Company: MCHB
Filing Date: 2025-03-07
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001518715-25-000026
Chunk: 29

Company: Mechanics Bancorp
Filing Date: 2025-03-07
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 29
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, we are subject to various examinations by our regulators during the course of the year. Regulatory authorities who conduct these examinations have extensive discretion in their supervisory and enforcement activities, including the authority to restrict our operations and certain corporate actions. Administrative and judicial interpretations of the rules that apply to our business may change the way such rules are applied, which also increases our compliance risk if the interpretation differs from our understanding or prior practice. Moreover, an increasing amount of the regulatory authority that pertains to financial institutions is in the form of informal “guidance” such as handbooks, guidelines, examination manuals, field interpretations by regulators or similar provisions that could affect our business or require changes in our practices in the future even if they are not formally adopted as laws or regulations. Any such changes could adversely affect our cost of doing business and our financial position, results of operations and capital position.

In addition, changes in regulation of our industry have the potential to create higher costs of compliance, including short-term costs to meet new compliance standards, limit our ability to pursue business opportunities and increase our exposure to potential fines, penalties and litigation.

Significant legal claims or regulatory actions could subject us to substantial uninsured liabilities and reputational harm and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We are from time to time subject to legal claims or regulatory actions related to our operations. These legal claims or regulatory actions could include supervisory or enforcement actions by our regulators, criminal proceedings by prosecutorial authorities, claims by customers or by former and current employees, including class, collective and representative actions, or environmental lawsuits stemming from property that we may hold as OREO following a foreclosure action in the course of our business. Such actions are a substantial management distraction and could involve large monetary claims, including civil money penalties or fines imposed by government authorities and significant defense costs.

To mitigate the cost of some of these claims, we maintain insurance coverage in amounts and with deductibles that we believe are appropriate for our operations. However, our insurance coverage does not cover any civil monetary penalties or fines imposed by government authorities and may not cover all other claims that might be brought against us, including certain wage and hour class, collective and representative actions brought by customers, employees or former employees. In addition, such insurance coverage may not continue to be available to us at a reasonable cost or at all. As a result, we may be exposed to substantial uninsured liabilities, which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and capital position. Substantial legal liability or significant regulatory action