First Western Financial Inc (MYFW)

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis is intended to assist readers in understanding our financial condition and results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this "Form 10-Q") and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 27, 2026. Unless we state otherwise or the context otherwise requires, references in this Form 10-Q to "we," "our," "us," "the Company," and "First Western" refer to First Western Financial, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, including First Western Trust Bank, which we sometimes refer to as "the Bank" or "our Bank."

The following discussion contains "forward-looking statements" that reflect our future plans, estimates, beliefs, and expected performance. We caution that assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions, or beliefs about future events may, and often do, vary from actual results and the differences can be material. See "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements." Also, see the risk factors and other cautionary statements described under the heading "Item 1A - Risk Factors" included in our Annual Report Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 27, 2026 and in Part II–Item 1A of this Form 10-Q. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Company Overview

We are a financial holding company founded in 2002 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. We provide a fully integrated suite of wealth management services to our clients including banking, trust, and investment management products and services. Our mission is to be the best private bank for the Western wealth management client. We target entrepreneurs, professionals, and high-net worth individuals, typically with $1.0 million-plus in liquid net worth, and their related philanthropic and business organizations, which we refer to as the "Western wealth management client". We believe that the Western wealth management client shares our entrepreneurial spirit and values our sophisticated, high-touch wealth management services that are tailored to meet their specific needs. We partner with our clients to solve their unique financial needs through our expert integrated services provided in a team approach.

We offer our services through a branded network of boutique private trust bank offices, which we believe are strategically located in affluent and high-growth markets in locations across Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California. Our profit centers, which are comprised of private bankers, lenders, wealth planners, and portfolio managers, under the leadership of a president, are also supported centrally by teams providing management services such as operations, risk management, credit administration, marketing, technology support, human capital, and accounting/finance services, which we refer to as support centers.

From 2004, when we opened our first profit center, until June 30, 2026, we have expanded our footprint into fourteen full service profit centers, two loan production offices, and one trust office located across five states. As of and for the six months ended June 30, 2026, we had $3.24 billion in total assets, $56.9 million in Total income before non-interest expense, and provided fiduciary and advisory services on $7.28 billion of AUM.

Primary Factors Used to Evaluate the Results of Operations

As a financial institution, we manage and evaluate various aspects of both our results of operations and our financial condition. We evaluate the comparative levels and trends of the line items in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and Statements of Income as well as various financial ratios that are commonly used in our industry. The primary factors we use to evaluate our results of operations include net interest income, non-interest income, and non-interest expense.

Net Interest Income

Net interest income represents interest income less interest expense. We generate interest income on interest-earning assets, primarily loans and investment securities. We incur interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities, primarily interest-bearing deposits and borrowings. To evaluate Net interest income, we measure and monitor: (i) yields on loans, investment securities, and other interest-earning assets; (ii) the costs of deposits and other funding sources; (iii) the rates incurred on borrowings and other interest-bearing liabilities; and (iv) the regulatory risk weighting associated with the assets. Interest income is primarily impacted by loan growth and loan repayments, along with changes in interest rates on the loans. Interest expense is primarily impacted by changes in deposit balances, changes in interest rates on deposits, and the volume and type of interest-bearing liabilities. Net interest income is primarily impacted by changes in market interest rates, the slope of the yield curve, and interest we earn on interest-earning assets or pay on interest-bearing liabilities.

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Non-Interest Income

Non-interest income primarily consists of the following:

•Trust and investment management fees—fees and other sources of income charged to clients for managing their trust and investment assets, providing financial planning consulting services, 401(k) and retirement advisory consulting services, and other wealth management services. Trust and investment management fees are primarily impacted by rates charged and increases and decreases in AUM. AUM is primarily impacted by opening and closing of client advisory and trust accounts, contributions and withdrawals, and the fluctuations in market value.

•Net gain on mortgage loans—gain on originating and selling mortgages and origination fees, less commissions to loan originators, document review, and other costs specific to originating and selling the loan. The market adjustments for IRLC, mortgage derivatives, and gains and losses incurred on the mandatory trading of loans are also included in this line item. Net gain on mortgage loans is primarily impacted by the amount of loans sold, the type of loans sold, and market conditions.

