Marsh & McLennan Companies (MRSH) risk factors: FY2025 10-K

Item 1A of the 10-K for the period ending 2025-12-31, filed 2026-02-09. 33 risk factor headings as filed. Read Item 1A in full · The whole 10-K · What changed since FY2024

1new since FY2024
2reworded
0removed
30unchanged

Headings mentioning a theme: Tariffs 0 · AI 2 · Cybersecurity 0 · China 0 · Interest rates 0. Compare across the S&P 500.

RISKS RELATING TO THE COMPANY GENERALLY

25
  1. Our results of operations and investments could be adversely affected by geopolitical or macroeconomic conditions.
  2. We are subject to significant uninsured exposures arising from errors and omissions, breach of fiduciary duty and other claims.
  3. We cannot guarantee that we are or will be in compliance with all current and potentially applicable U.S. federal and state or foreign laws and regulations, and actions by regulatory authorities or changes in legislation and regulation in the jurisdictions in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our business.
  4. Our business or reputation could be harmed by our reliance on third-party providers or introducers.
  5. We may not be able to effectively identify and manage actual and apparent conflicts of interest.
  6. We could incur significant liability or our reputation could be damaged if our information systems are breached or we otherwise fail to protect client or Company data or information systems.
  7. The costs to comply with, or our failure to comply with, U.S. and foreign laws related to privacy, data security and data protection, such as the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, (CCPA), Australia's CPS 234, as well as emerging AI-related laws such as the EU's AI Act, could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and our reputation.AI
  8. Our business performance and growth plans could be negatively affected if we are not able to develop and implement improvements in technology or respond effectively to the threat of digital disruption and other technological change such as AI.AI
  9. The loss of members of our senior management team or other key colleagues, or if we are unsuccessful in our efforts to attract, retain and develop talent, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
  10. Failure to maintain our corporate culture could adversely affect our business and reputation.
  11. Increasing scrutiny and changing laws and expectations from regulators, investors, clients and our colleagues with respect to our business responsibility practices and disclosure may impose additional costs on us or expose us to new or additional risks.reworded
  12. We face significant competitive pressures in each of our businesses, including from disintermediation, as our competitive landscape continues to evolve.
  13. We rely on a large number of vendors and other third parties to perform key functions of our business operations and to provide services to our clients. These vendors and third parties may act or fail to act in ways that could harm our business.
  14. Our inability to successfully recover should we experience a disaster or other business continuity or data recovery problem could cause material financial loss, loss of human capital, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability.
  15. We face risks when we acquire or dispose of businesses.
  16. If we are unable to collect our receivables, our results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.
  17. We may not be able to obtain sufficient financing on favorable terms.
  18. Our defined benefit pension plan obligations could cause the Company's financial position, earnings and cash flows to fluctuate.
  19. Our significant non-U.S. operations expose us to exchange rate fluctuations and various risks that could impact our business.
  20. Our quarterly revenues and profitability may fluctuate significantly.
  21. Credit rating downgrades would increase our financing costs and could subject us to operational risk.
  22. Our current debt level could adversely affect our financial flexibility.
  23. The current U.S. tax regime has provisions which have unintended consequences and may also impact our tax rate in varying degrees based on where our global income is earned.
  24. We may not be able to fully realize the benefits of our Thrive program and Business Client Services.new
  25. We are exposed to multiple risks associated with the global nature of our operations.

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RISKS RELATING TO OUR RISK AND INSURANCE SERVICES SEGMENT

3
  1. Results in our Risk and Insurance Services segment may be adversely affected by a general decline in economic activity.
  2. Volatility or declines in premiums and other market trends may significantly impede our ability to grow revenues and profitability.
  3. Adverse legal developments and future regulations concerning how intermediaries are compensated by insurers or clients, as well as allegations of anti-competitive behavior or conflicts of interest, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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RISKS RELATING TO OUR CONSULTING SEGMENT

5
  1. Mercer’s Wealth business is subject to a number of risks, including risks related to public and private capital market fluctuations, third-party asset managers and custodians, operations and technology risks, trading and execution risks, conflicts of interest, sustainability and greenwashing, asset performance and regulatory compliance, that, if realized, could result in significant damage to our business.reworded
  2. Our businesses are subject to a number of risks related to the U.S. healthcare industry, including risks related to healthcare regulation and reputational damage from negative publicity.
  3. Revenues for the services provided by our Consulting segment may decline for various reasons, including as a result of changes in economic conditions, the value of equity, debt and other asset classes, our clients’ or an industry's financial condition or government regulation or an accelerated trend away from actively managed investments to passively managed investments.
  4. Factors affecting defined benefit pension plans and the services we provide relating to those plans could adversely affect Mercer.
  5. The profitability of our Consulting segment may decline if we are unable to achieve or maintain adequate utilization and pricing rates for our consultants.

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Headings are the lines of Item 1A set wholly in bold or italics, as the parser reads them, without the introductory paragraph that opens the section. A heading is new when no heading in the prior 10-K matches it after ignoring case and punctuation, and reworded when it shares at least 60 percent of its words with one that went away. Source: the filing on sec.gov.