holding companies should generally pay dividends on common stock only out of income available over the past year, and only if prospective earnings retention is consistent with the organization’s expected future needs and financial condition. It is also the Federal Reserve’s policy that bank holding companies should not maintain dividend levels that undermine their ability to be a source of strength to its banking subsidiaries. Additionally, 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.

Bank holding companies must consult with the Federal Reserve before redeeming any equity or other capital instrument included in tier 1 or tier 2 capital prior to stated maturity, if such redemption could have a material effect on the level or composition of the organization’s capital base. In addition, bank holding companies are unable to repurchase shares equal to 10% or more of their net worth if they would not be well-capitalized (as defined by the Federal Reserve) after giving effect to such repurchase. Bank holding companies experiencing financial weaknesses, or that are at significant risk of developing financial weaknesses, must consult with the Federal Reserve before redeeming or repurchasing common stock or other regulatory capital instruments.

The Bank

General

The Bank is a Kansas state-chartered bank and is not a member bank of the Federal Reserve. As a Kansas state-chartered bank, the Bank is subject to the examination, supervision and regulation by the Office of the State Bank Commissioner of Kansas (“OSBCK”), the chartering authority for Kansas banks, and by the FDIC. The Bank is also subject to certain regulations of the CFPB.

The OSBCK supervises and regulates all areas of the Bank’s operations including, without limitation, the making of loans, the issuance of securities, the conduct of the Bank’s corporate affairs, the satisfaction of capital adequacy requirements, the payment of dividends, and the establishment or closing of banking offices. The FDIC is the Bank’s primary federal regulatory agency, and periodically examines the Bank’s operations and financial condition and compliance with federal law. In addition, the Bank’s deposit accounts are insured by the DIF to the maximum extent provided under federal law and FDIC regulations, and the FDIC has certain enforcement powers over the Bank.

10

Depositor Preference

In the event of the ‘‘liquidation or other resolution’’ of an insured depository institution, the claims of depositors of the institution, including the claims of the FDIC as subrogee of insured depositors, and certain claims for administrative expenses of the FDIC as a receiver, will have priority over other general unsecured claims against the institution. If an insured depository institution fails, insured and uninsured depositors, along with the FDIC, will have priority in payment ahead of unsecured, non-deposit creditors including the parent bank holding company with respect to any extensions of credit they have made to that insured depository institution.

Brokered Deposit and Deposit Rate Restrictions

Well-capitalized institutions are not subject to limitations on brokered deposits, while adequately-capitalized institutions are able to accept, renew or roll over brokered deposits, only with a waiver from the FDIC and subject to certain restrictions on the yield paid on such deposits. Under-capitalized institutions are generally not permitted to accept, renew, or roll over brokered deposits and are subject to a deposit rate cap, pursuant to which the institutions would be prohibited from paying in excess of 75 basis points above published national deposit rates unless the FDIC determined that the institutions’ local market rate was above the national rate. As of December 31, 2020, the Bank was eligible to accept brokered deposits without a waiver from the FDIC and was not subject to the deposit rate cap.

Deposit Insurance

As an FDIC-insured institution, the Bank is required to pay deposit insurance premiums to the FDIC. The FDIC has adopted a risk-based assessment system whereby FDIC-insured depository institutions pay insurance premiums at rates based on their risk classification. An institution’s risk classification is assigned based on its capital levels and the level of supervisory concern the institution poses to the regulators. For deposit insurance assessment purposes, an insured depository institution is placed in one of four risk categories each quarter. An institution’s assessment is determined by multiplying its assessment rate by its assessment base. The total base assessment rates range from 1.5 basis points to 40 basis points. While in the past an insured depository institution’s assessment base was determined by its deposit base, amendments to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act revised the assessment base so that it is calculated using average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity.

Additionally, the Dodd-Frank Act altered the minimum designated reserve ratio of the DIF, increasing the minimum from 1.15% to 1.35% of the estimated amount of total insured deposits, and eliminating the requirement that the FDIC pay dividends to depository institutions when the reserve ratio exceeds certain thresholds. The FDIC had until September 3, 2020 to meet the 1.35% reserve ratio target, but it announced in November 2018 that the DIF had reached 1.36%, exceeding the 1.35% reserve ratio target. At least semi-annually, the FDIC updates its loss and income projections for the DIF and, if needed, may increase or decrease the assessment rates, following notice and comment on proposed rule-making. However, as of June 30, 2020, the reserve ratio fell to 1.30%, below the statutory minimum of 1.35%. On September 15, 2020, the FDIC adopted a Restoration Plan to restore the reserve ratio to at least 1.35% within eight years. The FDIC projects that the reserve ratio will return to 1.35% without further action by the FDIC before the end of that eight-year period, but the FDIC will closely monitor deposit balance trends, potential losses, and other factors that affect the reserve ratio. As a result, the Bank’s FDIC deposit insurance premiums could increase or decrease. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Bank paid $4 million in FDIC deposit insurance premiums.

Audit Reports

Since the Bank is an insured depository institution with total assets of $1 billion or more, financial statements prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), management’s certifications signed by the Company's and the Bank’s chief executive officer and chief accounting or financial officer concerning management’s responsibility for the financial statements, and an attestation by the auditors regarding the Bank’s internal controls must be submitted to the FDIC and OSBCK. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 requires that the Bank (or, as explained below, the Company) have an independent audit committee, consisting of outside directors who are independent of management of the Company and the Bank. The audit committee must include at least two members with experience in banking or related financial management, must have access to outside counsel and must not include representatives of large clients. Certain insured depository institutions with total assets of less than $5 billion, or $5 billion or more and a composite CAMELS (i.e., capital adequacy, assets, management capability, earnings, liquidity, sensitivity) rating of 1 or 2, may satisfy these audit committee requirements if its holding company has an audit committee that satisfies these requirements. The Company’s audit committee satisfies these requirements.

Examination Assessments

Pursuant to the Kansas Banking Code, the expense of every regular examination, together with the expense of administering the banking and savings and loan laws, including salaries, travel expenses, supplies and equipment are paid by the banks and savings and loan associations of Kansas, which are generally allocated among them based on total asset size. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Bank paid examination assessments to the OSBCK totaling $414 thousand.

11

Capital Requirements

Banks are generally required to maintain minimum capital ratios. For a discussion of the capital requirements applicable to the Bank, see “Regulatory Capital Requirements” above.

Bank Reserves

The Federal Reserve requires all depository institutions to maintain reserves against some transaction accounts (primarily Negotiable Order of Withdrawal (“NOW”) and Super NOW checking accounts). The balances maintained to meet the reserve requirements imposed by the Federal Reserve may be used to satisfy liquidity requirements. An institution may borrow from the Federal Reserve “discount window” as a secondary source of funds if the institution meets the Federal Reserve’s credit standards. The Federal Reserve reduced the reserve requirement to 0% effective March 26, 2020.

Dividend Payments

A primary source of funds for the Company is dividends from the Bank. The Bank is not permitted to pay a dividend to the Company under certain circumstances, including if the Bank is under-capitalized under the prompt corrective action framework or if the Bank fails to maintain the required capital conservation buffer. The Kansas Banking Code also places restrictions on the declaration of dividends by the Bank to the Company. No dividend may be paid from the capital stock account of the Bank. The current dividends of the Bank may only be paid from undivided profits after deducting losses. Before declaring any cash dividend from undivided profits, the Bank’s board of directors must ensure that the surplus fund equals or exceeds the capital stock account. If the surplus fund is less than the capital stock account, the Bank’s board of directors may transfer 25% of the net profits of the Bank, since the last preceding dividend from undivided profits, to the surplus fund, except no additional transfers are required once the surplus fund equals or exceeds the capital stock account. Any other dividend (whether in cash or other property) from the Bank to the Company requires the prior approval of the OSBCK.

The payment of dividends by any financial institution is affected by the requirement to maintain adequate capital pursuant to applicable capital adequacy guidelines and regulations, and a financial institution generally is prohibited from paying any dividends if, following payment thereof, the institution would be under-capitalized. As described above, the Bank exceeded its minimum capital requirements under applicable regulatory guidelines as of December 31, 2020.

Transactions with Affiliates

The Bank is subject to Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act (the “Affiliates Act”) and the Federal Reserve’s implementation of Regulation W. An affiliate of a bank under the Affiliates Act is any company or entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the bank. Accordingly, transactions between the Company, the Bank and any nonbank subsidiaries will be subject to a number of restrictions. The amount of loans or extensions of credit which the Bank may make to nonbank affiliates, or to third parties secured by securities or obligations of the nonbank affiliates, are substantially limited by the Affiliates Act. Such acts further restrict the range of permissible transactions between a bank and an affiliated company. A bank and its subsidiaries may engage in certain transactions, including loans and purchases of assets, with an affiliated company only if the terms and conditions of the transaction, including credit standards, are substantially the same as, or at least as favorable to the bank as, those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with non-affiliated companies or, in the absence of comparable transactions, on terms and conditions that would be offered to non-affiliated companies.

Loans to Directors, Executive Officers and Principal Stockholders

The authority of the Bank to extend credit to its directors, executive officers and principal stockholders, including their immediate family members and corporations and other entities they control, is subject to substantial restrictions and requirements under the Federal Reserve’s Regulation O, as well as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Limits on Loans to One Borrower

As a Kansas state-chartered bank, the Bank is subject to limits on the amount of loans it can make to one borrower. With certain limited exceptions, loans and extensions of credit from Kansas state-chartered banks outstanding to any borrower (including certain related entities of the borrower) at any one time may not exceed 25% of the capital of the bank. Certain types of loans are exempt from the lending limits, including loans fully secured by segregated deposits held by the bank or bonds or notes of the United States. A Kansas state-chartered bank may lend an additional amount if the loan is fully secured by certain types of real estate. In addition to the single borrower limitation described above, loans to a borrower and its subsidiaries generally may not exceed 50% of the capital of the bank. The Bank’s legal lending limit to any one borrower was $156 million as of December 31, 2020.

12

Safety and Soundness Standards/Risk Management

The federal banking agencies have adopted guidelines establishing operational and managerial standards to promote the safety and soundness of federally insured depository institutions. The guidelines set forth standards for internal controls, information systems, internal audit systems, loan documentation, credit underwriting, interest rate exposure, asset growth, compensation, fees and benefits, asset quality and earnings. In general, the safety and soundness guidelines prescribe the goals to be achieved in each area, and each institution is responsible for establishing its own procedures to achieve those goals. If an institution fails to comply with any of the standards set forth in the guidelines, the financial institution’s primary federal regulator may require the institution to submit a plan for achieving and maintaining compliance. If a financial institution fails to submit an acceptable compliance plan, or fails in any material respect to implement a compliance plan that has been accepted by its primary federal regulator, the regulator is required to issue an order directing the institution to cure the deficiency. Until the deficiency cited in the regulator’s order is cured, the regulator may restrict the financial institution’s rate of growth, require the financial institution to increase its capital, restrict the rates the institution pays on deposits or require the institution to take any action the regulator deems appropriate under the circumstances. Noncompliance with the standards established by the safety and soundness guidelines may also constitute grounds for other enforcement action by the federal bank regulatory agencies, including cease and desist orders and civil money penalty assessments.

Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”)

The CRA is intended to encourage insured depository institutions, while operating safely and soundly, to help meet the credit needs of their communities. The CRA specifically directs the federal bank regulatory agencies, in examining insured depository institutions, to assess their record of helping to meet the credit needs of their entire community, including low and moderate income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound banking practices. The CRA further requires the agencies to take a financial institution’s record of meeting its community credit needs into account when evaluating applications for, among other things, domestic branches, consummating mergers or acquisitions or holding company formations.

The federal banking agencies have adopted regulations which measure a bank’s compliance with its CRA obligations on a performance based evaluation system. This system bases CRA ratings on an institution’s actual lending service and investment performance rather than the extent to which the institution conducts needs assessments, documents community outreach or complies with other procedural requirements. The ratings range from a high of “outstanding” to a low of “substantial noncompliance.” The Bank had a CRA rating of “satisfactory” as of its most recent CRA assessment.

Anti-Money Laundering and the Office of Foreign Assets Control Regulation

The Company and the Bank must comply with the requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”). The BSA was enacted to prevent banks and other financial service providers from being used as intermediaries for, or to hide the transfer or deposit of money derived from, drug trafficking, money laundering, and other crimes. Since its passage, the BSA has been amended several times. These amendments include the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, which made money laundering a criminal act, as well as the Money Laundering Suppression Act of 1994, which required regulators to develop enhanced examination procedures and increased examiner training to improve the identification of money laundering schemes in financial institutions. The USA Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (“PATRIOT Act”), substantially broadened the scope of U.S. anti-money laundering laws and regulations by imposing significant new compliance and due diligence obligations, creating new crimes and penalties and expanding the extra-territorial jurisdiction of the United States. The regulations impose obligations on financial institutions to maintain appropriate policies, procedures and controls to detect, prevent, and report money laundering and terrorist financing. The regulations include significant penalties for non-compliance. Likewise, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions against targeted foreign countries and regimes under authority of various laws, including designated foreign countries, nationals and others. OFAC publishes lists of specially designated targets and countries. Financial institutions are responsible for, among other things, blocking accounts of and transactions with such targets and countries, prohibiting unlicensed trade and financial transactions with them and reporting blocked transactions after their occurrence. Failure of a financial institution to maintain and implement adequate anti-money laundering and OFAC programs, or to comply with all of the relevant laws or regulations, could have serious legal and reputational consequences for the institution.

13

Concentrations in Commercial Real Estate (“CRE”)

Concentration risk exists when financial institutions deploy too many assets to any one industry or segment. Concentration stemming from CRE is one area of regulatory concern. The CRE Concentration Guidance, provides supervisory criteria, including the following numerical indicators, to assist bank examiners in identifying banks with potentially significant CRE loan concentrations that may warrant greater supervisory scrutiny: (i) CRE loans exceeding 300% of capital and increasing 50% or more in the preceding three years; or (ii) construction and land development loans exceeding 100% of capital. The CRE Concentration Guidance does not limit banks’ levels of CRE lending activities, but rather guides institutions in developing risk management practices and levels of capital that are commensurate with the level and nature of their CRE concentrations. If a concentration is present, management must employ heightened risk management practices that address the following key elements: (i) board and management oversight and strategic planning; (ii) portfolio management; (iii) development of underwriting standards; (iv) risk assessment and monitoring through market analysis and stress testing; and (v) maintenance of increased capital levels as needed to support the level of commercial real estate lending. On December 18, 2015, the federal banking agencies jointly issued a ‘‘statement on prudent risk management for commercial real estate lending’’ reminding financial institutions of developing risk management practices. See also “Risk Factors—We have a concentration in commercial real estate lending that could cause our regulators to restrict our ability to grow” in this Form 10-K.

