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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 10-Q

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☒ Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the quarterly period ended: September 30, 2021

Commission File Number: 1-10853

TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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

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 (§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.

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 is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

At September 30, 2021, 1,334,891,526 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $5 par value, were outstanding.

Glossary of Defined Terms

The following terms may be used throughout this report, including the consolidated financial statements and related notes.

Truist Financial Corporation 1

2 Truist Financial Corporation

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, regarding the financial condition, results of operations, business plans and the future performance of Truist. Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” and other similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but instead represent management’s expectations and assumptions regarding Truist’s business, the economy, and other future conditions. Such statements involve inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. As such, Truist’s actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by forward-looking statements. While there can be no assurance that any list of risks and uncertainties or risk factors is complete, important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by forward-looking statements include the following, without limitation, as well as the risks and uncertainties more fully discussed in Part I, Item 1A-Risk Factors in Truist’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020:

• risks and uncertainties relating to the Merger of heritage BB&T and heritage SunTrust, including the ability to successfully integrate the companies or to realize the anticipated benefits of the Merger;

• expenses relating to the Merger and integration of heritage BB&T and heritage SunTrust;

• deposit attrition, client loss or revenue loss following completed mergers or acquisitions may be greater than anticipated;

• the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global economy and adversely impacted Truist’s financial condition and results of operations, including through increased expenses, reduced fee income and net interest margin, and increases in the allowance for credit losses; the resurgence of the pandemic in recent months could reintroduce or prolong these negative impacts and also adversely affect Truist’s capital and liquidity position or cost of capital, impair the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans, cause an outflow of deposits, and impair goodwill or other assets;

• Truist is subject to credit risk by lending or committing to lend money, and may have more credit risk and higher credit losses to the extent that loans are concentrated by loan type, industry segment, borrower type or location of the borrower or collateral;

• changes in the interest rate environment, including the replacement of LIBOR as an interest rate benchmark and potentially negative interest rates, which could adversely affect Truist’s revenue and expenses, the value of assets and obligations, and the availability and cost of capital, cash flows, and liquidity;

• inability to access short-term funding or liquidity, loss of client deposits or changes in Truist’s credit ratings, which could increase the cost of funding or limit access to capital markets;

• risk management oversight functions may not identify or address risks adequately, and management may not be able to effectively manage credit risk;

• risks resulting from the extensive use of models in Truist’s business, which may impact decisions made by management and regulators;

• failure to execute on strategic or operational plans, including the ability to successfully complete or integrate mergers and acquisitions;

• increased competition, including from (i) new or existing competitors that could have greater financial resources or be subject to different regulatory standards, and (ii) products and services offered by non-bank financial technology companies, may reduce Truist’s client base, cause Truist to lower prices for its products and services in order to maintain market share or otherwise adversely impact Truist’s businesses or results of operations;

• failure to maintain or enhance Truist’s competitive position with respect to new products, services and technology, whether it fails to anticipate client expectations or because its technological developments fail to perform as desired or do not achieve market acceptance or regulatory approval or for other reasons, may cause Truist to lose market share or incur additional expense;

• negative public opinion, which could damage Truist’s reputation;

• increased scrutiny regarding Truist’s consumer sales practices, training practices, incentive compensation design, and governance;

• regulatory matters, litigation or other legal actions, which may result in, among other things, costs, fines, penalties, restrictions on Truist’s business activities, reputational harm, negative publicity, or other adverse consequences;

• evolving legislative, accounting and regulatory standards, including with respect to capital and liquidity requirements, and results of regulatory examinations may adversely affect Truist’s financial condition and results of operations;

• the monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government and its agencies could have a material adverse effect on profitability;

• accounting policies and processes require management to make estimates about matters that are uncertain, including the potential write down to goodwill if there is an elongated period of decline in market value for Truist’s stock and adverse economic conditions are sustained over a period of time;

• general economic or business conditions, either globally, nationally or regionally, may be less favorable than expected, and instability in global geopolitical matters or volatility in financial markets could result in, among other things, slower deposit or asset growth, a deterioration in credit quality, or a reduced demand for credit, insurance, or other services;

• risks related to originating and selling mortgages, including repurchase and indemnity demands from purchasers related to representations and warranties on loans sold, which could result in an increase in the amount of losses for loan repurchases;

• risks relating to Truist’s role as a loan servicer, including an increase in the scope or costs of the services Truist is required to perform, without any corresponding increase in servicing fees or a breach of Truist’s obligations as servicer;

• Truist’s success depends on hiring and retaining key personnel, and if these individuals leave or change roles without effective replacements, Truist’s operations and integration activities could be adversely impacted, which could be exacerbated as Truist continues to integrate the management teams of heritage BB&T and heritage SunTrust;

• fraud or misconduct by internal or external parties, which Truist may not be able to prevent, detect, or mitigate;

• security risks, including denial of service attacks, hacking, social engineering attacks targeting Truist’s teammates and clients, malware intrusion, data corruption attempts, system breaches, cyber attacks, identity theft, ransomware attacks, and physical security risks, such as natural disasters, environmental conditions, and intentional acts of destruction, could result in the disclosure of confidential information, adversely affect Truist’s business or reputation or create significant legal or financial exposure; and

• widespread outages of operational, communication, or other systems, whether internal or provided by third parties, natural or other disasters (including acts of terrorism and pandemics), and the effects of climate change, including physical risks, such as more frequent and intense weather events, and risks related to the transition to a lower carbon economy, such as regulatory or technological changes or shifts in market dynamics or consumer preferences, could have an adverse effect on Truist’s financial condition and results of operations, lead to material disruption of Truist’s operations or the ability or willingness of clients to access Truist’s products and services.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, Truist undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements.

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