We face significant and increasing competition in the rapidly evolving financial services industry. We compete with other financial institutions in a highly competitive industry that is undergoing significant changes as a result of financial regulatory reform, technological advances, increased public scrutiny, and economic conditions. Our success depends on, among other things, our ability to develop and maintain deep and enduring relationships with our customers based on the quality of our customer service, the wide variety of products and services that we can offer our customers and the ability of those products and services to satisfy our customers’ needs and preferences, the pricing of our products and services, the extensive distribution channels available for our customers, our innovation, and our reputation. Continued or increased competition in any one or all of these areas may negatively affect our customer relationships, market share and results of operations and/or cause us to increase our capital investment in our businesses in order to remain competitive. In addition, our ability to reposition or reprice our products and services from time to time may be limited and could be influenced significantly by the economic, regulatory and political environment for large financial institutions as well as by the actions of our competitors. Furthermore, any changes in the types of products and services that we offer our customers and/or the pricing for those products and services could result in a loss of customer relationships and market share and could materially adversely affect our results of operations. For example, if we are unable to successfully process payments or wire transfers as a result of technological, operational, or other reasons, this could potentially result in payment settlement delays or customer dissatisfaction, which may lead to remediation and other costs, a loss of customers, or other adverse consequences.
Continued technological advances and the growth of
e-commerce have made it possible for non-depository institutions to offer products and services that traditionally were banking products, and for financial institutions and other companies to provide electronic and internet-based financial solutions, including electronic securities trading, lending and payment solutions. In addition, technological advances, including digital currencies and alternative payment methods, may diminish the importance of depository institutions and other financial intermediaries in the transfer of funds between parties. Furthermore, technological advances, such as artificial intelligence, and other innovations may be leveraged by competitors to improve their products and services, efficiencies, operations, and customer service. We may not respond effectively to these and other competitive threats from existing and new competitors and may be forced to offer products and services at lower prices, increase our investment in our business to modify or adapt our existing products and services, and/or develop new products and services to respond to our customers’ needs and preferences. Moreover, we may face more difficulty responding to competitive threats if our competitors, including non-depository institutions, are subject to fewer regulatory requirements than us. To the extent we are not successful in developing and introducing new products and services or responding or adapting to the competitive landscape or to changes in customer preferences, we may lose customer relationships and our growth prospects and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.