Company: SFB
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-027702
Chunk: 70

Company: STIFEL FINANCIAL CORP
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 70
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 regulatory proceedings against financial institutions have historically increased. Litigation risks include potential liability under securities laws or other laws for alleged materially false or misleading statements made in connection with securities offerings and other transactions, issues related to our investment recommendations, including the suitability of such recommendations or potential concentration of investments, the inability to sell or redeem securities in a timely manner during adverse market conditions, contractual issues, employment claims, and potential liability for other advice we provide to participants in strategic transactions. Substantial legal liability could have a material adverse financial impact or cause us significant reputational harm, which, in turn, could seriously harm our business and future business prospects. 

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In addition to the foregoing financial costs and risks associated with potential liability, the costs of defending individual litigation and claims and/or regulatory matters continue to increase over time. The amount of attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with the defense of litigation and claims and/or regulatory matters could be substantial and might materially and adversely affect our results of operations. See “Item 3 – Legal Proceedings,” and Note 18 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements of this Form 10-K for additional information about legal matters.

The Basel III regulatory capital standards impose capital and other requirements on us that could negatively impact our profitability. The Fed and other federal banking regulators have implemented the global regulatory capital requirements of Basel III and certain requirements implemented by the Dodd-Frank Act. The U.S. Basel III Rules establish the quantity and quality of regulatory capital, set forth a capital conservation buffer, and define the calculation of risk-weighted assets. The capital requirements stipulated under the U.S. Basel III Rules could restrict our ability to grow during favorable market conditions or require us to raise additional capital. Revisions to the Basel III Rules could, when implemented in the U.S., negatively impact our regulatory capital ratio calculations or subject us to higher and more stringent capital and other regulatory requirements. As a result, our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects could be adversely affected. See “Item 1 – Business – Regulation” of this Form 10-K for additional information on the Basel III regulatory capital standards. 

Failure to comply with regulatory capital requirements primarily applicable to our company, our bank subsidiaries, or our broker-dealer subsidiaries would significantly harm our business. As discussed in “Item 1 – Business – Regulation” of this Form 10-K, our company and it bank subsidiaries are subject to capital requirements administered by various federal regulators in the U.S. and, accordingly, must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of our