Company: WAL-PA
Filing Date: 2025-02-25
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001212545-25-000090
Chunk: 128

Company: WESTERN ALLIANCE BANCORPORATION
Filing Date: 2025-02-25
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 7
Chunk 128
---
 fund; (2) certain risk-mitigating hedging activities; and (3) de minimis investments in covered funds. 

The EGRRCPA and subsequent promulgation of inter-agency final rules have aimed at simplifying and tailoring requirements related to the Volcker Rule, including by eliminating collection of certain metrics and reducing the compliance burdens associated with other metrics for banks with less than $20 billion in average trading assets and liabilities. In June 2020, the Federal Reserve and other regulatory agencies issued a final rule modifying the Volcker Rule’s prohibition on banking entities investing in or sponsoring covered funds by: (1) streamlining the covered funds portion of the rule; (2) addressing the extraterritorial treatment of certain foreign funds; and (3) permitting banking entities to offer financial services and engage in other activities that do not raise concerns the Volcker Rule was intended to address. The Company believes it is fully compliant with the Volcker Rule, including as modified by the EGRRCPA rule.

64

Dividends

The Company has paid regular quarterly dividends since the third quarter of 2019. Whether the Company continues to pay quarterly dividends and the amount of any such dividends will be at the discretion of WAL's BOD and will depend on the Company’s earnings, financial condition, results of operations, business prospects, capital requirements, regulatory restrictions, contractual restrictions, and other factors the BOD may deem relevant.

The Company’s ability to pay dividends is subject to the regulatory authority of the FRB. The supervisory concern of the FRB focuses on a bank holding company’s capital position, its ability to meet its financial obligations as they come due, and its capacity to act as a source of financial strength to its insured depository institution subsidiaries. In addition, FRB policy discourages the payment of dividends by a bank holding company that is not supported by current operating earnings.

As a Delaware corporation, the Company is also subject to limitations under Delaware law on the payment of dividends. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, dividends may only be paid out of surplus or out of net profits for the year in which the dividend is declared or the preceding year, and no dividends may be paid on common stock at any time during which the capital of outstanding preferred stock or preference stock exceeds the Company's net assets.

From time to time, the Company may become a party to financing agreements and other contractual obligations that have the effect of limiting or prohibiting the declaration or payment of dividends under certain circumstances. Holding