EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 38009
Filing Year: 2025
Filename: 38009_10-K_2025_0000038009-25-000007.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. Business.
Overview
Ford Motor Credit Company LLC was incorporated in Delaware in 1959 and converted to a limited liability company in 2007. We are an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company (“Ford”). Our principal executive offices are located at One American Road, Dearborn, Michigan 48126, and our telephone number is (313) 322-3000.
Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are available free of charge through our website located at https://www.ford.com/finance/investor-center/. These reports can also be found on the SEC’s website located at www.sec.gov.
Our website and its content are not deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (“2024 Form 10-K Report” or “Report”) nor filed with the SEC.
Products and Services. We offer a wide variety of automotive financing products to and through automotive dealers throughout the world. The predominant share of our business consists of financing Ford and Lincoln vehicles and supporting the dealers of those brands. We earn our revenue primarily from:
•Payments made under retail installment sale and finance lease (retail financing) and operating lease contracts that we originate and purchase;
•Interest rate supplements and other support payments from Ford and affiliated companies; and
•Payments made under dealer financing programs.
As a result of our financing activities, we have a large portfolio of finance receivables and operating leases which we classify into two portfolios - “consumer” and “non-consumer.”
Finance receivables and operating leases in the consumer portfolio include products offered to individuals and businesses that finance the acquisition of Ford and Lincoln vehicles from dealers for personal and commercial use. Retail financing includes retail installment sale contracts for new and used vehicles and finance leases (comprised of sales-type and direct financing leases) for new vehicles to retail and commercial customers, including leasing companies, government entities, daily rental companies, and fleet customers.
Finance receivables in the non-consumer portfolio include products offered to automotive dealers and receivables related to Ford and its affiliates. We make wholesale loans to dealers to finance the purchase of vehicle inventory, also known as floorplan financing, as well as loans to dealers to finance working capital and improvements to dealership facilities, finance the purchase of dealership real estate, and finance other dealer vehicle programs. We also purchase receivables from Ford and its affiliates, primarily related to the sale of parts and accessories to dealers and certain used vehicles from daily rental fleet companies. In addition, we provide financing to Ford for vehicles that Ford leases to its employees.
We also service the finance receivables and operating leases we originate and purchase, make loans to Ford affiliates, and provide insurance services related to our financing programs.
Geographic Scope of Operations and Segment Information. We conduct our financing operations directly and indirectly through our subsidiaries and affiliates. We offer substantially similar products and services throughout many different regions, subject to local legal restrictions and market conditions. We segment our business based on geographic regions: the United States and Canada, Europe, and All Other. Items excluded in assessing segment performance because they are managed at the corporate level, i.e., market valuation adjustments to derivatives and exchange-rate fluctuations on foreign currency-denominated transactions, are reflected in Unallocated Other. For additional financial information regarding our operations by business segment and operations by geographic region, see Note 14 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
Item 1. Business (Continued)
United States and Canada Segment
Our United States and Canada segment represented 81% and 83% of total net receivables at year-end 2023 and 2024, respectively. Our United States operations accounted for 88% and 89% of the United States and Canada segment total net receivables at year-end 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Under the Ford Credit, Lincoln Automotive Financial Services, and Ford Pro FinSimple brand names, we provide financing services to and through dealers of Ford and Lincoln vehicles for personal and commercial use. Operations in some markets may also include joint ventures with local financial institutions and other third parties. In addition, other private label operations and alternative business arrangements exist in some markets.
Europe Segment
The Europe segment represented 15% and 14% of total net receivables at year-end 2023 and 2024, respectively. Our operations in Europe are managed primarily through a United Kingdom-based subsidiary, FCE Bank plc (“FCE”), and a Germany-based subsidiary, Ford Bank GmbH (“Ford Bank”), providing a variety of retail and dealer financing. FCE operates in the United Kingdom, and has active branches in France, Spain, and Ireland, as well as an operating subsidiary in Italy. The United Kingdom and Germany are our largest markets in Europe, representing 58% and 62% of Europe segment net receivables at year-end 2023 and 2024, respectively. Customers and dealers in Italy, France, and Spain were 35% of Europe segment net receivables at both year-end 2023 and 2024. FCE, through its Worldwide Trade Financing division, provides wholesale finance for vehicles and parts in about 60 countries. Typically, this includes direct markets where there is no National Sales Company but also in other markets where there is not a traditional Ford Credit financing solution. This represented 2% and 1% of Europe segment net receivables at year-end 2023 and 2024, respectively. In addition, other private label operations and alternative business arrangements exist in some markets. Affiliates in Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary have ceased originations.
All Other Segment
Our All Other segment includes operations in Mexico, China, and a joint venture in South Africa. We have ceased our operations in Brazil, Argentina, and India. This segment represented 4% and 3% of total net receivables at year-end 2023 and 2024, respectively. In addition, other private label operations and alternative business arrangements exist in some markets.
Dependence on Ford
The predominant share of our business consists of financing Ford and Lincoln vehicles and supporting Ford and Lincoln dealers. Any extended reduction or suspension of Ford’s production or sale of vehicles due to a decline in consumer demand, work stoppage, governmental action, negative publicity, or other event, or significant changes to marketing programs sponsored by Ford, would have an adverse effect on our business. Additional information about Ford’s business, operations, production, sales, and risks can be found in Ford’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (“Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report”), filed separately with the SEC.
Ford has sponsored special financing programs available only through Ford Credit. Under these programs, Ford makes interest supplements or other support payments to Ford Credit. These programs increase our financing volume and share of financing sales and operating leases of Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Similar programs may be offered in the future. For additional information regarding interest supplements and other support costs received from affiliated companies, see Notes 4 and 5 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
Item 1. Business (Continued)
Competition
The automotive financing business is highly competitive, due in part to credit aggregation systems that permit dealers to send credit applications to multiple finance sources to evaluate financing options offered by these finance sources. Our principal competitors are:
•Banks;
•Independent finance companies;
•Credit unions;
•Leasing companies; and
•Other automobile manufacturers’ affiliated finance companies.
We compete mainly on the basis of service and financing rate programs, including those sponsored by Ford. A key foundation of our service is providing broad and consistent purchasing policies for retail financing and operating lease contracts, and consistent support for dealer financing requirements across economic cycles. These policies have helped us build strong relationships with Ford’s dealer network that enhance our competitiveness. Our ability to provide competitive financing rates depends on effectively and efficiently originating, purchasing, funding, and servicing our receivables, and efficiently accessing the capital markets. We routinely monitor the capital markets and develop funding plans to optimize our competitive position. Ford-sponsored special financing programs available only through us give us a competitive advantage in providing financing to Ford dealers and their customers.
Seasonal Variations
As a finance company, we own and manage a large portfolio of receivables that are generated throughout the year and are collected over a number of years, primarily in fixed monthly payments. As a result, our overall financing revenues do not exhibit seasonal variations.
Consumer Financing
Overview and Purchasing Process
We provide financing services to customers for personal and commercial use through automotive dealers that have established relationships with us. Our primary business consists of originating and purchasing retail financing and operating lease contracts for new and used vehicles from Ford and Lincoln dealers. We report in our financial statements the receivables from customers under retail financing contracts as finance receivables. We report in our financial statements most of our retail leases as net investment in operating leases with the capitalized cost of the vehicles recorded as depreciable assets.
In general, we purchase from dealers retail financing and operating lease contracts that meet our purchase standards. These contracts primarily relate to the purchase or lease of new vehicles, but some are for used vehicles. Dealers typically submit customer applications electronically. We automatically obtain information on the applicant including a credit bureau score, if available. We use a proprietary scoring system that measures credit quality using information from sources including the credit application, proposed contract terms, credit bureau data, and other information. After a proprietary risk score is generated, we decide whether to purchase a contract using a decision process based on a judgmental evaluation of the applicant, the credit application, the proposed contract terms, credit bureau information (e.g., FICO score), proprietary risk score, and other information. Our evaluation emphasizes the applicant’s ability to pay and creditworthiness focusing on payment, affordability, applicant credit history, collateral, and stability as key considerations. Purchase decisions are made within a framework of Ford Credit’s purchase quality and risk factor guidelines. Credit applications are typically evaluated first by our electronic decisioning process, which may approve or reject applications, and in some cases provide an alternative funding structure.
Retail Financing
The amount we pay for a retail installment sale contract is based on a negotiated vehicle purchase price agreed to between the dealer and the retail customer, less vehicle trade-in allowance or down payment from the customer and special marketing cash payments offered by Ford Credit and Ford, plus any additional products, such as insurance and extended service plans, that are included in the contract. The net purchase price owed by the customer typically is paid over a specified number of months with interest at a fixed rate.
Item 1. Business (Continued)
We offer a variety of retail installment sale financing products. The average original term of our retail installment sale contracts in the United States was 63 months and 65 months for contracts purchased in 2023 and 2024, respectively. A small portion of our retail installment sale contracts have non-uniform payment periods and payment amounts to accommodate special cash flow situations.
In most markets, we hold a security interest in the vehicles purchased through retail installment sale contracts. This security interest provides us certain rights and protections. As a result, if our collection efforts fail to bring a delinquent customer’s payments current, we generally can repossess the customer’s vehicle, after satisfying local legal requirements, and sell it at auction. The customer typically remains liable for any deficiency between net auction proceeds and the defaulted contract obligations, including any repossession-related expenses. We generally require retail customers to carry fire, theft, and collision insurance on financed vehicles.
We offer vehicle-financing programs to retail and commercial customers including leasing companies, government entities, daily rental companies, and fleet customers through sales-type and direct financing leases. These financings primarily include lease plans for terms of 24 to 60 months. We hold a security interest in financed vehicles in almost all instances. At the end of the finance term, a lease customer may be required to pay any shortfall between the fair market value and the specified end of term value of the vehicle. If the fair market value of the vehicle at the end of the finance term exceeds the specified end of term value, the lease customer may be paid the excess amount. These financings are included in our consumer segment and reported as retail financing. We also offer a retail balloon product under which the retail customer may finance a vehicle with an installment sale contract with a series of monthly payments followed by paying the amount remaining in a single balloon payment. The customer can satisfy the balloon payment obligation by payment in full of the amount owed, by refinancing the amount owed, or by returning the vehicle and paying any contractually agreed additional charges for excess mileage or excess wear and use. We generally sell vehicles returned to us to Ford and non-Ford dealers through auctions.
Net Investment in Operating Leases
We offer leasing plans to retail customers through our dealers. Our highest volume retail-leasing plan is called Red Carpet Lease, which is offered in the United States and Canada through dealers of Ford and Lincoln brands. Under these plans, dealers originate the leases and offer them to us for purchase. Upon our purchase of a lease, we take ownership of the lease and title to the leased vehicle from the dealer. After we purchase a lease from a dealer, the dealer generally has no further obligation to us in connection with the lease. The customer is responsible for properly maintaining the vehicle and is obligated to pay for excess wear and use as well as excess mileage, if any. At the end of the lease, the customer has the option to purchase the vehicle for the price specified in the lease contract, if applicable, or otherwise must return the vehicle to the dealer. If the customer returns the vehicle, we may elect to sell it to the dealer. We generally sell vehicles returned to us to Ford and non-Ford dealers through auctions.
The amount we pay to a dealer for a lease, also called the acquisition cost, is based on the negotiated vehicle price agreed to between the dealer and the retail customer, less any vehicle trade-in allowance or down payment from the customer and special marketing cash payments offered by Ford Credit and Ford, plus any additional products, such as insurance and extended service plans, that are included in the contract. The customer makes monthly lease payments based on the purchase price less the contractual residual value of the vehicle, plus lease charges. Some of our lease programs, such as our Red Carpet Lease Advance Payment Plan, provide certain pricing advantages to customers who make all or some monthly payments at lease inception or purchase refundable higher mileage allowances. We generally require lease customers to carry fire, theft, liability, and collision insurance on leased vehicles. In the case of a contract default and repossession, the customer typically remains liable for any deficiency between net auction proceeds and the defaulted contract obligations, including any repossession-related expenses.
In the United States, operating lease terms for new vehicles range primarily from 24 to 48 months. The average original lease term for contracts purchased was 34 months and 35 months for 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Item 1. Business (Continued)
Non-Consumer Financing
Overview
We extend credit to franchised dealers selling Ford and Lincoln vehicles primarily in the form of approved lines of credit to purchase new and used vehicles. Each lending request is evaluated, taking into consideration the borrower’s financial condition, supporting security, and numerous other financial and qualitative factors. Generally, receivables are secured by the related vehicle or the related property and may also be secured by other dealer assets. Asset verification processes are in place and generally include physical audits of vehicle inventories with increased audit frequency for higher-risk dealers.
Dealer Financing
Wholesale Financing. We offer a wholesale financing program for qualifying dealers to finance new and used vehicles held in inventory (also known as floorplan financing). We generally finance the vehicle’s wholesale invoice price for new vehicles and up to 100% of the dealer’s purchase price for used vehicles. Dealers generally pay a floating interest rate on wholesale loans. In the United States, the average new wholesale receivable, excluding the time the vehicle was in transit from the assembly plant to the dealership, was outstanding for 73 days in 2024 compared with 54 days in 2023, due to increased dealer inventory levels. Our wholesale financing program includes financing of large multi-brand dealer groups.
When a dealer uses our wholesale financing program to purchase vehicles, we obtain a security interest in the vehicles and, in many instances, other assets of the dealer. In the United States and Canada, our wholly owned subsidiary, The American Road Insurance Company (“TARIC”), generally provides insurance for vehicle damage and theft of vehicles held in dealer inventory that are financed by us.
Dealer Loans. We make loans to dealers to finance the purchase of dealership real estate, make improvements to dealership facilities, and provide working capital. These loans are typically secured by mortgages on dealership real estate and/or by security interests in other dealership assets. In addition, these loans are generally supported by personal guarantees from the individual owners of the dealership.
Other Dealer Financing. We also provide financing to qualified dealers for vehicles to be utilized for service replacement and retail rental use. In addition, we provide financing to qualified daily rental companies for new and used vehicles used in their operations.
Other Financing
We also purchase receivables from Ford and its affiliates, primarily related to the sale of parts and accessories to dealers and certain used vehicles from daily rental fleet companies. In addition, we provide financing to Ford for vehicles that Ford leases to its employees. These receivables are excluded from our credit quality reporting since the performance of this group of receivables is generally guaranteed by Ford.
Marketing and Special Programs
We market our financing products and services to automotive dealers and customers. We demonstrate to dealers the value of a business relationship with us by supporting them to achieve their sales and loyalty objectives. We advocate for exceptional customer experiences, assisting with training and support that drives a consistent sales process. Our marketing strategy is based on our belief that we can better assist customers and dealers by being a responsible lender who understands their wants and needs. We are knowledgeable automotive and financial professionals offering dealers personal attention and interaction. We demonstrate our commitment to dealer relationships by offering marketing support materials, performance consulting, and performance reporting and analysis. We aspire to provide a full range of automotive financing products coupled with consistent and personalized support to help dealers achieve their goals. We promote increased dealer transactions using a number of programs globally, such as incentives, bonuses, contests, and selected program and rate adjustments.
Item 1. Business (Continued)
We promote our retail financing products primarily through credit offers to prospective customers, point-of-sale information, and ongoing communications with existing customers. Our communications to these customers promote the advantages of our financing products, the availability of special plans and programs, and the benefits of affiliated products, such as extended warranties, service plans, insurance coverage, gap protection, and excess wear and use waivers. We also emphasize the quality of our customer service and the ease of making payments and transacting business with us. Through our website (www.ford.com/finance) and our Ford Credit Mobile application, we offer industry-leading account management services that allow customers to explore financing options, seamlessly set up and manage loan and lease payments, proactively stay up-to-date on their accounts, and request support all via self-service.
We also market our non-consumer financing services with a specialized group of employees who make direct sales calls on dealers and, often at the request of such dealers, on potential high-volume commercial customers. This group also uses various materials to explain our flexible programs and services specifically directed at the needs of commercial and fleet vehicle customers.
Servicing
Consumer Financing
After we purchase retail financing contracts and operating leases, we manage the contracts during their contract terms. This management process is called servicing. We service the finance receivables and operating leases we originate and purchase. Our servicing duties include the following:
•Applying monthly payments from customers;
•Maintaining a security interest in the financed vehicle;
•Providing billing statements to customers;
•Responding to customer inquiries;
•Releasing our security interest on paid-off finance contracts;
•Contacting delinquent customers for payment;
•Arranging for the repossession of vehicles; and
•Selling repossessed and returned vehicles.
Customer Payment Operations. Customers may make payments through electronic payment services, a direct debit program, a telephonic payment system, or by mailing checks to a bank for deposit in a lockbox account.
Collections. We design our collection strategies and procedures to keep accounts current and to collect on delinquent accounts. We employ a combination of proprietary and non-proprietary tools to assess the probability and severity of default for all of our finance receivables and operating leases and implement our collection efforts based on our determination of the credit risk associated with each customer. As each customer develops a payment history, we use an internally developed behavioral scoring model to assist in determining the best collection strategies. Based on data from this scoring model, contracts are categorized by collection risk. In the United States, our centralized collection operations are supported by auto-dialing technology and proprietary collection and workflow operating systems. Through our auto-dialer program and our monitoring and call log systems, we target our efforts on contacting customers about missed payments and developing satisfactory solutions to bring accounts current.
Supplier Operations. We engage vendors to perform some of our servicing processes. These processes include depositing monthly payments from customers, monitoring, processing, and storing documents and certificates of title that reflect the perfection of security interests and ownership in financed and leased vehicles, imaging of contracts and electronic data file maintenance, storing and processing paper and electronic contracts, generating and sending billing statements and other written communications to customers, providing telephonic payment systems for retail customers, handling of some inbound and outbound collections calls, bankrupt account handling, and recovering deficiencies for selected accounts.
Payment Extensions. A payment extension defers one or more past due payments and moves the scheduled maturity date by the number of months extended. Our guidelines for offering a payment extension generally require that the customer’s payment problem is temporary, the customer has an income source for making the next payment, and the customer has made at least one payment since the contract’s origination. Payment extensions are reviewed regularly by our servicing managers. When allowed by state law, we usually collect a fee on extensions.
Item 1. Business (Continued)
Repossessions and Off-Lease Vehicles. We view repossession of a financed or leased vehicle as a final step that we undertake only after all other collection efforts have failed. Our United States and Canada systems also employ a web-based network of outside contractors who support the repossession process. In all of our markets, we sell repossessed vehicles and apply the proceeds to the amount owed on the customer’s account. We continue to attempt collection of any deficient amounts until the account is paid in full, we obtain mutually satisfactory payment arrangements with the debtor, or we determine that the account is uncollectible. Repossessed vehicles are reported in Other assets on our balance sheets at the lower of their carrying value or values that approximate expected net auction proceeds.
We manage the sale of returned leased vehicles and repossessed vehicles. We inspect and recondition the vehicle to maximize the net auction value of the vehicle. Vehicles are predominantly sold through an online auction, closed auctions in which only Ford and Lincoln dealers may participate, or at open auctions in which any licensed dealer can participate.
Non-Consumer Financing
In the United States and Canada, we require dealers to submit monthly financial statements that we monitor for potential credit deterioration. We assign an evaluation rating to each dealer, which, among other things, determines the frequency of physical audits of vehicle inventory. We electronically audit vehicle inventory utilizing integrated systems allowing us to access information from Ford reported sales. We monitor dealer inventory financing payoffs to detect deviations from typical repayment patterns and take appropriate actions. If a dealer fails to make principal or interest payments when due and remediation steps are unsuccessful, we will classify the dealer as “status” and may take one or more of the following actions: demand payment of all or a portion of the related receivables; suspend the dealer’s credit lines; place Ford Credit employees or security personnel at the dealership; secure the dealer’s inventory; require certified funds for all vehicles sold by the dealer; initiate legal actions to exercise rights under the floorplan financing agreement; or increase the dealer’s floorplan interest rate. If a loss appears imminent, we will attempt to redistribute new vehicle inventory, liquidate all remaining collateral, enforce any third-party guarantees, and charge off any remaining amounts as uncollectible.
We also provide financing to fleet purchasers, leasing companies, daily rental companies, and other commercial customers. We generally review our exposure under these credit arrangements at least annually.
In addition, we may service wholesale receivables that have been sold to third parties or wholesale receivables that are originated by a third party.
Outside of the United States and Canada, non-consumer financing is managed by the respective regional offices, executed within the local markets, and similar risk management principles are applied.
Insurance
We conduct insurance underwriting operations primarily through TARIC in the United States and Canada. TARIC offers a variety of products and services, including:
•Physical damage insurance coverage for Ford Credit financed vehicles at dealer locations;
•Physical damage insurance coverage for non-affiliated company financed vehicles, serviced by Ford Credit, at dealer locations;
•Physical damage insurance coverage for Ford and Lincoln vehicles in transit between final assembly plants and dealer locations;
•Contractual liability insurance on extended service contracts for Ford and its affiliates; and
•Commercial automobile insurance for Ford and third parties and general liability insurance and surety bonds for Ford in the United States.
TARIC invests premiums, other revenue, and its capital and surplus to fund future claims, and has established investment guidelines and strategies to reflect its risk tolerance, regulatory requirements, and rating agency considerations, among other factors. TARIC is rated by A.M. Best Company on its financial strength and issuer credit rating. Since 2012, TARIC’s rating has been “A” (Excellent) for its financial strength and “a” (Excellent) on its issuer credit rating and has a “stable” outlook.
We also offer various Ford-branded insurance products throughout the world underwritten by non-affiliated insurance companies from which we receive fee income, but the underwriting risk remains with the non-affiliated insurance companies. Premiums from our insurance business generated 1% of our total revenue in both 2023 and 2024.
Item 1. Business (Continued)
Human Capital Resources
People Strategy and Governance
We strive to create an employee experience that enables an inclusive environment of excellence, focus, and collaboration among team members, allowing us to deliver short- and long-term business success. Our ultimate parent, Ford Motor Company, maintains an Executive People Forum consisting of the Chief Executive Officer and top leadership team that meets monthly with a specific focus on people and organizational topics that will enable and accelerate delivery of the Ford+ plan. Key topic areas include Compensation & Retention; Organization Design; Talent Planning & Development; and Inclusion and Culture.
Ford’s Board of Directors and Board committees provide important oversight on human capital matters, including items discussed at the Executive People Forum. The Compensation, Talent and Culture Committee maintains responsibility to review, discuss, and set strategic direction for various people-related business strategies, including: compensation and benefit programs, leadership succession planning, inclusive culture, and talent development programs. The Sustainability, Innovation and Policy Committee is responsible for discussing and advising management on maintaining and improving sustainability strategies, the implementation of which creates value consistent with the long-term preservation and enhancement of shareholder value and social wellbeing, including human rights, working conditions, and responsible sourcing. Collective recommendations to the Board and its committees are an important part of how we proactively manage our human capital and create an employee experience that allows employees and our organization to thrive.