Consumer Financial Services

The Bank is subject to federal and state consumer protection statutes and regulations promulgated under those laws, including, without limitation, regulations issued by the CFPB. These laws and regulations could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among financial institutions.

Incentive Compensation Guidance

The federal bank regulatory 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. The incentive compensation guidance, which covers all employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of an organization, either individually or as part of a group, is based upon three primary principles: (i) balanced risk taking incentives; (ii) compatibility with effective controls and risk management; and (iii) strong corporate governance. Any deficiencies in compensation practices that are identified may be incorporated into the organization’s supervisory ratings, which can affect its ability to make acquisitions or take other actions. 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, the Basel III capital rules limit discretionary bonus payments to bank executives if the institution’s regulatory capital ratios fail to exceed certain thresholds. Although the federal bank regulatory agencies proposed additional rules in 2016 related to incentive compensation for all banks with more than $1 billion in assets, those rules have not yet been finalized. The scope and content of the U.S. banking regulators’ policies on executive compensation are continuing to develop and are likely to continue evolving in the near future.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires public companies to include, at least once every three years, a separate non-binding ‘‘say-on-pay’’ vote in their proxy statement by which stockholders may vote on the compensation of the public company’s named executive officers. In addition, if such public companies are involved in a merger, acquisition, or consolidation, or if they propose to sell or dispose of all or substantially all of their assets, stockholders have a right to an advisory vote on any golden parachute arrangements in connection with such transaction (frequently referred to as ‘‘say-on-golden parachute’’ vote). Other provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act may impact our corporate governance. For instance, the SEC adopted rules prohibiting the listing of any equity security of a company that does not have a compensation committee consisting solely of independent directors, subject to certain exceptions. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act requires the SEC to adopt rules requiring all exchange-traded companies to adopt claw-back policies for incentive compensation paid to executive officers in the event of accounting restatements based on material non-compliance with financial reporting requirements. Those rules, however, have not yet been finalized. Additionally, the Company is an emerging growth company (“EGC”) under the JOBS Act and therefore subject to reduced disclosure requirements related to, among other things, executive compensation.

Financial Privacy

The federal bank regulatory agencies 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 nonaffiliated 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.

14

Impact of Monetary Policy

The monetary policy of the Federal Reserve has a significant effect on the operating results of financial or bank holding companies and their subsidiaries. Among the tools available to the Federal Reserve to affect the money supply are open market transactions in U.S. government securities, changes in the discount rate on member bank borrowings and changes in reserve requirements against member bank deposits. These tools are used in varying combinations to influence overall growth and distribution of bank loans, investments and deposits, and their use may affect interest rates charged on loans or paid on deposits.

New Banking Reform Legislation

Key provisions of the EGRRCPA as it relates to community banks and bank holding companies include, but are not limited to: (i) designating mortgages held in portfolio as “qualified mortgages” for banks with less than $10 billion in assets, subject to certain documentation and product limitations; (ii) exempting banks with less than $10 billion in assets (and total trading assets and trading liabilities of 5% or less of total assets) from Volcker Rule requirements relating to proprietary trading; (iii) simplifying capital calculations for certain banks with less than $10 billion in assets as described above regarding the final rule for the community bank leverage ratio; (iv) assisting smaller banks with obtaining stable funding by providing an exception for reciprocal deposits from FDIC restrictions on acceptance of brokered deposits; (v) raising the eligibility for use of short-form Call Reports from $1 billion to $5 billion in assets; (vi) clarifying definitions pertaining to high-volatility commercial real estate, which require higher capital allocations, so that only loans with increased risk are subject to higher risk weightings; and (vii) changing the eligibility for use of the small bank holding company policy statement from institutions with under $1 billion in assets to institutions with under $3 billion in assets.

Other Pending and Proposed Legislation

Other legislative and regulatory initiatives which could affect the Company, the Bank and the banking industry in general may be proposed or introduced before the U.S. Congress, the Kansas Legislature and other governmental bodies in the future. Such proposals, if enacted, may further alter the structure, regulation and competitive relationship among financial institutions, and may subject the Company or the Bank to increased regulation, disclosure and reporting requirements. In addition, the various banking regulatory agencies often adopt new rules and regulations to implement and enforce existing legislation. It cannot be predicted whether, or in what form, any such legislation or regulations may be enacted or the extent to which the business of the Company or the Bank would be affected thereby.

Website Access to Company Reports

The Company’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports are available free of charge on the Company’s website at investors.crossfirstbankshares.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. In addition, copies of the Company’s annual report will be made available, free of charge, upon written request. The Company does not intend for information contained in its website to be part of this annual report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 1A.    RISK FACTORS

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the following factors, which could materially affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in future periods. While we believe we have identified and discussed below the key risk factors affecting our business, there may be additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial that may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or share price in the future.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Market

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected our business, financial condition and results of operations, and the ultimate impacts of the pandemic on our business, financial condition and results of operations will depend on future developments and other factors that are highly uncertain and will be impacted by the scope and duration of the pandemic and actions taken by governmental authorities in response to the pandemic.

The ongoing COVID-19 global and national health emergency has caused significant disruption in the international and United States economies and financial markets and has had an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and could further impact our business, financial condition and results of operation. The spread of COVID-19 has caused illness, quarantines, cancellation of events and travel, business and school shutdowns, reduction in business activity and financial transactions, supply chain interruptions and overall economic and financial market instability. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments of the states in which we operate, and of most other states, have taken preventative or protective actions, such as imposing restrictions on travel and business operations, advising or requiring individuals to limit or forego their time outside of their homes, and ordering temporary closures of businesses that have been deemed to be nonessential. These restrictions and other consequences of the pandemic have resulted in

15

significant adverse effects for many different types of businesses, including, among others, those in the travel, hospitality and food and beverage industries, and have resulted in a significant number of layoffs and furloughs of employees nationwide and in the regions in which we operate.

The ultimate effects of COVID-19 on the broader economy and the markets that we serve are not known nor is the ultimate length of the restrictions described above and any accompanying effects. Moreover, the Federal Reserve has taken action to lower the Federal Funds rate, which may negatively affect our interest income and, therefore, earnings, financial condition and results of operation. Additional impacts of COVID-19 on our business could be widespread and material, and may include, or exacerbate, among other consequences, the following:

•employees contracting COVID-19;

•reductions in our operating effectiveness as our employees work from home;

•a work stoppage, forced quarantine, or other interruption of our business;

•unavailability of key personnel necessary to conduct our business activities;

•effects on key employees, including operational management personnel and those charged with preparing, monitoring and evaluating our financial reporting and internal controls;

•sustained closures of our branch lobbies or the offices of our customers;

•declines in demand for loans and other banking services and products;

•reduced consumer spending due to both job losses and other effects attributable to COVID-19;

•unprecedented volatility in United States financial markets;

•volatile performance of our investment securities portfolio;

•decline in the credit quality of our loan portfolio, owing to the effects of COVID-19 in the markets we serve, leading to a need to increase our allowance for loan losses;

•declines in value of collateral for loans, including energy and real estate collateral;

•declines in the net worth and liquidity of borrowers and loan guarantors, impairing their ability to honor commitments to us; and

•declines in demand resulting from businesses being deemed to be “non-essential” by governments in the markets we serve, and from “non-essential” and “essential” businesses suffering adverse effects from reduced levels of economic activity in our markets.

These factors, together or in combination with other events or occurrences that may not yet be known or anticipated, may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in meaningfully lower stock prices for many companies, as well as the trading prices for many other securities. The further spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as ongoing or new governmental, regulatory and private sector responses to the pandemic, may materially disrupt banking and other economic activity generally and in the areas in which we operate. This could result in further decline in demand for our banking products and services, and could negatively impact, among other things, our liquidity, regulatory capital and our growth strategy. Any one or more of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are taking precautions to protect the safety and well-being of our employees and customers. However, no assurance can be given that the steps being taken will be adequate or deemed to be appropriate, nor can we predict the level of disruption which will occur to our employees’ ability to provide customer support and service. If we are unable to recover from a business disruption on a timely basis, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. We may also incur additional costs to remedy damages caused by such disruptions, which could further adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A decline in general business and economic conditions and any regulatory responses to such conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and growth prospects.

Our business and operations, which primarily consist of lending money to clients in the form of loans and borrowing money from clients in the form of deposits, are sensitive to general business and economic conditions in the United States, generally, and in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas in particular. If the U.S. economy weakens, or if the economies of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma or Texas weaken, our growth and profitability from our lending and deposit operations could be constrained. Unfavorable or uncertain economic and market conditions could lead to credit quality concerns related to borrower repayment ability and collateral protection as well as reduced demand for the products and services we offer. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the U.S. economy and the

16

economies of the states in which we operate and there is uncertainty as to duration and severity of this impact.Uncertainties also have arisen regarding the potential for a reversal or renegotiation of international trade agreements and the impact such actions and other policies of the current administration may have on economic and market conditions. In addition, concerns about the performance of international economies can impact the economy and financial markets here in the United States. For example, the recent outbreak of COVID-19 is disrupting global supply chains, which could adversely impact our customers and their customers, which in turn could impact their ability to make loan payments.

If the national, regional and local economies experience worsening economic conditions, including high levels of unemployment, our growth and profitability could be constrained.

Weak economic conditions are characterized by, among other indicators, deflation, elevated levels of unemployment, fluctuations in debt and equity capital markets, increased delinquencies on commercial, mortgage and consumer loans, residential and commercial real estate price declines, and lower home sales and commercial activity. All of these factors are generally detrimental to our business. Our business is also significantly affected by monetary and other regulatory policies of the U.S. federal government, its agencies and government-sponsored entities. Uncertainty about the federal fiscal policymaking process, the medium and long-term fiscal outlook of the federal government and future tax rates are concerns for businesses, consumers and investors in the U.S. Changes in any of these policies are influenced by macroeconomic conditions and other factors that are beyond our control and are difficult to predict. Adverse economic conditions and governmental policy responses to such conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations, and growth prospects.

Our profitability depends on interest rates generally, and we may be adversely affected by changes in market interest rates.

Our profitability depends in substantial part on our net interest income. Net interest income is the difference between the amounts received by us on our interest-earning assets and the interest paid by us on our interest-bearing liabilities. Our net interest income depends on many factors that are partly or completely outside of our control, including competition, federal economic, monetary and fiscal policies, and economic conditions generally. Our net interest income will be adversely affected if market interest rates change so that the interest we pay on deposits and borrowings increases faster than the interest we earn on loans and investments. Changes in interest rates could affect our ability to originate loans and deposits. Historically, there has been an inverse correlation between the demand for loans and interest rates. Loan origination volume usually declines during periods of rising or high interest rates and increases during periods of declining or low interest rates.

Changes in interest rates also have a significant impact on the carrying value of certain of our assets, including loans and other assets, on our balance sheet. Interest rate increases often result in larger payment requirements for our borrowers, which increase the potential for default. At the same time, the marketability of any underlying property that serves as collateral for such loans may be adversely affected by any reduced demand resulting from higher interest rates. An increase in interest rates that adversely affects the ability of borrowers to pay the principal or interest on loans may lead to an increase in nonperforming assets and a reduction of income recognized, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. Further, when we place a loan on nonaccrual status, we reverse any accrued but unpaid interest receivable, which decreases interest income. Subsequently, we continue to have a cost to fund the loan, which is reflected as interest expense, without any interest income to offset the associated funding expense. Thus, an increase in the amount of nonaccrual loans would have an adverse impact on net interest income.

If short-term interest rates remain at low levels for a prolonged period, and if longer term interest rates fall, we could experience net interest margin compression as our interest-earning assets would continue to reprice downward while our interest-bearing liability rates could fail to decline in tandem. This could have a material adverse effect on our net interest income and our results of operations. The ratio of variable- to fixed-rate loans in our loan portfolio, the ratio of short-term (maturing at a given time within 12 months) to long-term loans, and the ratio of our demand, money market and savings deposits to certificates of deposit (and their time periods), are the primary factors affecting the sensitivity of our net interest income to changes in market interest rates. The composition of our rate sensitive assets or liabilities is subject to change and could result in a more unbalanced position that would cause market rate changes to have a greater impact on our earnings. Fluctuations in market rates and other market disruptions are neither predictable nor controllable and may adversely affect our financial condition and earnings.

17

We may not be able to implement aspects of our growth strategy, which may adversely affect our ability to maintain our historical earnings trends.

We may not be able to sustain our growth at the rate we have enjoyed during the past several years. Our growth over the past several years has been driven primarily by new market expansion, a strong commercial and real estate lending market in our market areas, PPP loans issued in 2020 and our ability to identify and attract high caliber experienced banking talent. During the COVID-19 pandemic our growth was bolstered by government programs that may not continue. A downturn in local economic market conditions, a failure to attract and retain high performing personnel, heightened competition from other financial services providers, and an inability to attract core funding and quality lending clients, among other factors, could limit our ability to grow as rapidly as we have in the past and as such may have a negative effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, we may become more susceptible to risks associated with failing to maintain effective financial and operational controls as we grow, such as maintaining appropriate loan underwriting and credit monitoring procedures, maintaining an adequate allowance, controlling concentrations and complying with regulatory or accounting requirements, including increased loan losses, reduced earnings and potential regulatory penalties and restrictions on growth, all could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to manage the risks associated with our anticipated growth and expansion through de novo branching.

Our business strategy includes evaluating potential strategic opportunities to grow through de novo branching. De novo branching carries with it certain potential risks, including significant startup costs and anticipated initial operating losses; an inability to gain regulatory approval; an inability to secure the services of qualified senior management to operate the de novo banking location and successfully integrate and promote our corporate culture; poor market reception for de novo banking locations established in markets where we do not have a preexisting reputation; challenges posed by local economic conditions; challenges associated with securing attractive locations at a reasonable cost; and the additional strain on management resources and internal systems and controls. Failure to adequately manage the risks associated with our anticipated growth through de novo branching could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may grow through mergers or acquisitions, which may not be successful or, if successful, may produce risks in successfully integrating and managing the merged companies or acquisitions and may dilute our stockholders.

