Company: ASB
Filing Date: 2025-02-12
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000007789-25-000013
Chunk: 187

Company: ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP
Filing Date: 2025-02-12
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 187
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 of legislative and regulatory changes and continued consolidation. In recent years, the OCC has accepted applications from financial technology companies to become special purpose national banks. These and similar developments at the state level are likely to result in even greater competition within all areas of our operations.

In addition, as customer preferences and expectations continue to evolve, technology has lowered barriers to entry and made it possible for nonbanks to offer products and services traditionally provided by banks, such as automatic transfer and automatic payment systems. In addition, some of the largest technology firms are engaging in joint ventures with the largest banks to provide and/or expand financial service offerings with a technological sophistication and breadth of marketing that smaller institutions do not have. Many of our competitors have fewer regulatory constraints and may have lower cost structures. Additionally, due to their size, many competitors may be able to achieve economies of scale and, as a result, may offer a broader range of products and services as well as better pricing for those products and services than we can.

Our ability to compete successfully depends on a number of factors, including, among other things:

•the ability to develop, maintain, and build upon long-term customer relationships based on top quality service, high ethical standards, and safe, sound assets;

•the ability to expand our market position;

•the scope, relevance, and pricing of products and services offered to meet customer needs and demands;

•the rate at which we introduce new products and services relative to our competitors;

•customer satisfaction with our level of service; and

•industry and general economic trends.

Failure to perform in any of these areas could significantly weaken our competitive position, which could adversely affect our growth and profitability, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Fiscal challenges facing the U.S. government could negatively impact financial markets which in turn could have an adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.

Federal budget deficit concerns and the potential for political conflict over legislation to fund U.S. government operations and raise the U.S. government’s debt limit may increase the possibility of a default by the U.S. government on its debt obligations, related credit-rating downgrades, or an economic recession in the United States. Many of our investment securities are issued by the U.S. government and government agencies and sponsored entities. As a result of uncertain domestic political conditions, 

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including potential future federal government shutdowns, the possibility of the federal government defaulting on its obligations for a period of time due to debt ceiling limitations or other unresolved political