Company: FITBI
Filing Date: 2025-08-05
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0000035527-25-000171
Chunk: 50

Company: FIFTH THIRD BANCORP
Filing Date: 2025-08-05
Form: 10-Q
Item: Item 7
Chunk 50
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 begins with conservative lending practices which are described below. These practices include the use of intentional risk-based limits for single name exposures and counterparty selection criteria designed to reduce or eliminate exposure to borrowers who have higher than average default risk and defined weaknesses in financial performance. The Bancorp carefully designs and monitors underwriting, documentation and collection standards. The Bancorp’s credit risk management strategy also emphasizes diversification on a geographic, industry, product and customer level as well as ongoing portfolio monitoring and timely management reviews of large credit exposures and credits experiencing deterioration of credit quality. Credit officers with the authority to extend credit are delegated specific authority based on risk and exposure amount, the use of which is closely monitored. Underwriting activities are centrally managed, and Credit Risk Management manages the policy and the authority delegation process directly. The Credit Risk Review function provides independent and objective assessments of the quality of underwriting and documentation, the accuracy of risk ratings and the charge-off, nonaccrual and reserve analysis process. The Bancorp’s credit review process and overall assessment of the adequacy of the ACL is based on quarterly assessments of the estimated losses expected in the loan and lease portfolio. The Bancorp uses these assessments to maintain an adequate ACL and record any necessary charge-offs. Certain loans and leases with probable or observed credit weaknesses receive enhanced monitoring and undergo a periodic review. Refer to Note 6 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Bancorp’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 for further information on the Bancorp’s credit rating categories, which are derived from standard regulatory rating definitions. In addition, stress testing is performed on various commercial and consumer portfolios utilizing various models. For certain portfolios, such as real estate and leveraged lending, stress testing is performed at the individual loan level during credit underwriting.

In addition to the individual review of larger commercial loans that exhibit probable or observed credit weaknesses, the commercial credit review process includes the use of two risk rating systems. The first of these risk rating systems is based on regulatory guidance for credit risk rating systems. These ratings are used by the Bancorp to monitor and manage its credit risk. The Bancorp also separately maintains a dual risk rating system for credit approval and pricing, portfolio monitoring and capital allocation that includes a “through-the-cycle” rating philosophy for assessing a borrower’s creditworthiness. This “through-the-cycle” rating philosophy uses a grading scale that assigns ratings based on average default rates through an entire business cycle for borrowers with similar financial performance. The dual risk rating