Company: SFB
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-027702
Chunk: 62

Company: STIFEL FINANCIAL CORP
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 62
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 products, or services. The development and use of AI presents a number of risks and challenges. The legal and regulatory environment relating to AI is uncertain and rapidly evolving, which could require changes in our potential use and implementation of AI technology, limit our ability to integrate AI, and increase our compliance costs and the risk of non-compliance.

Additionally, we may integrate AI into our operations, technology, products, and services in the future. AI models may produce output or take action that is incorrect, infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, or is otherwise harmful. In addition, the complexity of AI models may make it challenging to understand why they generate particular outputs. There can be no assurance that any products or services that utilize AI will be successful or that we will keep pace with the rapid evolution of AI. Further, while we have policies governing the use of AI by our associates and third-party service providers, we cannot guarantee that they will follow such policies when using AI or that such policies will protect us from potential liability relating to our adoption or use of AI technologies. Additionally, others may use AI to increase the frequency and severity of cybersecurity attacks against us or our third-party service providers, which could adversely impact our business and results of operations.

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires the use of estimates that may vary from actual results, and new accounting standards could adversely affect future reported results. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the reporting period. Such estimates and assumptions may require management to make difficult, subjective, and complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain. One of our most critical estimates is our allowance for credit losses. At any given point in time, conditions in real estate and credit markets may increase the complexity and uncertainty involved in estimating the losses inherent in our loan portfolio. The recorded amount of liabilities related to legal and regulatory matters is also subject to significant management judgment. For either of these estimates, if management’s underlying assumptions and judgments prove to be inaccurate, our loss provisions could be insufficient to cover actual losses and our financial condition, including our liquidity and capital, and results of operations could be materially and adversely impacted.

Our accounting policies and methods are fundamental to how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) and