As part of our growth strategy, we may pursue mergers and acquisitions of banks and nonbank financial services companies within or outside our principal market areas. Although we occasionally identify and explore specific merger and acquisition opportunities as part of our ongoing business practices, we have no present agreements or commitments to merge with or acquire any financial institution or any other company, and we may not find suitable merger or acquisition opportunities in the future. We face significant competition from numerous other financial services institutions, many of which will have greater financial resources or more liquid securities than we do, when considering merger and acquisition opportunities. Accordingly, attractive merger and acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. If we fail to successfully evaluate and execute mergers, acquisitions or investments or otherwise adequately address these risks, it could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Mergers and acquisitions involve numerous risks, any of which could harm our business, including:

•difficulties in integrating the operations, management, products and services, technologies, existing contracts, accounting processes and personnel of the target;

•not realizing the anticipated synergies of the combined businesses or incurring costs in excess of what we anticipated;

•difficulties in supporting and transitioning clients of the target;

•diversion of financial and management resources from existing operations;

•assumption of nonperforming loans;

•the price we pay or other resources that we devote may exceed the value we realize, or the value we could have realized if we had allocated the purchase price or other resources to another opportunity;

•entering new markets or areas in which we have limited or no experience;

•potential loss of key personnel and clients from either our business or the target’s business;

•failure to obtain required regulatory approvals or satisfy conditions imposed by regulatory authorities;

•assumption of unanticipated problems or latent liabilities of the target;

•incurring costs in excess of what we anticipate; and

•inability to generate sufficient revenue to offset acquisition costs.

Mergers and acquisitions frequently result in the recording of goodwill and other intangible assets, which are subject to potential impairments in the future and that could harm our financial results. In addition, if we finance acquisitions by issuing convertible debt or equity securities, our existing stockholders may be diluted, which could affect the market price of our common stock. We may also be

18

required to sell banking locations as a condition to receiving regulatory approval, which condition may not be acceptable to us or, if acceptable to us, may reduce the benefit of any acquisition. The failure to obtain these regulatory approvals for potential future strategic acquisitions could impact our business plans and restrict our growth.

New lines of business, services, products or product enhancements may subject us to additional risks.

From time to time, we may implement or acquire new lines of business or offer new services, products or product enhancements within existing lines of business. There are substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts, including the failure to identify risks associated with such new line of business, services, products or product enhancements. In developing, implementing and marketing new lines of business, services, products and product enhancements, we may invest significant time and resources. We may misjudge the level of resources or expertise appropriate to make new lines of business or products successful or to realize their expected benefits. We may not achieve target timetables for the introduction and development of new lines of business, services, products and product enhancements, and price and profitability targets may not prove feasible. External factors, such as regulatory compliance obligations, competitive alternatives, and shifting market preferences, may also impact the successful implementation of a new line of business or offerings of new products, product enhancements or services.

Furthermore, any new line of business, product, product enhancement or service could have a significant impact on the effectiveness of our system of internal controls. Failure to successfully manage these risks in the development and implementation of new lines of business, products, product enhancements or services could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Uncertainty relating to the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) calculation process and potential phasing out of LIBOR may adversely affect our results of operations.

Regulators and law enforcement agencies in a number of countries are conducting civil and criminal investigations into whether the banks that contribute to the British Bankers’ Association (“BBA”) in connection with the calculation of LIBOR may have been under-reporting or otherwise manipulating or attempting to manipulate LIBOR. A number of BBA member banks have entered into settlements with their regulators and law enforcement agencies with respect to this alleged manipulation of LIBOR. Actions by the BBA, regulators or law enforcement agencies may result in changes to the manner in which LIBOR is determined or the establishment of alternative reference rates. In July 2020, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council issued a “Joint Statement on Managing the LIBOR Transition” and, in November 2020, the federal banking agencies issued a “Statement on Reference Rates for Loans,” indicating that banks must include in LIBOR-based loan agreements robust fallback provisions (determining how the discontinuation and replacement of LIBOR will be handled) and that banks must assess existing LIBOR-based loan agreements to determine if the existing provisions adequately address LIBOR discontinuation and replacement and, if not, implement amendments thereto. At this time, it is not possible to predict the effect of any such changes, any establishment of alternative reference rates or any other reforms to LIBOR that may be enacted. Uncertainty as to the nature of such potential changes, alternative reference rates or other reforms may adversely affect the value of LIBOR-based loans and securities in our portfolio, and may impact the availability and cost of hedging instruments and borrowings. If LIBOR rates are no longer available, and we are required to implement substitute indices for the calculation of interest rates under our loan agreements, we may incur additional expenses in effecting the transition, fail to successfully execute the transition from LIBOR to a substitute indices, and we may be subject to disputes or litigation with clients over the appropriateness or comparability to LIBOR of the substitute indices, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. At December 31, 2020, $1.5 billion of our loans were tied to LIBOR.

The fair value of our investment securities can fluctuate due to factors outside of our control.

As of December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the fair value of our debt and equity investment securities portfolio was approximately $668 million, $742 million, and $664 million, respectively. 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 of the securities, defaults by the issuer or with respect to the underlying securities, changes in market interest rates and instability in the capital markets. These and other factors could cause other-than-temporary impairments and realized or unrealized losses in future periods and declines in other comprehensive income, which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects, as well as the value of our common stock. The process for determining whether impairment of a security is other-than-temporary usually requires complex, subjective judgments about the future financial performance and liquidity of the issuer and any collateral underlying the security in order to assess the probability of receiving all contractual principal and interest payments on the security. Our inability to accurately predict the future performance of an issuer or to efficiently respond to changing market conditions could result in a decline in the value of our investment securities portfolio, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

19

We could suffer material credit losses if we do not appropriately manage our credit risk.

There are risks inherent in making any loan, including risks inherent in dealing with individual borrowers, risks of non-payment, risks resulting from uncertainties as to the future value of collateral and risks resulting from changes in economic and industry conditions. Changes in the economy can cause the assumptions that we made at origination to change and can cause borrowers to be unable to make payments on their loans, and significant changes in collateral values can cause us to be unable to collect the full value of loans we make. There is no assurance that our loan approval and credit risk monitoring procedures are or will be adequate or will reduce the inherent risks associated with lending. Our credit administration personnel and our policies and procedures may not adequately adapt to changes in economic or any other conditions affecting clients and the quality of our loan portfolio, including any impacts of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Our financial results for the year-ended December 31, 2020, were impacted by the significant loan loss provisioning required to address uncertainty and risk in the loan portfolio created in part by the pandemic. Any failure to manage such credit risks may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We have credit exposure to the energy industry.

We have credit exposure to the energy industry in each of our primary markets and across the United States. A downturn or lack of growth in the energy industry and energy-related business, including sustained low oil or gas prices or the failure of oil or gas prices to rise in the future, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition to our direct exposure to energy loans, we also have indirect exposure to energy prices, as some of our non-energy clients’ businesses are directly affected by volatility within the oil and gas industry and energy prices and otherwise are dependent on energy-related businesses. Prolonged or further pricing pressure on oil and gas could lead to increased credit stress in our energy portfolio, increased losses associated with our energy portfolio, increased utilization of our contractual obligations to extend credit, and weaker demand for energy lending. Such a decline or general uncertainty resulting from continued volatility could have other adverse impacts, such as job losses in industries tied to energy, increased spending habits, lower borrowing needs, higher transaction deposit balances or a number of other effects that are difficult to isolate or quantify, particularly in markets with significant dependence on the energy industry, all of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A concentration in commercial real estate lending could cause our regulators to restrict our ability to grow.

As a part of their regulatory oversight, the federal regulators have issued guidance on Concentrations in Commercial Real Estate Lending, Sound Risk Management Practices (the “CRE Concentration Guidance”) with respect to a financial institution’s concentrations in CRE lending activities. This guidance was issued in response to the agencies’ concerns that rising CRE concentrations might expose institutions to unanticipated earnings and capital volatility in the event of adverse changes in the CRE market. This guidance reinforces and enhances existing regulations and guidelines for safe and sound real estate lending by providing supervisory criteria, including numerical indicators to assist in identifying institutions with potentially significant CRE loan concentrations that may warrant greater supervisory scrutiny. The guidance does not limit banks’ CRE lending, but rather guides institutions in developing risk management practices and levels of capital that are commensurate with the level and nature of their CRE concentrations. The CRE Concentration Guidance identifies certain concentration levels that, if exceeded, will expose the institution to additional supervisory analysis with regard to the institution’s CRE concentration risk. The CRE Concentration Guidance is designed to promote appropriate levels of capital and sound loan and risk management practices for institutions with a concentration of CRE loans. In general, the CRE Concentration Guidance establishes the following supervisory criteria as preliminary indications of possible CRE concentration risk: (i) the institution’s total construction, land development and other land loans represent 100% or more of total capital and reserves; or (ii) total CRE loans as defined in the guidance, or Regulatory CRE, represent 300% or more of the institution’s total capital and reserves, and the institution’s Regulatory CRE has increased by 50% or more during the prior 36-month period. Pursuant to the CRE Concentration Guidance, loans secured by owner occupied CRE are not included for purposes of the CRE concentration calculation. We believe that the CRE Concentration Guidance is applicable to us. The FDIC or other federal regulators could become concerned about our CRE loan portfolio, and they could limit our ability to grow by restricting their approvals for the establishment or acquisition of branches, or approvals of mergers or other acquisition opportunities, or by requiring us to raise additional capital, reduce our loan concentrations or undertake other remedial actions.

Many of our loans are to commercial borrowers, which have a higher degree of risk than other types of loans.

As of December 31, 2020, approximately 80% of our loan portfolio related to commercial-based lending. Commercial purpose loans are often larger and involve greater risks than other types of lending. Because payments on these loans are often dependent on the successful operation or development of the property or business involved, their repayment is more sensitive than other types of loans to adverse conditions in the real estate market or the general economy.

Accordingly, a downturn in the real estate market or the general economy including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, could heighten our risk related to commercial purpose loans, particularly CRE loans. Unlike residential mortgage loans, which generally are made on the basis of the borrowers’ ability to make repayment from their employment and other income and which are secured by real property whose value tends to be more easily ascertainable, commercial purpose loans typically are made on the basis of the borrowers’ ability to make repayment from the cash flow of the commercial venture. If the cash flow from business operations is reduced, the

20

borrowers’ ability to repay the loan may be impaired. As a result of the larger average size of each commercial purpose loan as compared with other loans such as residential loans, as well as the collateral which is generally less readily marketable, losses incurred on a small number of commercial purpose loans could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Because a portion of our loan portfolio is comprised of real estate loans, negative changes in the economy affecting real estate values could impair the value of collateral securing our real estate loans and result in loan and other losses.

Adverse developments affecting real estate values, particularly in the markets in which we operate, could increase the credit risk associated with our real estate loan portfolio (both commercial real estate and owner occupied). Real estate values may experience periods of fluctuation, and the market value of real estate can fluctuate significantly in a short period of time. Adverse changes affecting real estate values or operating cash flows of real estate in one or more of our markets could increase the credit risk associated with our loan portfolio, and could result in losses that adversely affect credit quality, financial condition and results of operation. Negative changes in the economy affecting real estate values or operating cash flows in our market areas could significantly impair the value of property pledged as collateral on loans and affect our ability to sell the collateral upon foreclosure without a loss or additional losses. Collateral may have to be sold for less than the outstanding balance of the loan, which could result in losses on such loans. Such declines and losses could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and growth prospects. If real estate values decline, it is also more likely that we would be required to increase our allowance, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our largest loan relationships make up a significant percentage of our total loan portfolio.

As of December 31, 2020, our 25 largest borrowing relationships totaled approximately $1 billion in total commitments (representing, in the aggregate, 22% of our total outstanding commitments as of December 31, 2020). Our five largest borrowing relationships, based on total commitments, accounted for 7% of total commitments as of December 31, 2020. Each of the loans associated with these relationships has been underwritten in accordance with our underwriting policies and limits. Along with other risks inherent in these loans, such as the deterioration of the underlying businesses or property securing these loans, this concentration of borrowers presents a risk that, if one or more of these relationships were to become delinquent or suffer default, we could be exposed to material losses. The allowance for loan losses may not be adequate to cover losses associated with any of these relationships, and any loss or increase in the allowance would negatively affect our earnings and capital. Even if these loans are adequately collateralized, an increase in classified assets could harm our reputation with our regulators and inhibit our ability to execute our business plan.

A portion of our loan portfolio is comprised of participation and syndicated transaction interests, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to monitor the lending relationships and lead to an increased risk of loss.

As of December 31, 2020, we had $72 million of purchased loan participations from other financial institutions and a combination of shared national credits and syndication interests purchased totaling $402 million. Although we historically have underwritten these loan participations and syndicated loans consistent with our general underwriting criteria, these loans may have a higher risk of loss than loans we originate and administer. With respect to loan participations in which we are not the lead lender and in syndicated transactions (including shared national credits) in which other lenders serve as the agent bank, we rely in part on the lead lender or the agent, as the case may be, to monitor the performance of the loan. Moreover, our decision regarding the classification of such a loan and loan loss provisions associated with such a loan is made in part based upon information provided by the lead lender or agent bank. A lead lender or agent bank also may not monitor such a loan in the same manner as we would for loans that we originate and administer. If our underwriting or monitoring of these loans is not sufficient, our nonperforming loans may increase and our earnings may decrease.

Our levels of nonperforming assets could increase, which would adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition, and could result in losses in the future.

As of December 31, 2020, our nonperforming loans (which consist of nonaccrual loans, loans past due 90 days or more and still accruing interest and loans modified under troubled debt restructurings that are not performing in accordance with their modified terms) totaled $76 million and our nonperforming assets (which include nonperforming loans plus other real estate owned) totaled $78 million. However, we can give no assurance that our nonperforming assets will continue to remain at these levels and we may experience increases in nonperforming assets in the future. Our nonperforming assets adversely affect our net income in various ways and returns on assets and equity, and in addition, our loan administration costs increase, which together with reduced interest income adversely affects our efficiency ratio. When we take collateral in foreclosure and similar proceedings, we are required to mark the collateral to its then-fair market value, which may result in a loss.

