Item 1. Business
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Item 1. Business
Forward-Looking Statements
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION APPEARS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995: This report contains forward-looking statements about U.S. Bancorp (“U.S. Bancorp” or the “Company”). Statements that are not historical or current facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements and are based on the information available to, and assumptions and estimates made by, management as of the date hereof. These forward-looking statements cover, among other things, future economic conditions and the anticipated future revenue, expenses, financial condition, asset quality, capital and liquidity levels, plans, prospects and operations of U.S. Bancorp. Forward-looking statements often use words such as “anticipates,” “targets,” “expects,” “hopes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “plans,” “goals,” “believes,” “continue” and other similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “may,” “might,” “should,” “would” and “could.”
Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in forward-looking statements, including the following risks and uncertainties:
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Deterioration in general business and economic conditions or turbulence in domestic or global financial markets, which could adversely affect U.S. Bancorp’s revenues and the values of its assets and liabilities, reduce the availability of funding to certain financial institutions, lead to a tightening of credit, and increase stock price volatility;
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Turmoil and volatility in the financial services industry, including failures or rumors of failures of other depository institutions, which could affect the ability of depository institutions, including U.S. Bank National Association ("USBNA"), to attract and retain depositors, and could affect the ability of financial services providers, including U.S. Bancorp, to borrow or raise capital;
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Actions taken by governmental agencies to stabilize the financial system and the effectiveness of such actions;
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Changes to regulatory capital, liquidity and resolution-related requirements applicable to large banking organizations in response to recent developments affecting the banking sector;
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Changes to statutes, regulations, or regulatory policies or practices, including capital and liquidity requirements, and the enforcement and interpretation of such laws and regulations, and U.S. Bancorp’s ability to address or satisfy those requirements and other requirements or conditions imposed by regulatory entities;
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Changes in interest rates;
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Increases in unemployment rates;
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Deterioration in the credit quality of U.S. Bancorp's loan portfolios or in the value of the collateral securing those loans;
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Risks related to originating and selling mortgages, including repurchase and indemnity demands, and related to U.S. Bancorp’s role as a loan servicer;
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Impacts of current, pending or future litigation and governmental proceedings;
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Increased competition from both banks and non-banks;
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Effects of climate change and related physical and transition risks;
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Changes in customer behavior and preferences and the ability to implement technological changes to respond to customer needs and meet competitive demands;
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Breaches in data security;
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Failures or disruptions in or breaches of U.S. Bancorp’s operational, technology or security systems or infrastructure, or those of third parties;
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Failures to safeguard personal information;
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Impacts of pandemics, natural disasters, terrorist activities, civil unrest, international hostilities and geopolitical events;
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Impacts of supply chain disruptions, rising inflation, slower growth or a recession;
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Failure to execute on strategic or operational plans;
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Effects of mergers and acquisitions and related integration;
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Effects of critical accounting policies and judgments;
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Effects of changes in or interpretations of tax laws and regulations;
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Management’s ability to effectively manage credit risk, market risk, operational risk, compliance risk, strategic risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk and reputation risk; and
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The risks and uncertainties more fully discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” of the 2023 Annual Report.
In addition, U.S. Bancorp’s acquisition of MUFG Union Bank, N.A. (“MUB”) presents risks and uncertainties, including, among others: the risk that any revenue synergies and other anticipated benefits of the acquisition may not be realized or may take longer than anticipated to be realized.
In addition, factors other than these risks also could adversely affect U.S. Bancorp’s results, and the reader should not consider these risks to be a complete set of all potential risks or uncertainties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and U.S. Bancorp undertakes no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.
General Business Description
U.S. Bancorp is a financial services holding company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving millions of local, national and global customers. U.S. Bancorp is registered as a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the “BHC Act”), and has elected to be treated as a financial holding company under the BHC Act. The Company provides a full range of financial services, including lending and depository services, cash management, capital markets, and trust and investment management services. It also engages in credit card services, merchant and ATM processing, mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage and leasing.
U.S. Bancorp’s banking subsidiary, USBNA, is engaged in the general banking business, principally in domestic markets, and holds all of the Company’s consolidated deposits of $512.3 billion at December 31, 2023. USBNA provides a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses, institutional organizations, governmental entities and other financial institutions. Commercial and consumer lending services are principally offered to customers within the Company’s domestic markets, to domestic customers with foreign operations and to large national customers operating in specific industries targeted by the Company, such as healthcare, utilities, oil and gas, and state and municipal government. Lending services include traditional credit products as well as credit card services, lease financing and import/export trade, asset-backed lending, agricultural finance and other products. Depository services include checking accounts, savings accounts and time certificate contracts. Ancillary services such as capital markets, treasury management and receivable lock-box collection are provided to corporate and governmental entity customers. U.S. Bancorp’s bank and trust subsidiaries provide a full range of asset management and fiduciary services for individuals, estates, foundations, business corporations and charitable organizations.
Other U.S. Bancorp non-banking subsidiaries offer investment and insurance products to the Company’s customers principally within its domestic markets, and fund administration services to a broad range of mutual and other funds.
Banking and investment services are provided through a network of 2,274 banking offices across 26 states as of December 31, 2023, principally operating in the Midwest and West regions of the United States. A significant percentage of consumer transactions are completed using USBNA's digital banking services, both online and through its digital app. The Company operates a network of 4,524 ATMs as of December 31, 2023, and provides 24-hour, seven day a week telephone customer service. Mortgage banking services are provided through banking offices and loan production offices throughout the Company’s domestic markets. Lending products may be originated through banking offices, indirect correspondents, brokers or other lending sources. The Company is also one of the largest providers of corporate and purchasing card services and corporate trust services in the United States. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Elavon, Inc. (“Elavon”), provides domestic merchant processing services directly to merchants. Wholly-owned subsidiaries of Elavon provide similar merchant services in Canada and segments of Europe. The Company also provides corporate trust and fund administration services in Europe. These foreign operations are not significant to the Company.
MUFG Union Bank Acquisition
On December 1, 2022, the Company acquired MUB’s core regional banking franchise from Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. ("MUFG"). Pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, the Company acquired all the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of MUB for a purchase price consisting of $5.5 billion in cash and approximately 44 million shares of the Company’s common stock. The Company also received additional MUB cash of $3.5 billion upon
completion of the acquisition, which is required to be repaid to MUFG on or prior to the fifth anniversary date of the completion of the purchase. On August 3, 2023, the Company completed a debt/equity conversion with MUFG. As a result, the Company repaid $936 million of its debt obligation from the proceeds of the issuance of 24 million shares of common stock of the Company to an affiliate of MUFG (the “Debt/Equity Conversion”). After the Debt/Equity Conversion, the Company had a remaining repayment obligation to MUFG of $2.6 billion. On May 26, 2023, the Company merged MUB into USBNA, the Company’s primary banking subsidiary. The Company’s 2023 results reflect the full financial results of the acquired business.
Business Segments
The Company’s major lines of business are Wealth, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking, Consumer and Business Banking, Payment Services, and Treasury and Corporate Support.
Wealth, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking Wealth, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking provides core banking, specialized lending, transaction and payment processing, capital markets, asset management, and brokerage and investment related services to wealth, middle market, large corporate, government and institutional clients. Wealth, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking contributed $3.6 billion of the Company’s net income in 2023, an increase of $202 million (6.0 percent) compared with 2022.
Consumer and Business Banking Consumer and Business Banking comprises consumer banking, small business banking and consumer lending. Products and services are delivered through banking offices, telephone servicing and sales, online services, direct mail, ATM processing, mobile devices, distributed mortgage loan officers, and intermediary relationships including auto dealerships, mortgage banks, and strategic business partners. Consumer and Business Banking contributed $2.2 billion of the Company’s net income in 2023, an increase of $378 million (20.6 percent) compared with 2022.
