Fifth Third Bancorp FITB

Fifth Third’s income and cash flows depend to a great extent on the difference between the interest rates earned on interest-earning assets such as loans and investment securities and the interest rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities such as deposits and borrowings. These rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond Fifth Third’s control, including general economic conditions in the U.S. or abroad and the policies of various governmental and regulatory agencies (in particular, the FRB). Changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates and inflation, could influence the origination of loans, the prepayment speed of loans, the purchase of investments, the generation of deposits and the rates received on loans and investment securities and paid on deposits or other sources of funding as well as customers’ ability to repay loans. For example, a tightening of the money supply by the FRB could reduce the demand for a borrower’s products and services. This could adversely affect the borrower’s earnings and ability to repay a loan, which could have a material adverse effect on Fifth Third’s financial condition and results of operations. The impact of these changes may be magnified if Fifth Third does not effectively manage the relative sensitivity of its assets and liabilities to changes in market interest rates. Fluctuations in these areas may adversely affect Fifth Third, its customers and its shareholders. Throughout 2022 and 2023, the Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate to between 5.25% and 5.5% in an effort to curb inflation. Although the FRB reduced benchmark rates in the second half of 2024, they remain higher than in previous years, and the inflationary outlook in the U.S. is currently uncertain. To the extent inflation increases and market interest rates rise, the value of Fifth Third’s investment securities, particularly those that have fixed rates or longer maturities, could decrease. Persistent or increasing inflation could lead to the FRB reversing recent reductions in interest rates. Increasing rates would also increase debt service requirements for some of Fifth Third’s borrowers and may adversely affect those borrowers’ ability to pay as contractually obligated and could result in additional delinquencies or charge-offs. Further, any increase in market interest rates is likely to reduce Fifth Third’s loan origination volume, particularly refinance volume, and/or reduce its interest rate spread, which could have an adverse effect on Fifth Third’s profitability and results of operations. Conversely, a lowering in interest rates would likely further reduce the interest Fifth Third earns on loans and other earning assets. Fifth Third cannot predict the nature or timing of future changes in monetary policies or the precise effects that they may have on Fifth Third’s activities and financial results.

In April 2006, the Bancorp was added as a defendant in a consolidated antitrust class action lawsuit originally filed against Visa®, MasterCard® and several other major financial institutions in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (In re: Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 5-MD-1720). The plaintiffs, merchants operating commercial businesses throughout the U.S. and trade associations, claimed that the interchange fees charged by card-issuing banks were unreasonable and sought injunctive relief and unspecified damages. In addition to being a named defendant, the Bancorp is currently also subject to a possible indemnification obligation of Visa as discussed in Note 18 and has also entered into judgment and loss sharing agreements with Visa, MasterCard and certain other named defendants. In October 2012, the parties to the litigation entered into a settlement agreement that was initially approved by the trial court but reversed by the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals and remanded to the district court for further proceedings. More than 500 of the merchants who requested exclusion from the class filed separate federal lawsuits against Visa, MasterCard and certain other defendants alleging similar antitrust violations. These individual federal lawsuits were transferred to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. While York, and the Bancorp is only named as a defendant in one of the individual federal lawsuits, it may have obligations in these matters pursuant to indemnification arrangements and/or the judgment or loss sharing agreements noted above. On September 17, 2018, the defendants in the consolidated class action signed a second settlement agreement (the “Amended Settlement Agreement”) resolving the claims seeking monetary damages by the proposed plaintiffs’ class (the “Plaintiff Damages Class”) and superseding the original Class”). The settlement agreement entered into in October 2012. The Amended Settlement Agreement included, among other terms, a release from participating class members for liability for claims that accrue no later than five years after the Amended Settlement Agreement becomes final. The Amended Settlement Agreement provided for a total payment by all defendants of approximately $ 6.24 billion, composed of approximately $ 5.34 billion held in escrow plus an additional $ 900 million in new funds. Pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, $ 700 million of the additional $ 900 million has been returned to the defendants due to the level of opt-outs from the class. The Bancorp’s allocated share of the settlement is within existing reserves, including funds maintained in escrow. billion. On December 13, 2019, the Court entered an order granting final approval for the settlement, and on March 15, 2023, the Second Circuit affirmed that order. The settlement does not resolve the claims of the separate proposed plaintiffs’ class seeking injunctive relief or the claims of merchants who have opted out of the proposed class settlement and are pursuing, or may in the future decide to pursue, private lawsuits. Several of the remaining opt-out cases have now been set for a trial scheduled to commence on October April 20, 2025 2026 in the matter of Target Corp. et al. v. Visa Inc. et al., Case No. 13 Civ. 3477 (AKH) (S.D.N.Y.). On September 27, 2021, the Court overseeing the class litigation entered an order certifying a class of merchants pursuing claims for injunctive relief. On March 26, In June 2024, Plaintiffs filed a motion seeking the Court denied preliminary approval of a proposed settlement that would resolve class of the injunctive relief claims. On November 10, 2025, defendants submitted to the Court a revised proposed settlement of the claims for injunctive relief. On June 13, 2024, the Court held a hearing on Plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary approval of the injunctive relief settlement, and on June 25, 2024, the Court issued an order denying the request for preliminary approval of the settlement. The ultimate outcome in this matter, including the timing of resolution, remains uncertain. Refer to Note 18 for further information.