•Net gain on loans accounted for under the fair value option—unrealized gains or losses on the fair value adjustments to held for investment loans on which the Bank has elected the fair value option of accounting. This also includes realized gains or losses on charge-offs and recoveries.

•Bank fees—income generated through bank-related service charges such as: electronic transfer fees, treasury management fees, bill pay fees, loan prepayment penalty fees, loan interest rate swap fees, and other banking fees. Bank fees are primarily impacted by the level of business activities and cash movement activities of our clients.

•Risk management and insurance fees—commissions earned on insurance policies we have placed for clients through our client risk management team who incorporate insurance services, primarily life insurance, to support our clients’ wealth planning needs. Our insurance revenues are primarily impacted by the type and volume of policies placed for our clients.

•Income on company-owned life insurance—income earned on the growth of the cash surrender value of life insurance policies we hold on certain key associates. The income on the increase in the cash surrender value is non-taxable income.

Non-Interest Expense

Non-interest expense is comprised primarily of the following:

•Salaries and employee benefits—all forms of compensation-related expenses including salary, incentive compensation, payroll-related taxes, stock-based compensation, benefit plans, health insurance, 401(k) plan match costs, and other benefit-related expenses. Salaries and employee benefit costs are primarily impacted by changes in headcount and fluctuations in benefits costs.

•Occupancy and equipment—costs related to building and land maintenance, leasing our office space, depreciation charges for the buildings, building improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment, amortization of leasehold improvements, utilities, and other occupancy-related expenses. Occupancy and equipment costs are primarily impacted by the number of locations we occupy.

•Professional services—costs related to legal, accounting, tax, consulting, personnel recruiting, insurance, and other outsourcing arrangements. Professional services costs are primarily impacted by corporate activities requiring specialized services. FDIC insurance expense is also included in this line and represents the assessments we pay to the FDIC for deposit insurance.

•Technology and information systems—costs related to software and information technology services to support office activities and internal networks. Technology and information system costs are primarily impacted by the number of locations we occupy, the number of associates we have, and the level of service we require from our third-party technology vendors.

•Data processing—costs related to processing fees paid to our third-party data processing system providers relating to our core private trust banking platform. Data processing costs are primarily impacted by the number of loan, deposit, and trust accounts we have and the level of transactions processed for our clients.

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•Marketing—costs related to promoting our business through advertising, promotions, charitable events, sponsorships, donations, and other marketing-related expenses. Marketing costs are primarily impacted by the levels of advertising programs and other marketing activities and events held throughout the year.

•Amortization of other intangible assets—primarily represents the amortization of intangible assets including client lists, core deposit intangibles, and other similar items recognized in connection with acquisitions.

•Other—includes costs related to operational expenses associated with office supplies, postage, travel expenses, meals and entertainment, dues and memberships, costs to maintain or prepare OREO for sale, changes in OREO valuations subsequent to the initial acquisition when updated fair values are lower than the cost basis, director compensation and travel, and other general corporate expenses that do not fit within one of the specific non-interest expense lines described above. Other operational expenses are generally impacted by our business activities and needs.

Operating Segments

The Company’s reportable segments consist of Wealth Management and Mortgage. We measure the overall profitability of operating segments based on Income before income tax. We believe this is a more useful measurement as our wealth management products and services are fully integrated with our private trust bank. We allocate costs to our segments, which consist primarily of compensation and overhead expense directly attributable to the products and services within the Wealth Management and Mortgage segments. We measure the profitability of each segment based on a post-allocation basis, as we believe it better approximates the operating cash flows generated by our reportable operating segments. A description of each segment is provided in Note 14 – Segment Reporting of the accompanying Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Primary Factors Used to Evaluate our Balance Sheet

The primary factors we use to evaluate our balance sheet include asset and liability levels, asset quality, capital, liquidity, and potential profit production from assets.