Payment Services Payment Services includes consumer and business credit cards, stored-value cards, debit cards, corporate, government and purchasing card services and merchant processing. Payment Services contributed $1.2 billion of the Company’s net income in 2023, a decrease of $150 million (11.2 percent) compared with 2022.
Treasury and Corporate Support Treasury and Corporate Support includes the Company’s investment portfolios, funding, capital management, interest rate risk management, income taxes not allocated to the business lines, including most investments in tax-advantaged projects, and the residual aggregate of those expenses associated with corporate activities that are managed on a consolidated basis. Treasury and Corporate Support recorded a net loss of $1.5 billion of the Company’s net income in 2023, a decrease of $826 million compared with 2022.
Additional information regarding the Company’s business segments can be found on pages 56 to 58 of the Company’s 2023 Annual Report under the heading “Line of Business Financial Review,” which is incorporated herein by reference.
Human Capital
The Company’s success depends, in large part, on its ability to attract, develop and retain skilled employees. The Company recognizes that supporting, engaging and continuously upskilling its workforce is key to meeting evolving corporate and customer needs. To further those efforts, the Company is dedicated to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment; providing pay that is competitive and fair, as well as other benefits and programs that promote wellness; and supporting employees’ professional development through programs that promote engagement, learning and productivity. As of December 31, 2023, the Company employed a total of 75,465 employees globally.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion The Company continues to expand its talent pipeline to increase the representation of women at leadership levels and people of color at all levels, including at the executive and senior management levels. The Company’s hiring program strives to include the inclusion of at least one woman or one person of color on interview slates for all roles at the Company. In addition, the Company offers various mentorship, leadership and development opportunities that enable participants, including women and people of color, to enhance networks, key skills and work experiences. The Company also provides inclusive leadership learning journeys designed to coach and develop its leaders in driving employee and team performance through inclusive behaviors and best practices.
To help create and sustain an inclusive workforce, the Company sponsors Business Resource Groups (“BRGs”), including Asian heritage, Black heritage, Nosotros Latinos, Indigenous Peoples, U.S. Bank women, Spectrum LGBTQ, Proud to Serve: Military and Veterans, European Inclusion, and Disability employee groups, with chapters across the Company and membership available to all employees. These BRGs enable employees from a wide variety of backgrounds, identities and perspectives to connect in ways that empower them to contribute, innovate and grow. Through these BRGs, employees can come together to discuss topics of interest to them, develop professional skills and build overall employee engagement,
helping to create and sustain an inclusive workforce that drives business growth and propels accountability for diversity and inclusion within the Company.
These programs, practices and policies are part of the Company’s strategy to have an ethnically and gender diverse employee base. As of December 31, 2023, of the Company’s employees in the United States, 57 percent were women and 39 percent were people of color. As of December 31, 2023, 34 percent of the Company’s employees at the executive and senior management levels in the United States were women and 21 percent were people of color. In addition, as of December 31, 2023, of the Company’s 13 directors, 5 were women and 4 were people of color. All diversity information is based on information self-disclosed by the employee or director to the Company. To provide transparency on progress relating to its commitment to seek and promote diverse talent, the Company publicly discloses consolidated EEO-1 data on its website.
Equitable and Competitive Compensation, Health & Wellness Programs Maintaining competitive compensation and benefits practices is a continued focus for the Company, with periodic peer and benchmarking reviews used to assist with competitive alignment and employee retention. The Company remains committed to fair pay and continues to prioritize pay equity efforts. To further the Company’s efforts to provide fair and equitable compensation to its employees, the Company has processes to address any gender and racial pay inequities identified within its workforce. This work starts with fair hiring practices. The Company also has guidelines in place for both internal and external job postings to assist the Company’s leaders in making fair compensation decisions based on the demands and responsibilities of each role, candidate experience, and pay related to comparable internal positions. As part of the Company's efforts to enhance pay transparency, all open positions in the United States have a disclosed compensation range. The Company conducts periodic reviews of base pay of employee groups across gender and racial categories with the assistance of an independent third-party consultant. Should gender or race-based disparities in pay be identified, the Company adjusts compensation levels to eliminate those disparities. In the 2023 review, on average, employees of the Company in the United States who are women were paid greater than 99 percent of what their male counterparts were paid, and employees of the Company in the United States who are people of color were paid greater than 99 percent of what their white counterparts were paid, in each case taking into account several factors including comparable jobs, experience and location. The 2023 review excluded employees from the MUB acquisition who had not transitioned into the Company's pay structures.
The Company also provides its employees with comprehensive benefits programs, including competitive healthcare, retirement, leave, recognition, wellness, disability, life insurance, time-off, flexible work, and educational assistance programs, based on the Company’s recognition that such benefits are important to attract and retain employees. In addition to its competitive 401(k) matching program, the Company maintains an active cash balance pension program for its U.S. employees, including newly hired employees.
The Company continues to support flexible work programs with remote and in-person work arrangements, providing additional optionality and flexibility for most employees, which helps the Company attract and retain talent. The Company continues to adapt and evolve its flexible work programs as it recognizes the changes to employee and customer priorities and its customers’ and employees' changing needs.
Employee Engagement and Retention As part of its efforts to develop and retain skilled employees, the Company remains focused on monitoring employee engagement. The Company’s employee listening program enables the Company to collect quantitative and qualitative feedback from employees on an ongoing basis, which then supports and informs the Company on human capital strategies and decisions.
As part of its talent strategy, the Company strives to support continuous employee learning and development. The Company provides a number of talent development opportunities for employees to enhance skills that are critical in the current and future working environment and empowers employees to discover ways to thrive and grow their careers, which aligns with the Company’s Employment Value Proposition. For example, the Company’s learning programs include the Digital and Leadership Academies, which focus on digital and core leadership skill development. The Company continues to deploy cultural sensitivity and customer interaction training for its frontline employees that focuses on building skills to serve all the Company's customers with excellence. In addition, every employee is automatically included in the Company’s Development Network that provides all employees with opportunities to network, learn, develop leadership skills and contribute to the Company and its communities. Succession planning and talent development processes remain a top priority for the Company along with continuous improvements to its training and development programs. During 2023, employees completed over 3 million hours of training through the Company’s enterprise learning programs to better support their professional development and customer and business needs.
Human Capital Governance The Company’s Board of Directors oversees the Company’s human capital management. The Board’s Compensation and Human Resources Committee discharges the Board’s oversight responsibilities relating to the Company’s compensation programs and employee benefit plans, overseeing the Company’s human capital strategy and talent management program and employee diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Coordinating with the Compensation and Human Resources Committee, the Board’s Public Responsibility Committee also oversees the Company’s diversity, equity
and inclusion strategy. The Company’s Chief Human Resources Officer regularly reports to the Board’s Compensation and Human Resources Committee on human capital matters such as human resource practices and programs, including employee benefits and compensation programs. To promote accountability for the Company’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the Company’s Chief Diversity Officer reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer and serves as a member of its senior management team.
Competition
The financial services industry is highly competitive. The Company competes with other commercial banks, savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, finance companies, mortgage banking companies, credit unions, investment companies, credit card companies and a variety of other financial services, advisory and technology companies. The financial services industry continues to undergo rapid technological change with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services, including innovative ways that customers can make payments or manage their accounts, such as through the use of mobile payments, digital wallets or digital currencies. In recent years, competition has increased from institutions not subject to the same regulatory restrictions as domestic banks and bank holding companies, including by financial technology companies, or “fintechs,” which may offer bank-like products or services that compete directly with the Company’s products and services. Competition is based on a number of factors, including, among others, customer service, quality and range of products and services offered, price, reputation, interest rates on loans and deposits, lending limits and customer convenience, including the ability to address customer needs by using technology to provide products and services that customers want to adopt. The Company’s ability to continue to compete effectively also depends in large part on its ability to attract new employees and retain and motivate existing employees, while managing compensation and other costs. For additional information relating to how the Company attracts and retains employees, see “Human Capital” above.
