The Charles Schwab Corporation

Core operations · Operational disruption and business continuity

It could take an extended period of time to restore full functionality to our technology or other operating systems in the event of an unforeseen occurrence, which could affect our ability to process and settle client transactions. Despite our efforts to identify areas of risk, oversee operational areas involving risk, and implement policies and procedures designed to manage these risks, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer unexpected losses, reputational damage or regulatory action due to technology or other operational failures or errors, including those of our vendors or other third parties.

Supply chain and procurement · Supplier operation and dependance

We rely on market makers, dealers, securities exchanges, clearing houses, custodians, and other financial intermediaries to execute and settle our clients' orders. In addition, payments received from market makers and exchanges in connection with the execution of client equity and options trades, and from dealers and other counterparties in connection with securities lending, account for significant revenue. The unwillingness or inability of any of these parties to perform their usual functions coupled with the unavailability of alternative arrangements could result in our clients' orders not getting executed or settled.

Industry regulation · Capital and liquidity requirements

Failure to meet capital adequacy and liquidity guidelines could affect our financial condition. CSC, together with its banking, broker-dealer, and FCM/FDM subsidiaries, must meet certain capital and liquidity standards, subject to qualitative judgments by regulators about the adequacy of our capital and our internal assessment of our capital needs. New regulatory capital, liquidity, capital planning, and stress testing requirements may limit or otherwise restrict how we utilize our capital, including paying dividends, stock repurchases and redemptions, and may require us to increase our capital and/or liquidity or to limit our growth.

Legal and litigation · Intellectual property disputes

Litigation claims also include claims from third parties alleging infringement of their intellectual property rights (e.g., patents). Such litigation can require the expenditure of significant company resources. If we were found to have infringed on a third-party patent, or other intellectual property rights, we could incur substantial damages, and in some circumstances could be enjoined from using certain technology, or providing certain products or services.

Credit and liquidity · Credit risk and customer defaults

Our businesses are subject to the risk that a client, counterparty or issuer will fail to perform its contractual obligations, or that the value of collateral held to secure obligations will prove to be inadequate. While we have policies and procedures designed to manage this risk, the policies and procedures may not be fully effective. Our exposure mainly results from margin lending, clients' options and futures trading, securities lending, mortgage lending, pledged asset lending, our role as a counterparty in financial contracts and investing activities, and indirectly from the investing activities of certain of the proprietary funds that the Company sponsors.

Credit and liquidity · Liquidity and cash flow constraints

Maintaining adequate liquidity is crucial to our business operations, including transaction settlement, custody requirements, and lending commitments, among other liquidity needs. We meet our liquidity needs primarily from working capital and cash generated by client activity as well as external financing. Fluctuations in client cash or deposit balances, as well as market conditions or changes in regulatory treatment of client deposits, may affect our ability to meet our liquidity needs.

Market and investment · Investment portfolio performance

The Company sponsors a number of proprietary money market mutual funds and other proprietary funds. Although the Company has no obligation to do so, the Company may decide for competitive or other reasons to provide credit, liquidity or other support to our funds in the event of significant declines in valuation of fund holdings or significant redemption activity that exceeds available liquidity.

Capital structure and performance · Financial performance volatility

A significant change in client cash allocations could negatively impact our income. Client cash balances are a significant funding source for the generation of the Company's revenue. Cash awaiting investment may be used to extend margin loans to clients or be swept to our banking subsidiaries and those bank deposits are then used to extend loans to clients and purchase investment securities.

Market and investment · Asset valuation and impairment

We have exposure to credit risk associated with our investments, which are subject to price fluctuations. Loss of value of securities can negatively affect earnings if management determines that such loss of value has resulted from a credit loss. The evaluation of whether a credit loss exists is a matter of judgment, which includes the assessment of multiple factors. If management determines that a security's decline in fair value is the result of a credit loss, an allowance for credit losses on the security will be recorded and a corresponding loss will be recognized in current earnings.