Employee Health and Safety
Nothing is more important than the health, safety, and wellbeing of our employees, and we consistently strive to achieve world-class levels of safety, through the application of sound policies and best practices. We maintain a robust safety culture designed to reduce workplace injuries, supported by effective communication, reporting, and external benchmarking.
Building a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace
At Ford and Ford Credit, we are committed to supporting and sustaining a respectful and inclusive workplace for all employees. We believe this empowers every person to do their best work and ultimately achieve the Ford+ plan. We actively recruit and hire the best talent and are proud that our workforce is made up of people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences so we can deliver the best products and services for our customers around the world.
We offer 10 global Employee Resource Groups (“ERGs”) that represent various dimensions of our employee population, including race, ethnicity, gender, religion, LGBTQ+, disability, veterans, and generation with chapters throughout the world. All ERGs are open to all employees and are instrumental in providing a voice to our global workforce, while also providing valuable insights into the employee experience and product and service development.
Ford and Ford Credit work to strengthen collaboration across their organizations by embedding inclusion in the leadership behaviors that support the Ford operating system. We also leverage the benefit of diversity by listening to the voices of our employees and stakeholders, which strengthen our workplace, systems, and offerings and ultimately drive value for the business.
Talent Attraction, Growth and Capability Assessment
Talent attraction at Ford and Ford Credit is evolving with the transformation of our business. We are sourcing and attracting candidates from multiple industries, including financial services, technology, product, sales, and finance, and regions of the world.
From a capability perspective, we leverage best practices in assessments and talent management to strengthen our current capabilities and future pipeline while reinforcing a culture of excellence, focus, and collaboration. The performance management process is reviewed regularly to ensure we set clear expectations, measure individual performance, and reward appropriately. Our process includes a semi-annual review of each individual’s performance to objectives and demonstration of expected behaviors of excellence, focus, and collaboration.
Item 1. Business (Continued)
Finally, the extent to which our People Leaders are equipped to drive our transformation plays a vital role in our strategy, and we are committed to helping our leaders strengthen their capabilities with dedicated traditional and non-traditional learning opportunities. Our leadership strategy equips our leaders with the capabilities to deliver business results and grow the talent needed to meet our organizational needs.
Competitive Benefit Programs
We provide employees with a competitive, comprehensive and flexible set of benefits and resources to support their financial, social, mental/emotional, physical, and professional health. Our comprehensive global benefits programs are designed to attract and retain top talent worldwide. These programs include a wide range of resources and solutions to educate, empower, and support individual and organizational goals while being tailored to local regulations and employee needs across our diverse global workforce, This comprehensive approach is integral to our total rewards strategy, addressing business and employee challenges through a multi-channel approach that provides diverse populations and global regions with flexible options to meet their specific goals.
We use data-driven insights gathered through surveys, focus groups, and claims data to understand employee challenges and prioritize our programs and resources. Our benefits are regularly reviewed and adjusted to remain competitive within our respective markets and reflect evolving employee expectations. We are committed to creating an environment where employees and People Leaders care for each other as we deliver Ford+.
Employee Sentiment Strategy
We gather feedback from our employees through a variety of channels throughout the year. Our approach is designed to capture sentiment and make it actionable for managers, leadership, and for the teams designing the tools, processes, and policies that impact the employee experience. We use a mix of annual and real-time surveys designed to understand employee sentiment in areas such as: people leader effectiveness, job satisfaction, inclusion, wellbeing, overall satisfaction, strategy and execution, and Ford Operating System behaviors.
A critical element of measuring sentiment is ensuring the data gets to those who are best positioned to use it to drive improvements in the employee experience. We design dashboards and tools for managers to view the results from their teams, help them to generate meaningful insights, and convert those insights into guided actions. We share the results with senior executives to identify broader trends and themes, and to inform larger strategic decisions across the Company.
Employment Data
We employed approximately 6,000 individuals worldwide at both year-end 2023 and 2024. Most of our employees are salaried and are not represented by a union.
Item 1. Business (Continued)
Governmental Regulations
As a finance company, we are highly regulated by the governmental authorities in the locations where we operate.
United States
Within the United States, our operations are subject to regulation and supervision under various federal, state, and local laws.
Federal Regulation. We are subject to federal regulation, including the Truth-in-Lending Act, the Consumer Leasing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. These laws require us to provide certain disclosures to prospective purchasers and lessees in consumer retail financing and operating lease transactions and prohibit discriminatory credit practices. The principal disclosures required under the Truth-in-Lending Act for retail financing transactions include the terms of repayment, the amount financed, the total finance charge, and the annual percentage rate. For operating lease transactions, under the Consumer Leasing Act, we are required to disclose the amount due at lease inception, the terms for payment, and information about lease charges, insurance, excess mileage, wear and use charges, and liability on early termination. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants and customers on a variety of factors, including race, color, sex, age, or marital status. Pursuant to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, creditors are required to make certain disclosures regarding consumer rights and advise consumers whose credit applications are not approved of the reasons for being denied. In addition, any of the credit scoring systems we use during the application process or other processes must comply with the requirements for such systems under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires us to provide certain information to consumers whose credit applications are not approved on the basis of a consumer credit report obtained from a national credit bureau and sets forth requirements related to identity theft, privacy, and accuracy in credit reporting. In addition, under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”), it is unlawful for us to engage in any unfair, deceptive, or abusive act or practice. We are also subject to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act that provides additional protections for certain customers in the military such as prohibiting us from charging interest in excess of 6% on transactions with those customers, limiting our ability to collect future payments from those operating lease customers who terminate their lease early, and limiting our use of self-help repossession of the vehicle for those customers. We are subject to other federal regulation, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which requires us to maintain confidentiality and safeguard certain consumer data in our possession and to communicate periodically with consumers on privacy matters. In addition, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) has broad rule-making and enforcement authority for a wide range of consumer financial protection laws that regulate consumer finance businesses, such as Ford Credit’s financing business. For additional discussion of the CFPB, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
We are also subject to regulation in our funding and securitization activities, including requirements under federal securities laws and specific rules and requirements for asset-backed securities (“ABS”). Derivative activities are regulated under the Commodities Exchange Act and Dodd-Frank Act. These regulations also impose operational and reporting requirements for these funding transactions.
State Regulation - Licensing. In most states, a consumer credit regulatory agency regulates and enforces laws relating to finance companies. Rules and regulations generally provide for licensing of finance companies, limitations on the amount, duration, and charges, including interest rates, that can be included in finance contracts, requirements as to the form and content of finance contracts and other documentation, and restrictions on collection practices and creditors’ rights. We must renew these licenses periodically. In certain states, we are subject to periodic examination by state regulatory authorities.
State Regulation - Repossessions. To mitigate our credit losses, sometimes we repossess a financed or leased vehicle. Repossessions are subject to prescribed legal procedures, including peaceful repossession, one or more customer notifications, a prescribed waiting period prior to disposition of the repossessed vehicle, and return of personal items to the customer. Some states provide the customer with reinstatement rights that require us to return a repossessed vehicle to the customer in certain circumstances. Our ability to repossess and sell a repossessed vehicle is restricted if a customer declares bankruptcy.
Item 1. Business (Continued)
International
In some countries outside the United States, some of our subsidiaries, including FCE and Ford Bank, are regulated and/or licensed banking institutions and are required, among other things, to maintain minimum capital and liquidity. FCE is authorized by the U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority (“PRA”) and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and the PRA to carry on a range of regulated activities within the United Kingdom. Ford Bank is authorized by the European Central Bank and regulated by both the German Bundesbank and the German Federal Supervisory Authority. In many locations where we operate, governmental authorities require us to obtain equivalent licenses or appropriate permissions to conduct our business.
Regulatory Compliance Status
Based on our compliance management processes and procedures, we believe that we maintain all material licenses and permits required for our current operations and are in material compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to us and our operations. Failure to satisfy those legal and regulatory requirements could have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition, reputation, and/or liquidity. Further, the adoption of new laws or regulations, or the revision of existing laws and regulations, could have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition, and/or liquidity.
We actively monitor proposed changes to relevant legal and regulatory requirements in order to maintain our compliance. Through our governmental relations efforts, we also attempt to participate in the legislative and administrative rule-making process on regulatory initiatives that impact finance companies. The cost of our ongoing compliance efforts has not had a material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition, or liquidity.
For additional information on new or increased credit regulations, consumer or data protection regulations, or other regulations, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
Item 1. Business (Continued)
Certain Agreements with Ford and Affiliates
We and Ford are parties to a Third Amended and Restated Relationship Agreement (the “Relationship Agreement”) relating to our long-standing business practices with Ford. A copy of the Relationship Agreement was filed as an exhibit to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, and is incorporated by reference herein as an exhibit. Pursuant to the Relationship Agreement, if our financial statement leverage for a calendar quarter were to be higher than 12.5 to 1 (as reported in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q or annual report on Form 10-K), we can require Ford to make or cause to be made a capital contribution to us in an amount sufficient to have caused such financial statement leverage to have been 12.5 to 1. No capital contributions have been made to us pursuant to the Relationship Agreement.
In addition to the foregoing, the other principal terms of the Relationship Agreement include the following:
•Any extension of credit from us to Ford or any of Ford’s automotive affiliates will be on arm’s length terms and will be enforced by us in a commercially reasonable manner;
•We will not guarantee more than $500 million of the indebtedness of, make any investments in, or purchase any real property or manufacturing equipment classified as an automotive asset from Ford or any of Ford’s automotive affiliates;
•We will not be required by Ford or any of Ford’s automotive affiliates to accept credit or residual risk beyond what we would be willing to accept acting in a prudent and commercially reasonable manner (taking into consideration any interest rate supplements or residual value support payments, guarantees, or other subsidies that are provided to us by Ford or any of Ford’s automotive affiliates); and
•We and Ford are separate, legally distinct companies, and we will continue to maintain separate books and accounts. We will prevent our assets from being commingled with Ford’s assets, and hold ourselves out as a separate and distinct company from Ford and Ford’s automotive affiliates.
We also have an agreement to maintain FCE’s net worth in excess of $500 million. No payments have been made to FCE pursuant to the agreement during the 2001 through 2024 periods.
More information about agreements between us and Ford and other affiliates is contained in our Notes to the Financial Statements, “Business - Overview,” “Business - Consumer Financing - Retail Financing,” “Business - Non-Consumer Financing - Other Financing,” and the description of Ford’s business in Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. Risk Factors.
We have listed below the material risk factors applicable to Ford or Ford Credit grouped into the following categories: Operational Risks; Macroeconomic, Market, and Strategic Risks; Financial Risks; and Legal and Regulatory Risks. We have a global business, and conditions in our industry and the regions where we operate and sell our products and services may change quickly. Accordingly, institutional stability is crucial to businesses like Ford and Ford Credit as we make hiring and investment decisions, as well as to the smooth functioning of financial markets on which we depend. Rapid policy change in our home market, the United States, is creating uncertainty in Ford and Ford Credit’s operations and business outlook, and may remain a source of volatility in the future.
Operational Risks
Ford’s long-term success depends on delivering the Ford+ plan, including improving cost competitiveness. Ford previously announced its plan for growth and value creation - Ford+. Ford+ is Ford’s plan to thrive at the intersection of great vehicles, iconic brands, and innovative software and service, building Ford into a higher growth, higher margin, more capital efficient, and more durable company. The Ford+ plan is designed to leverage Ford’s foundational strengths with enhanced capabilities - enriching customer experiences and deepening loyalty. As Ford progresses this transformation of its business, it must integrate its strategic initiatives into a cohesive business model, and balance competing priorities, or it will not be successful. To facilitate this transformation, Ford is making substantial investments, recruiting new talent, and modernizing and optimizing its business model, management system, and organization. Ford’s strategy involves providing customers freedom of choice to select the powertrain that best suits their needs and maintaining manufacturing flexibility at Ford to meet shifting customer demand. Accordingly, maintaining discipline in its capital allocation continues to be important, as a strong core business and a balance sheet that provides the flexibility to invest in these opportunities are critical to the success of the Ford+ plan. If Ford is unable to optimize its capital allocation among vehicles (and propulsion systems among its vehicles), services, technology, and other calls on capital, make sufficient and timely progress to become competitive on cost and quality and ensure that progress is sustainable, or it is otherwise not successful in executing Ford+ (or is delayed for reasons outside of its control), Ford may not be able to realize the full benefits of its plan, which could have an adverse effect on its financial condition or results of operations. Furthermore, if Ford fails to make progress on its plan at the pace that shareholders expect, it may lead to an increase in shareholder activism, which may disrupt the conduct of Ford’s business and divert management’s attention and resources.
Ford’s vehicles could be affected by defects that result in recall campaigns, increased warranty costs, or delays in new model launches, and the time it takes to improve the quality of Ford’s vehicles and services and reduce the costs associated therewith could continue to have an adverse effect on its business. Government safety standards require manufacturers to remedy defects related to vehicle safety through safety recall campaigns, and a manufacturer is obligated to recall vehicles if it determines that the vehicles do not comply with a safety standard. Ford may also be obligated to remedy defects or potentially recall its vehicles due to defective components provided to it by its suppliers, arising from their quality issues or otherwise. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (“NHTSA”) enforcement strategy has resulted in significant civil penalties being levied and the use of consent orders, including at Ford, requiring direct oversight by NHTSA of certain manufacturers’ safety processes, a trend that could continue. Should Ford or government safety regulators determine that a safety or other defect or a noncompliance exists with respect to certain of Ford’s vehicles prior to the start of production, the launch of such vehicle could be delayed until such defect is remedied. The cost of recall and customer satisfaction actions to remedy defects in vehicles that have been sold could be substantial, particularly if the actions relate to global platforms or involve defects that are identified years after production. For example, NHTSA and the automotive industry are currently engaged in a study of the safety of approximately 56 million Takata desiccated airbag inflators in the United States. Of these, approximately three and a half million of the inflators are in Ford vehicles. In addition, NHTSA is considering action related to 52 million vehicles containing inflators from ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive in the United States. Ford has 2.5 million vehicles within this population. Should NHTSA determine that these inflators contain a safety defect, Ford and other manufacturers could potentially face significant incremental recall costs. Further, to the extent recall and customer satisfaction actions relate to defective components Ford receives from suppliers, Ford’s ability to recover from the suppliers may be limited by the suppliers’ financial condition.
Ford accrues the estimated cost of both base warranty coverages and field service actions at the time a vehicle is sold, and it reevaluates the adequacy of its accruals on a regular basis. In addition, from time to time, Ford issues extended warranties at its expense, the estimated cost of which is accrued at the time of issuance. The impact of such accruals will be reflected in Ford’s results of operations for the period in which the accrual is made, which could cause variability in Ford’s quarterly performance, while the cash flow impact may be reflected in a later period or periods. For
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
additional information regarding warranty and field service action costs, including Ford’s process for establishing its reserves, see “Critical Accounting Estimates” in Item 7 and Note 24 of the Notes to the Financial Statements in Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report. If warranty costs are greater than anticipated as a result of increased vehicle and component complexity, the adoption of new technologies, the time it takes to improve the quality of Ford’s products and services (or if such efforts are unsuccessful), implementation of additional remedies in the event the initial one is ineffective or parts are unavailable, or otherwise (including as a result of higher repair costs driven by inflation or other economic factors), such costs could continue to have an adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition or results of operations. Furthermore, launch delays, recall actions, and increased warranty costs have adversely affected and could continue to adversely affect Ford’s reputation or the public perception and market acceptance of Ford’s products and services as discussed below under “Ford’s new and existing products and digital, software, and physical services are subject to market acceptance and face significant competition from existing and new entrants in the automotive and digital and software services industries, and Ford’s reputation may be harmed based on positions it takes or if it is unable to achieve the initiatives it has announced.” In an effort to improve quality, Ford has slowed down and may continue to slow down launches, which may result in lost sales, revenue, and profits, and could have an adverse effect on its financial condition, or results of operations. From time to time, Ford’s inventory levels may be higher due to a number of different factors, including as a result of vehicles on hold for quality control, which may cause Ford to incur additional costs associated with those vehicles, e.g., repair costs for weather-related damage.
Ford is highly dependent on its suppliers to deliver components in accordance with Ford’s production schedule and specifications, and a shortage of or inability to timely acquire key components or raw materials can disrupt Ford’s production of vehicles. Ford’s products contain components that it sources globally from suppliers who, in turn, source components from their suppliers. If there is a shortage of a key component in Ford’s supply chain or a supplier is unable to deliver a component to Ford in accordance with Ford’s specifications, because of a production issue, limited availability of materials, shipping problems, restrictions on transactions with certain countries or companies, or other reason, and the component cannot be easily sourced from a different supplier, or Ford is unable to obtain a component on a timely basis, the shortage may disrupt Ford’s operations or increase its costs of production.
For the production of Ford’s electric vehicles, Ford is dependent on the supply of batteries and the raw materials (e.g., lithium, cobalt, and nickel) used by its suppliers to produce those batteries. As Ford increases its production of electric vehicles, Ford expects its need for such materials to increase significantly. At the same time, other companies are increasing their production of electric vehicles, which will further increase the demand for such raw materials. As a result, Ford may be unable to acquire raw materials needed for electric vehicle production in sufficient amounts that are responsibly sourced or at reasonable prices. As described below under “To facilitate access to the raw materials and other components necessary for the production of electric vehicles, Ford has entered into and may, in the future, enter into multi-year commitments to raw material and other suppliers that subject Ford to risks associated with lower future demand for such items as well as costs that fluctuate and are difficult to accurately forecast” as well as in the Liquidity and Capital Resources section in Item 7 in Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report, Ford has entered into and it may, in the future, enter into offtake agreements and other long-term purchase contracts that obligate Ford, subject to certain conditions such as quality or minimum output, to purchase a certain percentage or minimum amount of output from certain raw materials suppliers. In the event the supplier under those agreements or any of Ford or its suppliers’ raw material supply contracts is unable to deliver sufficient quantities of raw materials needed for Ford or its suppliers’ production operations, e.g., if a mine does not produce at expected levels, or the raw materials do not otherwise satisfy Ford’s requirements, and Ford or its suppliers are unable to find an alternative resource with sufficient quantities, at reasonable prices, responsibly sourced (e.g., in compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and similar regulations and standards), and in a timely manner, it could impact Ford’s ability to produce electric vehicles.
A shortage of, or Ford’s inability to acquire or find adequate suppliers of, key components or raw materials as a result of disruptions in the supply chain, import and export bans on tariffs imposed by the U.S. or foreign governments, capacity constraints, limited availability, competition for those items within the automotive industry and other sectors, or otherwise can cause a significant disruption to Ford’s production schedule and have a substantial adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition or results of operations. Further, as a result of lower-than-anticipated industrywide electric vehicle adoption rates or otherwise, suppliers of such raw materials or components may become distressed.
Ford’s production, as well as Ford’s suppliers’ production, and/or the ability to deliver products to consumers could be disrupted by labor issues, public health issues, natural or man-made disasters, adverse effects of climate change, financial distress, production difficulties, capacity limitations, or other factors. A work stoppage or other limitation on production has occurred, and could in the future occur, at Ford’s facilities, at a facility in its supply chain, or at one of its logistics providers for any number of reasons, including as a result of labor issues, such as shortages of available employees, disputes under existing collective bargaining agreements with labor unions or in
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
connection with negotiation of new collective bargaining agreements, absenteeism, public health issues (e.g., COVID), stay-at-home orders, or in response to potential restructuring actions (e.g., plant closures); as a result of supplier financial distress or other production constraints, such as limited quantities of components or raw materials, quality issues, capacity limitations, or other difficulties; as a result of a natural disaster (including climate-related physical risk); social unrest; cybersecurity incidents; or for other reasons. A suspension or substantial curtailment of Ford’s manufacturing operations could have a significant adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition and results of operations, as was the case in 2020, when, consistent with actions taken by governmental authorities, Ford idled its plants in regions around the world. The duration of a suspension of manufacturing operations and a return to Ford’s full production schedule will vary. Ford’s Ford Blue, Ford Model e, and Ford Pro operations generally do not realize revenue while its manufacturing operations are suspended, but Ford continues to incur operating and non-operating expenses, resulting in a deterioration of its cash flow. Accordingly, any significant future disruption to Ford’s production schedule, regionally or globally, whether as a result of its own or a supplier’s suspension of operations, could have a substantial adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations. Moreover, Ford’s supply and distribution chains may be disrupted by supplier or dealer bankruptcies or their permanent discontinuation of operations triggered by a shutdown of operations.
The limited availability of components, labor shortages, public health emergencies, and supplier operating issues have led to intermittent interruptions in Ford’s supply chain and an inconsistent production schedule at its facilities. This has exacerbated the disruption to Ford’s suppliers’ operations, which, in turn, has led to higher costs and production shortfalls. As a result of this disrupted production schedule, Ford has received and continues to receive claims from its supply base for reimbursement of costs beyond the original agreed terms. Upon receipt, Ford evaluates those claims, and, in certain circumstances, has made payments to its suppliers, and this trend may continue.
Given the worldwide scope of Ford’s supply chain and operations, Ford and its suppliers face a risk of disruption or operating inefficiencies that may increase costs due to the adverse physical effects of climate change, which are predicted to increase the frequency and severity of weather and other natural events, e.g., wildfires, extended droughts, and extreme temperatures. In addition, in the event a weather-related event, strike, international conflict, or other occurrence limits the ability of freight carriers to deliver components and other materials from suppliers to Ford or logistics providers to transport Ford’s vehicles for an extended period of time, it may increase Ford’s costs and delay or otherwise impact both its production operations and its customers’ ability to receive Ford’s vehicles.
Many components used in Ford’s vehicles are available only from a single or limited number of suppliers and, therefore, cannot be re-sourced quickly or inexpensively to another supplier (due to long lead times, new contractual commitments that may be required by another supplier before ramping up to provide the components or materials, etc.). Such suppliers also could threaten to disrupt Ford’s production as leverage in negotiations. In addition, when Ford undertakes a model changeover, significant downtime at one or more of its production facilities may be required, and Ford’s ability to return to full production may be delayed if it experiences production difficulties at one of its facilities or a supplier’s facility. Moreover, as vehicles, components, and their integration become more complex, Ford may face an increased risk of a delay in production of new vehicles. Regardless of the cause, Ford’s ability to recoup lost production volume may be limited. Accordingly, a significant disruption to Ford’s production schedule could have a substantial adverse effect on its financial condition or results of operations and may impact its strategy to comply with fuel economy standards as discussed below under “Ford may need to substantially modify its product plans and facilities to comply with safety, emissions, fuel economy, autonomous driving technology, environmental, and other regulations.”
