Company: WSBC
Filing Date: 2025-03-03
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-030795
Chunk: 136

Company: WESBANCO INC
Filing Date: 2025-03-03
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 136
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 the potential adverse effects of changes in interest rates on net interest income, primarily by altering the mix and maturity of loans, investments and funding sources. However, even with these policies in place, Wesbanco cannot be certain that changes in interest rates or the shape of the interest rate yield curve will not negatively impact its results of operations or financial position.  

In a period of declining rates with a relatively flat or inverted yield curve environment, Wesbanco’s cost of funds for banking operations may not decrease at the same pace as loan and investment yields. The cost of funds may also increase as a result of future general economic conditions, interest rates and competitive pressures. The Bank has traditionally obtained funds principally through deposits and borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB), correspondent banks, and other wholesale borrowing sources. As a general matter, deposits are a cheaper source of funds than borrowings because interest rates paid for deposits are typically less than interest rates charged for borrowings. If, as a result of general economic conditions, market interest rates, competitive pressures or higher deposit betas in relation to increases in federal funds rate increases, the value of deposits at the Bank decreases relative to its overall banking operations, the Bank may have to rely more heavily on borrowings as a source of funds in the future.

SIGNIFICANT DECLINES IN U.S. AND GLOBAL MARKETS COULD HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON WESBANCO’S EARNINGS.

The capital and credit markets could experience extreme disruption. These conditions result in less liquidity, greater volatility, widening of credit spreads and a lack of price transparency in certain asset types. In many cases, markets could exert downward pressure on stock prices, security prices and credit capacity for certain issuers without regard to those issuers’ underlying financial strength. Sustained weakness in business and economic conditions in any or all of the domestic or foreign financial markets could result in credit deterioration in investment securities held by us, rating agency downgrades for such securities or other market factors that (such as lack of liquidity for re-sales, absence of reliable pricing information or unanticipated changes in the competitive market) could result in us having to recognize other-than-temporary impairment in the value of such investment securities, with a corresponding charge against earnings. Furthermore, our pension assets are primarily invested in equity and debt securities, and weakness in capital and credit markets could result in deterioration of these assets, and changes in certain key pension assumptions based on current interest rates, long-term rates of return and other economic or actuarial assumptions