Geopolitical and trade · Regulatory and policy uncertainty

Following the failure of several U.S. banks in 2023, the U.S. federal banking agencies proposed rules that would significantly impact our regulatory capital requirements, including requiring us to include AOCI in regulatory capital, as well as rules that would require minimum levels of eligible long-term debt at CSC and our banking subsidiaries.

Economic and market conditions · Consumer spending and confidence

Investor sentiment and market and trading dynamics can affect client preferences and security selection, and can impact transactions and asset-based revenues. Market-driven changes, such as declines in equity markets, can also reduce client demand for margin lending, which is a significant source of net interest revenue.

Natural and catastrophic events · Force majeure and business interruption

An interruption in or the cessation of service by any external service provider as a result of systems failures, capacity constraints, financial difficulties, natural disasters, extreme weather, power outage, public health crises, political developments, war, international disputes, or for any other reason, and our inability to make alternative arrangements in a timely manner could disrupt our operations, impact our ability to offer certain products and services, and result in financial losses to us.

Economic and market conditions · Credit market conditions

During periods of disruptions in the credit and capital markets, potential sources of external financing could be reduced, and borrowing costs could increase. Financing may not be available on acceptable terms or at all due to market conditions or disruptions in the credit markets.

Economic and market conditions · Economic recession and downturns

Our business can be adversely affected by the general environment – economic, corporate, securities market, regulatory, and geopolitical developments all play a role in client asset valuations, trading activity, interest rates, and overall investor engagement, and are outside of our control. Deterioration in the housing and credit markets and decreases in securities valuations negatively impact our results of operations and capital resources.

Technology infrastructure · Cloud services and data center operations

Cloud technologies are critical to the operation of our systems and platforms and our reliance on cloud technologies is growing. We have experienced, and could, in the future, experience cloud service disruptions that lead to delays in accessing data that is important to our businesses. Such disruptions, such as the broad-reaching cloud platform outages that impacted multiple industries in recent years, can and have hindered our clients' access to our platforms.

Cybersecurity and data protection · Data breaches and cyber attacks

Our business involves the secure processing, storage, and transmission of confidential information about our clients and us. Information security risks for financial institutions are increasing, in part because of the use of the internet and mobile and cloud technologies to conduct financial transactions, and the increased sophistication and activities, including the use of artificial intelligence technologies, of organized crime, activists, hackers and other external parties, including foreign state actors. Our systems and those of other financial institutions, as well as those of our third-party service providers, have been and will continue to be the frequent target of cyber attacks, malicious code, computer viruses, ransomware, and denial of service attacks that could result in unauthorized access, misuse, loss or destruction of data (including confidential client information), account takeovers, unavailability of service or other events.

Cybersecurity and data protection · Insider threats and access controls

Schwab also faces risk of fraud by employees who misuse authorized access to critical information or systems. Such insider misconduct may involve misappropriation of Company or client assets, misuse or theft of Company or client information, insider trading, operational sabotage, circumvention of internal controls, or other actions that could harm the Company or our clients.

Cybersecurity and data protection · Data privacy and protection regulations

Security breaches, including breaches of our security measures or those of our third-party service providers, could result in a violation of applicable privacy and other laws, and could subject us to significant liability or loss that may not be covered by insurance, actions by our regulators, damage to our reputation, or a loss of confidence in our security measures which could harm our business.

Innovation and product development · Product development and randd investment risks

We intend to offer clients direct access to select digital assets, which exposes us to new and uncertain financial, operational, legal, and regulatory risks that could adversely affect our business and financial results. In 2026, the Company anticipates it will begin offering expanded client access to trading in digital assets including spot trading in select cryptocurrencies.

Market position and competition · Competitive pressure and market share loss

Our industry is highly competitive and characterized by aggressive price competition. We operate in a highly competitive environment with a broad array of competitors from large integrated banks to venture-capital-backed private companies. We continually monitor our pricing in relation to competitors and periodically adjust interest rates on deposits and loans, fees for advisory services, expense ratios on mutual funds and ETFs, trade commission rates, and other pricing and incentives to sustain our competitive position.