Ford may not realize the anticipated benefits of existing or pending strategic alliances, joint ventures, acquisitions, divestitures, or business strategies or the benefits may take longer than expected to materialize. Ford has invested in, formed strategic alliances with, and announced or formed joint ventures with a number of companies, and it may expand those relationships or enter into similar relationships with additional companies. These initiatives typically involve enormous complexity, may require a significant amount of capital, and may involve a lengthy regulatory approval process. As a result, Ford may not be able to complete anticipated transactions, the anticipated benefits of these transactions may not be realized, or the benefits may be delayed. For example, Ford may not successfully integrate an alliance or joint venture with its operations, including the implementation of its controls, systems, procedures, and policies, Ford may be unable to retain key employees, or unforeseen expenses or liabilities may arise that were not discovered during due diligence prior to an investment or entry into a strategic alliance, or a misalignment of interests may develop between Ford and the other party. Further, to the extent Ford shares ownership, control, or management with another party in a joint venture, Ford’s ability to influence the joint venture may be limited, and Ford may be unable to prevent misconduct or implement its compliance or internal control systems. Moreover, negative publicity, government investigations, or litigation involving a company with which Ford has a business or supply relationship may have an adverse effect on Ford’s reputation. In order to secure critical materials for production of electric vehicles, Ford has entered into and may, in the future, enter into offtake agreements and other long-term purchase
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
contracts with raw materials suppliers and make investments in certain raw material and battery suppliers; however, Ford may not realize the anticipated benefits of these actions and its efforts to have such suppliers, particularly those in less developed markets, adopt Ford’s sustainability and other standards may be unsuccessful, which could have an adverse impact on Ford’s reputation. In addition, the implementation of a new or different business strategy may lead to the disruption of Ford’s existing business operations, including distracting management from current operations. For example, Ford’s efforts to evaluate and implement alternative distribution models and channels for its products and services from those it has traditionally used may be challenged or may not succeed or be as successful as its historical arrangements. External factors may also impact the success of Ford’s initiatives. For example, Ford’s business and strategy are susceptible to tensions in U.S.-China relations and the rapid development of the Chinese electric vehicle industry, with domestic Chinese producers exporting to some key markets in which Ford operates. In addition, as Ford implements its strategy to provide customers freedom of choice to select the powertrain that best suits their needs and maintain manufacturing flexibility to meet shifting customer demand, Ford has in the past taken, and may in the future take, actions such as not fully utilizing or reducing the capacity of its existing or future plants, reducing production hours or shifts, cancelling programs, or delaying launches, and Ford may become subject to claims by suppliers or other parties, incur charges related to impairments, asset write-downs, or inventory adjustments, or lose or become obligated to repay incentives as a result. For example, Ford has taken, and may in the future take, such actions to better match the pace of electric vehicle adoption, which has been lower than anticipated industrywide. Results of operations from new activities may be lower than its existing activities, and, if a strategy is unsuccessful, Ford may not recoup its investments, which may be significant, in that strategy. Further, as Ford’s strategy evolves in an area, Ford may be unable to utilize or redeploy its existing assets or investments in that or other areas, which may lead to impairments and other cash and non-cash charges. Moreover, Ford may continue to have financial exposure following a strategic divestiture or cessation of operations in a market. Failure to successfully and timely realize the anticipated benefits of the transactions or strategies described herein could have an adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition or results of operations.
Ford may not realize the anticipated benefits of restructuring actions and such actions may cause Ford to incur significant charges, disrupt its operations, or harm its reputation. Ford continually reviews and evaluates its business to find opportunities to make its operations more efficient and reduce costs. In doing so, Ford has taken, and may in the future take, restructuring actions, such as strategic divestitures or ceasing of operations in a market, particularly for those businesses where a path to sustained profitability is not feasible in light of the capital allocation requirements or for other reasons. Ford’s plans for implementing such actions may be accelerated by shifting industry dynamics and new entrants to its industries with which it must compete. These actions may include employee separations, a reduced footprint (e.g., plant closures or smaller operations at existing plants or plants that are not yet on-line), operating its plants at less than full capacity (e.g., reducing shifts), or cancelling products or programs. Such restructuring actions have caused Ford and may in the future cause it to incur significant costs; record impairments or other charges; subject it to potential claims from employees, suppliers, dealers, other counterparties, or governmental authorities (including a reduction or clawback of incentives); disrupt its operations; distract management from current operations; or harm its reputation. Further, Ford may not realize the expected benefits of such restructuring actions (e.g., anticipated cost savings), such benefits may be delayed, or market dynamics or other factors may have evolved such that it cannot obtain the original intended results of an action.
Failure to develop and deploy secure digital services that appeal to customers and grow Ford’s subscription rates could have a negative impact on Ford’s business. A growing part of Ford’s business involves connectivity, digital and physical services, and integrated software services, and Ford is devoting significant resources to develop this business. Further, Ford has announced its plans and expectations to grow subscription rates and for integrated services to become a larger portion of its revenue and earnings. If Ford does not develop, deliver, and make available technologies that customers can easily adopt and use, fails to generate sufficient demand for its integrated software and digital services, or if customers do not opt to activate the modems in its vehicles, which would hinder Ford’s ability to offer and sell such services, Ford may not grow revenue in line with the costs it is investing or achieve profitability on its increasingly digitally-connected products. For additional discussion on the market acceptance of Ford’s services, see below under “Ford’s new and existing products and digital, software, and physical services are subject to market acceptance and face significant competition from existing and new entrants in the automotive and digital and software services industries, and Ford’s reputation may be harmed based on positions it takes or if it is unable to achieve the initiatives it has announced.”
Ford contracts with third parties to offer digital content to customers and license technologies for use in its software and digital services. This includes the right to sell, or offer subscriptions to, third-party content, as well as the right to incorporate specific content into Ford’s own services; however, continuation of these third-party licensing and other arrangements, or their renewal on commercially reasonable terms, is not guaranteed or may be unavailable. Moreover, while Ford seeks to grow its share of this business, third parties may be less inclined to continue developing or licensing
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
software for Ford’s products or permit the Company to distribute their content, or such providers may offer competing products and services to the detriment of Ford’s business. If Ford is unable to offer integrated software applications and digital services on competitive terms, it may reduce customer demand or increase Ford’s costs to provide such applications and services, which Ford may be unable to pass on to customers. Alternatively, Ford may have to develop or license new content or technology to provide digital services, and there can be no assurance Ford would be able to develop or license such content or technology at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner, either of which could have a negative impact on its financial condition, results of operations, or reputation.
Sophisticated software integration may have issues that can unexpectedly interfere with the intended operation of hardware or other software products and services. In addition, the services Ford offers can have quality issues and may, from time to time, experience outages, service slowdowns, or errors. As a result, these services may not always perform as anticipated and may not meet customer expectations. There can be no assurance Ford will be able to detect and remedy all issues and defects in the hardware, software, and services it offers, or successfully deliver over-the-air (“OTA”) updates. Failure to do so on a timely basis could result in widespread technical and performance issues affecting Ford’s products and services. For additional discussion on the risks associated with defects and quality issues, see above under “Ford’s vehicles could be affected by defects that result in recall campaigns, increased warranty costs or delays in new model launches, and the time it takes to improve the quality of Ford’s vehicles and services and reduce the costs associated therewith could continue to have an adverse effect on its business.”
Ford continues to increase the number of BlueCruise (Ford’s hands-free highway driving system) enabled vehicles on the road and its growth and expansion remains an important part of Ford’s strategy. Ford also faces substantial competition in that area. In addition, autonomous vehicle and driver assist technologies, including BlueCruise, continue to be scrutinized by government regulators and consumers, and actual or perceived failures or misuse of these technologies and features have led to government investigations and inquiries, including of Ford. Such negative publicity of Ford’s products or those of its competitors could undermine consumer trust and negatively impact Ford’s subscription rates. If Ford is unable to successfully develop and grow BlueCruise and other subscription services or build and maintain consumer trust in those offerings, it may be unable to recoup the investments it has made in those technologies and it could negatively impact Ford’s reputation, financial condition, and results of operations.
The actions of end users are generally beyond Ford’s control and some users may engage in fraudulent or abusive activities that involve Ford’s digital services. These include unauthorized use of accounts through stolen credentials, failure to pay for services accessed, or other activities that violate Ford’s terms of service. While Ford has implemented security measures intended to prevent unauthorized access to its digital services and related information systems, malicious entities have and will continue to attempt to gain unauthorized access to them. If Ford’s efforts to detect such violations or its actions to control these types of fraud and abuse are not effective or timely, it may have an adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations, or reputation. For further information, see below under “Operational information systems, security systems, vehicles, and services could be affected by cybersecurity incidents, ransomware attacks, and other disruptions and impact Ford, Ford Credit, their suppliers, and dealers.”
Ford’s ability to maintain a competitive cost structure could be affected by labor or other constraints. The vast majority of the hourly employees in Ford’s manufacturing operations in the United States and Canada are represented by unions and covered by collective bargaining agreements. These agreements provide guaranteed wage and benefit levels throughout the contract term and some degree of income security, subject to certain conditions. Based on Ford’s current contracts with the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America in the United States and Unifor in Canada ratified in 2023, Ford expects to have a significant increase in labor costs through the life of the contracts, and if Ford is unable to offset those costs, it could have a significant adverse effect on Ford’s business. Some of Ford’s competitors do not have such collective bargaining agreements and are not subject to the same constraints. Further, a substantial number of Ford’s employees in other regions are represented by unions or government councils, and legislation or custom promoting retention of manufacturing or other employment in the state, country, or region may constrain as a practical matter Ford’s ability to sell or close manufacturing or other facilities or increase the cost of doing so. These agreements in the United States, Canada, Europe, and other regions may restrict Ford’s ability to close plants and divest businesses. In addition, to the extent companies in Ford’s global supply chain that are not currently parties to collective bargaining agreements enter into such agreements or otherwise increase their employees’ wages and benefits, any increased costs incurred by those suppliers may, in turn, increase Ford’s costs.
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
Ford’s ability to attract, develop, grow, support, and reward talent is critical to its success and competitiveness. Ford’s success depends on its ability to continue to attract, develop, grow, support, and reward talented and diverse employees with domain expertise in engineering, software, technology (including digital capabilities and connectivity), integrated services, supply chain, marketing, and finance, among other areas. While Ford has been successful in attracting talent in recent years, as with any company, the ability to continue to attract talent is important, particularly in growth areas vital to its success such as software, electrification, and integrated services. Competition for such talent is intense, which has led to an increase in compensation throughout a tight labor market, and, accordingly, may increase costs for companies. In addition to attracting talent, Ford must also retain the talent needed to deliver its business objectives. If Ford loses existing employees, is unable to attract talent with needed skills, or is unable to develop existing employees, particularly with the introduction of new technologies and Ford’s focus on operational efficiency and quality, it could have a substantial adverse effect on Ford’s business.
Operational information systems, security systems, vehicles, and services could be affected by cybersecurity incidents, ransomware attacks, and other disruptions and impact Ford, Ford Credit, their suppliers, and dealers. Ford and Ford Credit rely on information technology networks and information systems, including in-vehicle systems and mobile devices, some of which are managed by suppliers, some of which are provided by third-party service providers, and some of which ultimately rely on other services provided to them by these third parties by unaffiliated service providers, to process, transmit, and store electronic information that is important to the operation of their businesses, Ford’s vehicles, and the services Ford and Ford Credit offer. Despite devoting significant resources to their cybersecurity programs, Ford and Ford Credit are at risk for interruptions, outages, and compromises of: (i) operational information systems (including business, financial, accounting, product development, consumer receivables, data processing, or manufacturing processes); (ii) facility security systems; and/or (iii) in-vehicle systems or mobile devices, whether caused by a ransomware or other cybersecurity incident, security breach, or other reason (e.g., a natural disaster, fire, acts of terrorism or war, or an overburdened infrastructure system). Such incidents could materially disrupt operational information systems; result in loss or unwilling publication of trade secrets or other proprietary or competitively sensitive information; compromise the privacy of personal information of consumers, employees, or others; jeopardize the security of Ford and/or Ford Credit’s facilities; disrupt or degrade service or Ford and/or Ford Credit’s operations; affect the performance of in-vehicle systems or services Ford offers; and/or impact the safety of Ford’s vehicles. This risk exposure rises as Ford continues to develop and produce vehicles with increased connectivity. Moreover, Ford, Ford Credit, their suppliers, service providers, and dealers have been the target of cybersecurity incidents and such threats are continuing and evolving, which may cause cybersecurity incidents to be more difficult to detect for periods of time. Ford and Ford Credit’s networks and Ford’s in-vehicle systems, sharing similar architectures, could also be impacted by, or a cybersecurity incident may result from, the negligence or misconduct of insiders or third parties who have access to these networks and systems. Ford and Ford Credit employ capabilities, processes, and other security measures they believe are reasonably designed to detect, reduce, and mitigate the risk of cybersecurity incidents, and have requirements for their suppliers and service providers to do the same; however, Ford and Ford Credit may not be aware of all vulnerabilities or might not accurately assess the risks of incidents, and such preventative measures cannot provide absolute security and may not be sufficient in all circumstances or mitigate all potential risks, including potential production disruption or the loss or disclosure of sensitive information. Moreover, a cybersecurity incident could harm Ford and Ford Credit’s reputations, cause customers to lose trust in their security measures, and/or subject Ford and Ford Credit to regulatory actions or litigation, which may result in fines, penalties, judgments, or injunctions, and a cybersecurity incident involving Ford or Ford Credit, or one of their suppliers or service providers, could impact production, internal operations, business strategy, results of operations, financial condition, or Ford and Ford Credit’s ability to deliver products and services to their customers.
To facilitate access to the raw materials and other components necessary for the production of electric vehicles, Ford has entered into and may, in the future, enter into multi-year commitments to raw material and other suppliers that subject Ford to risks associated with lower future demand for such items as well as costs that fluctuate and are difficult to accurately forecast. Ford has announced plans to significantly increase its electric vehicle production volumes; however, Ford’s ability to produce higher volumes of electric vehicles is dependent upon the availability of raw materials and other components necessary for the production of batteries, e.g., lithium, cobalt, and nickel, among others. As described above under “Ford is highly dependent on its suppliers to deliver components in accordance with Ford’s production schedule and specifications, and a shortage of or inability to timely acquire key components or raw materials can disrupt Ford’s production of vehicles,” to facilitate its access to such raw materials, Ford has entered into and it may, in the future, enter into offtake agreements and other long-term purchase contracts. Such agreements obligate Ford, subject to certain conditions such as quality or minimum output, to purchase a certain percentage or minimum amount of output from raw material suppliers over an agreed upon period of time pursuant to agreed upon purchase price mechanisms that are typically based on the market price of the material at the time of delivery.
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
Unlike Ford’s standard arrangements with suppliers under multi-year offtake agreements and other long-term purchase contracts, the risks associated with lower-than-expected electric vehicle production volumes or changes in battery technology that reduce the need for certain raw materials, batteries, or their components are borne by Ford rather than its suppliers. In the event Ford does not purchase the materials or components pursuant to the terms of these agreements, Ford may nevertheless be obligated to pay the purchase price or otherwise compensate the supplier in an amount determined by the contract or reimburse the supplier for costs or losses it incurs. Ford has incurred and may continue to incur such charges. This may be the case even if the supplier finds another purchaser, as Ford may be responsible for the costs of finding the new purchaser as well as any lost revenue attributable to the replacement purchaser paying a lower price than required under the pricing mechanism in its agreement.
As a result of the competition for and limited availability of the raw materials needed for Ford’s electric vehicle business, the costs of such materials are difficult to accurately forecast as they may fluctuate during the term of the offtake agreements and other long-term purchase contracts based on market conditions. Accordingly, Ford may be subject to increases in the prices it pays for those raw materials, and its ability to recoup such costs through increased pricing to its customers may be limited. As a result, Ford’s margins, results of operations, financial condition, and reputation may be adversely impacted by commitments it makes pursuant to offtake agreements and other long-term purchase contracts.
Macroeconomic, Market, and Strategic Risks
With a global footprint and supply chain, Ford’s results and operations could be adversely affected by economic or geopolitical developments, including protectionist trade policies such as tariffs, or other events. Because of the interconnectedness of the global economy, the challenges of a pandemic, financial crisis, economic downturn or recession (including reduced consumer spending), natural disaster, war, geopolitical crises, or other significant events in one area of the world can have an immediate and material adverse impact on markets around the world. In particular, China presents unique risks to U.S. automakers due to the strain in U.S.-China relations, China’s unique regulatory landscape, the level of integration with key components in our global supply chain, and the rapid development of the Chinese electric vehicle industry, with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers exporting their products to some key markets in which we operate.
Changes in international trade policy can also have a substantial adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition, results of operations, or business in general. Steps taken by governments to implement local content requirements or apply or consider applying additional or new tariffs on automobiles, parts, and other products and materials have the potential to disrupt existing supply chains, impose additional costs on Ford’s business, and could lead to other countries attempting to retaliate by imposing tariffs, which would make Ford’s products more expensive for customers, and, in turn, could make its products less competitive. The new, substantial tariff increases on imports to the United States from Canada and Mexico (in addition to China) announced on February 1, 2025, should they be implemented and sustained for an extended period of time, would have a significant adverse effect, including financial, on the overall automotive industry, Ford, and its supply chain. Further, any additional tariffs in the United States or retaliatory tariffs imposed by other governments would exacerbate the impact.
With operations in various markets with volatile economic or political environments and Ford’s global supply chain and utilization of transportation routes and logistics providers around the world, Ford is exposed to heightened risks as a result of economic, geopolitical, or other events. This could include governmental takeover (i.e., nationalization) of Ford’s manufacturing facilities or intellectual property, restrictive exchange or import controls, disruption of operations as a result of systemic political or economic instability, outbreak of war or expansion of hostilities (such as the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, heightened tensions in the Red Sea, and potential tensions in the South China Sea), and acts of terrorism, each of which could impact Ford’s supply chain as well as its operations and have a substantial adverse effect on its financial condition or results of operations. Further, the U.S. government, other governments, and international organizations could impose additional sanctions or export controls that could restrict Ford from doing business directly or indirectly in or with certain countries or parties, which could include affiliates, and potentially impact the repatriation of earnings.
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Ford’s new and existing products and digital, software, and physical services are subject to market acceptance and face significant competition from existing and new entrants in the automotive and digital and software services industries, and Ford’s reputation may be harmed based on positions it takes or if it is unable to achieve the initiatives it has announced. Although Ford conducts extensive market research before launching new or refreshed vehicles and introducing new services, many factors both within and outside Ford’s control affect the success of new or existing products and services in the marketplace, and it may not be able to accurately predict or identify emerging trends or preferences or the success of new products or services in the market. It takes years to design and develop a new vehicle or change an existing vehicle. Because customers’ preferences may change quickly, Ford’s new and existing products may not generate sales in sufficient quantities and at costs low enough to be profitable and recoup investment costs. Offering vehicles and services that customers want and value can mitigate the risks of increasing price competition, price sensitive customers, and declining demand, but products and services that are perceived to be less desirable (whether in terms of price, quality, styling, safety, overall value, fuel efficiency, or other attributes) can exacerbate these risks. For example, if Ford is unable to differentiate its products and services from those of its competitors in a manner that appeals to customers, develop innovative new products and services, or sufficiently tailor its products and services to customers in other markets, there could be insufficient demand for Ford’s products and services, which could have an adverse impact on Ford’s financial condition or results of operations. Insufficient demand for Ford’s products may also result in higher inventory levels, which may lead to downward pricing pressure, or reduced manufacturing efficiencies, which may reduce margins. In the event of a shortage of available products, customers may elect to purchase from Ford’s competitors and may not return to Ford in the future.
With increased consumer interconnectedness through the internet, social media, and other media, mere allegations relating to quality, safety, reliability, fuel efficiency, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, or other key attributes can negatively impact Ford’s reputation or market acceptance of its products or services, even where such allegations prove to be inaccurate or unfounded. Further, Ford’s ability to successfully grow through capacity expansion and investments in the areas of electrification, connectivity, digital and physical services, and software services depends on many factors, including advancements in technology, regulatory changes, infrastructure development (e.g., a widespread vehicle charging network), and other factors that are difficult to predict, that may significantly affect the future of electric vehicles, autonomous and driver assistance technologies, digital and physical services, and software services. The automotive, software, and digital service businesses are very competitive and change rapidly. Traditional competitors are expanding their offerings, and new types of competitors (particularly in Ford’s areas of strength, e.g., pick-up trucks, utilities, and commercial vehicles) that may possess superior technology, may have business models with certain aspects that are more efficient, and are not subject to the same level of fixed costs as Ford, are entering the market. For example, Chinese electric vehicle producers are exporting their products to some key markets in which Ford operates. This level of competition necessitates that Ford invest in and integrate emerging technologies into its business and increases the importance of its ability to anticipate, develop, and deliver products and services that customers desire on a timely basis, in quantities in line with demand, with the quality they expect, and at costs low enough to be profitable. Moreover, if Ford does not meet customer expectations for quickly and effectively addressing and remedying issues that may develop with or that improve its products and services, e.g., successfully delivering OTA updates, it would have an adverse effect on Ford’s business.
Ford has announced its intent to continue making multi-billion dollar investments in electrification and software services. Ford’s plans include offering electrified versions of many of its vehicles, including the Lightning and E-Transit which Ford introduced in recent years. Ford has observed lower than initially anticipated industrywide electric vehicle adoption rates. This trend may continue, including as a result of the regulatory framework in various markets shifting away from supporting the rapid adoption of electrified vehicles, if there is a negative perception of Ford’s vehicles or about electric vehicles in general, if Ford is unable to or are delayed in developing or embracing new technologies or processes, or if consumers prefer Ford’s competitors’ vehicles, and there could be an adverse impact on Ford’s financial condition or results of operations. Further, as discussed below under “Ford may need to substantially modify its product plans and facilities to comply with safety, emissions, fuel economy, autonomous driving technology, environmental, and other regulations,” lower than planned market acceptance of Ford’s vehicles may impact its strategy to comply with fuel economy standards.