Government Policies
The operations of the Company’s various businesses are affected by federal and state laws and legislative changes and by policies of various regulatory authorities of the numerous states in which they operate, the United States and foreign governments. These laws, rules and policies include, for example, statutory maximum legal lending rates, domestic monetary policies of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”), United States fiscal policy, international currency regulations and monetary policies and capital adequacy and liquidity constraints imposed by bank regulatory agencies.
Supervision and Regulation
U.S. Bancorp and its subsidiaries are subject to the extensive regulatory framework applicable to bank holding companies (“BHCs”) and their subsidiaries. This regulatory framework is intended primarily for the protection of depositors, the deposit insurance fund (the “DIF”) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”), consumers, the stability of the financial system in the United States, and the health of the national economy, and not for investors in the Company.
This section summarizes certain provisions of the principal laws and regulations applicable to the Company and its subsidiaries. The descriptions are not intended to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the statutes and regulations described below.
General As a BHC, the Company is subject to regulation under the BHC Act and to inspection, examination and supervision by the Federal Reserve. USBNA and its subsidiaries are subject to regulation, examination and supervision primarily by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) and also by the FDIC, the Federal Reserve, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”), the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) in certain areas.
Supervision and regulation by the responsible regulatory agencies generally include comprehensive annual reviews of all major aspects of the Company’s and USBNA’s business and condition, regular on-site examinations, and imposition of periodic reporting requirements and limitations on investments and certain types of activities. If an applicable regulatory agency deems the Company to be operating in a manner that is inconsistent with safe and sound banking practices, such agency can require the entry into informal or formal supervisory agreements, including board resolutions, memoranda of understanding, written agreements and consent or cease and desist orders, pursuant to which the Company would be required to take identified corrective actions to address cited concerns and to refrain from taking certain actions. Supervision and examinations are confidential, and the outcomes of these actions generally are not made public.
Banking and other financial services statutes, regulations and policies are continually under review by the United States Congress, state legislatures and federal and state regulatory agencies. In addition to laws and regulations, state and federal bank regulatory agencies may issue policy statements, interpretive letters and similar written guidance applicable to the
Company and its subsidiaries. Any change in the statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Company, including changes in their interpretation or implementation, could have a material effect on its business or organization.
As a BHC with over $100 billion in total consolidated assets, the Company is subject to the Dodd-Frank Act’s enhanced prudential standards, as applied to “Category III” institutions under the federal banking regulators’ rules that tailor how enhanced prudential standards apply to large U.S. banking organizations (the “Tailoring Rules”). The Tailoring Rules also apply certain enhanced prudential standards to its subsidiary depository institution, USBNA, as described in more detail below.
In connection with the Company’s acquisition of MUB, the Company committed (the “Federal Reserve Commitments”) to submit to the Federal Reserve quarterly implementation plans for complying with requirements applicable to “Category II” institutions (i.e., institutions with $700 billion or more in total assets or $75 billion or more in cross-jurisdictional activities). The Company also committed to meet requirements applicable to Category II institutions by the earlier of (i) the date required under the Tailoring Rules; and (ii) December 31, 2024, if the Federal Reserve notifies the Company by January 1, 2024, that the Company must comply with such rules. On October 16, 2023, the Federal Reserve granted the Company relief from both of these commitments. As a result, the Company will continue to be subject to the regulatory capital and liquidity requirements applicable to Category III institutions until otherwise required under the Tailoring Rules (i.e., until the Company’s total average consolidated assets for the then most recent four quarters equal $700 billion or more or the amount of the Company’s average cross-jurisdictional activities for the then most recent four quarters equals $75 billion or more).
Supervisory Ratings Federal banking regulators regularly examine the Company and its insured depository institution subsidiary, USBNA. Following those exams, the Company (under the Federal Reserve’s Large Financial Institution Rating System) and USBNA (under the CAMELS rating system) are assigned supervisory ratings. Disclosure of these ratings to third parties is not allowed without permission of the issuing regulator. A downgrade in these ratings could limit the Company’s ability to pursue acquisitions or conduct other expansionary activities for a period of time, require new or additional regulatory approvals before engaging in certain other business activities or investments, affect USBNA’s deposit insurance assessment rates, limit the Company's access to funding through government-sponsored liquidity programs, and impose additional recordkeeping and corporate governance requirements, as well as generally increase regulatory scrutiny of the Company.
BHC Activities The Company is a BHC under the BHC Act and has elected to be a financial holding company (“FHC”). BHCs that qualify and elect to be treated as FHCs may engage in, and affiliate with financial companies engaging in, a broader range of activities than would otherwise be permitted for a BHC.
If an FHC or a depository institution controlled by an FHC ceases to be well-capitalized or well-managed, the Federal Reserve may impose corrective capital and managerial requirements on the FHC and may place limitations on its ability to conduct all of the business activities that FHCs are generally permitted to conduct and its ability to make certain acquisitions. See “Permissible Business Activities” below. Disclosure of any failure to meet these standards is not allowed without permission of the Federal Reserve. If the failure to meet these standards persists, the FHC may be required to divest its depository institution subsidiaries or cease all activities other than those activities that may be conducted by BHCs that are not FHCs. In addition, if a depository institution controlled by an FHC does not receive a Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) rating of at least “satisfactory” at its most recent examination, the Federal Reserve will prohibit the FHC from conducting new business activities that FHCs are generally permitted to conduct and from making certain acquisitions.
The Federal Reserve also requires BHCs to meet certain applicable capital and management standards. Failure by the Company to meet these standards could limit the Company from engaging in any new activity or acquiring other companies without the prior approval of the Federal Reserve.
Permissible Business Activities As an FHC, the Company may affiliate with securities firms and insurance companies and engage in other activities that are financial in nature or incidental or complementary to activities that are financial in nature. “Financial in nature” activities include securities underwriting, dealing and market making; sponsoring mutual funds and investment companies; insurance underwriting and agency; merchant banking; and activities that the Federal Reserve, in consultation with the Secretary of the United States Treasury, determines to be financial in nature or incidental to such financial activity. “Complementary activities” are activities that the Federal Reserve determines upon application to be complementary to a financial activity and that do not pose a safety and soundness risk.
The Company generally is not required to obtain Federal Reserve approval to acquire a company engaged in activities that are financial in nature or incidental to activities that are financial in nature, as long as the Company meets the capital, managerial and CRA requirements to qualify as an FHC. However, the Company is required to receive approval for an acquisition in which the total consolidated assets to be acquired exceed $10 billion. FHCs are also required to obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve before they may acquire more than five percent of the voting shares or substantially all of the
assets of an unaffiliated BHC, bank or savings association. In addition, banks must receive approval before they may acquire, merge with, acquire substantially all of the assets of or assume any deposits of a bank or savings association and may be required to receive approval for acquisitions of other companies.
Interstate Banking A BHC may acquire banks in states other than its home state, subject to any state requirement that the bank has been organized and operating for a minimum period of time (not to exceed five years). Also, such an acquisition is not permitted if the BHC controls, prior to or following the proposed acquisition, more than 10 percent of the total amount of deposits of insured depository institutions nationwide or, if the acquisition is the BHC’s initial entry into the state, more than 30 percent of the deposits of insured depository institutions in the state (or any lesser or greater amount set by the state). Banks may merge across state lines to create interstate branches and are permitted to establish new branches in another state to the same extent as banks chartered by that state.
Regulatory Approval for Acquisitions In determining whether to approve a proposed bank acquisition, federal bank regulators will consider a number of factors, including the effect of the acquisition on competition, financial condition and future prospects (including current and projected capital ratios and levels); 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 (including the acquiring institution’s record of compliance under the CRA); the effectiveness of the acquiring institution in combating money laundering activities; and the extent to which the transaction would result in greater or more concentrated risks to the stability of the United States banking or financial system. In addition, approval of interstate transactions requires that the acquiror satisfy regulatory standards for well-capitalized and well-managed institutions.