We manage our asset levels to ensure our lending initiatives are efficiently and profitably supported and to ensure we have the necessary liquidity and capital to meet the required regulatory capital ratios. Funding needs a

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion contains "forward-looking statements" that reflect our future plans, estimates, beliefs and expected performance. We caution that assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions or beliefs about future events may, and often do, vary from actual results and the differences can be material. See "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements." Also, see the risk factors and other cautionary statements described under the heading "Item 1A – Risk Factors" included in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Company Overview

We are a financial holding company founded in 2002 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. We provide a fully integrated suite of wealth management services to our clients including banking, trust, and investment management products and services. Our mission is to be the best private bank for the Western wealth management client. We target entrepreneurs, professionals, and high-net worth individuals, typically with $1.0 million-plus in liquid net worth, and their related philanthropic and business organizations, which we refer to as the "Western wealth management client." We believe that the Western wealth management client shares our entrepreneurial spirit and values our sophisticated, high-touch wealth management services that are tailored to meet their specific needs. We partner with our clients to solve their unique financial needs through our expert integrated services provided in a team approach.

We offer our services through a branded network of boutique private trust bank offices, which we believe are strategically located in affluent and high-growth markets in locations across Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and California. Our profit centers, which are comprised of private bankers, lenders, wealth planners, and portfolio managers, under the leadership of a local chairman and/or president, are also supported centrally by teams providing management services such as operations, risk management, credit administration, marketing, technology support, human capital, and accounting/finance services, which we refer to as support centers.

From 2004, when we opened our first profit center, until December 31, 2025, we have expanded our footprint into fourteen full service profit centers, four loan production offices, and one trust office located across five states. As of and for the year ended December 31, 2025, we had $3.15 billion in total assets, $96.9 million in total revenues, and provided fiduciary and advisory services on $7.28 billion of assets under management (AUM).

Primary Factors Used to Evaluate the Results of Operations

As a financial institution, we manage and evaluate various aspects of both our results of operations and our financial condition. We evaluate the comparative levels and trends of the line items in our Consolidated Balance Sheets and Statements of Income as well as various financial ratios that are commonly used in our industry. The primary factors we use to evaluate our results of operations include net interest income, non-interest income, and non-interest expense.

Net Interest Income

Net interest income represents interest income less interest expense. We generate interest income on interest-earning assets, primarily loans and investment securities. We incur interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities, primarily interest-bearing deposits and borrowings. To evaluate Net interest income, we measure and monitor: (i) yields on loans, investment securities, and other interest-earning assets; (ii) the costs of deposits and other funding sources; (iii) the rates incurred on borrowings and other interest-bearing liabilities; and (iv) the regulatory risk weighting associated with the assets. Interest income is primarily impacted by loan growth and loan repayments, along with changes in interest rates on the loans. Interest expense is primarily impacted by changes in deposit balances, changes in interest rates on deposits, and the volume and type of interest-bearing liabilities. Net interest income is primarily impacted by changes in market interest rates, the slope of the yield curve, and interest we earn on interest-earning assets or pay on interest-bearing liabilities.

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Non-Interest Income

Non-interest income primarily consists of the following:

•Trust and investment management fees—fees and other sources of income charged to clients for managing their trust and investment assets, providing financial planning consulting services, 401(k) and retirement advisory consulting services, and other wealth management services. Trust and investment management fees are primarily impacted by rates charged and increases and decreases in AUM. AUM is primarily impacted by opening and closing of client advisory and trust accounts, contributions and withdrawals, and the fluctuation in market values.

•Net gain on mortgage loans—gain on originating and selling mortgages and origination fees, less commissions to loan originators, document review, and other costs specific to originating and selling the loan. The market adjustments for interest rate lock commitments (IRLC), mortgage derivatives, and gains and losses incurred on the mandatory trading of loans are also included in this line item. Net gain on mortgage loans is primarily impacted by the amount of loans sold, the type of loans sold, and market conditions.

•Net gain on loans accounted for under the fair value option—unrealized gains or losses on the fair value adjustments to held for investment loans on which the Bank has elected the fair value option of accounting. This also includes realized gains or losses on charge-offs and recoveries.