Ford is addressing its impact on climate change aligned with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Paris Agreement) by working to reduce its carbon footprint over time across its vehicles, operations, and supply chain. Ford has announced interim emissions targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and made other statements about similar initiatives. Achievement of these initiatives will require significant investments and the implementation of new processes; however, there is no assurance that the desired outcomes will be achieved. To the extent Ford is unable to achieve these initiatives or its plans for its electrification transition does not succeed, it may harm Ford’s reputation or Ford may not otherwise receive the expected return on the investment. For example, Ford is exposed
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
to reputational risk if it does not reduce vehicle CO2 emissions in line with its targets or in compliance with applicable regulations. Further, Ford’s customers, investors, and other stakeholders evaluate how well Ford is progressing on its announced climate goals and aspirations, and if Ford is not on track to achieve those goals and aspirations on a timely basis, or if the expectations of Ford’s customers and investors change and Ford does not adequately address their expectations, its reputation could be impacted, and customers may choose to purchase the products and services of, investors may choose to invest in, and suppliers and vendors may choose to do business with other companies. Other parties may object to the positions Ford has or is perceived to have taken and may, in the future, take or be perceived to take on environmental, social, or other issues, or in the event Ford changes its position on such issues, which may result in a loss of customers, a boycott of products or services, or other actions that may impact not only Ford’s brand and reputation but also its results of operations, financial condition, and the price of its Common Stock.
Moreover, new offerings, including those related to electric vehicles and autonomous driving technologies, may present technological challenges that could be costly to implement and overcome and have subjected Ford and may continue to subject Ford to customer claims, government investigations, and recalls of its vehicles if they do not operate as anticipated. In addition, since new technologies are subject to market acceptance, a malfunction involving any manufacturer’s vehicle using autonomous or driver assist technologies may negatively impact the perception of such technologies and erode customer trust.
Ford may face increased price competition for its products and services, including pricing pressure resulting from industry excess capacity, currency fluctuations, competitive actions, or economic or other factors, particularly for electric vehicles. The global automotive industry is intensely competitive, with installed manufacturing capacity generally exceeding current demand. Historically, industry overcapacity has resulted in many manufacturers offering marketing incentives on vehicles in an attempt to maintain and grow market share; these incentives historically have included a combination of subsidized financing or leasing programs, price rebates and reductions, and other incentives. As a result, Ford is not necessarily able to set its prices to offset higher marketing incentives, commodity or other cost increases, tariffs, or the impact of adverse currency fluctuations. This risk includes cost advantages foreign competitors may have because of their weaker home market currencies, which may, in turn, enable those competitors to offer their products at lower prices. Further, higher inventory levels put downward pressure on pricing, which may have an adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition and results of operations.
Although Ford continues to invest in its electric vehicle strategy, it has observed lower-than-anticipated industrywide electric vehicle adoption rates and near-term pricing pressures, which have led it and may in the future lead it to adjust its spending, production, and/or product launches to better match the pace of electric vehicle adoption. The trend may be exacerbated as policy change in the United States could reduce or eliminate supply- and demand-side incentives, resulting in slower adoption of EVs. As a result of the lower-than-anticipated adoption rates, near-term pricing pressures, and other factors, Ford has accrued and may continue to incur charges related to payments to its electric vehicle-related suppliers (battery, raw material, or otherwise), inventory adjustments, or other matters. Significant unexpected changes in the EV demand environment have led, and may in the future lead, to incremental competitive pricing actions. Battery costs remain high, which is detrimental to electric vehicles reaching pricing parity with ICE vehicles and further exacerbates the pricing pressures on electric vehicles. Furthermore, as Ford invests in battery production, including the construction of battery plants, if Ford is unable to operate those plants at their expected capacity because electric vehicle adoption rates remain lower-than-anticipated or otherwise, Ford may be unable to recoup the investments it has made.
As electric vehicle adoption rates increase, the risk of excess capacity, particularly for internal combustion engine trucks and utilities, may be exacerbated. This excess capacity may further increase price competition in that segment of the market, which could have a substantial adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition or results of operations.
Inflationary pressure and fluctuations in commodity and energy prices, foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, and market value of Ford or Ford Credit’s investments, including marketable securities, can have a significant effect on results. Ford, Ford Credit, and their suppliers are exposed to inflationary pressure and a variety of market risks, including the effects of changes in commodity and energy prices, foreign currency exchange rates, and interest rates. Ford and Ford Credit monitor and attempt to manage these exposures as an integral part of their overall risk management program, which recognizes the unpredictability of markets and seeks to reduce potentially adverse effects on their business. Changes in commodity and energy prices (from tariffs and the actions taken by Russia in Ukraine, as discussed above under “With a global footprint and supply chain, Ford’s results and operations could be adversely affected by economic or geopolitical developments, including protectionist trade policies such as tariffs, or other events,” or otherwise), currency exchange rates, and interest rates cannot always be predicted, hedged, or offset with price increases to eliminate earnings volatility. As a result, significant changes in commodity and energy prices, foreign currency exchange rates, or interest rates as well as increased material, freight, logistics, and similar costs could have a
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
substantial adverse effect on Ford and/or Ford Credit’s financial condition or results of operations. See Item 7 and Item 7A in Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report for additional discussion of currency, commodity and energy price, and interest rate risks. These market forces have caused Ford to incur higher material costs, which may continue, and Ford’s warranty costs have increased, in part, due to inflationary cost pressures at its dealers. Moreover, due to inflationary pressure, some of Ford’s suppliers have submitted claims to Ford for reimbursement of costs beyond the original agreed terms. Upon receipt, Ford evaluates those claims, and, in certain circumstances, has made payments to its suppliers, and this trend may continue. Further, despite some recent rate cuts, over the last several years interest rates have increased significantly as central banks in developed countries attempt to subdue inflation, and there is no assurance that they will not remain elevated for a multi-year period. At the same time, government deficits and debt remain at high levels in many global markets. Elevated interest rates would make government debts more expensive to finance, and in that environment, businesses would face a higher cost of capital, impacting capital intensive businesses such as Ford. At Ford Credit, a high interest rate environment may impact Ford Credit’s ability to source funding and offer financing at competitive rates, which could reduce its financing margin. In addition, Ford’s results are impacted by fluctuations in the market value of its investments, with unrealized gains and losses that could be material in any period.
Ford’s results are dependent on sales of larger, more profitable vehicles, particularly in the United States. A shift in consumer preferences away from larger, more profitable vehicles with internal combustion engines (including trucks and utilities) to electric or other vehicles in Ford’s portfolio that may be less profitable could result in an adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition or results of operations. Despite recent trends, if demand for electric vehicles grows at a rate greater than Ford’s ability to increase its production capacity for those vehicles, lower market share and revenue, as well as facility and other asset-related charges (e.g., accelerated depreciation) associated with the production of internal combustion vehicles, may result. In addition, government regulations aimed at reducing emissions and increasing fuel efficiency (e.g., zero-emission vehicle (“ZEV”) mandates and low emission zones) and other factors that accelerate the transition to electric vehicles may increase the cost of vehicles by more than the perceived benefit to consumers and dampen margins. Moreover, governmental restrictions on the sale, purchase, or use of internal combustion engine vehicles (e.g., city access restrictions) may limit Ford’s ability to sell some of its more profitable vehicles.
While a suspension or disruption of Ford’s manufacturing operations at any facility could have an adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow, such an occurrence at one of Ford’s facilities where its larger, more profitable vehicles are produced, or in the event a launch is delayed or a stop ship is initiated for those vehicles, the impact may be particularly significant.
Industry sales volume can be volatile and could decline if there is a financial crisis, recession, public health emergency, or significant geopolitical event. Because Ford, like other manufacturers, has a higher proportion of fixed structural costs, relatively small changes in industry sales volume can have a substantial effect on its cash flow and results of operations. Vehicle sales are affected by overall economic and market conditions (such as the level of interest rates and tariffs), consumer sentiment and behavior, and developing trends such as shared vehicle ownership and ridesharing services. If industry vehicle sales were to decline to levels significantly below Ford’s planning assumption, the decline could have a substantial adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow. For a discussion of economic trends, see Item 7 of Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report.
Financial Risks
The impact of government incentives on Ford’s business could be significant, and Ford’s receipt of government incentives could be subject to reduction, termination, or clawback. Ford receives economic benefits from national, state, and local governments in various regions of the world in the form of incentives designed to encourage manufacturers to establish, maintain, or increase investment, workforce, or production. These incentives may take various forms, including grants, forgivable loans and loan subsidies, or tax abatements or credits. The impact of these incentives can be significant in a particular market during a reporting period. A decrease in, expiration without renewal of, or other cessation or clawback of government incentives for any of Ford’s operations, or that impact consumers of Ford’s products and services, as a result of administrative decision or otherwise, could have a substantial adverse impact on Ford’s financial condition or results of operations. Further, Ford may lose or be required to repay incentives or forgivable loans as a result of a change it makes to its business strategy, e.g, if Ford elects not to proceed with a previously planned program or project or does not create as many jobs as initially anticipated.
For example, until 2021, most of Ford’s manufacturing facilities in South America were located in Brazil, where the state or federal governments historically offered significant incentives to manufacturers to encourage capital investment, increase manufacturing production, and create jobs. As a result, the performance of Ford’s South American operations had been impacted favorably by government incentives to a substantial extent. The federal government in Brazil has
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
levied assessments against Ford concerning the federal incentives it previously received, and the State of São Paulo has challenged the grant to Ford of tax incentives by the State of Bahia. See Note 2 of the Notes to the Financial Statements in Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report for discussion of Ford’s accounting for government incentives, and “Item 3. Legal Proceedings” in Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report for a discussion of tax proceedings in Brazil and the potential requirement for Ford to post collateral.
The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) provides, among other things, financial incentives in the form of tax credits to grow the domestic supply chain and domestic manufacturing base for electric vehicles (“EVs”), plug-in hybrid vehicles (“PHEVs”), and other “clean” vehicles. The law likewise incentivizes the purchase of clean vehicles and the infrastructure to fuel them. The IRA authorizes tax credits to manufacturers for the domestic production of batteries and battery components for EVs and PHEVs, and this credit is expected to improve the financial performance of domestic battery manufacturers, including the new operations at Ford’s upcoming facility in Michigan and BlueOval SK’s facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee. Further, the degree of success of some of Ford’s investment strategies depends upon IRA tax credit eligibility and for those credits to continue to remain available through the currently contemplated expiration.
The IRA also authorizes tax credits for purchasers of qualified commercial and retail clean vehicles. Ford expects that most commercial customers that purchase an EV or PHEV will be eligible for the commercial clean vehicle credit, although it is unclear at this time how many commercial vehicle purchasers will have the underlying federal tax liability that is necessary to actually monetize this credit. In their current form, the IRA’s tax credit and the commercial clean vehicle credit would, together, likely influence commercial fleets, governmental fleets, and other vehicle purchasers in their evaluation of a transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to EVs and PHEVs.
To claim the retail tax credit, the IRA establishes numerous and complex prerequisites, including that the vehicle must be assembled in North America; the vehicle must be under specified limitations on manufacturer suggested retail price (“MSRP”); purchaser income limitations; any vehicle that contains “battery components” that were “manufactured or assembled” by a “foreign entity of concern” will be ineligible; and, starting in 2025, any vehicle that contains battery materials that were “extracted, processed, or recycled” by a “foreign entity of concern” will be ineligible. A “Critical Minerals Credit” is available for those vehicles that have a specified percentage of critical minerals that are “extracted or produced” in the United States, in a country with which the United States has a Free Trade Agreement, or that is “recycled” in North America. A “Battery Components Credit” is available for those vehicles that have a specified percentage of “value” of its battery “components” that are “manufactured or assembled” in North America.
Although Ford ultimately expects the IRA to benefit Ford and the automotive industry in general, this would only be the case only insofar as the IRA remains in place in its current form. Some policymakers have expressed an intent to repeal or restrict eligibility for elements of the IRA, however, including those credits discussed above, which would adversely affect Ford and the industry. To the extent these elements remain in place or are replaced with new laws that provide benefits using comparable eligibility criteria, the availability of such benefits to Ford will depend on the further development and improvement of the U.S. battery supply, sufficient access to raw materials within the scope of the IRA, and the terms of the regulations and guidance (and the limitations therein) the U.S. government issues for such benefits, which will ultimately determine which vehicles qualify for incentives and the amount thereof. Further, battery and electric vehicle manufacturing and the corresponding supply chains involve substantial lead time, and it may take years before Ford can satisfy any new eligibility criteria. Automakers that better optimize eligibility for their vehicles, as compared to their competition, will have a competitive advantage.
Ford and Ford Credit’s access to debt, securitization, or derivative markets around the world at competitive rates or in sufficient amounts could be affected by credit rating downgrades, market volatility, market disruption, regulatory requirements, asset portfolios, or other factors. Ford and Ford Credit’s ability to obtain unsecured funding at a reasonable cost is dependent on their credit ratings or their perceived creditworthiness. Further, Ford Credit’s ability to obtain securitized funding under its committed asset-backed liquidity programs and certain other asset-backed securitization transactions is subject to having a sufficient amount of assets eligible for these programs, as well as Ford Credit’s ability to obtain appropriate credit ratings for those transactions and, for certain committed programs, derivatives to manage the interest rate risk. Over time, and particularly in the event of credit rating downgrades, market volatility, market disruption, or other factors, Ford Credit may reduce the amount of receivables it purchases or originates because of funding constraints. In addition, Ford Credit may reduce the amount of receivables it purchases or originates if there is a significant decline in the demand for the types of securities it offers or Ford Credit is unable to obtain derivatives to manage the interest rate risk associated with its securitization transactions. A significant reduction in the amount of receivables Ford Credit purchases or originates would significantly reduce its ongoing results of operations and could adversely affect its ability to support the sale of Ford vehicles.
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
An increasing interest rate environment may have an adverse effect on borrowing costs for Ford Credit, making it more expensive to fund Ford and Ford Credit’s operations or leading to higher rates charged to Ford and Ford Credit’s customers if these costs are passed on.
Ford Credit could experience higher-than-expected credit losses, lower-than-anticipated residual values, or higher-than-expected return volumes for leased vehicles. Credit risk is the possibility of loss from a customer’s or dealer’s failure to make payments according to contract terms. Credit risk (which is heavily dependent upon economic factors including unemployment, consumer debt service burden, personal income growth, dealer profitability, and used car prices) has a significant impact on Ford Credit’s business. The level of credit losses Ford Credit may experience could exceed its expectations and adversely affect its financial condition or results of operations. In addition, Ford Credit projects expected residual values (including residual value support payments from Ford) and return volumes for the vehicles it leases. Actual proceeds realized by Ford Credit upon the sale of returned leased vehicles at lease termination may be lower than the amount projected, which would reduce Ford Credit’s return on the lease transaction. Among the factors that can affect the value of returned lease vehicles are the volume and mix of vehicles returned industrywide, economic conditions, marketing programs, and quality or perceived quality, safety, fuel efficiency, or reliability of the vehicles, or changes in propulsion technology and related legislative changes. Actual return volumes may be influenced by these factors, as well as by contractual lease-end values relative to auction values. If auction values decrease significantly in the future, return volumes could exceed Ford Credit’s expectations. Each of these factors, alone or in combination, has the potential to adversely affect Ford Credit’s results of operations if actual results were to differ significantly from Ford Credit’s projections. See “Critical Accounting Estimates” in Item 7 for additional discussion.
Economic and demographic experience for pension and other postretirement employee benefit (“OPEB”) plans (e.g., discount rates or investment returns) could be worse than Ford has assumed. The measurement of Ford’s obligations, costs, and liabilities associated with benefits pursuant to its pension and OPEB plans requires that Ford estimate the present value of projected future payments to all participants. Ford uses many assumptions in calculating these estimates, including assumptions related to discount rates, investment returns on designated plan assets, and demographic experience (e.g., mortality and retirement rates). Ford generally remeasures these estimates at each year end and recognizes any gains or losses associated with changes to its plan assets and liabilities in the year incurred. To the extent actual results are less favorable than its assumptions, Ford may recognize a remeasurement loss in its results, which could be substantial. For additional information regarding Ford’s assumptions, see “Critical Accounting Estimates” in Item 7 and Note 16 of the Notes to the Financial Statements in Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report.
Pension and other postretirement liabilities could adversely affect Ford’s liquidity and financial condition. Ford has defined benefit retirement plans in the United States that cover many of its hourly and salaried employees. Ford also provides pension benefits to non-U.S. employees and retirees, primarily in Europe. In addition, Ford sponsors plans to provide OPEB for retired employees (primarily health care and life insurance benefits). See Note 16 of the Notes to the Financial Statements in Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report for more information about these plans. These benefit plans impose significant liabilities on Ford and could require Ford to make additional cash contributions, which could impair its liquidity. If Ford’s cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to meet any pension or OPEB obligations, Ford could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, suspend dividend payments, seek additional capital, or restructure or refinance its indebtedness.
Legal and Regulatory Risks
Ford and Ford Credit could experience unusual or significant litigation, governmental investigations, or adverse publicity arising out of alleged defects in products, services, perceived environmental impacts, or otherwise. Ford and Ford Credit spend substantial resources to comply with governmental safety regulations, mobile and stationary source emissions regulations, consumer and automotive financial regulations, labor and employment practices, and other standards, but they cannot ensure that employees, contractors, agents, or other individuals affiliated with Ford and/or Ford Credit will not violate such laws or regulations, which could result in civil or criminal liability. In addition, as discussed below under “Ford may need to substantially modify its product plans and facilities to comply with safety, emissions, fuel economy, autonomous driving technology, environmental, and other regulations” and “Ford Credit could be subject to new or increased credit regulations, consumer protection regulations, or other regulations,” regulatory standards and interpretations may change on short notice and impact Ford and/or Ford Credit’s compliance status. Government investigations against Ford or Ford Credit have resulted in, and may in the future result in, fines, penalties, orders, or other resolutions, through litigation, administrative proceedings, settlement, or otherwise, which have in the past had, and could in the future have, an adverse impact on Ford and/or Ford Credit’s financial condition, results of operations, or the operation of their businesses, including oversight by regulators or a government-appointed monitor. Moreover, compliance with governmental standards does not necessarily prevent individual or class action lawsuits, which
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
can entail significant cost and risk. In certain circumstances, courts may permit civil actions even where Ford’s vehicles and services, and Ford Credit’s financial products, comply with federal and/or other applicable law. Furthermore, simply responding to actual or threatened litigation or government investigations of Ford and Ford Credit’s compliance with regulatory standards, whether related to their products, services, or business or commercial relationships, requires significant expenditures of time and other resources and may be disruptive to Ford’s operations. Litigation also is inherently uncertain, and Ford and/or Ford Credit have in the past experienced, and could in the future experience, significant adverse results, including compensatory and punitive damage awards, a disgorgement of profits or revenue, or injunctive relief, any of which could have an adverse effect on their financial condition, results of operations, or business in general, particularly with larger jury verdicts becoming more prevalent. While Ford has an insurance program that provides coverage for certain claims, it may not be sufficient to cover the losses incurred. In addition, adverse publicity surrounding an allegation, litigation, or investigation, even if there is no merit to the matter, may cause significant reputational harm or create a negative public perception of Ford and Ford Credit’s products and services, which could have a significant adverse effect on Ford and Ford Credit’s sales.
Ford may need to substantially modify its product plans and facilities to comply with safety, emissions, fuel economy, autonomous driving technology, environmental, and other regulations. The automotive industry is subject to regulations worldwide that govern product characteristics and that differ by global region, country, and sometimes within national boundaries. Regulators have enacted and are proposing standards to address concerns regarding the environment (including concerns about global climate change and air quality), vehicle safety, and energy independence, and the regulatory landscape can change on short notice. These regulations vary, but generally require that over time motor vehicles and engines emit less air pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions, oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter, and there are associated increased reporting requirements. Similarly, Ford is making substantial investments in its facilities and revising its processes to not only comply with applicable regulations but also to make its operations more efficient and sustainable. As Ford’s suppliers make similar investments, any higher costs may be passed on to Ford. In the United States, legal and policy debates on environmental regulations are continuing, with a recent primary trend toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing vehicle electrification. However, different federal administrations have either sought to make standards more strict or to make them less strict, with one administration often replacing the regulations enacted by the last. Various third parties routinely seek judicial review of these federal regulatory and deregulatory efforts. In parallel, California continues to enact increasingly strict emissions standards and requirements for ZEVs (standards that some other states are adopting), and those actions are also the subject of legal challenges. Court rulings regarding regulatory actions by federal, California, and other state regulators create uncertainty and the potential for applicable regulatory standards to change quickly. In addition, many governments regulate local product content or impose import requirements with the aim of creating jobs, protecting domestic producers, and influencing the balance of payments.
Ford regularly refines its product cycle plan to improve the fuel economy of its internal combustion vehicles and to offer more propulsion choices, such as hybrid and electrified vehicles, that generate lower greenhouse gas emissions. Electrification is Ford’s core strategy to comply with current and anticipated environmental laws and regulations in major markets. However, there are limits to Ford’s ability to reduce emissions and increase fuel economy over given time frames and many factors that could delay or impede its plans. Those factors primarily relate to the cost and effectiveness of available technologies; consumer acceptance of new technologies and their costs; changes in industrial policy, including incentives for electric vehicles and battery manufacturing and requirements for battery supply chains; changes in trade policy, which may affect the profitability of certain products; changes in vehicle mix (as described in more detail above under “Ford’s new and existing products and digital, software, and physical services are subject to market acceptance and face significant competition from existing and new entrants in the automotive and digital and software services industries, and Ford’s reputation may be harmed based on positions it takes or if it is unable to achieve the initiatives it has announced”); the appropriateness (or lack thereof) of certain technologies for use in particular vehicles, the widespread availability (or lack thereof) of supporting infrastructure for new technologies, including charging for electric vehicles, the availability (or lack thereof) of the raw materials and component supply to make affordable batteries and other elements of electric vehicles, and the human, engineering, and financial resources necessary to deploy new technologies across a wide range of products and powertrains in a short time. If fuel prices are relatively low and market conditions or the consumer attributes of Ford’s vehicles do not lead consumers to purchase electric vehicles and other highly fuel-efficient vehicles in sufficient numbers, it may be difficult to meet applicable environmental standards and may constrain Ford’s ability to sell internal combustion engine vehicles, including some of the more profitable vehicles in Ford’s portfolio. Ford’s obligations under the regulatory compliance credit purchase agreements it has entered into, including the ultimate number of credits it may purchase under those agreements, are dependent on the sellers’ delivery of the credits. If the seller under a credit purchase agreement does not deliver the credits contracted for, it may cause Ford to be out of compliance with emissions standards or other requirements. Such noncompliance may result in fines, penalties, or other
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
costs, and/or Ford may need to modify its product plans and be unable to sell certain products. In the event Ford is obligated to purchase credits under those agreements, the cash impact of such purchases may be significant.