These nonperforming assets also increase our risk profile and the level of capital our regulators believe is appropriate for us to maintain in light of such risks. The resolution of nonperforming assets requires significant time commitments from management and can be distracting to the performance of their other responsibilities. If we were to experience increases in nonperforming assets, our net interest income may be negatively impacted as interest income is not recorded on our nonperforming assets and our loan administration costs could increase, each of which would have an adverse effect on our net income and related ratios, such as returns on assets and equity.

21

Our allowance may not be adequate to cover actual loan losses.

A significant source of risk arises from the possibility that we could sustain losses due to loan defaults and nonperformance on loans. We maintain an allowance in accordance with GAAP to provide for such defaults and other nonperformance. As of December 31, 2020, our allowance as a percentage of total loans was 1.70% and our allowance as a percentage of nonperforming loans was 98.98%. The determination of the appropriate level of allowance is an inherently difficult process and is based on numerous assumptions. The amount of future losses is susceptible to changes in economic, operating and other conditions, including changes in interest rates and the continuing impact of the COVID-19 impact, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, our underwriting policies, adherence to credit monitoring processes and risk management systems and controls may not prevent unexpected losses. Our allowance may not be adequate to cover actual loan losses. Moreover, any increase in our allowance will adversely affect our earnings by decreasing our net income.

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board decided to change how banks estimate losses in the allowance calculation, and it issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses. Currently, the impairment model is based on incurred losses, and investments are recognized as impaired when there is no longer an assumption that future cash flows will be collected in full under the originally contracted terms. This model will be replaced by the new Current Expected Credit Losses (“CECL”) model that will become effective for us, as an EGC, for the first interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2022. Under the new CECL model, we will be required to use historical information, current conditions and reasonable forecasts to estimate the expected loss over the life of the loan. The transition to the CECL model will bring with it significantly greater data requirements and changes to methodologies to accurately account for expected losses under the new parameters.

Management is currently evaluating the impact of these changes to our financial position and results of operations. The allowance is a material estimate, and given the change from an incurred loss model to a methodology that considers the credit loss over the life of the loan, there is the potential for an increase in the allowance at adoption date. We anticipate a significant change in the processes and procedures to calculate the allowance, including changes in assumptions and estimates to consider expected credit losses over the life of the loan versus the current accounting practice that utilizes the incurred loss model. We expect to continue developing and implementing processes and procedures to ensure we are fully compliant with the CECL requirements at its adoption date.

The small- to medium-sized businesses to whom we lend may have fewer resources to weather adverse business conditions, which may impair their ability to repay a loan, and such impairment could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our business development and marketing strategies result in us serving the banking and financial services needs of small- to medium-sized businesses. These businesses generally have fewer financial resources in terms of capital or borrowing capacity than larger entities, frequently have smaller market shares than their competition, may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, including the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, often need substantial additional capital to expand or compete, and may experience substantial volatility in operating results, any of which may impair a borrower’s ability to repay a loan. In addition, the success of a small- to medium-sized business often depends on the management skills, talents and efforts of one or two people or a small group of people, and the death, disability or resignation of one or more of these people could have a material adverse impact on the business and its ability to repay its loans. If general economic conditions negatively impact Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas or the specific markets in these states in which we operate and small- to medium-sized businesses are adversely affected or our borrowers are otherwise affected by adverse business conditions, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

22

We rely on our senior management team and may have difficulty identifying, attracting and retaining necessary personnel, which may divert resources and limit our ability to execute our business strategy and successfully grow our business.

Our business plan includes, and is dependent upon, our hiring and retaining highly qualified and motivated personnel at every level. Our senior management team has significant industry experience, and their knowledge and relationships would be difficult to replace. The loss of senior management without qualified successors who can execute our strategy could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we must successfully manage transition and replacement issues that may result from the departure or retirement of members of our management team, such as our recent CEO succession. Such changes in senior management due to retirements or terminations or due to newly created positions may result in increased costs to the Company, which may be material. Competition for senior executives and skilled personnel in the financial services and banking industry is intense, which means the cost of hiring, incenting and retaining skilled personnel may continue to increase. We need to continue to identify, attract and retain key personnel and to recruit qualified individuals to succeed existing key personnel to ensure the continued growth and successful operation of our business. In addition, as a provider of relationship-based commercial banking services, we must identify, attract and retain qualified banking personnel to continue to grow our business. Our ability to effectively compete for senior executives and other qualified personnel by offering competitive compensation and benefit arrangements may be restricted by applicable banking laws and regulations. If we are unable to hire and retain qualified personnel or successfully address management succession issues, we may be unable to successfully execute our business strategy and manage our growth. In addition, to attract and retain personnel with appropriate skills and knowledge to support our business, we may offer a variety of benefits, which could reduce our earnings or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We rely on short-term funding, which can be adversely affected by local and general economic conditions.

As of December 31, 2020, approximately $4 billion, or 78%, of our deposits consisted of demand, savings, money market, and transaction accounts (including negotiable order of withdrawal accounts). The approximately $1 billion remaining balance of deposits consisted of certificates of deposit, of which approximately $868 million, or 18% of our total deposits, was due to mature within one year. Based on our experience, we believe that our savings, money market and noninterest-bearing accounts are relatively stable sources of funds. Historically, a majority of non-brokered certificates of deposit are renewed upon maturity as long as we pay competitive interest rates. Many of these clients are, however, interest rate conscious and may be willing to move funds into higher-yielding investment alternatives. Our ability to attract and maintain deposits, as well as our cost of funds, has been, and will continue to be significantly affected by general economic conditions. In addition, as market interest rates rise, we will have competitive pressure to increase the rates we pay on deposits. If we increase interest rates paid to retain deposits, our earnings may be adversely affected.

Our largest deposit relationships currently make up a significant percentage of our deposits and the withdrawal of deposits by our largest depositors could force us to fund our business through more expensive and less stable sources.

At December 31, 2020, our 30 largest depositors accounted for 26% of our total deposits and our five largest depositors accounted for 11% of our total deposits. Withdrawals of deposits by any one of our largest depositors or by one of our related client groups could force us to rely more heavily on borrowings and other sources of funding for our business and withdrawal demands, adversely affecting our net interest margin and results of operations. We may also be forced, as a result of withdrawals of deposits, to rely more heavily on other, potentially more expensive and less stable funding sources. Additionally, such circumstances could require us to raise deposit rates in an attempt to attract new deposits, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

Under applicable regulations, if the Bank were no longer “well-capitalized,” the Bank would not be able to accept brokered deposits without the approval of the FDIC and would be subject to a deposit rate cap, pursuant to which the Bank would be prohibited from paying in excess of 75 basis points above published national deposit rates unless the FDIC determined that the Bank’s local market rate was above the national rate. The imposition of a deposit rate cap may require the Bank to reduce its deposit rates, which would likely cause the loss of depositors.

Liquidity risk could impair our ability to fund operations and meet our obligations as they become due, and failure to maintain sufficient liquidity could materially adversely affect our growth, business, profitability and financial condition.

Liquidity is essential to our business. Liquidity risk is the potential that we will be unable to meet our obligations as they come due because of an inability to liquidate assets or obtain adequate funding at a reasonable cost, in a timely manner and without adverse conditions or consequences. We require sufficient liquidity to fund asset growth, meet client loan requests, client deposit maturities and withdrawals, payments on our debt obligations as they come due, and other cash commitments under both normal operating conditions and other unpredictable circumstances, including events causing industry or general financial market stress. Liquidity risk can increase due to a number of factors, including an over-reliance on a particular source of funding or market-wide phenomena such as market dislocation and major disasters. We have a concentration of large depositors which increases our liquidity risk.

23

The Bank’s primary funding source is client deposits. In addition, the Bank has historically had access to advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, discount window and other wholesale sources, such as internet-sourced deposits and brokered deposits to fund operations. The Bank also acquires brokered deposits, internet subscription certificates of deposit, and reciprocal deposits through the Intrafi Network, formerly known as the Promontory Interfinancial Network. The reciprocal deposits include both the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service and Insured Cash Sweep program. The Bank is a member of the Intrafi Network which effectively allows depositors to receive FDIC insurance on amounts greater than the FDIC insurance limit, which is currently $250 thousand. The Intrafi Network allows institutions to break large deposits into smaller amounts and place them in a network of other Intrafi Network institutions to ensure full FDIC insurance is gained on the entire deposit. Although the Bank has historically been able to replace maturing deposits and advances as necessary, it might not be able to replace such funds in the future. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings, the sale of loans, securities and other sources could have a substantial negative effect on liquidity.

Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities or on acceptable terms could be impaired by factors that affect our organization specifically or the financial services industry or economy in general. Factors that could detrimentally impact access to liquidity sources include a decrease in the level of our business activity as a result of a downturn in the markets in which our loans are concentrated or adverse regulatory actions against us. The Bank’s ability to borrow or attract and retain deposits in the future could be adversely affected by the Bank’s financial condition or regulatory restrictions, or impaired by factors that are not specific to it, such as FDIC insurance changes, disruption in the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the banking industry. Borrowing capacity from the FHLB or FRB may fluctuate based upon the condition of the Bank or the acceptability and risk rating of loan and securities collateral and counterparties could adjust discount rates applied to such collateral at the lender’s discretion.

The FRB or FHLB could restrict or limit the Bank’s access to secured borrowings. Correspondent banks can withdraw unsecured lines of credit or require collateralization for the purchase of fed funds. Liquidity also may be affected by the Bank’s unfunded commitments to extend credit. Market conditions or other events could also negatively affect the level or cost of funding, affecting our ongoing ability to accommodate liability maturities and deposit withdrawals, meet contractual obligations and fund asset growth and new business transactions at a reasonable cost, in a timely manner and without adverse consequences.

Any substantial, unexpected or prolonged change in the level or cost of liquidity could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations, and could impair our ability to fund operations and meet our obligations as they become due and could jeopardize our financial condition.

Our historical growth rate and performance may not be indicative of our future growth or financial results and our ability to continue to grow is dependent upon our ability to effectively manage the increases in scale of our operations.

We may not be able to sustain our historical rate of growth or grow our business at all. Additionally, we may not be able to maintain historical levels of expenses. Consequently, our historical results of operations will not necessarily be indicative of our future operations.

We may need to raise additional capital in the future, and if we fail to maintain sufficient capital, whether due to losses, an inability to raise additional capital or otherwise, our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations, as well as our ability to maintain regulatory compliance, would be adversely affected.

Our business strategy calls for continued growth. We may need to raise additional capital in the future to support our continued growth and to maintain our required regulatory capital levels. 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, and on our financial condition and performance. Any occurrence that may limit our access to the capital markets may adversely affect our capital costs and our ability to raise capital. Moreover, if we need to raise capital in the future, we may have to do so when many other financial institutions are also seeking to raise capital, and we would have to compete with those institutions for investors. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to raise additional capital if needed or on terms acceptable to us. Our growth may be constrained if we are unable to raise additional capital as needed. Furthermore, if we fail to maintain capital to meet regulatory requirements, our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

24

We face strong competition from banks, credit unions, Financial Technology Company (“FinTech”) and other financial services providers that offer banking services, which may limit our ability to attract and retain banking clients.

Competition in the banking industry generally, and in our primary markets specifically, is intense. Competitors include banks as well as other financial services providers, such as savings and loan institutions, brokerage firms, credit unions, mortgage banks, and other financial intermediaries. In particular, our competitors include larger national and regional financial institutions whose greater resources may afford them a marketplace advantage by enabling them to maintain numerous banking locations and ATMs, achieve larger economies of scale, offer a wider array of banking services, make larger investments in technologies needed to attract and retain clients, and conduct extensive promotional and advertising campaigns. If we are unable to offer competitive products and services as quickly as our larger competitors, our business may be negatively affected.

Additionally, we may be disproportionately affected by the continually increasing costs of compliance with new banking and other regulations. Banks and other financial institutions with larger capitalization and financial intermediaries not subject to bank regulatory restrictions have larger lending limits and are thereby able to serve the credit needs of a broader client base than us. Larger competitors may also be able to offer better lending and deposit rates to clients, and could increase their competition as the Company becomes more visible. If our competitors extend credit on terms we find to pose excessive risks, or at interest rates which we believe do not warrant the credit exposure, we may not be able to maintain our business volume and could experience deteriorating financial performance. Moreover, larger competitors may not be as vulnerable as us to downturns in the local economy and real estate markets since they often have a broader geographic area and their loan portfolio is often more diversified.

We face growing competition from so-called “online businesses” with few or no physical locations, including financial technology companies, online banks, lenders and consumer and commercial lending platforms, as well as automated retirement and investment service providers. New technology and other changes are allowing parties to effectuate financial transactions that previously required the involvement of banks. For example, consumers can maintain funds in brokerage accounts or mutual funds that would have historically been held as bank deposits. Consumers can also complete transactions such as paying bills and transferring funds directly without the assistance of banks. The process of eliminating banks as intermediaries, known as “disintermediation,” could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of client deposits and the related income generated from those deposits. The loss of these revenue streams and access to lower cost deposits as a source of funds could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We also compete against community banks, credit unions and nonbank financial services companies that have strong local ties. These smaller institutions are likely to cater to the same small- to medium-sized businesses that we target. If we are unable to attract and retain banking clients, we may be unable to continue to grow our loan and deposit portfolios and our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected. Ultimately, we may be unable to compete successfully against current and future competitors.

Our risk management framework may not be effective in mitigating risks or losses to us, and we may incur losses due to ineffective risk management processes and strategies.

Our risk management framework is comprised of various processes, systems and strategies, and is designed to manage the types of risk to which we are subject, including credit, market, liquidity, interest rate, operational, reputation, business, and compliance. Our framework also includes financial or other modeling methodologies that involve management assumptions and judgment. Our risk management framework may not be effective under all circumstances and may not adequately mitigate risk or loss to us. If our risk management framework is not effective, we could suffer unexpected losses and our business, financial condition, results of operations or growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected. We may also be subject to potentially adverse regulatory consequences.

We are required to make significant judgments, assumptions and estimates in the preparation of our financial statements and our judgments, assumptions and estimates may not be accurate.

