Company: SFBC
Filing Date: 2025-03-18
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001541119-25-000009
Chunk: 84

Company: Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-18
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 84
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 business, financial condition, and results of operations. 

Our current and future uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies may create additional risks.

The increasing adoption of AI in financial services presents significant opportunities but also introduces a range of risks that could impact our operations, regulatory compliance, and customer trust. AI introduces model risk, where flawed algorithms or biased data could result in inaccurate credit decisions, compliance violations, or discriminatory outcomes in lending or customer service. Cybersecurity threats, such as data breaches, adversarial attacks, and data poisoning, pose significant challenges, particularly as these systems handle large volumes of sensitive customer information. Additionally, the opaque nature of some AI models, often referred to as "black-box" systems, raises regulatory compliance concerns, as regulators increasingly require transparency and explainability in AI-driven decision-making.

Operational risks also arise from potential system failures, over-reliance on AI, and integration challenges with existing infrastructure. Disruptions in AI systems could impact critical functions such as fraud detection, transaction monitoring, and customer support. Ethical and reputational risks, including unintended consequences or perceived unfairness in AI-driven decisions, may erode customer trust and expose us to regulatory scrutiny.

Mitigating these risks requires a robust governance framework, regularly testing and auditing of AI models, and strong human oversight. Investments in cybersecurity, data privacy protections, and employee training are critical to managing these risks.

We continually encounter technological change, and we may have fewer resources than many of our competitors to invest in technological improvements.

The financial services industry is undergoing rapid technological changes with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. The effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial institutions to better serve customers and to reduce costs. Our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to address the needs of our clients by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy client demands for convenience, as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations. Many national vendors provide turn-key services to community banks, such as internet 

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banking and remote deposit capture that allow smaller banks to compete with institutions that have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements. We may not be able, however, to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services or be successful in marketing these products and services to our customers.

Our business may be adversely affected by an increasing prevalence of fraud and other financial crimes. 

As a financial institution, we face the risk of fraudulent activities perpetrated against us or our customers, potentially resulting in financial losses, increased operational costs, disclosure