Source of Strength The Company is required to act as a source of strength to USBNA, and to commit capital and financial resources to support USBNA in circumstances where the Company might not otherwise do so. Under these requirements, the Federal Reserve may in the future require the Company to provide financial assistance to USBNA, should it experience financial distress. Capital loans by the Company to USBNA would be subordinate in right of payment to deposits and certain other debts of USBNA.
OCC Heightened Standards USBNA is subject to the OCC’s guidelines establishing heightened standards for large national banks, which establish minimum standards for the design and implementation of a risk governance framework for banks. The OCC may take action against institutions that fail to meet these standards.
Enhanced Prudential Standards Under the Dodd-Frank Act, as modified by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act and the Tailoring Rules, large bank holding companies, such as the Company, are subject to certain enhanced prudential standards based on the banking organization’s size and certain “risk-based indicators.” The prudential standards include enhanced risk-based capital and leverage requirements, enhanced liquidity requirements, enhanced risk management and risk committee requirements, a requirement to submit a resolution plan, single-counterparty credit limits and stress tests. Certain of the enhanced prudential standards applicable to the Company are described below in further detail.
Dividend Restrictions The Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from its subsidiaries. Typically, the majority of the Company’s operating funds are received in the form of dividends paid to the Company by USBNA. Federal law imposes limitations on the payment of dividends by national banks. In general, dividends payable by USBNA and the Company’s trust bank subsidiaries, as national banking associations, are limited by rules that compare dividends to net income for periods defined by regulation.
The OCC, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC also have authority to prohibit or limit the payment of dividends by the banking organizations they supervise (including the Company and USBNA) if, in the banking regulator’s opinion, payment of a dividend would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice in light of the financial condition of the banking organization.
In addition, the Federal Reserve’s final rule implementing the stress capital buffer (“SCB”) provides that a BHC must receive prior approval for any dividend, stock repurchase or other capital distribution, other than a capital distribution on a newly issued capital instrument, if the BHC is required to resubmit its capital plan. The rule also provides that a BHC must resubmit its capital plan if, among other things, the BHC determines there has been or will be a material change in the BHC’s risk profile, financial condition, or corporate structure since the BHC last submitted its capital plan.
Capital Requirements The Company is subject to certain regulatory risk-based capital and leverage requirements under capital rules adopted by the Federal Reserve, and USBNA is subject to substantially similar rules adopted by the OCC. These rules implement the Basel Committee’s framework for strengthening the regulation, supervision and risk management of banks (“Basel III”), as well as certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. These quantitative calculations are minimums, and the Federal Reserve and OCC may determine that a banking organization, based on its size, complexity or risk profile, must maintain a higher level of capital in order to operate in a safe and sound manner.
Under the Tailoring Rules, the Company and USBNA are each currently subject to “Category III” standards, and are “standardized approach” banking organizations that are subject to rules that provide for simplified capital requirements relating to the threshold deductions for mortgage servicing assets, deferred tax assets arising from temporary differences that a banking organization could not realize through net operating loss carry backs, and investments in the capital of unconsolidated financial institutions, as well as the inclusion of minority interests in regulatory capital. Growth in total consolidated assets (including assets obtained in acquisitions) or cross-jurisdictional activity (as defined in the Tailoring Rules) could affect the Company’s continued classification as a “Category III” institution, which could result in the Company and its insured depository institution subsidiary becoming “advanced approaches” banking organizations, a requirement to recognize elements of accumulated other comprehensive income in regulatory capital, as well as other more stringent capital, liquidity, and other regulatory requirements.
Under the United States Basel III-based capital rules, the Company is subject to a minimum common equity tier 1 (“CET1”) capital ratio (CET1 capital to risk-weighted assets) of 4.5 percent, a minimum tier 1 capital ratio of 6.0 percent and a minimum total capital ratio of 8.0 percent. At December 31, 2023, the Company exceeded these minimum capital ratio requirements. The Company is also subject to the SCB, which is based on the results of the Federal Reserve’s supervisory stress tests and the Company’s planned common stock dividends, and, if deployed by the Federal Reserve, up to a 2.5 percent common equity tier 1 countercyclical capital buffer. These additional requirements must be satisfied entirely with capital that qualifies as CET1. Although the Federal Reserve has not to date raised the countercyclical capital buffer above zero percent, the countercyclical capital buffer could change in the future. The SCB generally is assigned on an annual basis and becomes effective on October 1 of each year, subject to a 2.5 percent floor, and may vary over time. As of December 31, 2023, the SCB applicable to the Company is 2.5 percent. If the Federal Reserve were to raise the countercyclical capital buffer, or if the SCB applicable to the Company were to exceed 2.5 percent, this would also change the effective minimum capital ratios to which the Company is subject. For USBNA, the buffer requirement consists of the static capital conservation buffer equal to 2.5 percent of risk-weighted assets.
Banking organizations that fail to meet the effective minimum ratios will be subject to constraints on capital distributions, including dividends and share repurchases, and certain discretionary executive compensation, with the severity of the constraints depending on the extent of the shortfall and “eligible retained income” (defined as the greater of (i) net income for the four preceding quarters, net of distributions and associated tax effects not reflected in net income; and (ii) the average of all net income over the preceding four quarters).
United States banking organizations are also subject to a minimum tier 1 leverage ratio of 4.0 percent. As a Category III banking organization, the Company is also subject to a minimum Supplementary Leverage Ratio (“SLR”) of 3.0 percent that takes into account both on-balance sheet and certain off-balance sheet exposures. At December 31, 2023, the Company exceeded the applicable minimum tier 1 leverage ratio and SLR requirements.
In July 2023, the U.S. federal bank regulatory authorities proposed a rule implementing the Basel Committee’s finalization of the post-crisis regulatory capital reforms, commonly referred to as “Basel III Endgame.” The proposal provides for a July 1, 2025 effective date, subject to a three-year transition period. The proposal would set stricter criteria for the use of internal models by replacing the market risk rule with the “Fundamental Review of the Trading Book,” and would introduce new standardized approaches for credit risk, operational risk and credit valuation adjustment risk, which would replace the current models-based approaches. In addition, under the proposed rule, also subject to a phase-in period, Category III banking institutions, such as the Company, would no longer be permitted to opt out of including certain components of accumulated other comprehensive income in regulatory capital, which would result in unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities being included in the calculation of the Company’s regulatory capital ratios. The Company continues to evaluate the potential effects of the proposed rule, and the effects on the Company will depend on the final form of any rulemaking. However, the Company expects that any final rule would result in the Company being required to maintain increased levels of regulatory capital.
In 2020, the United States federal banking agencies adopted a rule that allowed banking organizations, including the Company and USBNA, to elect to delay temporarily the estimated effects of adopting the current expected credit loss accounting standard (“CECL”) on regulatory capital until January 2022 and subsequently to phase in the effects through January 2025. Through the 2023 stress test cycle, the Federal Reserve has not yet incorporated CECL into the calculation of the allowance for credit losses in supervisory stress tests, and the Federal Reserve issued guidance in December 2023 to indicate that it will maintain the current framework for allowance for credit losses in the supervisory stress test through the 2024 stress test cycle. For further discussion of CECL, see Notes 1 and 6 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the 2023 Annual Report. The Company and USBNA elected to delay and subsequently phase in the regulatory capital impact of CECL in accordance with this rule.
For additional information regarding the Company’s regulatory capital, see “Capital Management” in the 2023 Annual Report.
Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review As required by the Federal Reserve’s Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (“CCAR”) rules, the Company submits a capital plan to the Federal Reserve on an annual basis. As part of the CCAR process, the Federal Reserve evaluates the Company’s plans to make capital distributions, including by repurchasing stock or making dividend payments, under a number of macroeconomic and Company-specific assumptions based on the Company’s and the Federal Reserve’s stress tests described under “Stress Testing” below. These capital plans consist of a number of mandatory elements, including an assessment of a company’s sources and uses of capital over a nine-quarter planning horizon assuming both expected and stressful conditions; a detailed description of a company’s process for assessing capital adequacy; and a demonstration of a company’s ability to maintain capital above each minimum regulatory capital ratio (without taking the buffers into account) under expected and stressful conditions.
Stress Testing The Federal Reserve’s CCAR framework and the Dodd-Frank Act stress testing framework require BHCs subject to Category III standards such as the Company to conduct an annual internal stress test in connection with its annual capital plan submission as well as biennial company-run stress tests, and subject such BHCs to annual supervisory stress tests conducted by the Federal Reserve. Among other things, the company-run stress tests employ stress scenarios developed by the Company as well as stress scenarios provided by the Federal Reserve and incorporate the Dodd-Frank Act capital actions (as opposed to the Company’s planned capital actions), which are intended to normalize capital distributions across large U.S. BHCs. The Federal Reserve conducts CCAR and Dodd-Frank Act supervisory stress tests employing stress scenarios and internal supervisory models and incorporates the Company’s planned capital actions and the Dodd-Frank Act capital actions, respectively, into its stress tests. The Federal Reserve and the Company are currently required to publish the results of the annual supervisory and biennial company-run stress tests, respectively, no later than June 30 of each applicable year. If the Company were to become a “Category II” institution for purposes of the Tailoring Rules, the Company would become subject to annual (rather than biennial) company-run stress tests.
Under the OCC’s rules, national banks with assets in excess of $250 billion, including USBNA, are required to submit company-run stress test results to the OCC concurrently with their parent BHC’s CCAR submission to the Federal Reserve. The stress test is based on the OCC’s stress scenarios (which are typically the same as the Federal Reserve’s stress scenarios) and capital actions that are appropriate for the economic conditions assumed in each scenario.
Basel III Liquidity Requirements As Category III banking organizations, the Company and USBNA are each subject to a minimum liquidity coverage ratio ("LCR") under the Tailoring Rules. The LCR is designed to ensure that BHCs have sufficient high-quality liquid assets to survive a significant liquidity stress event lasting for 30 calendar days. In addition, the Company and USBNA are subject to the net stable funding ratio ("NSFR") rule, which is designed to promote stable, longer-term funding of assets and business activities over a one-year time horizon. Under the Tailoring Rules and NSFR rule, the Company and USBNA, as Category III banking organizations with less than $75 billion of weighted short-term wholesale funding, qualify for reduced LCR and NSFR requirements calibrated at 85 percent of the full requirements. If the Company were to become a “Category II” institution for purposes of the Tailoring Rules, the Company would become subject to the full (100 percent) LCR and NSFR requirements, as well as daily (rather than monthly) liquidity reporting requirements.
Prompt Corrective Action The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act (“FDICIA”) provides a framework for regulation of depository institutions and their affiliates (including parent holding companies) by federal banking regulators. As part of that framework, the FDICIA requires the relevant federal banking regulator to take “prompt corrective action” with respect to an FDIC-insured depository institution, such as USBNA, if that institution does not meet certain capital adequacy standards. Supervisory actions by the appropriate federal banking regulator under the “prompt corrective action” rules generally depend upon an institution’s classification within five capital categories. An institution that fails to remain well-capitalized becomes subject to a series of restrictions that increase in severity as its capital condition weakens. Such restrictions may include a prohibition on capital distributions, restrictions on asset growth or restrictions on the ability to receive regulatory approval of applications. The FDICIA also provides for enhanced supervisory authority over undercapitalized institutions, including authority for the appointment of a conservator or receiver for the institution.
Prompt corrective action regulations apply only to banks and not to BHCs such as the Company. However, the Federal Reserve is authorized to take appropriate action at the BHC level, based on the undercapitalized status of the BHC’s subsidiary banking institutions. In certain instances, relating to an undercapitalized bank, the BHC would be required to guarantee the performance of the undercapitalized subsidiary’s capital restoration plan and could be liable for civil money damages for failure to fulfill those guarantee commitments.
Long-Term Debt Requirements In August 2023, the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC issued a proposed rule that would require, among other institutions, each Category III U.S. BHC, including the Company, and each insured depository institution with $100 billion or more in total consolidated assets that is a consolidated subsidiary of a Category III U.S. BHC, such as USBNA, to have minimum levels of outstanding long-term debt. The proposed rule is intended to improve the resolvability of the banking organizations covered by the rule. Under the proposed rule, covered banking organizations would be required to maintain long-term debt in an amount that is equal to the greater of (i) 6% of the organization’s risk-weighted
assets; (ii) 3.5% of the organization’s average total consolidated assets; and (iii) 2.5% of the organization’s total leverage exposure, if the organization is subject to the SLR rule. The requirement would be phased in over three years, with covered banking organizations being required to meet 25% of the requirement within one year after finalization of the rule, 50% after two years and 100% after three years. The Company continues to evaluate the potential effects of the proposed rule. Although any effects on the Company and USBNA will depend on the final form of any rulemaking, the Company expects that under any final rule, it and USBNA would be required to maintain substantially more long-term debt than it currently maintains.
Deposit Insurance The DIF provides insurance coverage for certain deposits, up to a standard maximum deposit insurance amount of $250,000 per depositor. Deposits at USBNA are insured up to the applicable limits. The DIF is funded through assessments on insured depository institutions, including USBNA, based on the risk each institution poses to the DIF. The FDIC may increase USBNA’s insurance premiums based on various factors, including the FDIC’s assessment of its risk profile.
In addition, large insured depository institutions, including USBNA, are subject to enhanced deposit account recordkeeping and related information technology system requirements meant to facilitate prompt payment of insured deposits if such an institution were to fail.
In October 2022, the FDIC finalized a rule to increase the initial base deposit insurance assessment rate schedules for all insured depository institutions by two basis points, beginning with the first quarterly assessment period of 2023. The increased assessment rate is intended to improve the likelihood that the DIF reserve ratio would reach the required minimum of 1.35 percent by the statutory deadline of September 30, 2028.
In November 2023, the FDIC released a final rule to impose a special assessment to recover the losses to the DIF resulting from failures of other banking institutions during 2023. The Company expects the special assessments will be tax deductible. As a result of this rule, in the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company recognized additional noninterest expense of $734 million for the FDIC special assessment.
Depositor Preference Under federal law, in the event of the liquidation or other resolution of an insured depository institution, the claims of a receiver of the institution for administrative expense and the claims of holders of domestic deposit liabilities have priority over the claims of other unsecured creditors of the institution, including holders of publicly issued senior or subordinated debt and depositors in non-domestic offices. As a result, those debtholders and depositors would be treated differently from, and could receive, if anything, substantially less than, the depositors in domestic offices of the depository institution.
Orderly Liquidation Authority Upon the insolvency of a BHC, such as the Company, the FDIC may be appointed as conservator or receiver of the BHC if the Secretary of the Treasury determines (upon the written recommendation of the FDIC and the Federal Reserve and after consultation with the President of the United States) that certain conditions set forth in the Dodd-Frank Act regarding the potential impact on financial stability of a financial company’s failure have been met. FDIC rules set forth a comprehensive method for the receivership of a covered financial company. Acting as a conservator or receiver, the FDIC would have broad powers to transfer any assets or liabilities of a BHC without the approval of its creditors.