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP requires us to make judgments, assumptions and estimates that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Our critical accounting policies, which are included in the section captioned “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” describe those significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements that we consider “critical” because they require judgments, assumptions, and estimates that materially affect our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. As a result, if future events or regulatory views concerning such analysis differ significantly from the judgments, assumptions, and estimates in our critical accounting policies, those events or assumptions could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, in each case resulting in our need to revise or restate prior period financial statements, cause damage to our reputation and the price of our common stock and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

25

If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately and timely, in which case our business may be harmed, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, we could be subject to regulatory penalties and the price of our common stock may decline.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting and for evaluating and reporting on that system of internal control. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. As a public company, we are required to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other rules that govern public companies. In addition, unless we remain an EGC and elect additional transitional relief available to EGCs, our independent registered public accounting firm may be required to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting beginning as of that annual report on Form 10-K.

We will continue to periodically test and update, as necessary, our internal control systems, including our financial reporting controls. Our actions, however, may not be sufficient to result in an effective internal control environment, and any future failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could impair the reliability of our financial statements which in turn could harm our business, impair investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and our access to the capital markets, cause the price of our common stock to decline and subject us to regulatory penalties.

Failure to keep pace with technological change could adversely affect our business.

Advances and changes in technology could significantly affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and future prospects. We face many challenges, including the increased demand for providing clients access to their accounts and the systems to perform banking transactions electronically. Our ability to compete depends on our ability to continue to adapt technology on a timely and cost-effective basis to meet these demands.

The financial services industry is continually undergoing rapid technological change with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements. We may not be able to effectively or timely implement new technology-driven products and services or be successful in marketing these products and services to our clients.

Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the financial services industry could harm our ability to compete effectively and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. As these technologies are improved in the future, we may be required to make significant capital expenditures in order to remain competitive, which may increase our overall expenses and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We are exposed to cybersecurity risks and potential security breaches associated with our internet-based systems and online commerce security, and therefore we may incur increasing costs in an effort to minimize those risks and to respond to cyber incidents and we may experience harm to our reputation and liability exposure from security breaches.

We conduct a portion of our business over the Internet. We rely heavily upon data processing, including loan servicing and deposit processing, software, communications and information systems from a number of third parties to conduct our business. In addition, our business involves the storage and transmission of clients’ proprietary information and security breaches could expose us to a risk of loss or misuse of such information, litigation and potential liability.

In recent periods, several governmental agencies and large corporations, including financial service organizations and retail companies, have suffered major data breaches, in some cases exposing not only their confidential and proprietary corporate information, but also sensitive financial and other personal information of their clients or other third parties, and subjecting those agencies and corporations to potential fraudulent activity and their clients and other third parties to identity theft and fraudulent activity in their credit card and banking accounts. Therefore, security breaches and cyber attacks can cause significant increases in operating costs, including the costs of compensating clients for any resulting losses they may incur and the costs and capital expenditures required to correct the deficiencies in and strengthen the security of data processing and storage systems. Additionally, we provide international wire transfer and other international services, which subject us to associated risks, including risks of increased difficulties recovering transferred funds in the event of fraud or otherwise.

Third-party or internal systems and networks may fail to operate properly or become disabled due to deliberate attacks or unintentional events; furthermore, we could be subjected to an unauthorized takeover of one or more of our corporate accounts and subjected to unauthorized transfers. Our operations are vulnerable to disruptions from human error, natural disasters, power loss, computer viruses, spam attacks, denial of service attacks, unauthorized access, and other unforeseen events. Undiscovered data corruption could render our client information inaccurate. These events may obstruct our ability to provide services and process transactions. While we

26

believe we are in compliance with all applicable privacy and data security laws, an incident could put our client confidential information at risk.

We have been the target of data and cyber security attacks and may experience attacks in the future. While we have not experienced a material cyber-incident or security breach that has been successful in compromising our data or systems to date, we can never be certain that all of our systems are entirely free from vulnerability to breaches of security or other technological difficulties or failures. Although we monitor and modify, as necessary, our protective measures in response to the perpetual evolution of known cyber-threats and devote significant resources to maintain, regularly update and backup our systems and processes that are designed to protect the security of our systems, we may not be able to anticipate, or effectively implement preventative measures against, all cyber attacks.

A breach in the security of any of our information systems, or other cyber-incident, could have an adverse impact on, among other things, our revenue, ability to attract and maintain clients and our reputation. In addition, as a result of any breach, we could incur higher costs to conduct our business, to increase protection or related to remediation. Furthermore, our clients could incorrectly blame us and terminate their account with us for a cyber-incident which occurred on their own system or with that of an unrelated third party. In addition, a security breach could also subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny and expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on client, counterparty and third-party information, which subjects us to risks if that information is not accurate or is incomplete.

In deciding whether to extend credit or enter into other transactions with clients and counterparties, we rely on information furnished to us by or on behalf of clients and counterparties, including financial statements and other financial information. We also rely on representations of clients and counterparties as to the accuracy and completeness of that information and, with respect to financial statements, on reports of independent auditors. While we have a practice of seeking to independently verify client information that we use in deciding whether to extend credit or to agree to a loan modification, including employment, assets, income and credit score, not all client information is independently verified, and if any of the information that is independently verified (or any other information considered in the loan review process) is misrepresented and such misrepresentation is not detected prior to loan funding, the value of the loan may be significantly lower than expected. Whether a misrepresentation is made by the applicant, another third party or one of our employees, we generally bear the risk of loss associated with the misrepresentation. We may not detect all misrepresented information in our approval process. Any such misrepresented information could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to certain operating risks related to employee error and client, employee and third-party misconduct, which could harm our reputation and business.

Employee error or employee and client misconduct could subject us to financial losses or regulatory sanctions and seriously harm our reputation. Misconduct by our employees could include hiding unauthorized activities from us, improper or unauthorized activities on behalf of our clients or improper use of confidential information. It is not always possible to prevent employee error or misconduct, and the precautions we take to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. Because the nature of the financial services business involves a high volume of transactions, certain errors may be repeated or compounded before they are discovered and successfully rectified. Our necessary dependence upon processing systems to record and process transactions and our large transaction volume may further increase the risk that employee errors, tampering or manipulation of those systems will result in losses that are difficult to detect. Employee error or misconduct could also subject us to financial claims. If our internal control systems fail to prevent or detect an occurrence, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Fraudulent activity could damage our reputation, disrupt our businesses, increase our costs and cause losses.

As a financial institution, we are inherently exposed to operational risk in the form of theft and other fraudulent activity by employees, clients and other third parties targeting us and our clients or data. Such activity may take many forms, including check fraud, electronic fraud, wire fraud, phishing, social engineering, and other dishonest acts. Although the Company devotes substantial resources to maintaining effective policies and internal controls to identify and prevent such incidents, given the increasing sophistication of possible perpetrators, the Company may experience financial losses or reputational harm as a result of fraud. In addition, we may be required to make significant capital expenditures in order to modify and enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate fraudulent activity. Although we have not experienced any material business or reputational harm as a result of fraudulent activities in the past, the occurrence of fraudulent activity could damage our reputation, disrupt our business, increase our costs and cause losses in the future.

27

Our operations could be interrupted if our third-party service providers experience difficulty, terminate their services or fail to comply with banking regulations.

We depend, to a significant extent, on a number of relationships with third-party service providers. Specifically, we receive core systems processing, essential web hosting and other internet systems, loan and deposit processing, and other processing services from third-party service providers. If these third-party service providers experience financial, operational or technological difficulties or terminate their services and we are unable to replace them with other service providers, our operations could be interrupted. If an interruption were to continue for a significant period of time, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected, perhaps materially. Even if we are able to replace our service providers, it may be at a higher cost to us, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We follow a relationship-based operating model and negative public opinion could damage our reputation and adversely impact our earnings.

Reputation risk, or the risk to our business, earnings and capital from negative public opinion, is inherent in our business. Negative public opinion can result from our actual or alleged conduct in any number of activities, including lending practices, corporate governance and acquisitions, and from actions taken by government regulators and community organizations in response to those activities. Negative public opinion can adversely affect our ability to keep and attract clients and employees and can expose us to litigation and regulatory action and adversely affect our results of operations. Although we take steps to minimize reputation risk in dealing with our clients and communities, this risk will always be present given the nature of our business.

If third parties infringe upon our intellectual property or if we were to infringe upon the intellectual property of third parties, we may expend significant resources enforcing or defending our rights or suffer competitive injury.

We rely on a combination of copyright, trademark, trade secret laws, and confidentiality provisions to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. If we fail to successfully maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitive position could suffer. Similarly, if we were to infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, our competitive position could suffer. Third parties may challenge, invalidate, circumvent, infringe or misappropriate our intellectual property, or such intellectual property may not be sufficient to permit us to take advantage of current market trends or otherwise to provide competitive advantages, which could result in costly redesign efforts, discontinuance of certain product or service offerings or other competitive harm.

We may also be required to spend significant resources to monitor and police our intellectual property rights. Others, including our competitors, may independently develop similar technology, duplicate our products or services or design around our intellectual property, and in such cases we may not be able to assert our intellectual property rights against such parties. Further, our contractual arrangements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our confidential information or provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of our confidential or proprietary information. We may have to litigate to enforce or determine the scope and enforceability of our intellectual property rights, trade secrets and know-how, which could be time-consuming and expensive, could cause a diversion of resources and may not prove successful.

The loss of intellectual property protection or the inability to obtain rights with respect to third-party intellectual property could harm our business and ability to compete. In addition, because of the rapid pace of technological change in our industry, aspects of our business and our products and services rely on technologies developed or licensed by third parties, and we may not be able to obtain or continue to obtain licenses and technologies from these third parties on reasonable terms or at all.

We may be exposed to risk of environmental liabilities or failure to comply with regulatory requirements with respect to properties to which we take title.

In the course of our business, we may foreclose and take title to real estate, and we could be subject to environmental liabilities with respect to these properties. We may be held liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage, personal injury, investigation and clean-up costs incurred by these parties in connection with environmental contamination, or we may be required to investigate or clean up hazardous or toxic substances, or chemical releases at a property. The costs associated with investigation or remediation activities could be substantial. In addition, if we are the owner or former owner of a contaminated site, we may be subject to claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination emanating from the property. These properties may also be subject to various other federal, state or local regulatory requirements, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. We do not know whether existing requirements will change or whether compliance with future requirements will involve significant expenditures.

If we ever become subject to significant environmental liabilities or costs or fail to comply with regulatory requirements with respect to these properties, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

28

The costs and effects of litigation, investigations or similar matters, or adverse facts and developments related thereto, could materially affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may be involved from time to time in a variety of litigation, investigations or similar matters arising out of our business. It is inherently difficult to assess the outcome of these matters, and we may not prevail in proceedings or litigation. Our insurance may not cover all claims that may be asserted against us and indemnification rights to which we are entitled may not be honored, and any claims asserted against us, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, may harm our reputation. The ultimate judgments or settlements in any litigation or investigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, premiums for insurance covering the financial and banking sectors are rising. We may not be able to obtain appropriate types or levels of insurance in the future, nor may we be able to obtain adequate replacement policies with acceptable terms or at historic rates, if at all.

Financial counterparties expose the Company to risks.

We maintain correspondent bank relationships, manage certain loan participations, engage in securities transactions and engage in other activities with financial counterparties that are customary to our industry. Many of these transactions expose us to counterparty credit, liquidity and/or reputational risk in the event of default by the counterparty, or negative publicity or public complaints, whether real or perceived, about one or more financial counterparties, or the financial services industry in general. Although we seek to manage these risks through internal controls and procedures, we may experience loss or interruption of business, damage to our reputation, or incur additional costs or liabilities as a result of unforeseen events with these counterparties. Any financial cost, liability or reputational damage could have a material adverse effect on our business, which in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Severe weather, natural disasters, pandemics, acts of war or terrorism and other external events could significantly impact our business.

Severe weather, including tornadoes, droughts, hailstorms and other natural disasters, pandemics, such as the recent outbreak of COVID-19, acts of war or terrorism and other adverse external events could have a significant impact on our ability to conduct business. 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. Operations in our markets could be disrupted by both the evacuation of large portions of the population as well as damage or lack of access to our banking and operation facilities. Other severe weather or natural disasters, pandemics, acts of war or terrorism or other adverse external events may occur in the future. Although management has established business continuity plans and procedures, the occurrence of any such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Regulatory Environment

We are subject to extensive regulation, which increases the cost and expense of compliance and could limit or restrict our activities, which in turn may adversely impact our earnings and ability to grow.

We operate in a highly regulated environment and are subject to regulation, supervision and examination by a number of governmental regulatory agencies, including, with respect to the Bank, the FDIC and the OSBCK and, with respect to the Company, the Federal Reserve. Regulations adopted by these agencies, which are generally intended to provide protection for depositors, clients and the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”), rather than for the benefit of stockholders, govern a comprehensive range of matters relating to ownership and control of our shares, our acquisition of other companies and businesses, permissible activities for us to engage in, maintenance of adequate capital levels, dividend payments and other aspects of our operations. These bank regulators possess broad authority to prevent or remedy unsafe or unsound practices or violations of law. Following examinations, we may be required, among other things, to change our asset valuations or the amounts of required loan loss allowances or to restrict our operations, as well as increase our capital levels, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

The laws and regulations applicable to the banking industry could change at any time and we cannot predict the effects of these changes on our business, profitability or growth strategy. Increased regulation could increase our cost of compliance and adversely affect profitability. Moreover, certain of these regulations contain significant punitive sanctions for violations, including monetary penalties and limitations on a bank’s ability to implement components of its business plan, such as expansion through mergers and acquisitions or the opening of new branch offices. In addition, changes in regulatory requirements may add costs associated with compliance efforts. Furthermore, government policy and regulation, particularly as implemented through the Federal Reserve, significantly affect credit conditions. Monetary policies and regulations of the Federal Reserve to regulate money supply and credit conditions could influence economic growth and the distribution of credit, bank loans, investments and deposits. Negative developments in the financial industry and the impact of new legislation and regulation in response to those developments could negatively impact our business operations and adversely impact our financial performance.