On an average basis, core deposits Average consumer loans increased $4.5 $3.0 billion, or 3%, 6%, from December 31, 2023 2024 primarily due to increases in average transaction deposits indirect secured consumer loans, average residential mortgage loans, average home equity and average CDs $250,000 or less. solar energy installation loans, partially offset by a decrease in average other consumer loans. Average transaction deposits indirect secured consumer loans increased $2.3 $1.8 billion, or 2%, 11%, from December 31, 2023, 2024 primarily driven by increases in average interest checking deposits and average money market deposits, partially offset by decreases in average demand deposits and average savings deposits. higher indirect automobile loan production during the fourth quarter of 2024 that continued into 2025 due to strong industry sales volume. Average CDs $250,000 residential mortgage loans increased $657 million, or less increased $2.2 billion, or 27%, 4%, from December 31, 2023. Additionally, average CDs over $250,000 decreased $1.3 billion, 2024 primarily driven by an increase in held-for-investment loan originations and loan purchase transactions completed in the second half of 2024. Average home equity increased $489 million, or 24%, 12%, from December 31, 2023. The fluctuations in the average balances of deposits were 2024 as loan originations and new advances exceeded payoffs, driven by similar factors increased marketing efforts. Average solar energy installation loans increased $373 million, or 9%, from December 31, 2024 primarily due to those previously discussed loan originations exceeding payoffs. Average other consumer loans decreased $265 million, or 10%, from December 31, 2024 primarily driven by paydowns of point-of-sale loans, including loans originated in connection with respect to one third-party point-of-sale company with which the end Bancorp discontinued the origination of period balances. new loans in 2022.

The fair value of a reporting unit is the price that would be received to sell the unit as a whole in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. As none of the Bancorp’s reporting units are publicly traded, individual reporting unit fair value determinations cannot be directly correlated to the Bancorp’s stock price. The determination of the fair value of a reporting unit is a subjective process that involves the use of estimates and judgments, particularly related to cash flows, the appropriate discount rates and an applicable control premium. The determination of the fair value of the Bancorp’s reporting units includes both an income-based approach and a market-based approach. The income-based approach utilizes the reporting unit’s forecasted cash flows (including a terminal value approach to estimate cash flows beyond the final year of the forecast) and the reporting unit’s estimated cost of equity as the discount rate. Significant management judgment is necessary in the preparation of each reporting unit’s forecasted cash flows surrounding expectations for earnings projections, growth and credit loss expectations and actual results may differ from forecasted results. Additionally, the Bancorp determines its market capitalization based on the average of the closing price of the Bancorp’s stock during the period beginning September 1 and ending on the measurement date, incorporating an additional control premium, and compares this market-based fair value measurement to the aggregate fair value of the Bancorp’s reporting units in order to corroborate the results of the income approach. Refer to Note 10 for further information regarding the Bancorp’s goodwill.