Resolution Plans The Company is required by the Federal Reserve and the FDIC to submit a periodic plan for the rapid and orderly resolution of the Company and its significant legal entities in the event of future material financial distress or failure. If the Federal Reserve and the FDIC jointly determine that the resolution plan is not credible and such deficiencies are not cured in a timely manner, the regulators may jointly impose on the Company more stringent capital, leverage or liquidity requirements or restrictions on the Company’s growth, activities or operations. If the Company were to fail to address the deficiencies in its resolution plan when required, it could eventually be required to divest certain assets or operations. As a Category III banking organization, the Company is required to submit resolution plans on a triennial cycle (alternating between targeted and full submissions). The Company submitted its targeted resolution plan in December 2021 and is scheduled to file its next full resolution plan in July 2024. In addition, in connection with the MUB acquisition, the Company committed to the Federal Reserve that it would, within six months of completing the acquisition of MUB, provide the Federal Reserve and the FDIC with an interim update to its resolution plan. The Company submitted the update to its resolution plan within the required time period.
In August 2023, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC released proposed guidance for 2024 and subsequent resolution plan submissions that would apply to certain institutions including Category III institutions such as the Company. The guidance addresses the core elements of an organization's resolution strategy and is intended, among other things, to reduce inconsistencies in the amounts and types of information filed by different organizations. The guidance is also intended to reflect the regulators' experience with bank failures that occurred during 2023. The effects on the Company's resolution planning, including the timing of submission, will depend on the final form of any guidance.
USBNA is required to file periodically separate resolution plans with the FDIC that should enable the FDIC, as receiver, to resolve USBNA under applicable receivership provisions of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act in a manner that ensures that depositors receive access to their insured deposits within one business day of the institution’s failure, maximizes the net present value return from the sale or disposition of its assets and minimizes the amount of any loss to the institution’s creditors. In June 2021, the FDIC issued a Statement on Resolution Plans for Insured Depository Institutions (the “FDIC Statement”). Among other things, the FDIC Statement established a three-year filing cycle for banks with $100 billion or more in total assets and provided details regarding the content that filers will be expected to prepare. Under this filing cycle, USBNA submitted its most recent resolution plan to the FDIC in November 2022. In August 2023, the FDIC issued a proposed rule that would require insured depository institutions with $100 billion or more in total assets, such as USBNA, to submit biennial resolution plans that include a comprehensive strategy from the point of potential failure to liquidation, which would be required to ensure timely access to insured deposits, maximize value from the disposition of assets, minimize losses to creditors and address potential risks to the U.S. economy or financial stability. Under the proposed rule, USBNA would be required to file resolution plans biennially beginning in 2025. The effects of the proposed rule on USBNA, including the timing of submission, will depend on the final form of any rulemaking.
In addition, in connection with the approval by the OCC of the merger of MUB into USBNA, USBNA committed (the “OCC Commitments”) to the OCC that it would (i) develop a list of business lines and/or portfolios (each an “object of sale”) that could be sold quickly in the event of stress; and (ii) prepare a plan, including a timeline, to effectuate such separability, including through the establishment of “data rooms” for each object of sale. USBNA was required to submit these items to the OCC for a written determination of no supervisory objection within six months of consummation of the merger of MUB into USBNA. USBNA submitted all items within the required timeframe.
Recovery Plans The OCC has established enforceable guidelines for recovery planning by insured national banks with average total consolidated assets of $250 billion or more, including USBNA. The guidelines provide that a covered bank should develop and maintain a recovery plan that is appropriate for its individual risk profile, size, activities, and complexity, including the complexity of its organizational and legal entity structure. The guidelines state that a recovery plan should, among other elements, (i) establish triggers, which are quantitative or qualitative indicators of the risk or existence of severe stress that should always be escalated to management or the board of directors, as appropriate, for purposes of initiating a response; (ii) identify a wide range of credible options that a covered bank could undertake to restore financial and operational strength and viability; and (iii) address escalation procedures, management reports, and communication procedures. USBNA’s recovery plan was reviewed and approved pursuant to these guidelines in December 2023.
Transactions with Affiliates There are various legal restrictions on the extent to which the Company and its non-bank subsidiaries may borrow or otherwise engage in certain types of transactions with USBNA or its subsidiaries. Under the Federal Reserve Act and the Federal Reserve’s Regulation W, USBNA and its subsidiaries are subject to quantitative and qualitative limits on extensions of credit (including credit exposure arising from repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements, securities borrowing and derivative transactions), purchases of assets, and certain other transactions with the Company or its other non-bank subsidiaries and affiliates. Additionally, transactions between USBNA or its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the Company or its other non-bank subsidiaries and affiliates, on the other hand, are required to be on arm’s length terms. Transactions between USBNA and its affiliates and the Company and its other non-bank subsidiaries and its affiliates must be consistent with standards of safety and soundness.
Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions The Company is subject to several federal laws that are designed to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, and to restrict transactions with persons, companies, or foreign governments sanctioned by United States authorities. This category of laws includes the Bank Secrecy Act (the “BSA”), the Money Laundering Control Act, the USA PATRIOT Act (collectively, “AML laws”), and implementing regulations for the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act, as administered by the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“sanctions laws”).
As implemented by federal banking and securities regulators and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, AML laws obligate depository institutions and broker-dealers to verify their customers’ identity, verify the identity of beneficial owners of legal entity customers, conduct customer due diligence, report on suspicious activity, file reports of certain transactions in currency, and conduct enhanced due diligence on certain accounts. Sanctions laws prohibit United States persons and certain foreign affiliates from engaging in any transaction with a restricted person or restricted country. Depository institutions and broker-dealers are required by their respective federal regulators to maintain policies and procedures in order to ensure compliance with the above obligations. Federal regulators regularly examine BSA/Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) and sanctions compliance programs to ensure their adequacy and effectiveness, and the frequency and extent of such examinations and related remedial actions have been increasing.
In January 2021, the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (“AMLA”), which amends the BSA, was enacted. Among other things, the AMLA codified a risk-based approach to anti-money laundering compliance for financial institutions;
required the development of standards by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for evaluating technology and internal processes for BSA compliance; and expanded enforcement- and investigation-related authority, including a significant expansion in the available sanctions for certain BSA violations. Many of the statutory provisions in the AMLA will require additional rulemakings, reports and other measures, and the impact of the AMLA will depend on, among other things, rulemaking and implementation guidance. In June 2021, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, issued the priorities for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism policy required under the AMLA. The priorities include corruption, cybercrime, terrorist financing, fraud, transnational crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking and proliferation financing.
Community Reinvestment Act USBNA is subject to the provisions of the CRA. Under the terms of the CRA, banks have a continuing and affirmative obligation, consistent with safe and sound operation, to help meet the credit needs of their communities, including providing credit to individuals residing in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The OCC assesses USBNA on its record in meeting the credit needs of the community served by USBNA, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. CRA assessments also are considered by the Federal Reserve or OCC when reviewing applications by banking institutions to acquire, merge or consolidate with another banking institution or its holding company, to establish a new branch office that will accept deposits, or to relocate an office. In the case of a BHC applying for approval to acquire a bank or other BHC, the Federal Reserve will assess the CRA records of each subsidiary depository institution of the applicant BHC, and those records may be the basis for denying the application. USBNA received an “Outstanding” CRA rating in its most recent examination, covering the period from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2020. Prior to merging into USBNA, MUB received an “Outstanding” CRA rating in its most recent examination, covering the period from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2018.
In October 2023, the OCC, together with the Federal Reserve and FDIC, issued a final rule to modernize the CRA regulatory framework. The final rule is intended, among other things, to strengthen the achievement of the core purpose of the CRA, to adapt to changes in the banking industry, including the expanded role of mobile and online banking, and to tailor performance standards to account for differences in bank size and business models. The final rule tracks the proposed rule issued by the agencies in May 2022 and adjusts CRA evaluations based on bank size and type, with many of the changes applying only to banks with over $2 billion in assets and several applying only to banks with over $10 billion in assets, such as USBNA. The final rule introduces major changes to the CRA regulatory framework: (i) the delineation of assessment areas; (ii) the overall evaluation framework and performance standards and metrics; (iii) the definition of community development activities; and (iv) data collection and reporting. The final rule will become effective on April 1, 2024, but most provisions of the rule will not become applicable until January 1, 2026. The Company continues to evaluate the effect of the final rule on USBNA, and any effects may depend on further guidance from the regulators with respect to interpretive and implementation-related issues that may arise.