29

Legislative and regulatory actions taken now or in the future may increase our costs and impact our business, governance structure, financial condition or results of operations. Proposed legislative and regulatory actions, including changes to financial regulation, may not occur on the time frame that is expected, or at all, which could result in additional uncertainty for our business.

We are subject to extensive regulation by multiple regulatory bodies. These regulations may affect the manner and terms of delivery of our services. If we do not comply with governmental regulations, we may be subject to fines, penalties, lawsuits or material restrictions on our businesses which may adversely affect our business operations. Changes in these regulations can significantly affect the services that we provide as well as our costs of compliance with such regulations. In addition, adverse publicity and damage to our reputation arising from the failure or perceived failure to comply with legal, regulatory or contractual requirements could affect our ability to attract and retain clients.

Current and past economic conditions, particularly in the financial markets, have resulted in government regulatory agencies and political bodies placing increased focus and scrutiny on the financial services industry. For example, the Dodd-Frank Act significantly changed the regulation of financial institutions and the financial services industry. In addition, new proposals for legislation continue to be introduced in the U.S. Congress that could further substantially increase regulation of the financial services industry, impose restrictions on the operations and general ability of firms within the industry to conduct business consistent with historical practices, including in the areas of compensation, interest rates, financial product offerings and disclosures, and have an effect on bankruptcy proceedings with respect to consumer residential real estate mortgages, among other things. Federal and state regulatory agencies also frequently adopt changes to their regulations or change the manner in which existing regulations are applied.

In addition, any proposed legislative or regulatory changes, including those that could benefit our business, financial condition and results of operations, may not occur on the timeframe that is proposed, or at all, which could result in additional uncertainty for our business.

Many of our new expansion and growth plans require regulatory approvals, and failure to obtain them may restrict our growth.

As part of our growth strategy, we may expand our business by pursuing strategic acquisitions of financial institutions, adding branches and other complementary businesses. Generally, we must receive federal and state regulatory approval before we can acquire an FDIC-insured depository institution or related business. In determining whether to approve a proposed acquisition, federal and state banking regulators will consider, among other factors, the effect of the acquisition on competition, our financial condition, our future prospects and the impact of the proposal on U.S. financial stability. The regulators also review current and projected capital ratios, the competence, experience and integrity of management and its record of compliance with laws and regulations, the convenience and needs of the communities to be served and the effectiveness of the acquiring institution in combating money laundering activities. Such regulatory approvals may not be granted on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all.

The Federal Reserve may require the Company to commit capital resources to support the Bank.

As a matter of policy, the Federal Reserve expects a bank holding company to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to a subsidiary bank and to commit resources to support such subsidiary bank. The Dodd-Frank Act codified the Federal Reserve’s policy on serving as a source of financial strength. Under the “source of strength” doctrine, the Federal Reserve may require a bank holding company to make capital injections into a troubled subsidiary bank, even if the Company would not ordinarily do so and even if such contribution is to its detriment or the detriment of its stockholders. The Federal Reserve may charge the bank holding company with engaging in unsafe and unsound practices for failure to commit resources to a subsidiary bank. A capital injection may be required at times when the holding company may not have the resources to provide it and therefore may be required to borrow the funds or raise capital. Any loans by a bank holding company to its subsidiary bank are subordinate in right of payment to deposits and to certain other indebtedness of such subsidiary bank. In the event of a bank holding company’s bankruptcy, the bankruptcy trustee will assume any commitment by the bank holding company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a subsidiary bank.

Moreover, bankruptcy law provides that claims based on any such commitment will be entitled to a priority of payment over the claims of the bank holding company’s general unsecured creditors, including the holders of its indebtedness. Thus, any borrowing that must be incurred by the Company in order to make a required capital injection to the Bank becomes more difficult and expensive and will adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.

The Financial Institutions Reform Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 (“FIRREA”) grants the FDIC broad authority to charge off any losses caused by a failing bank subsidiary to the capital of a non-failing affiliated bank. Moreover, any bank operating under the Company’s common control could be required by the FDIC to contribute capital to a failing affiliate bank within the Company’s control group. This is known as FIRREA’s “cross-guarantee” provision. The Company currently has one bank subsidiary.

30

The Company and the Bank are subject to stringent capital requirements that may limit our operations and potential growth.

The Company and the Bank are subject to various regulatory capital requirements. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory, and possibly additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on our financial statements. Under capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, the Company and the Bank must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of our assets, liabilities and certain off-balance sheet commitments as calculated under these regulations.

In order to be a “well-capitalized” depository institution under prompt corrective action standards (but without taking into account the capital conservation buffer requirement described below), a bank must maintain a CET1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.5% or more, a tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or more, a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0% or more and a leverage ratio of 5.0% or more (and is not subject to any order or written directive specifying any higher capital ratio). The failure to meet the established capital requirements under the prompt corrective action framework could result in one or more of our regulators placing limitations or conditions on our activities, including our growth initiatives, or restricting the commencement of new activities, and such failure could subject us to a variety of enforcement remedies available to the federal regulatory authorities, including limiting our ability to pay dividends, issuing a directive to increase our capital and terminating the Bank’s FDIC deposit insurance. FDIC deposit insurance is critical to the continued operation of the Bank. In addition, an inability to meet the capital requirements under the Basel III would prevent us from being able to pay certain discretionary bonuses to our executive officers and dividends to our stockholders. Due to the completed phase-in of a capital conservation buffer requirement, the Company and the Bank must effectively maintain a CET1 capital ratio of 7.0% or more, a tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.5% or more, a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.5% or more and, for the Bank, a leverage ratio of 5.0% or more and for the Company, a leverage ratio of 4.0% or more. Many factors affect the calculation of our risk-based assets and our ability to maintain the level of capital required to achieve acceptable capital ratios. For example, changes in risk weightings of assets relative to capital and other factors may combine to increase the amount of risk-weighted assets in the tier 1 risk-based capital ratio and the total risk-based capital ratio. Any increases in our risk-weighted assets will require a corresponding increase in our capital to maintain the applicable ratios. In addition, recognized loan losses in excess of amounts reserved for such losses, loan impairments and other factors will decrease our capital, thereby reducing the level of the applicable ratios.

Our failure to remain well-capitalized for bank regulatory purposes could affect client and investor confidence, our ability to grow, our costs of funds and FDIC insurance costs, our ability to pay dividends on common stock, our ability to make acquisitions, and our business, results of operations and financial condition. If we cease to be a well-capitalized institution for bank regulatory purposes, the interest rates that we pay on deposits and our ability to accept brokered deposits may be restricted. If we were restricted in the amount of interest that we could pay on our deposits, we could fail to maintain levels of deposits consistent with our business plan.

Higher FDIC deposit insurance premiums and assessments could adversely affect our financial condition.

Our deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the DIF and are subject to deposit insurance assessments to maintain deposit insurance. As an FDIC-insured institution, we are required to pay quarterly deposit insurance premium assessments to the FDIC. Although we cannot predict what the insurance assessment rates will be in the future, either a deterioration in our risk-based capital ratios or adjustments to the base assessment rates could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Bank regulatory agencies periodically examine our business, including compliance with laws and regulations, and our failure to comply with any supervisory actions to which we become subject as a result of such examinations could materially and adversely affect us.

Our regulators periodically examine our business, including our compliance with laws and regulations. Accommodating such examinations may require management to reallocate resources, which would otherwise be used in the day-to-day operation of other aspects of our business. If, as a result of an examination, a banking agency were to determine that our financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, earnings prospects, management, liquidity or other aspects of our operations had become unsatisfactory, or that we were, or our management was, in violation of any law or regulation, they may take a number of different remedial actions as they deem appropriate. 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 money penalties against us, our officers or directors, to fine or 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 the Bank’s FDIC deposit insurance and place the Bank into receivership or conservatorship. Any regulatory action against us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

31

We face a risk of noncompliance and enforcement action with respect to the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations.

The BSA, the PATRIOT Act and other laws and regulations require financial institutions, among other duties, to institute and maintain an effective AML program and to file reports such as suspicious activity reports and currency transaction reports. We are required to comply with these and other AML requirements. The federal banking agencies and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network are authorized to impose significant civil money penalties for violations of those requirements and have recently engaged in coordinated enforcement efforts against banks and other financial services providers with the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), the Drug Enforcement Administration and the IRS. We are also subject to increased scrutiny of compliance with the rules enforced by the OFAC, which involve sanctions for dealing with certain persons or countries. If our policies, procedures and systems are deemed deficient, or if the policies, procedures and systems of any financial institutions that we may acquire in the future 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, including our acquisition plans. Although, as of the date of this report, we have not been subject to any fines or penalties, and we believe we have not suffered any material business or reputational harm, as a result of violations of anti-money laundering laws and regulations, there is no assurance that we will not be subject to such fines, penalties or losses or harm in the future.

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 growth prospects.

Regulations relating to privacy, information security and data protection could increase our costs, affect or limit how we collect and use personal information and adversely affect our business opportunities.

We are subject to various privacy, information security and data protection laws, including requirements concerning security breach notification, and we could be negatively impacted by these laws. For example, our business is subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act which, among other things: (i) imposes certain limitations on our ability to share non-public personal information about our clients with non-affiliated third parties; (ii) requires that we provide certain disclosures to clients about our information collection, sharing and security practices and afford clients the right to “opt out” of any information sharing by us with non-affiliated third parties (with certain exceptions); and (iii) requires that we develop, implement and maintain a written comprehensive information security program containing safeguards that are appropriate based on our size and complexity, the nature and scope of our activities and the sensitivity of client information we process, as well as plans for responding to data security breaches. Various state and federal banking regulators, states and foreign countries have also enacted data security breach notification requirements with varying levels of individual, consumer, regulatory or law enforcement notification in certain circumstances in the event of a security breach. Moreover, legislators and regulators in the United States and other countries are increasingly adopting or revising privacy, information security and data protection laws that potentially could have a significant impact on our current and planned privacy, data protection and information security-related practices, our collection, use, sharing, retention and safeguarding of client or employee information, and some of our current or planned business activities. This could also increase our costs of compliance and business operations and could reduce income from certain business initiatives. This includes increased privacy-related enforcement activity at the federal level by the Federal Trade Commission, as well as at the state level.

Compliance with current or future privacy, data protection and information security laws (including those regarding security breach notification) affecting client or employee data to which we are subject could result in higher compliance and technology costs and could restrict our ability to provide certain products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions or results of operations. Our failure to comply with privacy, data protection and information security laws could result in potentially significant regulatory or governmental investigations or actions, litigation, fines, sanctions and damage to our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We face increased risk under the terms of the CRA as we accept additional deposits in new geographic markets.

Under the terms of the CRA, each appropriate federal bank regulatory agency is required, in connection with its examination of a bank, to assess such bank’s record in assessing and meeting the credit needs of the communities served by that bank, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. During these examinations, the regulatory agency rates such bank’s compliance with the CRA as “Outstanding,” “Satisfactory,” “Needs to Improve” or “Substantial Noncompliance.” The Bank had a CRA rating of “Satisfactory” as of its most recent CRA assessment. The regulatory agency’s assessment of an institution’s record is part of the regulatory agency’s consideration of applications to acquire, merge or consolidate with another banking institution or its holding company, or to open or relocate a branch office. As we accept additional deposits in new geographic markets, we will be required to maintain an acceptable CRA rating, which may be difficult.

32

We are subject to numerous laws designed to protect consumers, including the CRA and fair lending laws, and failure to comply with these laws could lead to a wide variety of sanctions.

The CRA, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act and other fair lending laws and regulations impose nondiscriminatory lending requirements on financial institutions. The U.S. Department of Justice and other federal agencies are responsible for enforcing these laws and regulations. A successful regulatory challenge to an institution’s performance under the CRA or fair lending laws and regulations could result in a wide variety of sanctions, including damages and civil money penalties, injunctive relief, restrictions on mergers and acquisitions 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 class action litigation. Such actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects. We may be subject to liability for potential violations of predatory lending laws, which could adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and business.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

The price of our common stock could be volatile..

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in price in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include, among other things:

•actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly or annual results of operations;

•recommendations by securities analysts;

•operating performance or fluctuations in the stock price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to us;

•news reports relating to trends, concerns and other issues in the financial services industry generally;

•conditions in the banking industry such as credit quality and monetary policies;

•domestic and international economic factors unrelated to our performance;

•perceptions, general market conditions and, in particular, developments related to market conditions for the financial services industry;

•new technology used, or services offered, by competitors; and

•changes in government regulations.

In addition, if the market for stocks in our industry, or the stock market in general, experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition or results of operations. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and be a distraction to management.

Kansas law and the provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws may have an anti-takeover effect, and there are substantial regulatory limitations on changes of control of bank holding companies.

Kansas corporate law and provisions of our articles of incorporation and our bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so would be perceived to be beneficial by our stockholders. Furthermore, 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 more than 10% (5% 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. 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. Collectively, provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws and other statutory and regulatory provisions may delay, prevent or deter a merger, acquisition, tender offer, proxy contest or other transaction that might otherwise result in our stockholders receiving a premium over the market price for their common stock. Moreover, the combination of these provisions effectively inhibits certain business combinations, which, in turn, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Future equity issuances could result in dilution, which could cause the price of our shares of common stock to decline.

We are generally not restricted from issuing additional shares of stock, up to the 200,000,000 shares of voting common stock and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock authorized in our articles of incorporation. In addition, we may issue additional shares of our common stock in the future pursuant to current or future equity compensation plans, upon conversions of preferred stock or debt, upon exercise of warrants or in connection with future acquisitions or financings. If we choose to issue additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible into shares of our common stock, for any reason, the issuance would have a dilutive effect on the holders of our common stock and could have a material negative effect on the market price of our common stock.

33

We may issue shares of preferred stock in the future, which could make it difficult for another company to acquire us or could otherwise adversely affect holders of our common stock.

Our articles of incorporation authorize us to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of one or more series of preferred stock. Our Board of Directors has the power to set the terms of any series of preferred stock that may be issued, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, preferences over our voting common stock with respect to dividends or in the event of a dissolution, liquidation or winding up and other terms. If we issue preferred stock in the future that has preference over our common stock with respect to payment of dividends or upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the rights of the holders of our common stock or the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected.

Our dividend policy may change without notice, and our future ability to pay dividends is subject to restrictions.

Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive only such dividends as our Board of Directors may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. Any declaration and payment of dividends on our common stock will depend upon our earnings and financial condition, liquidity and capital requirements, the general economic and regulatory climate, our ability to service any equity or debt obligations senior to our common stock, and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors. If declared, dividends will be payable to the holders of shares of our common stock on a pro rata basis in accordance with their shares held. If preferred shares are issued, such shares may be entitled to priority over the common shares as to dividends. Furthermore, consistent with our strategic plans, growth initiatives, capital availability, projected liquidity needs and other factors, we have made, and will continue to make, capital management decisions and policies that could adversely affect the amount of dividends, if any, paid to our common stockholders. Other than the stock dividend provided to our stockholders pursuant to our two-for-one stock split in 2018, we have no history of paying dividends to holders of our common stock.

The Federal Reserve has indicated that bank holding companies should carefully review their dividend policy in relation to the organization’s overall asset quality, current and prospective earnings and level, composition and quality of capital. The Federal Reserve is authorized to determine under certain circumstances related to the financial condition of a bank holding company or a bank that the payment of dividends would be an unsafe or unsound practice and to prohibit payment thereof. If required payments on our debt obligations are not made, or dividends on any preferred stock we may issue are not paid, we will be prohibited from paying dividends on our common stock.

We are a bank holding company and our only source of cash, other than further issuances of securities, is distributions from our wholly-owned subsidiaries.

We are a bank holding company with no material activities other than activities incidental to holding the common stock of the Bank. Our principal source of funds to pay distributions on our common stock and service any of our obligations, other than further issuances of securities, would be dividends received from our wholly-owned subsidiaries. Furthermore, our wholly-owned subsidiaries are not obligated to pay dividends to us, and any dividends paid to us would depend on the earnings or financial condition of our wholly-owned subsidiaries and various business considerations. As is the case with all financial institutions, the profitability of our wholly-owned subsidiaries is subject to the fluctuating cost and availability of money, changes in interest rates and economic conditions in general. In addition, various federal and state statutes limit the amount of dividends that our wholly-owned subsidiaries may pay to the Company without regulatory approval.

ITEM 1B.    UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2.    PROPERTIES

Our headquarters is located at 11440 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Leawood, Kansas. Including our headquarters building, we operate eight full-service banking centers located in: Leawood, Kansas; Wichita, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Dallas, Texas; and Frisco, Texas. We own our headquarters building, our banking centers in Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and we lease the remainder of our locations. We believe that the leases to which we are subject are generally on terms consistent with prevailing market terms. We also believe that our facilities are in good condition and are adequate to meet our operating needs for the foreseeable future.

ITEM 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

From time to time, the Company or the Bank is a party to claims and legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Management does not believe any present litigation or the resolution thereof will have a material adverse effect on the business, consolidated financial condition or results of operations of the Company.

34

ITEM 4.    MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth certain information regarding our executive officers and the executive officers of the Bank, including their names, ages and positions:

Name	Age as of March 1, 2021	Position(s)
Mike Maddox	51	President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company
David O’Toole	70	Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the Company and Chief Financial Officer of the Bank
George F. Jones, Jr.	76	Vice Chairman of the Company
Steve Peterson	56	Chief Banking Officer of the Bank
W. Randall Rapp	56	Chief Credit Officer of the Bank
Amy Fauss	53	Chief Operating Officer of the Bank
Tom Robinson	62	Chief Risk Officer of the Company
Aisha Reynolds	44	General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Company and the Bank
Jana Merfen	39	Chief Technology Officer of the Bank

Mike Maddox—Mr. Maddox transitioned into his new role as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective on June 1, 2020. Mr. Maddox has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank since November 28, 2008. Prior to joining the Bank, he was a Regional President for Intrust Bank. In this role, he managed the bank’s operations in Northeast Kansas. Mr. Maddox has over 18 years of banking experience. Mr. Maddox attended the University of Kansas from which he received a Business degree in 1991 and a law degree in 1994. While at KU, Mr. Maddox was a four-year basketball letterman and a member of the KU team that won the National Championship in 1988. Mr. Maddox completed the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2003. Mr. Maddox is a member of the Economic Development Board of Johnson County. Mr. Maddox serves on the Kansas City Civic Council. He has served on the board of CrossFirst Bank since 2008.

David L. O’Toole—Mr. O’Toole has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company and the Bank since 2008 and Chief Investment Officer of the Company since 2009. In addition to his roles with the Company and the Bank, Mr. O’Toole has served as President of CrossFirst Investments, Inc. since 2010. Mr. O’Toole previously served as President for CrossFirst Advisors from 2008 until 2016.

George F. Jones, Jr.—Mr. Jones has served as Vice Chairman of the Company since transitioning his role as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective June 1, 2020, to Mike Maddox. Mr. Jones had served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since May 2018. Mr. Jones joined the Company as Vice Chairman in May 2016, after retiring from Texas Capital Bank, N.A. at the end of 2013, and served as Vice-Chairman of the Company until May 2018. Mr. Jones has served on the board of the Bank since 2016. Mr. Jones also serves on the board of directors and as chairman of the Audit Committee and on the Compensation Committee of Caliber Home Loans, Inc.

Steve Peterson —Mr. Peterson became Chief Banking Officer effective on July 1, 2020. Prior to this role, Mr. Peterson served as the Wichita Bank President since August 2011. Prior to joining CrossFirst, Mr. Peterson served as Division President of Stillwater National Bank from 2004 to August 2011.

W. Randall Rapp—Mr. Rapp has served as the Chief Credit Officer of the Bank since April 2019. Prior to joining the Bank, Mr. Rapp held various positions at Texas Capital Bank, N.A. from March 2000 until March 2019, including serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer from May 2015 until March 2019, and as a Senior Credit Officer from 2013 until May 2015.

Amy Fauss—Ms. Fauss has served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Bank since December 2009. She previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Solutions Bank, where she directed all aspects of daily operations. Her experience also includes senior management positions at Hillcrest Bank and Citizens-Jackson County Bank.

Tom Robinson—Mr. Robinson has served as the Chief Risk Officer of the Company since January 2019. Mr. Robinson served as the Chief Credit Officer of the Bank from December 2011 until March 2019. Prior to joining the Bank in December 2011, Mr. Robinson served as the Chief Lending Officer for Morrill & Janes Bank and Trust Company, a unit of Morrill Bancshares, Inc.

35

Aisha Reynolds—Ms. Reynolds has served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Company since August 2018. Prior to joining the Company, she was Vice President, Securities and Governance for DST Systems, Inc., a global provider of technology-based information processing and servicing solutions, from August 2015 through June 2018. She received her law degrees from Washington University in St. Louis.

Jana Merfen—Ms. Merfen joined CrossFirst in January 2021. Prior to that she served as Chief Information Officer of Dickinson Financial Corp. and Academy Bank from April 2017 to January 2021. Prior to working at Dickinson Financial Corp. and Academy Bank, she worked at CommunityAmerica Credit Union where she was the Director of Information Systems & Enterprise Project Manager Officer from July 2016 to April 2017 and was the Director of Enterprise Risk Management and Business Process Operations from September 2014 to July 2016. Ms. Merfen has a degree in accounting from Miami University in Ohio.

Part II

ITEM 5.    MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “CFB” with 578 holders of record at December 31, 2020.

Stock Performance

Our book value per share for the periods indicated were:

	As of December 31,
	2020		2019		2018		2017		2016
Book value per share	$	12.08	$	11.58	$	10.21	$	8.38	$	7.34

The following table shows the high and low closing prices per share of the Company’s common stock since our IPO:

	Price per Share in 2020				Price per Share in 2019
	High		Low		High		Low
Stock Price	$	14.40	$	5.74	$	15.50	$	11.11

The following table and graph sets forth the cumulative total stockholder return for the Company’s common stock from August 15, 2019 (the date that our common stock commenced trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market) through December 31, 2020 compared to an overall stock market index (Russell 2000 Index) and two peer group indices (KBW Nasdaq Regional Banking Index and SNL U.S. Bank $5 billion to $10 billion Index) for the same period. The indices are based on total returns assuming reinvestment of dividends. The graph assumes an investment of $100 on August 15, 2019. The performance graph represents past performance and should not be considered to be an indication of future performance.

36

The performance graph and related text are being furnished to and not filed with the SEC, and will not be deemed “soliciting material” or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C under the Exchange Act or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, and will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent we specifically incorporate such information by reference into such a filing.

	August 15, 2019		December 31, 2019		December 31, 2020
CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc.	$	100.00	$	99.45	$	73.63
Russell 2000 Index	$	100.00	$	114.85	$	137.77
KBW Nasdaq Regional Banking Index	$	100.00	$	116.94	$	102.79
SNL U.S. Bank $5 billion to $10 billion Index	$	100.00	$	118.57	$	107.69

Dividends

We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and we do not currently anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Instead, we anticipate that our earnings in the foreseeable future will be retained to support our operations and finance the growth and development of our business. Any future determination to pay dividends on our common stock will be made by our Board of Directors and will depend upon our results of operations, our financial condition, capital requirements, general economic conditions, regulatory and contractual restrictions, our business strategy, our ability to service any equity or debt obligations senior to our common stock and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant. We are not obligated to pay dividends on our common stock and are subject to restrictions on paying dividends on our common stock.

Our principal source of funds to pay dividends on our common stock would be dividends received from our wholly-owned subsidiaries. Furthermore, our wholly-owned subsidiaries are not obligated to pay dividends to us, and any dividends paid to us would depend on the earnings or financial condition of our wholly-owned subsidiaries and various business considerations. As is the case with all financial institutions, the profitability of our wholly-owned subsidiaries is subject to the fluctuating cost and availability of money, changes in interest rates and economic conditions in general. In addition, various federal and state statutes limit the amount of dividends that our wholly-owned subsidiaries may pay to the Company without regulatory approval.

37

Share Repurchase Program

The following table summarizes our repurchases of our common shares for the three months ended December 31, 2020:

Calendar Month	Total Number of Shares Repurchased	Average Price Paid per Share		Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs	Approximate dollar value of shares that may yet be purchased as part of publicly announced plans or programs
October 1 - 31	—	$	—	—	$	20,000,000
November 1 - 30	243,558	$	9.60	243,558	$	17,660,926
December 1 - 31	366,055	$	10.12	366,055	$	13,957,308
Total	609,613	$	9.91	609,613

On October 20, 2020, the Company announced that its Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program under which the Company may repurchase up to $20 million of its common stock. Repurchases under the program may be made in open market or privately negotiated transactions in compliance with SEC Rule 10b-18, subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. The program does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of common stock, and it may be suspended at any time at the Company's discretion. No time limit has been set for completion of the program.

38

ITEM 6.    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

On December 21, 2018, we effected a two-for-one split of our common stock in the form of a stock dividend, whereby each holder of our common stock received one additional share of common stock for each share owned as of the record date of December 19, 2018. The effect of the stock dividend on outstanding shares and per share figures has been retroactively applied to all periods presented in this Form 10-K.

You should read the following financial data in conjunction with the other information contained in this 10-K, including under “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in the financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this 10-K.

	As of or for the Year Ended December 31,
	2020		2019		2018		2017		2016
	(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
Interest income	$	203,448	$	216,218	$	156,880	$	97,816	$	69,069
Interest expense	43,199		74,774		46,512		22,998		15,016
Net interest income	160,249		141,444		110,368		74,818		54,053
Net income	12,601		28,473		19,590		5,849		10,311
Preferred stock dividends	175		175		2,100		2,100		2,100
Net income available to common stockholders	12,426		28,298		17,490		3,749		8,211
Total assets	5,659,303		4,931,233		4,107,215		2,961,118		2,133,106
Borrowings and repurchase agreements	295,406		373,664		388,391		357,837		216,709
Preferred stock, liquidation value	—		—		30,000		30,000		30,000
Basic earnings per share	0.24		0.59		0.48		0.12		0.39
Diluted earnings per share	$	0.24	$	0.58	$	0.47	$	0.12	$	0.39

ITEM 7.     MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

This section includes a discussion of the financial condition and results of operations of CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Refer to Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis Discussion of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2019 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 10, 2020 for a discussion of the financial condition and results of operations of the Company for the period ended December 31, 2018 and a comparison between the 2018 and 2019 results.

Tables may include additional periods to comply with disclosure requirements or to illustrate trends in greater depth. You should read the following financial data in conjunction with the other information contained in this 10-K, including under “Risk Factors Summary” and in the financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this 10-K.

Growth History

We have grown organically primarily by establishing eight branches, attracting new clients and expanding our relationships with existing clients, as well as through two strategic acquisitions. The data below presents the business' growth in key areas for the past five years and the related compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”):

	2016 to 2020	As of December 31,
	CAGR	2020		2019		2018		2017		2016
	(Dollars in thousands)
Investment securities	3%	$	668,024	$	741,634	$	663,678	$	703,581	$	593,012
Gross loans (net of unearned income)(1)	36	4,441,897		3,852,244		3,060,747		1,996,029		1,296,886
Total assets	28	5,659,303		4,931,233		4,107,215		2,961,118		2,133,106
Noninterest-bearing deposits	38	718,459		521,826		484,284		290,906		198,088
Total deposits	29%	$	4,694,740	$	3,923,759	$	3,208,097	$	2,303,364	$	1,694,301
(1) Includes $292 million of PPP loans at December 31, 2020 that we anticipate to be paid off during 2021.

39

Our Strategy

Our strategy has been to build the most trusted bank in our markets, which we believe drives value for our stockholders. During 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic allowed us to serve our customers by providing PPP loan funding, modifying loans through payment deferrals and rate adjustments, and using our technology to reduce contact exposure.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we remain focused on growth and building stockholder value through greater efficiency and increased profitability. We intend to execute our strategic plan through the following:

•Continue organic growth;

•Selectively pursue opportunities to expand through acquisitions or new market development;

•Attract and develop talent;

•Maintain a branch-lite business model with strategically placed locations; and

•Leverage technology to enhance the client experience and improve profitability.