Moreover, the rates of electric vehicle growth, production disruptions, stop ships, supply chain limitations, lower-than-planned market acceptance of Ford’s vehicles, and/or other circumstances may cause Ford to modify its product plans, or, in some cases, purchase credits, which Ford has done, in order to comply with emissions standards, fuel economy standards, or ZEV requirements, which could have an adverse effect on Ford’s financial condition and results of operations and cause reputational harm.
Increased scrutiny of automaker emission compliance by regulators around the world has led to new regulations, more stringent enforcement programs, additional field actions, demands for reporting on the field performance of emissions components and higher scrutiny of field data, and delays in regulatory approvals. The cost to comply with government regulations concerning new vehicle standards and in-use vehicle requirements, including field service actions, is substantial. Additional regulations, changes in regulatory interpretations, or changes in consumer preferences that affect vehicle mix, as well as any non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations, could have a substantial adverse impact on Ford’s financial condition or results of operations. In addition, a number of governments, as well as non-governmental organizations, publicly assess vehicles to their own protocols. Any negative perception regarding the performance of Ford’s vehicles subjected to such tests could reduce future sales. Court decisions arising out of consumer and investor litigation could give rise to de facto changes in the interpretation of existing emission laws and regulations, thereby imposing new burdens on manufacturers. For more discussion of the impact of standards on Ford’s global business, see the “Governmental Standards” discussion in “Item 1. Business” in Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report.
Ford and other companies continue to develop autonomous vehicle and driver assist technologies, and the U.S. and foreign governments are continuing to develop the regulatory framework that will govern autonomous vehicles and related technologies. Governmental restrictions on such technologies may limit Ford’s ability to provide those features to consumers, and manufacturers are facing increased scrutiny from regulators at the state and federal level on system misuse by customers, feature capabilities, and whether advertising for this technology contains false or misleading information. Some states are developing their own regulations that impact the testing and design of autonomous vehicles. This patchwork approach without federal guidance may subject Ford to additional compliance costs. Further, autonomous vehicle and driver assist technologies continue to be scrutinized by the government and consumers, and actual or perceived failures or misuse of these technologies and features have led to government investigations and inquiries, including of Ford, which has responded to information requests from NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board about its BlueCruise system. Ford and other original equipment manufacturers are required to report to NHTSA crashes that meet NHTSA-defined criteria and occur when certain advanced driver assistance system features are in use. Such events involving Ford’s vehicles and technologies could require safety recalls and/or subject Ford to fines, penalties, damages, investigations, and reputational harm. In addition, the demand for these services by consumers is fluctuating as the technology is rolled out in various stages and with mixed industry results.
Ford and Ford Credit could be affected by the continued development of more stringent privacy, data use, data protection, data access, and artificial intelligence laws and regulations as well as consumers’ heightened expectations to safeguard their personal information. Ford and Ford Credit are subject to laws, rules, guidelines from privacy and other regulators, and regulations in the United States and other countries (such as the EU’s and the U.K.’s General Data Protection Regulations, the EU’s Data Act, the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, the Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act, and the California Consumer Privacy Act) relating to the collection, use, transfer, and security of personal information of consumers, employees, or others, including laws that may require Ford or Ford Credit to notify regulators and affected individuals of a data security incident. Such laws, rules, and regulations, also apply to Ford’s vendors and/or may hold Ford liable for any violations by its vendors. Existing and newly developed laws and regulations may apply broadly to Ford’s operations within the relevant jurisdiction, are subject to change and uncertain interpretations by courts and regulators, and may be inconsistent across jurisdictions. Accordingly, complying with such laws and regulations may lead to a decline in consumer engagement or cause Ford and/or Ford Credit to incur substantial costs to modify their operations or business practices. Moreover, regulatory actions seeking to impose significant financial penalties for noncompliance and/or legal actions (including pursuant to laws providing for private rights of action by consumers) could be brought against Ford or Ford Credit in the event of a data compromise, misuse of consumer information, or perceived or actual non-compliance with data protection, data access, privacy, or artificial intelligence requirements. The rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify these risks. Further, any unauthorized release of personal information could harm Ford and/or Ford Credit’s reputation, disrupt their businesses, cause them to expend significant resources, and lead to a loss of consumer confidence resulting in an adverse impact on Ford and/or Ford Credit’s business and/or consumers deciding to withhold or withdraw consent for Ford or Ford Credit’s collection or use of data.
Item 1A. Risk Factors (Continued)
Ford Credit could be subject to new or increased credit regulations, consumer protection regulations, or other regulations. As a finance company, Ford Credit is highly regulated by governmental authorities in the locations in which it operates, which can impose significant additional costs and/or restrictions on its business. In the United States, for example, Ford Credit’s operations are subject to regulation and supervision under various federal, state, and local laws, including the federal Truth-in-Lending Act, Consumer Leasing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and Fair Credit Reporting Act.
The Dodd-Frank Act directs federal agencies to adopt rules to regulate the finance industry and the capital markets and gives the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) broad rule-making and enforcement authority for a wide range of consumer financial protection laws that regulate consumer finance businesses, such as Ford Credit’s automotive financing business. Exercise of these powers by the CFPB may increase the costs of, impose additional restrictions on, or otherwise adversely affect companies in the automotive finance business. The CFPB has authority to supervise and examine the largest nonbank automotive finance companies, such as Ford Credit, for compliance with consumer financial protection laws.
Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could subject Ford Credit to regulatory enforcement actions, including consent orders or similar orders where Ford Credit may be required to revise practices, remunerate customers, or pay fines. An enforcement action against Ford Credit or publicity around even an allegation that Ford Credit has not complied with applicable laws or regulations could harm Ford Credit’s reputation or lead to further litigation.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. Properties.
Most of our automotive finance operations are located in leased properties. The continued use of any of these leased properties is not material to our operations. At December 31, 2024, our total future rental commitment under leases of real property was $47 million.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings.
Various legal actions, proceedings, and claims (generally, “matters”) are pending or may be instituted or asserted against us. These include but are not limited to matters arising out of governmental regulations; tax matters; alleged illegal acts resulting in fines or penalties; financial services; employment-related matters; dealer and other contractual relationships; personal injury matters; investor matters; and financial reporting matters. Certain of the pending legal actions are, or purport to be, class actions. Some of the matters involve or may involve claims for compensatory, punitive, or antitrust or other treble damages in very large amounts, sanctions, assessments, or other relief, which, if granted, would require very large expenditures.
The litigation process is subject to many uncertainties, and the outcome of individual matters is not predictable with assurance. It is reasonably possible that matters could be decided unfavorably to us. Although the amount of liability at December 31, 2024, with respect to litigation matters cannot be ascertained, we believe that any resulting liability should not materially affect our operations, financial condition, or liquidity. At this time, we have no legal proceedings arising under any federal, state, or local provisions that have been enacted or adopted regulating the discharge of materials into the environment or primarily for the purpose of protecting the environment, in which (i) a governmental authority is a party, and (ii) we believe there is the possibility of monetary sanctions (exclusive of interest and costs) in excess of $1,000,000.
In addition, any litigation, investigation, proceeding, or claim against Ford that results in Ford incurring significant liability, expenditures, or costs could also have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition, or liquidity. For a discussion of pending significant cases against Ford, see Item 3 in Ford’s 2024 Form 10-K Report.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
At December 31, 2024, all of our Shares were owned by Ford Holdings LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford. We did not issue or sell any equity interests during 2024, and there is no market for our Shares. No cash distributions were paid to our parent in 2023. We paid cash distributions to our parent of $500 million in 2024.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. [Reserved.]

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Overview
Our primary focus is to accelerate profitable growth for Ford by making Ford and Lincoln vehicles and services accessible to customers. We work with Ford to maximize customer and dealer satisfaction and loyalty, offering a wide variety of financing products and outstanding service. We strive to continually improve processes focusing on the customer and the dealer to manage costs and ensure the efficient use of capital. As a result, Ford Credit is uniquely positioned to drive incremental sales, improve customer satisfaction and owner loyalty to Ford, and direct profits and distributions back to Ford to support its overall business, including vehicle development.
We leverage three fundamental strategies in the management of our operations:
•To employ prudent origination practices while maintaining a managed level of risk;
•To have efficient and effective servicing and collection practices; and
•To fund the business efficiently while managing our balance sheet risk.
Generation of Revenue, Income, and Cash
The principal factors that influence our earnings are the amount and mix of finance receivables, operating leases, and financing margins. The performance of these receivables and operating leases over time, mainly through the impact of credit losses and variations in the residual value of leased vehicles, also affects our earnings.
The amount of our finance receivables and operating leases depends on many factors, including:
•The volume of new and used vehicle sales and leases;
•The extent to which we purchase retail financing and operating lease contracts and the extent to which we provide wholesale financing;
•The sales price of the vehicles financed;
•The level of dealer inventories;
•Ford-sponsored special financing programs available exclusively through us; and
•The availability of cost-effective funding.
For finance receivables, financing margin equals the difference between revenue earned on finance receivables and the cost of borrowed funds. For operating leases, financing margin equals revenue earned on operating leases, less depreciation expense and the cost of borrowed funds. Interest rates earned on most receivables and rental charges on operating leases generally are fixed at the time the contracts are originated. On some receivables, primarily dealer wholesale financing, we charge interest at a floating rate that varies with changes in short-term interest rates.
Business Performance
We review our business performance by segment (United States and Canada, Europe, and All Other). We measure the performance of our segments primarily on an income before income taxes basis, after excluding market valuation adjustments to derivatives and exchange-rate fluctuations on foreign currency-denominated transactions, which are reflected in Unallocated Other. These adjustments are excluded when assessing our segment performance because they are carried out at the corporate level. For additional information regarding our segments, see Note 14 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Pricing Pressure
Despite vehicle pricing remaining elevated over the last year due to strong demand, supply shortages, and inflationary costs, we have already observed some declines in new and used vehicle prices as auto production recovers from the semiconductor shortage, but it is unclear whether prices will decline fully to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Intense competition and excess capacity are likely to put downward pressure on inflation-adjusted prices, including increased marketing incentives, for similarly-contented vehicles and contribute to a challenging pricing environment for the automotive industry in most major markets. Marketing incentives on new vehicles can result in higher or lower financing share and could affect the value of returned lease vehicles.
Inflation and Interest Rates
We continue to see lingering impacts on our business due to inflation, including ongoing geopolitical volatility, driving up energy prices, freight premiums, and other operating costs above normal rates. Although headline inflation in the United States and Europe appears to have peaked, core inflation (excluding food and energy prices) remains elevated and is a source of continued cost pressure on businesses and households. Interest rates have increased significantly and are only now beginning to reverse, as central banks in developed countries attempted to subdue inflation while government deficits and debt remain at high levels in many global markets. Accordingly, the eventual implications of higher government deficits and debt, tighter monetary policy, and potentially higher long-term interest rates may drive a higher cost of capital for the business. At Ford Credit, rising interest rates may impact our ability to source funding and offer financing at competitive rates, which could reduce our financing margin.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Definitions and Information Regarding Causal Factors
In general, we measure period-over-period changes in earnings before taxes (“EBT”) using the causal factors listed below:
•Volume and Mix - Volume and Mix are primarily reflected within Net financing margin on the consolidated income statements.
◦Volume primarily measures changes in net financing margin driven by changes in average net receivables excluding the allowance for credit losses at prior period financing margin yield (defined below in financing margin) at prior period exchange rates. Volume changes are primarily driven by the volume of new and used vehicles sold and leased, the extent to which we purchase retail financing and operating lease contracts, the extent to which we provide wholesale financing, the sales price of the vehicles financed, the level of dealer inventories, Ford-sponsored special financing programs available exclusively through us, and the availability of cost-effective funding.
◦Mix primarily measures changes in net financing margin driven by period-over-period changes in the composition of our average net receivables excluding the allowance for credit losses by product within each region.
•Financing Margin - Financing Margin is reflected within Net financing margin on the consolidated income statements.
◦Financing margin variance is the period-over-period change in financing margin yield multiplied by the present period average net receivables excluding the allowance for credit losses at prior period exchange rates. This calculation is performed at the product and country level and then aggregated. Financing margin yield equals revenue, less interest expense and scheduled depreciation for the period, divided by average net receivables excluding the allowance for credit losses for the same period.
◦Financing margin changes are driven by changes in revenue and interest expense. Changes in revenue are primarily driven by the level of market interest rates, cost assumptions in pricing, mix of business, and competitive environment. Changes in interest expense are primarily driven by the level of market interest rates, borrowing spreads, and asset-liability management.
•Credit Loss - Credit Loss is reflected within the Provision for credit losses on the consolidated income statements.
◦Credit loss is the change in the provision for credit losses at prior period exchange rates. For analysis purposes, management splits the provision for credit losses into net charge-offs and the change in the allowance for credit losses.
◦Net charge-off changes are primarily driven by the number of repossessions, severity per repossession, and recoveries. Changes in the allowance for credit losses are primarily driven by changes in historical trends in credit losses and recoveries, changes in the composition and size of our present portfolio, changes in trends in historical used vehicle values, and changes in forward-looking macroeconomic conditions. For additional information, refer to the “Critical Accounting Estimates - Allowance for Credit Losses” section.
•Lease Residual - Lease Residual is reflected within Depreciation on vehicles subject to operating leases on the consolidated income statements.
◦Lease residual measures changes to residual performance at prior period exchange rates. For analysis purposes, management splits residual performance primarily into residual gains and losses, and the change in accumulated supplemental depreciation.
◦Residual gain and loss changes are primarily driven by the number of vehicles returned to us and sold, and the difference between the auction value and the depreciated value (which includes both base and accumulated supplemental depreciation) of the vehicles sold. Changes in accumulated supplemental depreciation are primarily driven by changes in our estimate of the expected auction value at the end of the lease term, and changes in our estimate of the number of vehicles that will be returned to us and sold. Depreciation on vehicles subject to operating leases includes early termination losses on operating leases due to customer default events. For additional information, refer to the “Critical Accounting Estimates - Accumulated Depreciation on Vehicles Subject to Operating Leases” section.
•Exchange - Reflects changes in EBT driven by the effects of converting functional currency income to U.S. dollars.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
•Other - Primarily includes Operating expenses, Other revenue, Insurance expenses, and Other income/(loss), net on the consolidated income statements at prior period exchange rates.
◦Changes in operating expenses are primarily driven by salaried personnel costs, facilities costs, and costs associated with the origination and servicing of customer contracts.
◦In general, other income/(loss) changes are primarily driven by changes in earnings related to market valuation adjustments to derivatives (primarily related to movements in interest rates), which are included in unallocated risk management, and other miscellaneous items.
In addition, the following definitions and calculations apply to the charts contained in Item 7 of this Report:
• Cash (as shown in the Funding and Liquidity section) - Cash and cash equivalents, Marketable securities, and restricted cash reported on Ford Credit’s consolidated balance sheets, excluding amounts related to insurance activities.
• Debt (as shown in the Key Metrics and Leverage tables) - Debt on Ford Credit’s consolidated balance sheets. Includes debt issued in securitizations and payable only out of collections on the underlying securitized assets and related enhancements. Ford Credit holds the right to receive the excess cash flows not needed to pay the debt issued by, and other obligations of, the securitization entities that are parties to those securitization transactions.
• Earnings Before Taxes - Reflects Income before income taxes as reported on our consolidated income statements.
• Loss-to-Receivables (“LTR”) Ratio (as shown in the Credit Loss tables) - LTR ratio is calculated using net charge-offs divided by average finance receivables, excluding unearned interest supplements and the allowance for credit losses.
• Reserve as a % of EOP Receivables Ratio (as shown in the Credit Loss tables) - The reserve as a percentage of EOP receivables ratio is calculated as the credit loss reserve amount, divided by end of period (“EOP”) finance receivables, excluding unearned interest supplements and the allowance for credit losses.
• Return on Equity (“ROE”) (as shown in the Key Metrics table) - Reflects return on equity calculated by annualizing net income for the period and dividing by monthly average equity for the period.
•Securitization and Restricted Cash (as shown in the Liquidity table) - Securitization cash is held for the benefit of the securitization investors (for example, a reserve fund). Restricted cash primarily includes cash held to meet certain local governmental and regulatory reserve requirements and cash held under the terms of certain contractual agreements.
• Securitizations (as shown in the Public Term Funding Plan table) - Public securitization transactions, Rule 144A offerings sponsored by Ford Credit, and widely distributed offerings by Ford Credit Canada.
• Term Asset-Backed Securities (as shown in the Funding Structure table) - Obligations issued in securitization transactions that are payable only out of collections on the underlying securitized assets and related enhancements.
•Total Net Receivables (as shown in the Key Metrics and Financial Condition tables) - Includes finance receivables (retail financing and wholesale) sold for legal purposes and net investment in operating leases included in securitization transactions that do not satisfy the requirements for accounting sale treatment. These receivables and operating leases are reported on Ford Credit’s consolidated balance sheets and are available only for payment of the debt issued by, and other obligations of, the securitization entities that are parties to those securitization transactions; they are not available to pay the other obligations of Ford Credit or the claims of Ford Credit’s other creditors.
• Unallocated Other (as shown in the Segment Results table) - Items excluded in assessing segment performance because they are managed at the corporate level, including market valuation adjustments to derivatives and exchange-rate fluctuations on foreign currency-denominated transactions.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Results of Operations
Key Metrics
The following table shows our full year 2024 key metrics compared with full year 2023:
Full Year
GAAP Financial Measures 2023 2024 H / (L)
Total net receivables ($B) $ 133.2 $ 143.6 $ 10.4
Loss-to-receivables (bps) (a) 35 50 15
Auction values (b) $ 30,950 $ 29,810 (4) %
EBT ($M) $ 1,322 $ 1,654 $ 332
ROE (%) 10.6 % 9.1 % (1.5) ppts
Other Balance Sheet Metrics
Debt ($B) $ 129.3 $ 137.9 $ 8.6
Net liquidity ($B) $ 25.7 $ 25.2 $ (0.5)
Financial statement leverage (to 1) 9.7 10.0 0.3
__________
(a)United States retail financing only.
(b)United States 36-month off-lease auction values at full year 2024 mix.
Full Year 2024 Compared with Full Year 2023
The following table shows the factors that contributed to the full year 2024 EBT (in millions):
Change in EBT by Causal Factor
Full year 2023 EBT $ 1,322
Volume / mix 177
Financing margin 709
Credit loss (138)
Lease residual (376)
Exchange 12
Other (52)
Full year 2024 EBT $ 1,654
Our 2024 EBT of $1,654 million was $332 million higher than a year ago, explained primarily by higher financing margin and favorable volume and mix, offset partially by higher operating lease depreciation reflecting higher return rates and lower expected auction values, and higher retail credit losses. Total net receivables at December 31, 2024 were $10.4 billion higher than a year ago, reflecting higher consumer and non-consumer financing and a larger lease portfolio. The 2024 U.S. retail LTR ratio of 50 basis points increased from a year ago and U.S. auction values in 2024 decreased 4% year over year. ROE was 9.1%, 1.5 percentage points lower than a year ago, primarily reflecting lower net income as the result of a higher effective tax rate.
Our balance sheet is strong and inherently liquid reflecting cumulative debt maturities having a longer tenor than asset maturities. At December 31, 2024, we had $25.2 billion in net liquidity.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Segment Results
Results of operations by segment and Unallocated Other for full year 2023 and 2024 are shown below (in millions):
Full Year
2023 2024 H / (L)
Results
United States and Canada segment $ 1,114 $ 1,460 $ 346
Europe segment 306 357 51
All Other segment 75 60 (15)
Total segments $ 1,495 $ 1,877 $ 382
Unallocated Other (173) (223) (50)
Earnings before taxes $ 1,322 $ 1,654 $ 332
(Provision for)/Benefit from income taxes (a) 2 (398) (400)
Net Income $ 1,324 $ 1,256 $ (68)
__________
(a)Our 2023 (Provision for)/Benefit from income taxes reflects a benefit of $343 million associated with legal entity restructuring actions within our leasing operations.
For additional information, see Note 14 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
United States and Canada Segment
The United States and Canada segment EBT of $1,460 million for full year 2024 was $346 million higher than 2023, explained primarily by higher financing margin and favorable volume and mix, offset partially by higher operating lease depreciation reflecting higher return rates and lower expected auction values, and higher credit losses.
Europe Segment
The Europe segment EBT of $357 million for full year 2024 was $51 million higher than 2023, explained primarily by a realized gain on accumulated foreign currency translation from restructuring and higher financing margin, offset partially by higher credit losses.
All Other Segment
The All Other segment EBT of $60 million for full year 2024 was $15 million lower than 2023, explained primarily by lower volume in China and higher credit losses, offset partially by higher financing margin.
Unallocated Other
The Unallocated Other was a $223 million loss for full year 2024, a $50 million deterioration from 2023, primarily reflecting an increase in unfavorable derivative market valuation adjustment compared to prior year.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Results of Operations - 2023
The following chart shows our full year 2023 key metrics compared with full year 2022:
Full Year
GAAP Financial Measures 2022 2023 H / (L)
Total net receivables ($B) $ 122.3 $ 133.2 $ 10.9
Loss-to-receivables (bps) (a) 14 35 21
Auction values (b) $ 33,280 $ 30,950 (7) %
EBT ($M) $ 2,437 $ 1,322 $ (1,115)
ROE (%) 16.4 % 10.6 % (5.8) ppts
Other Balance Sheet Metrics
Debt ($B) $ 119.0 $ 129.3 $ 10.3
Net liquidity ($B) $ 21.1 $ 25.7 $ 4.6
Financial statement leverage (to 1) 10.0 9.7 (0.3)
__________
(a)United States retail financing only.
(b)United States 36-month off-lease auction values at full year 2024 mix.
Full Year 2023 Compared with Full Year 2022
The following table shows the factors that contributed to the full year 2023 EBT (in millions):
Change in EBT by Causal Factor
Full year 2022 EBT $ 2,437
Volume / mix 153
Financing margin (493)
Credit loss (239)
Lease residual (466)
Exchange 18
Other (88)
Full year 2023 EBT $ 1,322
Our 2023 EBT of $1,322 million was $1,115 million lower than 2022, explained primarily by lower financing
margin driven by higher borrowing costs, the non-recurrence of supplemental depreciation and credit loss reserve releases, lower lease residual performance, unfavorable derivative market valuation, and higher credit losses, offset partially by the non-recurrence of South America restructuring losses. Total net receivables at December 31, 2023 were $10.9 billion higher than December 31, 2022, primarily reflecting higher consumer and non-consumer financing and currency exchange rates, offset partially by fewer operating leases. The 2023 U.S. retail LTR ratio of 35 basis points increased compared to the prior year and U.S. auction values were down 7% compared with 2022. ROE was 10.6%, 5.8 percentage points lower than 2022, primarily reflecting lower EBT.