Regulation of Brokerage, Investment Advisory and Insurance Activities The Company conducts a broad range of securities activities, both retail and institutional, in the United States through U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc., PFM Fund Distributors, Inc. and U.S. Bancorp Advisors, LLC (collectively, “broker-dealer entities”). These activities are subject to regulations of the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and other authorities, including state regulators. These regulations generally cover licensing of securities personnel, interactions with customers and counterparties, trading operations, securities underwriting compensation and arrangements, customer suitability, recordkeeping, reporting and communications. Securities regulators impose capital requirements on the Company’s broker-dealer entities and conduct audits or other periodic reviews of their sales practice and financial operations. In addition, the Company’s broker-dealer entities are members of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, which oversees the liquidation of member broker-dealers that close when the broker-dealer is bankrupt or in financial distress and imposes membership fee assessments and other reporting requirements on the broker-dealer entities.
The operations of the First American family of funds, the Company’s proprietary money market fund complex, also are subject to regulation by the SEC, including rules requiring a floating net asset value for institutional prime and tax-free money market funds and permitting the board of directors of the money market funds the ability to limit redemptions during periods of stress (allowing for the use of liquidity fees and redemption gates during such times). In July 2023, the SEC finalized amendments to the rules that govern money market funds. These amendments will, among other things, increase liquidity requirements for money market funds by requiring funds to hold greater proportions of their total assets in securities that can be liquidated in one business day, and will require institutional prime and institutional tax-exempt money market funds to impose liquidity fees on investors that redeem their investments during times of stress.
The Company’s operations in the areas of insurance brokerage and reinsurance of credit life insurance are subject to regulation and supervision by various state insurance regulatory authorities, including the licensing of insurance brokers and agents.
Regulation of Derivatives and the Swaps Marketplace Under the Dodd-Frank Act, USBNA, as a CFTC registered swap dealer, is subject to rules regarding the regulation of the swaps marketplace and over-the-counter derivatives, including rules that require swap dealers and major swap participants to register with the CFTC, to meet robust business conduct standards to lower risk and promote market integrity, to meet certain recordkeeping and reporting requirements so that regulators can better monitor the markets, to centrally clear and trade swaps on regulated exchanges or execution facilities, and to be subject to certain capital and margin requirements. CFTC rules also require USBNA to be a member of the National Futures Association, a self-regulatory organization with authority over swap dealers.
In addition, the OCC’s rules concerning swap margin and capital requirements for swap dealers regulated by the OCC mandate the exchange of initial and variation margin for non-cleared swaps and non-cleared security-based swaps between swap entities regulated by five federal agencies and certain counterparties. The amount of margin will vary based on the relative risk of the non-cleared swap or non-cleared security-based swap. Other rules generally exempt inter-affiliate transactions from initial margin requirements to the extent a depository institution’s total exposure to all affiliates is less than 15 percent of its tier 1 capital.
The Volcker Rule Section 13 of the BHC Act and its implementing regulations, commonly referred to as the “Volcker Rule,” prohibit banking entities from engaging in proprietary trading, and prohibit certain interests in, or relationships with, hedge funds or private equity funds. The Volcker Rule applies to the Company, USBNA and their affiliates, and compliance requirements are tailored based on the size and scope of trading activities. The Company has a Volcker Rule compliance program in place that covers all of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including USBNA.
Privacy and Data Protection Federal and state laws contain extensive consumer privacy and data protection provisions. The Gramm Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) requires financial institutions to periodically disclose their privacy policies and practices relating to sharing nonpublic personal information and enables retail customers to opt out of the sharing of such information with nonaffiliated third parties under certain circumstances. Other federal and state laws and regulations impact the Company’s ability to share certain information with affiliates and non-affiliates for marketing and/or non-marketing purposes, or to contact customers with marketing offers. The GLBA also requires financial institutions to implement a comprehensive information security program. Security and privacy policies and procedures for the protection of personal and confidential information are in effect across all the Company’s businesses and geographic locations.
Data privacy and data protection are areas of increasing legislative focus in the United States, and several U.S. states have enacted comprehensive consumer privacy laws that impose compliance obligations with respect to personal information. The Company has made and will make operational adjustments in accordance with the requirements of applicable privacy and data protection laws. For example, the Company is subject to the California Consumer Protection Act of 2018 and its implementing regulations, as amended in 2020 by the California Privacy Rights Act (the "CCPA"), which provided residents of California with specific rights with respect to the collection of their personal information. The process of drafting and finalizing implementing regulations for the CCPA is ongoing. The Company continues to evaluate the new regulations, and the effects on the Company will depend on the form of any additional rulemakings.
Similar comprehensive consumer privacy laws have been adopted by other states where the Company does business. Each of these state laws, however, includes an entity level exemption for “financial institutions” that are subject to the GLBA like the Company. The United States Congress has also proposed legislation relating to data privacy and data protection, and the federal government may in the future pass such legislation.
In addition, in the European Union (“EU”), privacy law is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which is directly binding and applicable in each EU member state. The GDPR contains enhanced compliance obligations and increased penalties for non-compliance compared to the prior law governing data privacy in the EU and is regularly enforced by European regulators. Canada is in the process of replacing its federal privacy law, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, with a new privacy framework that the Company expects will impose additional compliance obligations on the Company’s Canadian operations.
In October 2023, the CFPB issued a proposed rule regarding personal financial data rights that would apply to financial institutions that offer consumer deposit accounts and credit card issuers. Under the proposed rule, USBNA would be required to provide consumers and their authorized third parties electronic access to 24 months of transaction data, certain account information, account balance, upcoming bill information, information to initiate payment to and from accounts, and the terms and conditions under which an account or credit card was provided. USBNA would be prohibited from imposing any fees or charges for maintaining or providing access to such data. USBNA would also be obligated to comply with data accuracy, retention and other requirements contained in the proposed rule. The Company continues to evaluate the proposed rule, and the impact on USBNA and the Company will depend on the final form of any rulemaking.
Like other lenders, USBNA and other subsidiaries of the Company use consumer reports in their underwriting activities. Use of such information is regulated under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), and the FCRA also regulates
reporting information to consumer reporting agencies, prescreening individuals for credit offers, sharing of consumer reports between affiliates, and using affiliate credit data for marketing purposes. Similar state laws may impose additional requirements on the Company and its subsidiaries. A significant overhaul of the FCRA is expected to be issued in the first half of 2024, which will impact USBNA and its subsidiaries.
The federal banking regulators, as well as the SEC, CFPB, CFTC, and related self-regulatory organizations, regularly issue guidance on cybersecurity that is intended to enhance cyber risk management among financial institutions. A financial institution’s management is required to maintain sufficient business continuity planning processes to ensure the rapid recovery, resumption and maintenance of the institution’s operations after a cybersecurity incident. A financial institution is also expected to develop appropriate processes to enable recovery of data and business operations if the institution or its critical service providers experience a cybersecurity incident.
In November 2021, the United States federal bank regulatory agencies adopted a rule regarding notification requirements for banking organizations related to significant computer-security incidents. Under the final rule, which was effective April 1, 2022, a banking organization, such as the Company and USBNA, is required to notify their primary federal regulator within 36 hours of a computer-security incident that results in actual harm to the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of an information system or the information that the system processes, stores or transmits, which has materially disrupted or degraded, or is reasonably likely to materially disrupt or degrade, the banking organization’s ability to deliver services to a material portion of its customer base, jeopardize the viability of key operations of the banking organization, or impact the stability of the financial sector. Similarly, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions in Canada requires Federally Regulated Financial Institutions to report qualifying technology and cybersecurity incidents under the provisions of the August 13, 2021 Technology and Cyber Security Incident Reporting Advisory.