Performance Measures

	As of or for the Year Ended December 31,
	2020			2019			2018			2017			2016
	(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
Return on average assets	0.24		%	0.63		%	0.56		%	0.24		%	0.56		%
Return on average equity	2.05		%	5.38		%	5.34		%	1.53		%	5.51		%
Earnings per share(1)	$	0.24		$	0.59		$	0.48		$	0.12		$	0.39
Diluted earnings per share(1)	$	0.24		$	0.58		$	0.47		$	0.12		$	0.39
Efficiency(2)	58.13		%	58.37		%	73.64		%	79.10		%	70.64		%
Equity to assets	11.03		%	12.20		%	11.94		%	9.70		%	10.07		%
(1) Retroactively adjusted per share figures to account for a two-for-one split of our common stock in the form of a stock dividend, whereby each holder of our common stock received one additional share of common stock for each share owned as of the record date of December 19, 2018.
(2) We calculate efficiency ratio as noninterest expense divided by the sum of net interest income and noninterest income.

2021 Events:

Four of our branches are located in areas recently impacted by severe, cold weather conditions. One branch sustained water damage, but did not impact operations or our ability to support our customers. The impact to our customers in Oklahoma and Texas remains uncertain, but may reduce a customer’s ability to pay all principal and interest payments when due. We may assist our customers impacted by the recent cold weather conditions by modifying loan terms.

2020 Highlights:

•Total assets reached $5.7 billion including $593 million or 15% loan growth and $771 million or 20% deposit growth.

•Successful execution of our succession plan pursuant to which Michael J. Maddox was named as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer effective June 1, 2020 to succeed George F. Jones, Jr. who was appointed as Vice Chairman.

•Supported our local businesses and communities by issuing $369 million of PPP loans to approximately 1,200 customers.

•Improved our efficiency ratio from 58.37% in 2019 to 58.13% in 2020 in spite of the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

•Effectively responded to the COVID-19 pandemic using our business continuity plan resulting in no impact to bank operations, reduced health risks to employees and continuous support to our customers.

•Book value per share of $12.08 at December 31, 2020 compared to $11.58 at December 31, 2019.

Review and Update on the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, economic uncertainty and a disruption to the financial markets, the duration and extent of which is not currently known. A discussion of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company and its operations and measures undertaken by the Company in response thereto is provided below.

40

Bank Operations

The Company has a business continuity plan to mitigate operational risks in unusual, unexpected events. The plan identifies key components of our operations and creates responses to ensure normal operations continue and to minimize the effects of potential loss. We implemented the business continuity procedures in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the remainder of 2020, our employees worked in the office on a rotation schedule or remotely to limit exposure risk to our employees and customers. We met with customers by appointment and our drive-thru locations operated during normal hours. No material interruptions to our business operations have occurred to date.

Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) Lending Facility and Loans in 2020

The PPP was established by the CARES Act and authorized forgivable loans to small businesses. The Bank provided PPP loans to support current customers and foster relationships with new customers. The loans earned interest at 1%, included fees between 1% and 5% and typically matured in two or five years. The loans originated under the PPP received a 0% risk weight under the regulatory capital rules which resulted in increased Common Equity Tier 1, Tier 1, and Tier 2 capital ratios, but the PPP loans are included in the calculation of our Leverage ratio.

The following table summarizes the impact of the PPP loans on our 2020 financials:

	As of or For the Period Ended December 31, 2020
	Outstanding Balance		Total Origination Fees		Earned Fees		Unearned Fees
	(Dollars in thousands)
PPP Loans	$	292,230	$	9,946	$	5,757	$	4,189

PPP Lending Facility and Loans in 2021

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 allocated an additional $284 billion in PPP funding. On January 11, 2021, the SBA reopened PPP funds for first draw borrowers and on January 13, 2021, opened PPP funds for second draw borrowers. The second round of PPP loans have similar terms to the first round of PPP loans mentioned above. The PPP loans are currently available through March 31, 2021 or until no available funding under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 remains.

The Bank participated in the second round of PPP funding to continue support of current and new customers. PPP loan activity between January 1, 2021 and February 24, 2021 is provided below:

	PPP Loan Activity in 2021
	December 31, 2020		Loans Forgiven &		Loans Issued &		February 24, 2021
	Outstanding Balance		(Earned Fees)†		Unearned Loan Fees		Outstanding Balance
	(Dollars in thousands)
Loans Outstanding	$	292,230	$	(40,289)	$	87,380	$	339,321
Unearned Loan Fees	$	4,189	$	(1,534)	$	1,952	$	4,607

† Earned fees include fees earned from loans forgiven and monthly amortization fees on loans outstanding.

Loan Modifications

The CARES Act allowed financial institutions to elect to suspend GAAP principles and regulatory determinations for loan modifications relating to the COVID-19 pandemic that would otherwise require evaluation as troubled debt restructurings (“TDR”) from March 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 as long as the loan was not more than 30 days past due as of December 31, 2019. The Company elected to use this guidance and started the modified loan process during the first quarter of 2020. During the third quarter of 2020, the Company assessed and approved a second round of modifications. These modifications were based on a customer’s business condition, evaluation of near and long term recovery potential and level of support from the owners and guarantors. On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 was signed into law, which extended the period during which the Company may, elect not to consider whether loan modifications relating to the COVID-19 pandemic are TDRs through January 2, 2022. The Company elected to apply the guidance.

The Company currently expects most of these modified loans to recover from the pandemic, but uncertainty regarding the short-term and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic remain that may require the Company to (i) downgrade modified loans which may increase our ALLL, (ii) reverse interest income previously recognized but not received, and (iii) charge-off modified loans.

41

Deferred loan interest accrues on loans modified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic until determined that it is more likely than not that we will be unable to collect the accrued interest balance. After the deferral period, the modified loan terms require all accrued interest to be paid or capitalized and amortized over the original loan term. Loan modification information at December 31, 2020 is provided below:

	Loan Modification Information As of December 31, 2020
	Number	Value
	(Dollars in thousands)
Commercial	8	$	24,696
Energy	2	1,788
Commercial real estate	6	51,457
Construction and land development	1	11,883
Residential real estate and multifamily real estate	0	—
Consumer	0	—
Total	17	$	89,824

Loan modifications primarily include payment deferrals, reduced monthly payments, changes in interest rate and extension of the maturity date.

	Loan Modification by Risk Rating As of December 31, 2020
	Pass		Special Mention		Substandard Performing		Substandard Nonperforming		Doubtful		Loss		Total
	(Dollars in thousands)
Modified loans	$	44,706	$	6,217	$	38,901	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	89,824
ALLL against modified loans	$	474	$	311	$	3,890	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	4,675

Loan Portfolio and Credit Quality

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted our borrowers resulting in credit migration, charge-offs and an increased provision. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company moderated loan growth to focus on current customers, implemented floors on loans and monitored unfunded credit lines. Listed below are categories in our loan portfolio that have been or may be significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in increased monitoring.

Energy Loans

Energy loans are collateralized by oil and natural gas reserves and the borrower’s cash flows are impacted by changes in the price of oil and natural gas. Our customers have significant experience in the energy sector and the Company has an experienced group of energy lenders and credit officers that proactively monitor the portfolio. Oil and natural gas prices declined in the first quarter of 2020 and remained low as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors that reduced cash flow for our energy customers. As a result, approximately 60% of the energy portfolio was downgraded in 2020 and $5 million of loans were charged-off. We anticipate some relief for our customers in 2021 if oil and gas prices rebound and stabilize. We plan to decrease our overall energy exposure from 8% to 5% of our total loan portfolio.

Real Estate Loans

Our real estate loans are comprised of construction and development loans, 1-4 family loans and commercial real estate loans. There is significant uncertainty regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our real estate loan portfolio, but we continue to monitor the following industries:

Real Estate Industries with Increased Monitoring as of December 31, 2020
Industry	Outstanding Balance		Percent of Gross Loans
	(Dollars in thousands)
Retail	$	183,196	4.1%
Hotel and Lodging	$	175,806	3.9%
Medical and Senior Living	$	174,046	3.9%

42

These industries were identified due to travel restrictions, cancellation of events and large gatherings, reduction in demand for senior living housing and furlough of workers and an increase in unemployment numbers. The Bank has worked with business owners in these industries by modifying loan terms and funding the PPP loans.

Commercial Loans

The Company provides a mix of variable-rate and fixed-rate commercial loans across various industries. We extend commercial loans on an unsecured and secured basis. There is significant uncertainty regarding the impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our commercial loan portfolio, but we identified the following industries that received an increase in monitoring:

Commercial Industries with Increased Monitoring as of December 31, 2020
Industry	Outstanding Balance		Percent of Gross Loans
	(Dollars in thousands)
Recreation	$	84,207	1.9%
Restaurants	$	73,572	1.7%
Aircraft and Aviation	$	51,587	1.2%

These industries were identified based on travel, entertainment and restaurant restrictions, cancellation of events and large gatherings, business closures and furlough of workers and an increase in unemployment numbers have also impacted these industries.

Goodwill Impairment

We performed a goodwill impairment analysis during the second quarter of 2020 and it resulted in a $7 million impairment, representing the total value of goodwill previously reported. See Note 6: Goodwill and Core Deposit Intangible within the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Non-Interest Expense section within Management's Discussion and Analysis for more information.

Discussion and Analysis - Results of Operations

Net Interest Income

Our profitability depends in substantial part on our net interest income. Net interest income is the difference between the amounts received on our interest-earning assets and the interest paid on our interest-bearing liabilities. Net interest income is impacted by internal and external factors including:

•Changes in the volume, rate, and mix of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities;

•Changes in competition, federal economic, monetary and fiscal policies and economic conditions; and

•Changes in credit quality.

We present and discuss net interest income on a tax-equivalent basis. A tax-equivalent basis makes all income taxable at the same rate. For example, $100 of tax-exempt income would be presented as $126.58, an amount that, if taxed at the statutory federal income tax rate of 21% would yield $100. We believe a tax-equivalent basis provides for improved comparability between the various earning assets.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 to the second quarter of 2019, we operated in a rising interest rate environment. Our yield on earning assets and cost of funds were driven by the rate environment. In July 2019, interest rates started to decline and continued through 2020. Our earning assets repriced quicker than our cost of funds, resulting in a lower net interest margin in 2019 and 2020. A table showing our five-year yield on earning assets and cost of funds is presented below:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2020		2019		2018		2017		2016
Yield on securities - tax equivalent(1)	3.05	%	3.35	%	3.62	%	3.85	%	3.63	%
Yield on loans	4.26		5.52		5.34		4.89		4.60
Yield on earning assets - tax equivalent(1)	3.96		5.04		4.77		4.37		4.08
Cost of interest-bearing deposits	1.02		2.21		1.71		1.12		0.96
Cost of total deposits	0.85		1.89		1.44		0.99		0.87
Cost of FHLB and short-term borrowings	1.56		1.90		1.77		1.49		1.20
Cost of funds	0.92		1.90		1.49		1.06		0.91
Net interest margin - tax equivalent(1)	3.13	%	3.31	%	3.39	%	3.40	%	3.24	%
(1) Tax-exempt income is calculated on a tax-equivalent basis. Tax-free municipal securities are exempt from Federal taxes. The incremental tax rate used is 21% after December 31, 2017 and 35% prior to and including December 31, 2017.

43

The following table presents, for the periods indicated, average balance sheet information, interest income, interest expense and the corresponding average yield earned and rates paid:

	For the Years Ended December 31,
	2020						2019						2018
	Average Balance		Interest Income / Expense		Yield/Rate(4)		Average Balance		Interest Income / Expense		Yield/Rate(4)		Average Balance		Interest Income / Expense		Yield/Rate(4)
	(Dollars in thousands)
Interest-earning assets:
Securities - taxable	$	267,715	$	6,058	2.26	%	$	330,051	$	9,627	2.92	%	$	281,709	$	8,952	3.18	%
Securities - tax-exempt(1)	447,324		15,745		3.52		390,908		14,533		3.72		459,231		17,856		3.89
Federal funds sold	1,020		18		1.73		15,195		364		2.40		16,377		339		2.07
Interest-bearing deposits in other banks	179,978		621		0.35		139,538		2,689		1.93		159,279		2,757		1.73
Gross loans, net of unearned income(2)(3)	4,310,345		183,738		4.26		3,468,079		191,527		5.52		2,435,424		130,075		5.34
Total interest-earning assets(1)	5,206,382		$	206,180	3.96	%	4,343,771		$	218,740	5.04	%	3,352,020		$	159,979	4.77	%
Allowance for loan losses	(68,897)						(42,015)						(30,921)
Other noninterest-earning assets	220,994						198,008						173,556
Total assets	$	5,358,479					$	4,499,764					$	3,494,655
Interest-bearing liabilities
Transaction deposits	$	447,777	$	1,696	0.38	%	$	146,109	$	1,742	1.19	%	$	56,321	$	175	0.31	%
Savings and money market deposits	1,993,964		14,033		0.70		1,676,417		35,385		2.11		1,410,727		23,405		1.66
Time deposits	1,155,492		20,856		1.80		1,243,304		30,541		2.46		835,595		15,792		1.89
Total interest-bearing deposits	3,597,233		36,585		1.02		3,065,830		67,668		2.21		2,302,643		39,372		1.71
FHLB and short-term borrowings	417,956		6,508		1.56		366,577		6,959		1.90		395,825		7,004		1.77
Trust preferred securities, net of fair value adjustments	939		106		11.34		899		147		16.34		864		136		15.69
Noninterest-bearing deposits	684,294		—		—		512,142		—		—		425,243		—		—
Cost of funds	4,700,422		$	43,199	0.92	%	3,945,448		$	74,774	1.90	%	3,124,575		$	46,512	1.49	%
Other liabilities	43,331						25,708						12,634
Stockholders’ equity	614,726						528,608						357,446
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	5,358,479					$	4,499,764					$	3,494,655
Net interest income(1)			$	162,981					$	143,966					$	113,467
Net interest spread(1)					3.04	%					3.14	%					3.28	%
Net interest margin(1)					3.13	%					3.31	%					3.39	%
(1) Calculated on a tax-equivalent basis. Tax-free municipal securities are exempt from Federal taxes. The incremental tax rate used is 21%.
(2) Loans, net of unearned income includes non-accrual loans of $75 million, $40 million and $18 million as of December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
(3) Loan interest income includes loan fees of $14 million, $9 million and $7 million in 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
(4) Actual unrounded values are used to calculate the reported yield or rate disclosed. Accordingly, recalculations using the amounts in thousands as disclosed in this report may not produce the same amounts.