•Bank fees—income generated through bank-related service charges such as: electronic transfer fees, treasury management fees, bill pay fees, loan prepayment penalty fees, loan interest rate swap fees, and other banking fees. Banking fees are primarily impacted by the level of business activities and cash movement activities of our clients.

•Risk management and insurance fees—commissions earned on insurance policies we have placed for clients through our client risk management team who incorporate insurance services, primarily life insurance, to support our clients’ wealth planning needs. Our insurance revenues are primarily impacted by the type and volume of policies placed for our clients.

•Income on company-owned life insurance—income earned on the growth of the cash surrender value of life insurance policies we hold on certain key associates. The income on the increase in the cash surrender value is non-taxable income.

Non-Interest Expense

Non-interest expense is comprised primarily of the following:

•Salaries and employee benefits—all forms of compensation-related expenses including salary, incentive compensation, payroll-related taxes, stock-based compensation, benefit plans, health insurance, 401(k) plan match costs, and other benefit-related expenses. Salaries and employee benefit costs are primarily impacted by changes in headcount and fluctuations in benefits costs.

•Occupancy and equipment—costs related to building and land maintenance, leasing our office space, depreciation charges for the buildings, building improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment, amortization of leasehold improvements, utilities, and other occupancy-related expenses. Occupancy and equipment costs are primarily impacted by the number of locations we occupy.

•Professional services—costs related to legal, accounting, tax, consulting, personnel recruiting, insurance and other outsourcing arrangements. Professional services costs are primarily impacted by corporate activities requiring specialized services. FDIC insurance expense is also included in this line and represents the assessments that we pay to the FDIC for deposit insurance.

•Technology and information systems—costs related to software and information technology services to support office activities and internal networks. Technology and information system costs are primarily impacted by the number of locations we occupy, the number of associates we have, and the level of service we require from our third-party technology vendors.

•Data processing—costs related to processing fees paid to our third-party data processing system providers relating to our core private trust banking platform. Data processing costs are primarily impacted by the number of loan, deposit and trust accounts we have and the level of transactions processed for our clients.

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•Marketing—costs related to promoting our business through advertising, promotions, charitable events, sponsorships, donations, and other marketing-related expenses. Marketing costs are primarily impacted by the levels of advertising programs and other marketing activities and events held throughout the year.

•Amortization of other intangible assets—primarily represents the amortization of intangible assets including client lists, core deposit intangibles, and other similar items recognized in connection with acquisitions.

•Other—includes costs related to operational expenses associated with office supplies, postage, travel expenses, meals and entertainment, dues and memberships, costs to maintain or prepare other real estate owned (OREO) for sale, changes in OREO valuations subsequent to the initial acquisition when updated fair values are lower than the cost basis, director compensation and travel, and other general corporate expenses that do not fit within one of the specific non-interest expense lines described above. Other operational expenses are generally impacted by our business activities and needs.

Operating Segments

The Company’s reportable segments consist of Wealth Management and Mortgage. We measure the overall profitability of operating segments based on income before income tax. We believe this is a more useful measurement as our wealth management products and services are fully integrated with our private trust bank. We allocate costs to our segments, which consist primarily of compensation and overhead expense directly attributable to the products and services within the Wealth Management and Mortgage segments. We measure the profitability of each segment based on a post-allocation basis, as we believe it better approximates the operating cash flows generated by our reportable operating segments. A description of each segment is provided in Note 18 – Segment Reporting of the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Primary Factors Used to Evaluate our Balance Sheet

The primary factors we use to evaluate our balance sheet include asset and liability levels, asset quality, capital, liquidity, and potential profit production from assets.

We manage our asset levels to ensure our lending initiatives are efficiently and profitably supported and to ensure we have the necessary liquidity and capital to meet the required regulatory capital ratios. Funding needs are evaluated and forecasted by communicating with clients, reviewing loan maturity and draw expectations, and projecting new loan opportunities.

We manage the diversification and quality of our assets based upon factors that include the level, distribution, severity, and trend of problem assets such as those determined to be classified, delinquent, non-accrual, non-performing or restructured; the adequacy of our allowance for credit losses; the diversification and quality of loan and inves

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