Our balance sheet is strong and inherently liquid reflecting cumulative debt maturities having a longer tenor than asset maturities. At December 31, 2023, we had $25.7 billion in net liquidity.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Segment Results - 2023
Results of operations by segment and Unallocated Other for full year 2022 and 2023 are shown below (in millions):
Full Year
2022 2023 H / (L)
Results
United States and Canada segment $ 2,094 $ 1,114 $ (980)
Europe segment 314 306 (8)
All Other segment (138) 75 213
Total segments $ 2,270 $ 1,495 $ (775)
Unallocated Other 167 (173) (340)
Earnings before taxes $ 2,437 $ 1,322 $ (1,115)
(Provision for)/Benefit from income taxes (a) (448) 2 450
Net Income $ 1,989 $ 1,324 $ (665)
__________
(a)Our 2023 (Provision for)/Benefit from income taxes reflects a benefit of $343 million associated with legal entity restructuring actions within our leasing operations.
For additional information, see Note 14 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
United States and Canada Segment
The United States and Canada segment EBT of $1,114 million for full year 2023 was $980 million lower than 2022, explained primarily by lower financing margin driven by higher borrowing costs, non-recurrence of supplemental depreciation and credit loss reserve releases, lower lease residual performance, and higher credit losses.
Europe Segment
The Europe segment EBT of $306 million for full year 2023 was $8 million lower than 2022, explained primarily by non-recurrence of residual gains, higher operating costs primarily relating to restructuring, and lower credit loss reserve releases, offset partially by favorable changes in wholesale volumes and financing margin.
All Other Segment
The All Other segment EBT of $75 million for full year 2023 was $213 million higher than 2022, explained primarily by the non-recurrence of South America restructuring losses.
Unallocated Other
The Unallocated Other was a $173 million loss for full year 2023, a $340 million deterioration from 2022, primarily reflecting negative derivative market valuation adjustments in 2023, and non-recurrence of positive derivative market valuation adjustments recognized in 2022.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Financing Shares and Contract Placement Volume
Our focus is on supporting Ford and Lincoln dealers and customers. This includes going to market with Ford and our dealers to support vehicle sales with financing products and marketing programs. Ford’s marketing programs may encourage or require Ford Credit financing and influence the financing choices customers make. As a result, our financing share, volume, and contract characteristics vary from period to period as Ford’s marketing programs change.
The following table shows our retail financing and operating lease share of new Ford and Lincoln vehicle sales, wholesale financing share of new Ford and Lincoln vehicles acquired by dealers (in percent), and contract placement volume for new and used vehicles (in thousands) in several key markets:
For the Years Ended December 31,
2022 2023 2024
Share of Ford and Lincoln Sales (a)
United States 41 % 51 % 53 %
Canada 73 71 72
United Kingdom 36 33 30
Germany 35 35 41
China 45 37 21
Wholesale Share
United States 73 % 71 % 71 %
United Kingdom 100 100 100
Germany 92 88 89
China 67 70 69
Contract Placement Volume - New and Used (000)
United States 664 826 878
Canada 138 123 151
United Kingdom 93 87 71
Germany 60 61 69
China 130 97 52
__________
(a)United States and Canada exclude Fleet sales, other markets include Fleet.
United States contract placement volumes in 2024 were higher than a year ago, reflecting higher Ford deliveries and Ford Credit share. Canada contract placement volumes in 2024 were higher than a year ago, reflecting higher Ford deliveries and Ford Credit share. United Kingdom contract placement volumes in 2024 were down, driven by lower Ford deliveries and lower Ford Credit share. Germany contract placement volumes in 2024 were higher, driven by higher Ford Credit share, offset partially by lower Ford deliveries. China contract placement volumes in 2024 were lower than a year ago, reflecting lower Ford Credit share and Ford deliveries.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Financial Condition
Our receivables, including finance receivables and operating leases, were as follows (in billions):
For the Years Ended December 31,
Net Receivables 2022 2023 2024
United States and Canada Segment
Consumer financing $ 55.8 $ 62.2 $ 67.8
Non-Consumer financing 21.4 25.4 29.7
Net investment in operating leases 21.7 20.1 21.4
Total United States and Canada Segment $ 98.9 $ 107.7 $ 118.9
Europe Segment
Consumer financing $ 11.0 $ 11.7 $ 12.0
Non-Consumer financing 7.3 8.3 8.2
Net investment in operating leases 0.1 0.3 0.3
Total Europe Segment $ 18.4 $ 20.3 $ 20.5
All Other Segment
Consumer financing $ 3.9 $ 3.6 $ 2.6
Non-Consumer financing 1.1 1.6 1.6
Net investment in operating leases - - -
Total All Other Segment $ 5.0 $ 5.2 $ 4.2
Total net receivables $ 122.3 $ 133.2 $ 143.6
At December 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024, total net receivables includes consumer receivables before allowance for credit losses of $43.9 billion, $46.0 billion, and $47.6 billion, respectively, and non-consumer receivables before allowance for credit losses of $18.2 billion, $21.3 billion, and $24.4 billion, respectively, that have been sold for legal purposes in securitization transactions but continue to be reported in our consolidated financial statements. In addition, at December 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024, total net receivables includes net investment in operating leases of $12.5 billion, $11.2 billion, and $13.3 billion, respectively, that have been included in securitization transactions but continue to be reported in our consolidated financial statements. The receivables and net investment in operating leases are available only for payment of the debt issued by, and other obligations of, the securitization entities that are parties to those securitization transactions; they are not available to pay the other obligations or the claims of our other creditors. We hold the right to receive the excess cash flows not needed to pay the debt issued by, and other obligations of, the securitization entities that are parties to those securitization transactions. For additional information on our securitization transactions, refer to the “Securitization Transactions” and “On-Balance Sheet Arrangements” sections and Note 6 of our Notes to the Financial Statements herein.
Total net receivables at December 31, 2024 were $10.4 billion higher compared with December 31, 2023, reflecting higher consumer and non-consumer financing and a larger lease portfolio.
Our operating lease portfolio was 15% of total net receivables at December 31, 2024. Leasing is an important product, and our leasing strategy balances sales, share, residuals, and long-term profitability. Operating leases in the United States and Canada represent 99% of our total operating lease portfolio.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the possibility of loss from a customer’s or dealer’s failure to make payments according to contract terms. Credit losses are a normal part of a lending business, and credit risk has a significant impact on our business. We manage the credit risk of our consumer (retail financing) and non-consumer (dealer financing) receivables to balance our level of risk and return using our consistent underwriting standards, effective proprietary scoring system (discussed below), and world-class servicing. The allowance for credit losses (also referred to as the credit loss reserve) represents our estimate of the expected credit losses inherent in our finance receivables for the lifetime of those receivables as of the balance sheet date. The allowance for credit losses is estimated using a combination of models and management judgment and is based on such factors as historical loss performance, portfolio quality, receivable levels, and forward-looking macroeconomic scenarios. The adequacy of our allowance for credit losses is assessed quarterly and the assumptions and models used in establishing the allowance are evaluated regularly. A description of our allowance setting process is provided in the “Critical Accounting Estimates - Allowance for Credit Losses” section.
Most of our charge-offs are related to retail financing. Net charge-offs are affected by the number of vehicle repossessions, the unpaid balance outstanding at the time of repossession, the auction price of repossessed vehicles, and other amounts owed. We also incur credit losses on our dealer financing, but default rates for these receivables historically have been substantially lower than those for retail financing.
In purchasing retail financing contracts, we use a proprietary scoring system that measures credit quality using information from sources including the credit application, proposed contract terms, credit bureau data, and other information. After a proprietary risk score is generated, we decide whether to purchase a contract using a decision process based on a judgmental evaluation of the applicant, the credit application, the proposed contract terms, credit bureau information (e.g., FICO score), proprietary risk score, and other information. Our evaluation emphasizes the applicant’s ability to pay and the applicant’s creditworthiness with a focus on payment, affordability, applicant credit history, and stability as key considerations. While FICO is a part of our scoring system, our models enable us to more effectively determine the probability that a customer will pay than using credit scores alone. When we originate business, our models project expected losses and we price accordingly. We ensure the business fits our risk appetite.
For additional information on our allowance for credit losses and the quality of our receivables, see Note 4 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
United States Origination Metrics
The following table shows United States retail financing and operating lease average placement FICO and higher risk portfolio mix metrics. Also shown are extended term mix and United States retail financing average placement terms.
2022 2023 2024
Origination Metrics
Retail & lease average placement FICO 747 756 756
Retail & lease higher risk portfolio mix 5 % 4 % 3 %
Retail greater than or equal to 84 months placement mix 7 % 8 % 7 %
Retail average placement term (months) 63 63 65
The 2024 average placement FICO score remained strong. We support customers across the credit spectrum. Our higher risk business, as classified at contract inception, represents 3% of our portfolio and has been stable for over 15 years.
In 2024, our average retail financing placement term was slightly higher than a year ago. Retail financing contracts of 84 months and longer decreased by 1 percentage point compared with a year ago and continue to be a small part of our business. We remain focused on managing the trade cycle, building customer relationships and loyalty, while offering financing products and terms customers want. Ford Credit’s origination and risk management processes deliver robust portfolio performance.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
United States Retail Financing Credit Losses
The following table shows the primary drivers of credit losses in the United States retail financing business, which comprised 72% of our worldwide consumer finance receivables at December 31, 2024.
2022 2023 2024
Credit Loss Drivers
Over-60-Day delinquencies (excl. bankruptcies) 0.15 % 0.18 % 0.19 %
Repossessions (000) 14 16 21
Repossession ratio 0.74 % 0.85 % 1.08 %
Loss severity (000) (a) $ 9.0 $ 12.2 $ 16.1
Net charge-offs ($M) $ 67 $ 184 $ 301
LTR ratio (b) 0.14 % 0.35 % 0.50 %
__________
(a)The expected difference between the amount a customer owes when the finance contract is charged off and the amount received, net of expenses, from selling the repossessed vehicle.
(b)See Definitions and Information Regarding Causal Factors section for calculation.
The 2024 repossession ratio increased from a year ago by 23 basis points, but remains below the full year 2017 through 2019 average of 1.27%. Loss severity increased from a year ago, reflecting higher average amount financed and vehicle mix. The full year 2024 LTR ratio of 0.50% increased from a year ago, reflecting higher repossessions and increased loss severity. From 2017 through 2019, the full year LTR ratio averaged 0.56%.
Worldwide Credit Losses
The following table shows key metrics related to worldwide credit losses:
2022 2023 2024
Net charge-offs ($M) $ 109 $ 252 $ 412
LTR ratio (a) 0.11 % 0.24 % 0.34 %
Credit loss reserve ($M) $ 845 $ 882 $ 864
Reserve as percent of EOP Receivables (a) 0.82 % 0.75 % 0.68 %
__________
(a)See Definitions and Information Regarding Causal Factors section for calculation.
Our worldwide credit loss metrics remain strong. Net charge-offs and the worldwide LTR ratio in 2024 increased from a year ago, primarily driven by U.S. retail.
Our credit loss reserve is based on such factors as historical loss performance, portfolio quality, receivables level, and forward-looking macroeconomic scenarios. Our credit loss reserve reflects lifetime expected losses as of the balance sheet date and is adjusted accordingly based on our assessment of the portfolio and economic trends and conditions. The credit loss reserve at December 31, 2024 was lower than a year ago, reflecting improvement in the macroeconomic outlook, offset partially by an increase in finance receivables. See Note 4 of our Notes to the Financial Statements for more information.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Residual Risk
Leasing is an important product that many customers want and value, and operating lease customers also are more likely to buy or lease another Ford or Lincoln vehicle. We manage our lease share with an enterprise view to support sales, protect residual values, and manage the trade cycle. Ford Credit and Ford work together under a leasing strategy that considers share, term, model mix, geography, and other factors.
We are exposed to residual risk on operating leases and similar balloon payment products where the customer may return the financed vehicle to us. At the time we purchase a lease, we establish an expected residual value for the vehicle. Residual risk is the possibility that the amount we obtain from returned vehicles will be less than our estimate of the expected residual value for the vehicle. We estimate the expected residual value based on recent auction values, return volumes for our leased vehicles, industrywide used vehicle prices, marketing incentive plans, and vehicle quality data, and benchmark to third-party data depending on availability. For operating leases, changes in expected residual values impact depreciation expense, which is recognized on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease.
For additional information on our residual risk on operating leases, refer to the “Critical Accounting Estimates - Accumulated Depreciation on Vehicles Subject to Operating Leases” section and Note 5 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
United States Ford and Lincoln Operating Leases
The following table shows our share of Ford and Lincoln retail financing and operating lease sales, placement volume, and residual performance metrics for our United States operating lease portfolio, which represents 75% of our total net investment in operating leases at December 31, 2024.
2022 2023 2024
Lease Share of Retail Sales
Ford Credit 12 % 12 % 14 %
Industry (a) 17 % 20 % 24 %
Placement Volume (000)
24-Month 43 34 43
36-Month 95 108 126
39-Month / other 26 34 46
Total 164 176 215
Residual Performance
Return rates 12 % 27 % 52 %
Return volume (000) 39 74 99
Off-lease auction values (b) $ 33,280 $ 30,950 $ 29,810
__________
(a)Source: J.D. Power PIN.
(b)United States 36-month off-lease auction values at full year 2024 mix.
Our United States operating lease share of retail sales in 2024 was higher than a year ago and remains below the industry, reflecting the Ford sales mix. Our total 2024 lease placement volume was up compared with a year ago, reflecting higher Ford retail sales and Ford Credit lease share.
Lease return rates and return volume in 2024 were higher than a year ago, aligned with our expectations. Our 2024 36-month off-lease auction values were down 4% from the prior year. We expect auction values to decline modestly in 2025.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Credit Ratings
Our short-term and long-term debt is rated by four credit rating agencies designated as nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) by the SEC: DBRS, Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P.
In several markets, locally recognized rating agencies also rate us. A credit rating reflects an assessment by the rating agency of the credit risk associated with a corporate entity or particular securities issued by that entity. Rating agencies’ ratings of us are based on information provided by us and other sources. Credit ratings assigned to us from all of the NRSROs are closely associated with their opinions on Ford. Credit ratings are not recommendations to buy, sell, or hold securities and are subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning rating agency. Each rating agency may have different criteria for evaluating company risk and, therefore, ratings should be evaluated independently for each rating agency.
There have been no rating actions taken by these NRSROs since the filing of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024.
The following table summarizes certain of the credit ratings and outlook presently assigned by these four NRSROs:
NRSRO RATINGS
Ford Credit NRSROs
Long-Term Senior Unsecured Short -Term Unsecured Outlook/Trend Minimum
Long-Term Investment Grade Rating
DBRS BBB (low) R-2 (low) Stable BBB (low)
Fitch BBB- Stable BBB-
Moody’s Ba1 NP Stable Baa3
S&P BBB- A-3 Stable BBB-
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Funding and Liquidity
We remain well capitalized with a strong balance sheet and funding diversified across platforms and markets. We continue to have robust access to capital markets and ended 2024 with $25.2 billion of liquidity.
Key elements of our funding strategy include:
•Maintain strong liquidity and funding diversity;
•Prudently access public markets;
•Continue to leverage retail deposits in Europe;
•Flexibility to increase ABS mix as needed; preserving assets and committed capacity;
•Target financial statement leverage of 9:1 to 10:1; and
•Maintain self-liquidating balance sheet.
Our liquidity profile continues to be diverse, robust, and focused on maintaining liquidity levels that meet our business and funding requirements. We regularly stress test our balance sheet and liquidity to ensure that we continue to meet our financial obligations through economic cycles.
Funding Sources
Our funding sources include primarily unsecured debt and securitization transactions (including other structured financings). We issue both short-term and long-term debt that is held by both institutional and retail investors, with long-term debt having an original maturity of more than 12 months.
We sponsor a number of securitization programs that can be structured to provide both short-term and long-term funding through institutional investors and other financial institutions in the United States and international capital markets. For additional information on our securitization transactions, refer to the “Securitization Transactions” section.
We obtain unsecured funding from the sale of demand notes under our Ford Interest Advantage program and through retail deposit programs at FCE and Ford Bank. At December 31, 2024, the principal amount outstanding of Ford Interest Advantage notes, which may be redeemed at any time at the option of the holders thereof without restriction, and FCE and Ford Bank deposits was $18.3 billion. We maintain multiple sources of readily available liquidity to fund the payment of our unsecured short-term debt obligations.
Cost of Funding Sources
The cost of securitization transactions and unsecured debt funding is based on a margin or spread over a benchmark interest rate. Our asset-backed funding and unsecured long-term debt costs are based on spreads over United States Treasury securities of similar maturities, Secured Overnight Funding Rate (“SOFR”), or other comparable benchmark rates. Certain securitization funding costs are based on a spread over bank-sponsored commercial paper costs. The funding costs of our floating rate demand notes change depending on market conditions. For additional information on funding, see Note 9 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Funding and Liquidity
The following table shows funding for our net receivables (in billions):
Funding Structure December 31, 2022 December 31, 2023 December 31, 2024
Term unsecured debt $ 48.3 $ 54.1 $ 59.2
Term asset-backed securities 56.4 58.0 60.4
Retail deposits/Ford Interest Advantage 14.3 17.2 18.3
Other 2.7 1.4 1.2
Equity 11.9 13.4 13.8
Cash (11.3) (10.9) (9.3)
Total Net Receivables $ 122.3 $ 133.2 $ 143.6
Securitized Funding as a percent of Total Debt 47.4 % 44.9 % 43.8 %
Net receivables of $143.6 billion at December 31, 2024, were funded primarily with term unsecured debt and term asset-backed securities. Securitized funding as a percent of total debt was 43.8% at December 31, 2024.
Public Term Funding Plan
The following table shows our issuances for full year 2022, 2023, and 2024, and planned issuances for full year 2025, excluding short-term funding programs (in billions):
2022 Actual 2023 Actual 2024 Actual 2025 Forecast
Unsecured $ 6 $ 14 $ 17 $ 11 -14
Securitizations 10 14 16 13 -16
Total public $ 16 $ 28 $ 33 $ 24 - 30
In 2024, we completed $33 billion of public term funding. For 2025, we project full-year public term funding in the range of $24 billion to $30 billion. Through February 4, 2025, we completed $5 billion of public term issuances.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Liquidity
We define available liquidity as cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities (excluding amounts related to insurance activities) and committed capacity (which includes our asset-backed facilities and unsecured credit facilities), less utilization of liquidity. Utilization of liquidity is the amount funded under our liquidity sources and also includes the cash required to support securitization transactions and restricted cash. Net liquidity available for use is defined as available liquidity plus certain adjustments as shown in the table below.
The following table shows our liquidity sources and utilization (in billions):
December 31, 2022 December 31, 2023 December 31, 2024
Liquidity Sources
Cash $ 11.3 $ 10.9 $ 9.3
Committed asset-backed facilities 37.4 42.9 42.9
Other unsecured credit facilities 2.3 2.4 1.7
Total liquidity sources $ 51.0 $ 56.2 $ 53.9
Utilization of Liquidity
Securitization and restricted cash $ (2.9) $ (2.8) $ (3.1)
Committed asset-backed facilities (26.6) (27.5) (25.6)
Other unsecured credit facilities (0.8) (0.4) (0.5)
Total utilization of liquidity $ (30.3) $ (30.7) $ (29.2)
Available liquidity $ 20.7 $ 25.5 $ 24.7
Other adjustments 0.4 0.2 0.5
Net liquidity available for use $ 21.1 $ 25.7 $ 25.2
Our net liquidity available for use will fluctuate quarterly based on factors including near-term debt maturities, receivable growth and decline, and timing of funding transactions. At December 31, 2024, our net liquidity available for use was $25.2 billion, $0.5 billion lower than year-end 2023. At December 31, 2024, our liquidity sources totaled $53.9 billion, down $2.3 billion from year-end 2023, primarily explained by lower cash.
Cash. At December 31, 2024, our cash totaled $9.3 billion compared with $10.9 billion at year-end 2023. In the normal course of our funding activities, we may generate more proceeds than are required for our immediate funding needs. These excess amounts are held primarily in highly liquid investments, which provide liquidity for our anticipated and unanticipated cash needs and give us flexibility in the use of our other funding programs. Our cash primarily includes United States Department of Treasury obligations, federal agency securities, bank time deposits with investment-grade institutions, investment-grade commercial paper, debt obligations of a select group of non-U.S. governments, non-U.S. governmental agencies, supranational institutions, non-U.S. central banks, and money market funds that carry the highest possible ratings.
The average maturity of these investments ranges from overnight to six months and is adjusted based on market conditions and liquidity needs. We monitor our cash levels and average maturity on a daily basis. Cash includes restricted cash and amounts to be used only to support our securitization transactions of $2.8 billion and $3.1 billion at December 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Material Cash Requirements. Our material cash requirements include: (1) the purchase of retail financing and operating lease contracts from dealers and providing wholesale financing for dealers to finance new and used vehicles; and (2) debt repayments (for additional information on debt, see the “Balance Sheet Liquidity Profile” section below and Note 9 of our Notes to the Financial Statements). In addition, subject to approval by our Board of Directors, shareholder distributions may require the expenditure of a material amount of cash. Moreover, we may be subject to additional material cash requirements that are contingent upon the occurrence of certain events, e.g., legal contingencies, uncertain tax positions, and other matters.
We are party to certain contractual obligations involving commitments to make payments to others. Most of these are debt obligations, which are recorded on our balance sheets and disclosed in our Notes to the Financial Statements. Long-term debt may have fixed or variable interest rates. For long-term debt with variable rate interest, we estimate the future interest payments based on projected market interest rates for various floating rate benchmarks received from third parties. In addition, we may enter into contracts with suppliers for purchases of certain services, including operating lease commitments. These arrangements may contain minimum levels of service requirements. Our aggregate contractual obligations at December 31, 2024 are shown below (in millions):
Payments Due by Period
2025 2026 - 2027 2028 - 2029 2030 and Thereafter Total
On-balance sheet
Long-term debt (a) $ 35,921 $ 52,596 $ 21,174 $ 12,061 $ 121,752
Interest payments relating to long-term debt 5,133 6,031 2,501 1,401 15,066
Operating lease 16 21 4 7 48
Off-balance sheet
Purchase obligations 59 56 15 - 130
Total $ 41,129 $ 58,704 $ 23,694 $ 13,469 $ 136,996
__________
(a) Excludes unamortized discounts, unamortized issuance costs, and fair value adjustments.