Consumer Protection USBNA’s retail banking activities are subject to a variety of federal and state statutes and regulations designed to protect consumers. These laws and regulations require, among other things, disclosures of the cost of credit and terms of deposit accounts, provide substantive consumer rights, prohibit discrimination in credit transactions, regulate the use of credit report information, provide financial privacy protections, prohibit unfair, deceptive and abusive practices and subject USBNA to substantial regulatory oversight. Violations of applicable consumer protection laws can result in significant potential liability from litigation brought by customers, including actual damages, restitution and attorneys’ fees, and may also result in significant reputational harm. USBNA’s regulators may also seek to enforce consumer protection requirements and obtain these and other remedies, including regulatory sanctions and civil money penalties.
USBNA and its subsidiaries are subject to supervision and regulation by the CFPB with respect to federal consumer laws. The CFPB has undertaken numerous rule-making and other initiatives, including launching an initiative to reduce the amounts and types of fees financial institutions may charge, including by recently proposing a rule that would significantly reduce the permissible amount of credit card late fees, issuing informal guidance and taking enforcement actions against certain financial institutions. The CFPB’s rulemaking, examination and enforcement authority has affected and will continue to affect financial institutions that provide consumer financial products and services, including the Company, USBNA and the Company’s other subsidiaries. These regulatory activities may limit the types of financial services and products the Company may offer, which in turn may reduce the Company’s revenues.
Executive and Incentive Compensation Guidelines adopted by the federal banking agencies prohibit excessive compensation as an unsafe and unsound practice and describe compensation as “excessive” when the amounts paid are unreasonable or disproportionate to the services performed by an executive officer, employee, director or principal stockholder. The Federal Reserve has issued comprehensive guidance on incentive compensation policies (the “Incentive Compensation Guidance”) intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine safety and soundness organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The Incentive Compensation Guidance is based upon the key principles that a banking organization’s incentive compensation arrangements should (i) provide incentives that do not encourage risk-taking beyond the organization’s ability to effectively identify and manage risks; (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management; and (iii) be supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the organization’s board of directors. The Incentive Compensation Guidance states that enforcement actions may be taken against a banking organization if its incentive compensation arrangements or related risk-management control or governance processes pose a risk to the organization’s safety and soundness and the organization is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies.
During 2016, the federal bank regulatory agencies and the SEC proposed revised rules on incentive-based payment arrangements at specified regulated entities having at least $1 billion of total assets. These proposed rules have not been finalized.
In October 2022, the SEC adopted a final rule directing national securities exchanges and associations, including the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), to implement listing standards that require all listed companies to adopt policies mandating the recovery or “clawback” of excess incentive-based compensation earned by a current or former executive
officer during the three fiscal years preceding a required accounting restatement, including to correct an error that would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period. The excess compensation would be based on the amount the executive officer would have received had the incentive-based compensation been determined using the restated financial statements. The NYSE and other exchanges issued proposed standards in February 2023, which were approved by the SEC in June 2023. The final standards became effective on October 2, 2023 and the Company adopted a clawback policy within 60 days after the NYSE's listing standard became effective, in compliance with the NYSE's listing standard.
Climate-Related Financial Risk Management In October 2023, the United States federal banking agencies issued a set of principles relating to the management of climate-related financial risks. The principles apply to banking organizations with over $100 billion in total consolidated assets, including the Company and USBNA. The principles are intended to provide a framework for large banking organizations to guide their efforts to identify, measure, monitor, and mitigate physical and transition risks associated with climate change. Among other guidance, the principles describe how climate-related financial risks can be addressed in connection with specific risk categories, including credit risk, liquidity risk, operational risk, and legal and compliance risk.
Other Supervision and Regulation As a public company, the Company is subject to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder, as administered by the SEC. As a listed company on the NYSE, the Company is subject to the rules of the NYSE for listed companies.
Capital Covenants
The Company has entered into several transactions involving the issuance of capital securities (“Capital Securities”) by certain Delaware statutory trusts formed by the Company (the “Trusts”), the issuance by the Company of preferred stock (“Preferred Stock”) or the issuance by a subsidiary of USBNA of preferred stock exchangeable for the Company’s Preferred Stock under certain circumstances (“Exchangeable Preferred Stock”). Simultaneously with the closing of certain of those transactions, the Company entered into a replacement capital covenant, as amended from time to time (as amended, each, a “Replacement Capital Covenant” and collectively, the “Replacement Capital Covenants”) for the benefit of persons that buy, hold or sell a specified series of long-term indebtedness of the Company or USBNA (the “Covered Debt”). Each of the Replacement Capital Covenants provides that neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries (including any of the Trusts) will repay, redeem or purchase any of the Preferred Stock, Exchangeable Preferred Stock or the Capital Securities and the securities held by the Trust (the “Other Securities”), as applicable, on or before the date specified in the applicable Replacement Capital Covenant, unless the Company has received proceeds from the sale of qualifying securities that (a) have equity-like characteristics that are the same as, or more equity-like than, the applicable characteristics of the Preferred Stock, the Exchangeable Preferred Stock, the Capital Securities or Other Securities, as applicable, at the time of repayment, redemption or purchase, and (b) the Company has obtained the prior approval of the Federal Reserve, if such approval is then required by the Federal Reserve or, in the case of the Exchangeable Preferred Stock, the approval of the OCC.
The Company will provide a copy of any Replacement Capital Covenant to a holder of the relevant Covered Debt upon request. For copies of any of these documents, holders should write to Investor Relations, U.S. Bancorp, 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, or call (866) 775-9668.
The following table identifies the closing date for each transaction, issuer, series of Capital Securities, Preferred Stock or Exchangeable Preferred Stock issued in the relevant transaction, Other Securities, if any, and applicable Covered Debt as of February 20, 2024, for those securities that remain outstanding.
| Closing Date | Issuer | Capital Securities, Preferred Stock or Exchangeable Preferred Stock | Other Securities | Covered Debt | ||||||||||
| 3/17/06 | USB Capital IX and U.S. Bancorp | USB Capital IX’s $675,378,000 of 6.189% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Normal Income Trust Securities | U.S. Bancorp’s Series A Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock | U.S. Bancorp’s 7.50% Subordinated Debentures due 2026 (CUSIP No. 911596AL8) | ||||||||||
| 3/27/06 | U.S. Bancorp | U.S. Bancorp’s 40,000,000 Depositary Shares ($25 per Depositary Share) each representing a 1/1000th interest in a share of Series B Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock | Not Applicable | U.S. Bancorp’s 7.50% Subordinated Debentures due 2026 (CUSIP No. 911596AL8) | ||||||||||
| 12/22/06 | USB Realty Corp.(a) and U.S. Bancorp | USB Realty Corp.’s 4,500 shares of Fixed-to-Floating-Rate Exchangeable Non-Cumulative Perpetual Series A Preferred Stock exchangeable for shares of U.S. Bancorp’s Series C Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock(b) | Not Applicable | U.S. Bancorp’s 7.50% Subordinated Debentures due 2026 (CUSIP No. 911596AL8) |
(a) USB Realty Corp. is a subsidiary of USBNA.
(b) Under certain circumstances, upon the direction of the OCC, each share of USB Realty Corp.’s Series A Preferred Stock will be automatically exchanged for one share of U.S. Bancorp’s Series C Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock.
Available Information
U.S. Bancorp’s internet website can be found at www.usbank.com. U.S. Bancorp makes available free of charge on its website, by clicking on “About us” and then clicking on “Investor relations” and then clicking on "SEC & Other Filings," its annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as well as all other reports filed by U.S. Bancorp with the SEC as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.
Additional Information
Additional information in response to this Item 1 can be found in the 2023 Annual Report on pages 56 to 58 under the heading “Line of Business Financial Review.” That information is incorporated into this report by reference.
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