We plan to utilize our liquidity (as described above) and our cash flows from business operations to fund our material cash requirements.
Committed Capacity. At December 31, 2024, our committed capacity totaled $44.6 billion, compared with $45.3 billion at December 31, 2023. Our committed capacity is primarily comprised of committed ABS facilities from bank-sponsored commercial paper conduits and other financial institutions and committed unsecured credit facilities with financial institutions.
Committed Asset-Backed Facilities. We and our subsidiaries have entered into agreements with a number of bank-sponsored asset-backed commercial paper conduits and other financial institutions. Such counterparties are contractually committed, at our option, to purchase from us eligible retail financing receivables or to purchase or make advances under asset-backed securities backed by retail financing or wholesale finance receivables or operating leases for proceeds of up to $42.9 billion ($24.5 billion of retail financing, $10.4 billion of operating leases, and $8.0 billion of wholesale financing) at December 31, 2024. In the United States, we are able to obtain funding within two days for our unutilized capacity in some of our committed asset-backed facilities. These committed facilities have varying maturity dates, with $16.1 billion having maturities within the next twelve months and the remaining balance having maturities through fourth quarter 2026. We plan capacity renewals to protect our global funding needs and to optimize capacity utilization.
Our ability to obtain funding under these facilities is subject to having a sufficient amount of eligible assets as well as our ability to obtain interest rate hedging arrangements for certain facilities. At December 31, 2024, $25.6 billion of these commitments were in use and we had $0.1 billion of asset-backed capacity that was in excess of eligible receivables. These programs are free of material adverse change clauses, restrictive financial covenants (for example, debt-to-equity limitations and minimum net worth requirements), and generally, credit rating triggers that could limit our ability to obtain funding. However, the unused portion of these commitments may be terminated if the performance of the underlying assets deteriorates beyond specified levels. Based on our experience and knowledge as servicer of the related assets, we do not expect any of these programs to be terminated due to such events.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
As of December 31, 2024, FCE had liquidity of £199 million (equivalent to $250 million) in the form of eligible collateral available for use in the monetary policy programs of the Bank of England. In addition, Ford Bank had liquidity of €346 million (equivalent to $360 million) in the form of eligible collateral available for use in the monetary policy programs of the European Central Bank.
Unsecured Credit Facilities. At December 31, 2024, we and our subsidiaries had $1.7 billion of contractually committed unsecured credit facilities with financial institutions, including FCE’s syndicated credit facility (the “FCE Credit Agreement”) and the Ford Bank’s syndicated credit facility (the “Ford Bank Credit Agreement”). At December 31, 2024, $1.2 billion was available for use.
At December 31, 2024, £361 million (equivalent to $452 million) was available for use under FCE’s £685 million (equivalent to $859 million) Credit Agreement and all €210 million (equivalent to $219 million) was available for use under the Ford Bank Credit Agreement. Both the FCE Credit Agreement and Ford Bank Credit Agreement mature in 2027.
Both the FCE Credit Agreement and Ford Bank Credit Agreement contain certain covenants, including an obligation for FCE and Ford Bank to maintain their ratio of regulatory capital to risk-weighted assets at no less than the applicable regulatory minimum. The FCE Credit Agreement requires the support agreement between FCE and Ford Credit to remain in effect (and enforced by FCE to ensure that its net worth is maintained at no less than $500 million). The Ford Bank Credit Agreement requires a guarantee of Ford Bank’s obligations under the agreement, provided by Ford Credit, to remain in effect. In addition, both the FCE Credit Agreement and the Ford Bank Credit Agreement include certain sustainability-linked targets, pursuant to which the applicable margin may be adjusted if Ford achieves, or fails to achieve, the specified targets related to global manufacturing facility greenhouse gas emissions, carbon-free electricity consumption, and Ford Europe CO2 tailpipe emissions. Prior to 2024, the specified targets related to global manufacturing facility greenhouse gas emissions, renewable electricity consumption, and Ford Europe CO2 tailpipe emissions. Ford outperformed all three of the sustainability-linked metrics for the most recent performance period.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Balance Sheet Liquidity Profile
We define our balance sheet liquidity profile as the cumulative maturities, including the impact of expected prepayments and allowance for credit losses, of our finance receivables, investment in operating leases, and cash, less the cumulative debt maturities over upcoming annual periods. Our balance sheet is inherently liquid because of the short-term nature of our finance receivables, investment in operating leases, and cash. We ensure our cumulative debt maturities have a longer tenor than our cumulative asset maturities. This positive maturity profile is intended to provide additional liquidity after all of our assets have been funded and is in addition to liquidity available to protect for stress scenarios.
The following table shows our cumulative maturities for assets and total debt for the periods presented and unsecured long-term debt maturities in the individual periods presented (in billions):
2025 2026 2027 2028 & Beyond
Balance Sheet Liquidity Profile
Assets (a) $ 79 $ 109 $ 134 $ 160
Total debt (b) 63 91 109 139
Memo: Unsecured long-term debt maturities 13 13 11 25
__________
(a)Includes gross finance receivables less the allowance for credit losses, investment in operating leases net of accumulated depreciation, and cash. Amounts shown include the impact of expected prepayments.
(b)Excludes unamortized debt (discount)/premium, unamortized issuance costs, and fair value adjustments.
Maturities of investment in operating leases consist primarily of the portion of rental payments attributable to depreciation over the remaining life of the lease and the expected residual value at lease termination. Maturities of finance receivables and investment in operating leases in the table above include expected prepayments for our retail installment sale contracts and investment in operating leases. The table above also reflects adjustments to debt maturities to match the asset-backed debt maturities with the underlying asset maturities.
All wholesale securitization transactions and wholesale receivables are shown maturing in the next 12 months, even if the maturities extend beyond 2025. The retail securitization transactions under certain committed asset-backed facilities are assumed to amortize immediately rather than amortizing after the expiration of the commitment period. As of December 31, 2024, we had $160 billion of assets, $72 billion of which were unencumbered. For additional information on finance receivables, investment in operating leases, and debt, see Notes 4, 5, and 9 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Funding and Liquidity Risks
Our funding plan is subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, including disruption in the capital markets that could impact both unsecured debt and asset-backed securities issuance and the effects of regulatory changes on the financial markets.
Despite our diverse sources of funding and liquidity, our ability to maintain liquidity may be affected by, among others, the following factors (not necessarily listed in order of importance or probability of occurrence):
•Prolonged disruption of the debt and securitization markets;
•Global capital markets volatility;
•Credit ratings assigned to Ford and us;
•Market capacity for Ford- and Ford Credit-sponsored investments;
•General demand for the type of securities we offer;
•Our ability to continue funding through asset-backed financing structures;
•Performance of the underlying assets within our asset-backed financing structures;
•Inability to obtain hedging instruments;
•Accounting and regulatory changes; and
•Our ability to maintain credit facilities and committed asset-backed facilities.
Stress Tests
We regularly conduct stress testing on funding and liquidity sources to ensure we can continue to meet our financial obligations and support the sale of Ford and Lincoln vehicles during firm-specific and market-wide stress events. Stress tests are intended to quantify the potential impact of various adverse scenarios on the balance sheet and liquidity. These scenarios include assumptions on access to unsecured and secured debt markets, runoff of short-term funding, and ability to renew expiring liquidity commitments and are measured over various time periods, including 30 days, 90 days, and longer term. Our stress test does not assume any additional funding, liquidity, or capital support from Ford. We routinely develop contingency funding plans as part of our liquidity stress testing.
Securitization Transactions
Overview
We securitize finance receivables and net investment in operating leases through a variety of programs using amortizing, variable funding, and revolving structures. We also sell finance receivables or pledge them as collateral, in certain transactions outside of the United States, in other types of structured financing transactions. Due to the similarities between securitization and structured financing, we refer to structured financings as securitization transactions. Our securitization programs are targeted to institutional investors and other financial institutions in both public and private transactions. We completed our first securitization transaction in 1988, and participate in a number of securitization markets primarily in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and China.
Securitization provides us with a lower cost source of funding compared with other alternatives, diversifies our funding among different markets and investors, and provides additional liquidity. In the United States, we are able to obtain funding within two days for our unutilized capacity in some of our committed asset-backed facilities.
Our securitization transactions involve sales to consolidated entities or we maintain control over the assets, and therefore, the securitized assets and related debt remain on our balance sheets and affect our financial condition, operating results, and liquidity.
Use of Special Purpose Entities
In a securitization transaction, the securitized assets are generally held by a bankruptcy-remote special purpose entity (“SPE”) in order to isolate the securitized assets from the claims of our creditors and ensure that the cash flows on the securitized assets are available for the benefit of securitization investors. Payments to securitization investors are made from cash flows on the securitized assets and any enhancements in the SPE, and not by Ford Credit and are not based on our creditworthiness. Senior asset-backed securities issued by the SPEs generally receive the highest credit ratings from the rating agencies that rate them.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Securitization SPEs have limited purposes and generally are only permitted to purchase the securitized assets, issue asset-backed securities, and make payments on the securities. Some SPEs, such as certain trusts that issue securities backed by retail installment sale contracts, only issue a single series of securities and are dissolved when those securities have been paid in full. Other SPEs, such as the trust that issues securities backed by wholesale receivables, issue multiple series of securities from time to time and may not be dissolved until the last series of securities is paid in full.
Our use of SPEs in our securitization transactions is consistent with conventional practices in the consumer asset-backed securitization industry. We sponsor the SPEs used in all of our securitization programs with the exception of bank-sponsored conduits. None of our officers, directors, or employees holds any equity interests in our SPEs or receives any direct or indirect compensation from the SPEs. These SPEs do not own our Shares or shares of any of our affiliates.
Selection of Assets, Enhancements, and Retained Interests
In order to be eligible for inclusion in a securitization transaction, each asset must satisfy certain eligibility criteria designed for the specific transaction. For example, for securitization transactions of retail installment sale contracts, the selection criteria may be based on factors such as location of the obligor, contract term, payment schedule, interest rate, financing program, the type of financed vehicle, and whether the contracts are active and in good standing (e.g., when the obligor is not more than 30-days delinquent or bankrupt). Subject to regulatory or rating agency requirements, and investor demand, it is our practice to satisfy the applicable eligibility criteria by selecting the assets to be included in a particular securitization from our entire portfolio of assets in a manner that is believed to not be adverse to the investors.
We provide various forms of credit and payment enhancement to increase the likelihood of receipt by securitization investors of the full amount of interest and principal due on their asset-backed securities. Credit enhancement includes (i) over-collateralization (when the principal amount of the securitized assets exceeds the principal amount of related asset-backed securities), (ii) segregated cash reserve funds, (iii) subordinated securities, and (iv) excess spread (when interest collections on the securitized assets exceed the related fees and expenses, including interest payments on the related asset-backed securities). Payment enhancement includes interest rate swaps and other hedging arrangements, liquidity facilities, and certain cash deposits.
We retain interests in our securitization transactions, including in the form of subordinated securities issued by the SPE, rights to cash held for the benefit of the securitization investors, and residual interests. Residual interests represent the right to receive collections on the securitized assets in excess of amounts needed to pay securitization investors and to pay other transaction participants and expenses. We retain credit risk in securitization transactions, including the most subordinated interests in the securitized assets, which are structured to absorb expected credit losses on the securitized assets before any losses would be experienced by investors. Based on past experience, we expect that any losses in the pool of securitized assets would likely be limited to our retained interests. Our retention of credit risk is legally required in certain jurisdictions, including the United States, to be at least 5% of the credit risk of the securitized assets and is typically required to be retained for at least two years.
Our Continuing Obligations
We are engaged as servicer to service the securitized assets and securitization transactions. Our servicing duties include collecting payments on the securitized assets, preparing monthly investor reports on the performance of the securitized assets and the securitization transaction, and facilitating payments to securitization investors. While servicing securitized assets, we apply the same servicing policies and procedures that we apply to our owned assets and maintain our normal relationship with our financing customers.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
We generally have no obligation to repurchase or replace any securitized asset that becomes delinquent in payment or otherwise is in default. As the seller and servicer of the securitized assets and as the administrator of the securitization SPE, we are obligated to provide certain kinds of support to our securitization transactions, which are customary in the securitization industry. These obligations include performing administrative duties for the SPE and some transaction parties, indemnifications, repurchase obligations on assets that do not meet representations or warranties on eligibility criteria or that have been materially modified, the mandatory sale of additional assets in some revolving transactions, the payment or reimbursement of transaction party expenses, and, in some cases, servicer advances of certain amounts. Securitization investors have no recourse to us or our other assets other than as provided above and have no right to require us to repurchase the asset-backed securities. We generally have no obligation to provide liquidity or contribute cash or additional assets to our SPEs either due to the performance of the securitized assets or the credit rating of our short-term or long-term debt. We do not guarantee any asset-backed securities. We may choose to support the performance of certain securitization transactions, however, by increasing cash reserves.
For certain public offerings of asset-backed securities, we have obligations to report certain information, including asset-level data on the securitized assets, ensure the engagement of an independent asset representations reviewer, cooperate and provide access to information necessary for an asset representations review, and participate in dispute resolution proceedings for unresolved asset repurchase requests.
Structural Features Under Certain Securitization Programs
The following securitization programs contain structural features that could prevent us from using these sources of funding in certain circumstances:
•Revolving Retail Program. Asset-backed securities under the FordREV program may be supported by a combination of a revolving pool of United States retail installment sale contracts and cash collateral. Cash generated by the receivables during the revolving period in excess of what is needed to pay certain expenses of the trust and interest on the notes may be used to purchase additional receivables provided that certain tests are met after the purchase. The revolving period ends upon the occurrence of certain events that include if credit losses or delinquencies on the pool of assets supporting the securities exceed specified levels, if certain segregated account balances are below their required levels, or if interest is not paid on the securities.
•Retail Committed Facilities. If credit losses or delinquencies on a pool of assets held by a facility exceed specified levels, or if the level of over-collateralization or other credit enhancement for that pool decreases below a specified level, we will not have the right to sell additional pools of assets to that facility.
•Lease Facility Program. If delinquencies in our portfolio of retail operating lease contracts exceed specified levels, we will be unable to obtain additional funding from the securitization of retail lease contracts through our committed lease facilities.
•Wholesale Program. If the payment rates on wholesale receivables in the securitization trust are lower than specified levels or if there are significant dealer defaults, we will be unable to obtain additional funding and any existing funding would begin to amortize.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
On-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Our securitization transactions involve sales to consolidated entities or we maintain control over the assets and, therefore, the securitized assets and related debt remain on our balance sheets. The securitized assets are available only for payment of the debt issued by, and other obligations of, the securitization entities that are parties to those securitization transactions. They are not available to pay our other obligations or the claims of our other creditors. We hold the right to receive the excess cash flows not needed to pay the debt issued by, and other obligations of, the securitization entities that are parties to those securitization transactions. This debt is the obligation of our consolidated securitization entities and not the obligation of Ford Credit or our other subsidiaries. For additional information on our on-balance sheet arrangements, see Note 6 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
The following table shows worldwide cash and cash equivalents, receivables, and related debt by segment and product for our on-balance sheet securitization transactions at December 31 (in billions):
2023 2024
Cash and Cash Equivalents Finance Receivables and Net Investment in Operating Leases (a) Related Debt (b) Cash and Cash Equivalents Finance Receivables and Net Investment in Operating Leases (a) Related Debt (b)
Finance Receivables
United States and Canada Segment
Retail financing $ 1.7 $ 38.9 $ 34.7 $ 1.9 $ 41.1 $ 37.4
Wholesale financing 0.2 18.3 11.1 0.2 21.3 10.2
Total United States and Canada Segment 1.9 57.2 45.8 2.1 62.4 47.6
Europe Segment
Retail financing 0.3 6.1 3.1 0.3 5.9 3.0
Wholesale financing - 2.2 0.7 0.1 2.3 0.6
Total Europe Segment 0.3 8.3 3.8 0.4 8.2 3.6
All Other Segment
Retail financing - 1.0 0.7 - 0.6 0.5
Wholesale financing - 0.8 0.2 - 0.8 0.2
Total All Other Segment - 1.8 0.9 - 1.4 0.7
Total finance receivables 2.2 67.3 50.5 2.5 72.0 51.9
Net investment in operating leases 0.5 11.2 7.5 0.5 13.3 8.5
Total on-balance sheet arrangements $ 2.7 $ 78.5 $ 58.0 $ 3.0 $ 85.3 $ 60.4
__________
(a)Finance receivables, before allowances for credit losses. Unearned interest supplements and residual support are excluded from securitization transactions.
(b)Includes unamortized discount and debt issuance costs.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Leverage
We use leverage, or the debt-to-equity ratio, to make various business decisions, including evaluating and establishing pricing for finance receivable and operating lease financing, and assessing our capital structure. We refer to our shareholder’s interest as equity.
The following table shows the calculation of our financial statement leverage (in billions):
December 31, 2022 December 31, 2023 December 31, 2024
Leverage Calculation
Debt $ 119.0 $ 129.3 $ 137.9
Equity $ 11.9 $ 13.4 $ 13.8
Financial statement leverage (to 1) 10.0 9.7 10.0
We plan our financial statement leverage by considering market conditions and the risk characteristics of our business. At December 31, 2024, our financial statement leverage was 10.0:1. We target financial statement leverage in the range of 9:1 to 10:1.
During the fourth quarter and full year 2024, we paid $175 million and $500 million, respectively, in cash distributions to our parent.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if (1) the accounting estimate requires us to make assumptions about matters that were highly uncertain at the time the accounting estimate was made; and (2) changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur from period to period, or use of different estimates that we reasonably could have used in the current period, would have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
The accounting estimates that are most important to our business involve:
•Allowance for credit losses; and
•Accumulated depreciation on vehicles subject to operating leases.
Management has discussed the development and selection of these critical accounting estimates with Ford’s and our audit committees.
Allowance for Credit Losses
The allowance for credit losses represents our estimate of the expected lifetime credit losses inherent in finance receivables as of the balance sheet date. The adequacy of the allowance for credit losses is assessed quarterly and the assumptions and models used in establishing the allowance are evaluated regularly. Because credit losses can vary substantially over time, estimating credit losses requires a number of assumptions about matters that are uncertain. Changes in our assumptions affect Provision for credit losses on our consolidated income statements and the allowance for credit losses contained within Total finance receivables, net on our consolidated balance sheets. For additional information regarding our allowance for credit losses, see Note 4 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
Nature of Estimates Required. We estimate the allowance for credit losses for receivables that share similar risk characteristics based on a collective assessment using a combination of measurement models and management judgment. The models consider factors such as historical trends in credit losses, recent portfolio performance, and forward-looking macroeconomic conditions. The models vary by portfolio and receivable type including consumer finance receivables, wholesale loans, and dealer loans. If management does not believe the models reflect lifetime expected credit losses for the portfolio, an adjustment is made to reflect management judgment regarding qualitative factors including economic uncertainty, observable changes in portfolio performance, and other relevant factors.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Assumptions Used. Our allowance for credit losses is based on our assumptions regarding:
•Probability of default. The expected probability of payment and time to default which include assumptions about macroeconomic factors and recent performance.
•Loss given default. The percentage of the expected balance due at default that is not recoverable. The loss given default takes into account the expected collateral value and future recoveries.
Macroeconomic factors used in our models are country specific and include variables such as unemployment rates, personal bankruptcy filings, housing prices, and gross domestic product.
Sensitivity Analysis. Changes in the probability of default and loss given default assumptions would affect the allowance for credit losses. The effect of the indicated increase/decrease in the assumptions for our United States Ford and Lincoln retail financing portfolio at December 31, 2024 is as follows (in millions):
Assumption Basis Point Change Increase/(Decrease) in Allowance for Credit Losses
Probability of default (lifetime) + / - 100 $250/$(250)
Loss given default + / - 100 15/(15)
Accumulated Depreciation on Vehicles Subject to Operating Leases
Accumulated depreciation on vehicles subject to operating leases reduces the value of the leased vehicles in our operating lease portfolio from their original acquisition value to their expected residual value at the end of the lease term.
We monitor residual values each month, and we review the adequacy of our accumulated depreciation on a quarterly basis. If we believe that the expected residual values for our vehicles have changed, we revise depreciation to ensure that our net investment in operating leases (equal to our acquisition value of the vehicles less accumulated depreciation) will be adjusted to reflect our revised estimate of the expected residual value at the end of the lease term. Adjustments to depreciation expense would result in a change in the depreciation rates of the vehicles subject to operating leases and are recorded prospectively on a straight-line basis.
Generally, lease customers have the option to buy the leased vehicle at the end of the lease or to return the vehicle to the dealer. For additional information on our residual risk on operating leases, refer to the “Residual Risk” section.
Nature of Estimates Required. Each operating lease in our portfolio represents a vehicle we own that has been leased to a customer. At the time we purchase a lease, we establish an expected residual value for the vehicle. We estimate the expected residual value by evaluating recent auction values, return volumes for our leased vehicles, industrywide used vehicle prices, marketing incentive plans, and vehicle quality data, and benchmark to third-party data depending on availability. Similar factors are considered in the third-party data we use to revise our estimate of the expected residual value during the lease term.
Assumptions Used. Our accumulated depreciation on vehicles subject to operating leases is based on our assumptions regarding:
•Auction value. Our projection of the market value of the vehicles when sold at the end of the lease; and
•Return volume. Our projection of the number of vehicles that will be returned at lease end.
See Note 5 of our Notes to the Financial Statements for more information regarding accumulated depreciation on vehicles subject to operating leases.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Sensitivity Analysis. For returned vehicles, we face a risk that the amount we obtain from the vehicle sold at auction will be less than our estimate of the expected residual value for the vehicle. The impact of the change in assumptions on future auction values and return volumes would increase or decrease accumulated supplemental depreciation and depreciation expense over the remaining terms of the operating leases; however, the impact may be tempered or exacerbated based on future auction values in relation to the purchase price specified in the lease contract. A change in the assumption for an auction value will impact our estimate of accumulated supplemental depreciation if the future auction value is lower than the purchase price specified in the lease contract. The effect of the indicated increase/decrease in the assumptions for our United States Ford and Lincoln brand operating lease portfolio at December 31, 2024 is as follows (in millions):
Assumption Basis Point Change Increase/(Decrease) in Projected Lifetime Depreciation
Future auction values + / - 100 $(50)/$50
Return volumes + / - 100 5/(5)
Adjustments to the amount of accumulated supplemental depreciation on operating leases would be reflected on our balance sheets as Net investment in operating leases and on the income statements in Depreciation on vehicles subject to operating leases.
Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted
For a discussion of recent accounting standards, see Note 2 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
Outlook
We expect full year 2025 EBT to be about $2.0 billion.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
Statements included or incorporated by reference herein may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on expectations, forecasts, and assumptions by our management and involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated, including, without limitation:
•Ford’s long-term success depends on delivering the Ford+ plan, including improving cost and competitiveness;
•Ford’s vehicles could be affected by defects that result in recall campaigns, increased warranty costs, or delays in new model launches, and the time it takes to improve the quality of Ford’s vehicles and services and reduce the costs associated therewith could continue to have an adverse effect on Ford’s business;
•Ford is highly dependent on its suppliers to deliver components in accordance with Ford’s production schedule and specifications, and a shortage of or inability to timely acquire key components or raw materials, can disrupt Ford’s production of vehicles;
•Ford’s production, as well as Ford’s suppliers’ production, and/or the ability to deliver products to consumers could be disrupted by labor issues, public health issues, natural or man-made disasters, adverse effects of climate change, financial distress, production difficulties, capacity limitations, or other factors;
•Ford may not realize the anticipated benefits of existing or pending strategic alliances, joint ventures, acquisitions, divestitures, or business strategies or the benefits may take longer than expected to materialize;
•Ford may not realize the anticipated benefits of restructuring actions and such actions may cause Ford to incur significant charges, disrupt its operations, or harm its reputation;
•Failure to develop and deploy secure digital services that appeal to customers and grow Ford’s subscription rates could have a negative impact on Ford’s business;
•Ford’s ability to maintain a competitive cost structure could be affected by labor or other constraints;
•Ford’s ability to attract, develop, grow, support, and reward talent is critical to its success and competitiveness;
•Operational information systems, security systems, vehicles, and services could be affected by cybersecurity incidents, ransomware attacks, and other disruptions and impact Ford, Ford Credit, their suppliers and dealers;
•To facilitate access to the raw materials and other components necessary for the production of electric vehicles, Ford has entered into and may, in the future, enter into multi-year commitments to raw material and other suppliers that subject Ford to risks associated with lower future demand for such items as well as costs that fluctuate and are difficult to accurately forecast;
•With a global footprint and supply chain, Ford’s results and operations could be adversely affected by economic or geopolitical developments, including protectionist trade policies such as tariffs, or other events;
•Ford’s new and existing products and digital, software, and physical services are subject to market acceptance and face significant competition from existing and new entrants in the automotive and digital and software services industries, and Ford’s reputation may be harmed based on positions it takes or if it is unable to achieve the initiatives it has announced;
•Ford may face increased price competition for its products and services, including pricing pressure resulting from industry excess capacity, currency fluctuations, competitive actions, or economic or other factors, particularly for electric vehicles;
•Inflationary pressure and fluctuations in commodity and energy prices, foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, and market value of Ford or Ford Credit’s investments, including marketable securities, can have a significant effect on results;
•Ford’s results are dependent on sales of larger, more profitable vehicles, particularly in the United States;
•Industry sales volume can be volatile and could decline if there is a financial crisis, recession, public health emergency, or significant geopolitical event;
•The impact of government incentives on Ford’s business could be significant, and Ford’s receipt of government incentives could be subject to reduction, termination, or clawback;
•Ford and Ford Credit’s access to debt, securitization, or derivative markets around the world at competitive rates or in sufficient amounts could be affected by credit rating downgrades, market volatility, market disruption, regulatory requirements, asset portfolios, or other factors;
•Ford Credit could experience higher-than-expected credit losses, lower-than-anticipated residual values, or higher-than-expected return volumes for leased vehicles;
•Economic and demographic experience for pension and OPEB plans (e.g., discount rates or investment returns) could be worse than Ford has assumed;
•Pension and other postretirement liabilities could adversely affect Ford’s liquidity and financial condition;
•Ford and Ford Credit could experience unusual or significant litigation, governmental investigations, or adverse publicity arising out of alleged defects in products, services, perceived environmental impacts, or otherwise;
•Ford may need to substantially modify its product plans and facilities to comply with safety, emissions, fuel economy, autonomous driving technology, environmental, and other regulations;
•Ford and Ford Credit could be affected by the continued development of more stringent privacy, data use, data protection, data access, and artificial intelligence laws and regulations as well as consumers’ heightened expectations to safeguard their personal information; and
•Ford Credit could be subject to new or increased credit regulations, consumer protection regulations, or other regulations.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
We cannot be certain that any expectation, forecast, or assumption made in preparing forward-looking statements will prove accurate, or that any projection will be realized. It is to be expected that there may be differences between projected and actual results. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of their initial issuance, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. For additional discussion, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” above.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Overview
We are exposed to a variety of risks in the normal course of our business. Our financial condition depends on the extent to which we effectively identify, assess, monitor, and manage these risks. The principal types of risk to our business include:
•Market risk - the possibility that changes in interest and currency exchange rates will adversely affect our cash flow and economic value;
•Counterparty risk - the possibility that a counterparty may default on a derivative contract or investment;
•Credit risk - the possibility of loss from a customer’s failure to make payments according to contract terms;
•Residual risk - the possibility that the actual proceeds we receive at lease termination will be lower than our projections or return volumes will be higher than our projections;
•Liquidity risk - the possibility that we may be unable to meet all of our current and future obligations in a timely manner; and
•Operating risk - the possibility of: errors relating to transaction processing and systems; actions that could result in compliance deficiencies with regulatory standards or contractual obligations; and fraud by our employees or third parties.
We manage each of these types of risk in the context of its contribution to our overall global risk. We make business decisions on a risk-adjusted basis and price our services consistent with these risks.
Credit, residual, and liquidity risks are discussed in Item 7. A discussion of market risk (including currency and interest rate risk), counterparty risk, and operating risk follows.
Market Risk
Given the unpredictability of financial markets, we seek to reduce volatility in our cash flow and economic value from changes in interest rates and currency exchange rates. We use various financial instruments, commonly referred to as derivatives, to manage market risks. We do not engage in any trading, market-making, or other speculative activities in the derivative markets.
Our strategies to manage market risks are approved by our Asset-Liability Committee (“ALCO”) and the Ford Global Risk Management Committee (“GRMC”). The ALCO is co-chaired by our Chief Financial Officer and the Treasurer of Ford. The GRMC is chaired by the Chief Financial Officer of Ford.
The Ford Treasurer’s Office is responsible for the execution of our market risk management strategies. These strategies are governed by written policies and procedures. Separation of duties is maintained between the strategy and approval of derivatives trades, the execution of derivatives trades, and the settlement of cash flows. Regular audits are conducted to ensure that appropriate controls are in place and that these controls are effective. In addition, the ALCO, GRMC, Ford’s Audit Committee, and Ford Credit’s Board of Directors review our market risk exposures and use of derivatives to manage these exposures.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk (Continued)
Interest Rate Risk
Nature of Exposure. Generally, our assets and the related debt have different re-pricing periods, and consequently, respond differently to changes in interest rates.
Our assets consist primarily of fixed-rate retail financing and operating lease contracts and floating-rate wholesale receivables. Fixed-rate retail financing and operating lease contracts generally require customers to make equal monthly payments over the life of the contract. Wholesale receivables are originated to finance new and used vehicles held in dealers’ inventory and generally require dealers to pay a floating rate.
Debt consists primarily of short-term and long-term unsecured debt and securitization debt. In the case of unsecured term debt, to support our positive maturity profile, we may borrow at terms longer than the terms of our assets, in most instances with maturities up to ten years. These debt instruments are principally fixed-rate and require fixed and equal interest payments over the life of the instrument and a single principal payment at maturity.
Risk Management. Our interest rate risk management objective is to reduce volatility in our cash flows and volatility in our economic value from changes in interest rates based on an established risk tolerance that may vary by market. We use economic value sensitivity analysis and re-pricing gap analysis to evaluate potential long-term effects of changes in interest rates. We then enter into interest rate swaps to convert portions of our floating-rate debt to fixed or our fixed-rate debt to floating to ensure that our exposure falls within the established tolerances. We also use pre-tax cash flow sensitivity analysis to monitor the level of near-term cash flow exposure. The pre-tax cash flow sensitivity analysis measures the changes in expected cash flows associated with our interest-rate-sensitive assets, liabilities, and derivative financial instruments from hypothetical changes in interest rates over a twelve-month horizon. Interest rate swaps are placed to maintain exposure within approved thresholds and the ALCO reviews the re-pricing mismatch monthly.
Quantitative Disclosure. To provide a quantitative measure of the sensitivity of our pre-tax cash flow to changes in interest rates, we use interest rate scenarios that assume a hypothetical, instantaneous increase or decrease of one percentage point in all interest rates across all maturities (a “parallel shift”), as well as a base case that assumes that all interest rates remain constant at existing levels. In reality, interest rate changes are rarely instantaneous or parallel and rates could move more or less than the one percentage point assumed in our analysis. As a result, the actual impact to pre-tax cash flow could be higher or lower than the results detailed in the table below. These interest rate scenarios are purely hypothetical and do not represent our view of future interest rate movements.
Under these interest rate scenarios, we expect more assets than debt and liabilities to re-price in the next twelve months. Other things being equal, this means that during a period of rising interest rates, the interest received on our assets will increase more than the interest paid on our debt, thereby initially increasing our pre-tax cash flow. During a period of falling interest rates, we would expect our pre-tax cash flow to initially decrease. Our pre-tax cash flow sensitivity to interest rate movement at December 31 was as follows (in millions):
Pre-Tax Cash Flow Sensitivity 2023 2024
One percentage point instantaneous increase in interest rates
$ 78 $ 107
One percentage point instantaneous decrease in interest rates
(78) (107)
Additional Model Assumptions. While the sensitivity analysis presented is our best estimate of the impacts of the specified assumed interest rate scenarios, our actual results could differ from those projected. The model we use to conduct this analysis is heavily dependent on assumptions. Embedded in the model are assumptions regarding the reinvestment of maturing asset principal, refinancing of maturing debt, replacement of maturing derivatives, exercise of options embedded in debt and derivatives, and predicted repayment of retail financing and operating lease contracts ahead of contractual maturity. Our repayment projections ahead of contractual maturity are based on historical experience. If interest rates or other factors change, our actual prepayment experience could be different than projected.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk (Continued)
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. Our policy is to minimize exposure to changes in currency exchange rates. To meet funding objectives, we borrow in a variety of currencies, principally U.S. dollars, Canadian dollars, euros, pound sterling, and renminbi. We face exposure to currency exchange rates if a mismatch exists between the currency of our receivables and the currency of the debt funding those receivables. When possible, receivables are funded with debt in the same currency, minimizing exposure to exchange rate movements. When a different currency is used, we may use foreign currency swaps and foreign currency forwards to convert substantially all of our foreign currency debt obligations to the local country currency of the receivables. As a result of this policy, we believe our market risk exposure relating to changes in currency exchange rates at December 31, 2024 is insignificant.
Derivative Notional Values
The outstanding notional value of our derivatives at December 31 was as follows (in billions):
2023 2024
Interest rate derivatives
Pay-fixed, receive-floating, excluding securitization swaps, including basis swaps $ 28 $ 27
Pay-floating, receive-fixed, excluding securitization swaps 32 40
Securitization swaps 26 26
Total interest rate derivatives 86 93
Other derivatives
Cross-currency swaps 9 9
Foreign currency forwards 10 10
Total notional value $ 105 $ 112
Derivative Fair Values
The net fair value of our derivative financial instruments was a liability of $1,323 million and $1,208 million at December 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively. For additional information regarding our derivatives, see Note 7 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
Counterparty Risk
Counterparty risk relates to the loss we could incur if an obligor or counterparty defaulted on an investment or a derivative contract. We enter into master agreements with counterparties that allow netting of certain exposures in order to manage this risk. Exposures primarily relate to investments in fixed income instruments and derivative contracts used for managing interest rate, and foreign currency exchange rate risk. We, together with Ford, establish exposure limits for each counterparty to minimize risk and provide counterparty diversification.
Our approach to managing counterparty risk is forward-looking and proactive, allowing us to take risk mitigation actions before risks become losses. Exposure limits are established based on our overall risk tolerance, which is calculated from counterparty credit ratings and market-based credit default swap (“CDS”) spreads. The exposure limits are lower for smaller and lower-rated counterparties, counterparties that have relatively higher CDS spreads, and for longer-dated exposures. Our exposures are monitored on a regular basis and are included in periodic reports to Ford’s Treasurer and our Chief Financial Officer.
Substantially all of our counterparty exposures are with counterparties that have an investment grade rating. Investment grade is our guideline for minimum counterparty long-term ratings. For additional information on our derivatives, see Note 7 of our Notes to the Financial Statements.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk (Continued)
Operating Risk
We operate in many locations and rely on the abilities of our employees and computer systems to process a large number of transactions. Improper employee actions, improper operation of systems, or unforeseen business interruptions could result in financial loss, regulatory action, damage to our reputation, and breach of contractual obligations. To address this risk, we maintain internal control processes that identify transaction authorization requirements, safeguard assets from misuse or theft, protect the reliability of financial and other data, and minimize the impact of a business interruption on our customers. We also maintain system controls to maintain the accuracy of information about our operations. These controls are designed to manage operating risk throughout our operation.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Our Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, Consolidated Financial Statements, and the accompanying Notes that are filed as part of this Report are listed under “Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules” and are set forth beginning on page 69 immediately following the signature pages of this Report.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. Cathy O’Callaghan, our President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), and Eliane S. Okamura, our Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), Treasurer and Executive Vice President, Strategy, have performed an evaluation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as that term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act, as of December 31, 2024, and each has concluded that such disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our periodic reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified by SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the CEO and CFO to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f). The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or because the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our CEO and CFO, we conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. The assessment was based on criteria established in the framework Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2024.
The effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) (PCAOB ID 238), an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its report which appears herein.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. There were no changes in internal control over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. Other Information.
During the three months ended December 31, 2024, no director or officer of the Company adopted, modified, or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or a “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” as each term is defined in Item 408(a) of Regulation S-K.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Not required.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. Executive Compensation.
Not required.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters.
Not required.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
Not required.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
Our principal accounting fees and services for the years ended December 31 were as follows (in millions):
2023 2024
Nature of Services
Audit fees - for audit of the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, reviews of the financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, attestation of the effectiveness of the Company's internal controls over financial reporting, preparation of statutory audit reports, and providing comfort letters in connection with our funding transactions
$ 10.1 $ 10.9
Audit-related fees - for support of funding transactions, due diligence for mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, attestation services, internal control reviews, and assistance with interpretation of accounting standards
2.3 2.7
Tax fees - for tax compliance and the preparation of tax returns, tax consultation, planning and implementation services, assistance in connection with tax audits, and tax advice related to mergers, acquisitions and divestitures
0.3 0.3
All other fees - for support in business and regulatory reviews and research analysis regarding new strategies
- -
Total fees $ 12.7 $ 13.9
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
Ford’s Audit Committee has established pre-approval policies and procedures that govern the engagement of PwC, and the services provided by PwC to Ford Credit are pre-approved in accordance with Ford’s policies and procedures. The policies and procedures are detailed as to the particular services and Ford Credit’s Audit Committee is informed of the services provided to us by PwC, including the audit fee requests for these services that have been submitted to and approved by Ford’s Audit Committee. The pre-approval policies and procedures do not include delegation of the Ford or Ford Credit Audit Committees’ responsibilities under the Exchange Act to management.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) 1. Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Ford Motor Credit Company LLC and Subsidiaries
•Consolidated Income Statements for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024
•Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024
•Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2023 and 2024
•Consolidated Statements of Shareholder’s Interest for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024
•Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024
•Notes to the Financial Statements
The Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, Consolidated Financial Statements, and the Notes to the Financial Statements listed above are filed as part of this Report and are set forth beginning on page 69 immediately following the signature pages of this Report.
(a) 2. Financial Statement Schedules
Schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable, the information required to be contained in them is disclosed elsewhere in the Consolidated Financial Statements, or the amounts involved are not sufficient to require submission.
(a) 3. Exhibits
Designation Description Method of Filing
Exhibit 3-A
Certificate of Formation of Ford Motor Credit Company LLC. Filed as Exhibit 99.3 to Ford Motor Credit Company LLC Current Report on Form 8-K dated May 1, 2007 and incorporated herein by reference. File No. 1-6368.
Exhibit 3-B
Limited Liability Company Agreement of Ford Motor Credit Company LLC dated as of April 30, 2007. Filed as Exhibit 99.4 to Ford Motor Credit Company LLC Current Report on Form 8-K dated May 1, 2007 and incorporated herein by reference. File No. 1-6368.
Exhibit 4-A Form of Indenture dated as of February 1, 1985 between Ford Motor Credit Company and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company relating to Unsecured Debt Securities. Filed as Exhibit 4-A to Ford Motor Credit Company Registration Statement No. 2-95568 and incorporated herein by reference.
Exhibit 4-A-1 Form of First Supplemental Indenture dated as of April 1, 1986 between Ford Motor Credit Company and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company supplementing the Indenture designated as Exhibit 4-A. Filed as Exhibit 4-B to Ford Motor Credit Company Current Report on Form 8-K dated April 29, 1986 and incorporated herein by reference. File No. 1-6368.
Exhibit 4-A-2 Form of Second Supplemental Indenture dated as of September 1, 1986 between Ford Motor Credit Company and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company supplementing the Indenture designated as Exhibit 4-A. Filed as Exhibit 4-B to Ford Motor Credit Company Current Report on Form 8-K dated August 28, 1986 and incorporated herein by reference. File No. 1-6368.
Exhibit 4-A-3 Form of Third Supplemental Indenture dated as of March 15, 1987 between Ford Motor Credit Company and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company supplementing the Indenture designated as Exhibit 4-A. Filed as Exhibit 4-E to Ford Motor Credit Company Registration Statement No. 33-12928 and incorporated herein by reference.
Exhibit 4-A-4 Form of Fourth Supplemental Indenture dated as of April 15, 1988 between Ford Motor Credit Company and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company supplementing the Indenture designated as Exhibit 4-A. Filed as Exhibit 4-F to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Ford Motor Credit Company Registration Statement No. 33-20081 and incorporated herein by reference.
Exhibit 4-A-5 Form of Fifth Supplemental Indenture dated as of September 1, 1990 between Ford Motor Credit Company and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company supplementing the Indenture designated as Exhibit 4-A. Filed as Exhibit 4-G to Ford Motor Credit Company Registration Statement No. 33-41060 and incorporated herein by reference.
Exhibit 4-A-6
Form of Sixth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 1, 1998 between Ford Motor Credit Company and The Chase Manhattan Bank supplementing the Indenture designated as Exhibit 4-A. Filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Ford Motor Credit Company Current Report on Form 8-K dated June 15, 1998 and incorporated herein by reference. File No. 1-6368.
Exhibit 4-A-7
Form of Seventh Supplemental Indenture dated as of January 15, 2002 between Ford Motor Credit Company and JPMorgan Chase Bank supplementing the Indenture designated as Exhibit 4-A. Filed as Exhibit 4-I to Amendment No. 1 to Ford Motor Credit Company Registration Statement No. 333-75234 and incorporated herein by reference.
Exhibit 4-A-8
Form of Eighth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 5, 2006 between Ford Motor Credit Company and JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. supplementing the Indenture designated as Exhibit 4-A. Filed as Exhibit 4 to Ford Motor Credit Company Current Report on Form 8-K dated May 25, 2006 and incorporated herein by reference. File No. 1-6368.
Exhibit 4-A-9
Form of Ninth Supplemental Indenture dated as of September 18, 2012 between Ford Motor Credit Company LLC and The Bank of New York Mellon supplementing the Indenture designated as Exhibit 4-A. Filed as Exhibit 4 to Ford Motor Credit Company LLC Current Report on Form 8-K dated September 18, 2012 and incorporated herein by reference. File No. 1-6368.
Exhibit 4-B
Form of Indenture dated as of March 16, 2015 between Ford Motor Credit Company LLC and The Bank of New York Mellon relating to Unsecured Debt Securities. Filed as Exhibit 4-A to Ford Motor Credit Company LLC Registration Statement No. 333-202789 and incorporated by reference herein.
Exhibit 4-C
Description of Securities. Filed with this Report.
Exhibit 10-A
Third Amended and Restated Relationship Agreement dated as of April 27, 2022 between Ford Motor Company and Ford Motor Credit Company LLC. Filed as Exhibit 10 to Ford Motor Credit Company LLC Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and incorporated herein by reference. File No. 1-6368.
Exhibit 10-B
Amended and Restated Support Agreement dated as of September 20, 2004 between Ford Motor Credit Company and FCE Bank plc. Filed as Exhibit 10 to Ford Motor Credit Company Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004 and incorporated herein by reference. File No. 1-6368.
Exhibit 10-C
Second Amended and Restated Tax Sharing Agreement Between Ford Motor Company and Ford Motor Credit Company LLC. Filed as Exhibit 10 to Ford Motor Credit Company Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 and incorporated herein by reference. File No. 1-6368.
Exhibit 23
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Filed with this Report.
Exhibit 24
Powers of Attorney. Filed with this Report.
Exhibit 31.1
Rule 15d-14(a) Certification of CEO. Filed with this Report.
Exhibit 31.2
Rule 15d-14(a) Certification of CFO. Filed with this Report.
Exhibit 32.1
Section 1350 Certification of CEO. Furnished with this Report.
Exhibit 32.2
Section 1350 Certification of CFO. Furnished with this Report.
Designation Description Method of Filing
Exhibit 97
Ford Motor Credit Company Financial Statement Compensation Recoupment Policy Filed as Exhibit 97 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Exhibit 101.INS Interactive Data Files pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T formatted in Inline Extensible Business Reporting Language (“Inline XBRL”). *
Exhibit 101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. *
Exhibit 101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. *
Exhibit 101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. *
Exhibit 101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. *
Exhibit 101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. *
Exhibit 104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted in Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). *
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*Submitted electronically with this Report in accordance with the provisions of Regulation S-T.
Instruments defining the rights of holders of certain issues of long-term debt of Ford Credit have not been filed as exhibits to this Report because the authorized principal amount of any one of such issues does not exceed 10% of the total assets of Ford Credit. Ford Credit will furnish a copy of each such instrument to the SEC upon request.