In addition to the other information included or incorporated by reference into this report, readers should carefully consider that the following important factors, among others, could negatively impact our business, future results of operations, and future cash flows materially.

Our business depends on the creditworthiness of our customers. Our ACL of $736$887 million at December 31, 2016,2019, represented Management’smanagement’s estimate of probable losses inherent in our loan and lease portfolio (ALLL) as well as our unfunded loan commitments and letters of credit.credit (AULC). We regularly review our ACL for appropriateness. In doing so, we consider economic conditions and trends, collateral values, and credit quality indicators, such as past charge-off experience, levels of past due loans, and NPAs. There is no certainty that our ACL will be appropriate over time to cover losses in the portfolio because of unanticipated adverse changes in the economy, market conditions, or events adversely affecting specific customers, industries, or markets. If the credit quality of our customer base materially decreases, if the risk profile of a market, industry, or group of customers changes materially, or if the ACL is not appropriate, our net income and capital could be materially adversely affected, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, regulatory review of risk ratings and loan and lease losses may impact the level of the ACL and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our performance could be negatively affected to the extent there is deterioration in business and economic conditions which have direct or indirect material adverse impacts on us, our customers, and our counterparties. These conditions could result in one or more of the following:

An increase in the number of delinquencies, bankruptcies, or defaults could result in a higher level of NPAs, NCOs, provision for credit losses, and valuation adjustments on loans held for sale. The markets we serve are dependent on industrial and manufacturing businesses and, thus, are particularly vulnerable to adverse changes in economic conditions affecting these sectors.

Our results of operations depend substantially on net interest income, which is the difference between interest earned on interest earning assets (such as investments and loans) and interest paid on interest bearing liabilities (such as deposits and borrowings). Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary policies and domestic and international economic and political conditions. Conditions such as inflation, deflation, recession, unemployment, money supply, and other factors beyond our control may also affect interest rates. In addition, decisions by the Federal Reserve to increase or reduce the size of its balance sheet may also affect interest rates. If our interest earning assets mature or reprice faster than interest bearing liabilities in a declining interest rate environment, net interest income could be materially adversely impacted. Likewise, if interest bearing liabilities mature or reprice more quickly than interest earning assets in a rising interest rate environment, net interest income could be adversely impacted.

Changes in interest rates can affect the value of loans, securities, assets under management, and other assets, including mortgage and nonmortgage servicing rights. An increase in interest rates that adversely affects the ability of borrowers to pay the principal or interest on loans and leases may lead to an increase in NPAs and a reduction of income recognized, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. When we place a loan on nonaccrual status, we reverse any accrued but unpaid interest receivable, which decreases interest income. However, we continue to incur interest expense as a cost of funding NALs without any corresponding interest income. In addition, transactional income, including trust income, brokerage income, and gain on sales of loans can vary significantly from period-to-period based on a number of factors, including the interest rate environment. A decline in interest rates along with a flattening yield curve limits our ability to reprice deposits given the current historically low level of interest rates and could result in declining net interest margins if longer duration assets reprice faster than deposits.

Rising interest rates reduce the value of our fixed-rate securities and cash flow hedging derivatives portfolio.securities. Any unrealized loss from these portfolios impacts OCI, shareholders’ equity, and the Tangible Common Equity ratio. Any realized loss from these portfolios impacts regulatory capital ratios. In a rising interest rate environment, pension and other post-retirement obligations somewhat mitigate negative OCI impacts from securities and financial instruments. For more information, refer to “Market Risk” of the MD&A.

Certain investment securities, notably mortgage-backed securities, are very sensitive to rising and falling rates. Generally, when rates rise, prepayments of principal and interest will decrease and the duration of mortgage-backed securities will increase. Conversely, when rates fall, prepayments of principal and interest will increase and the duration of mortgage-backed securities will decrease. In either case, interest rates have a significant impact on the value of mortgage-backed securities.

MSR fair values are sensitive to movements in interest rates, as expected future net servicing income depends on the projected outstanding principal balances of the underlying loans, which can be reduced by prepayments. Prepayments usually increase when mortgage interest rates decline and decrease when mortgage interest rates rise.

In addition to volatility associated with interest rates, the Company also has exposure to equity markets related to the investments within the benefit plans and other income from client basedclient-based transactions.

Our profitability depends on our ability to compete successfully. We operate in a highly competitive environment, and we expect competition to intensify. Certain of our competitors are larger and have more resources than we do, enabling them to be more aggressive than us in competing for loans and deposits. In our market areas, we face competition from other banks and financial service companies that offer similar services. Some of our non-bank competitors are not subject to the same extensive regulations we are and, therefore, may have greater flexibility in competing for business. Technological advances have made it possible for our non-bank competitors 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 mobile payments, online deposit accounts, electronic payment processing, and marketplace lending, without having a physical presence where their customers are located. Legislative or regulatory changes also could lead to increased competition in the financial services sector. For example, the Economic Growth Act and the Tailoring Rules reduce the regulatory burden of certain large BHCs and raise the asset thresholds at which more onerous requirements apply, which could cause certain large BHCs to become more competitive or to more aggressively pursue expansion. Our ability to compete successfully depends on a number of factors, including customer convenience, quality of service by investing in new products and services, electronic platforms, personal contacts, pricing, and range of products. If we are unable to successfully compete for new customers and retain our current customers, our business, financial condition, or results of operations may be adversely affected. In particular, if we experience an outflow of deposits as a result of our customers seeking investments with higher yields or greater financial stability, or a desire to do business with our competitors, we may be forced to rely more heavily on borrowings and other sources of funding to operate our business and meet withdrawal demands, thereby adversely affecting our net interest margin.  For more information, refer to “Competition” section of Item 1: Business.

Liquidity is the ability to meet cash flow needs on a timely basis at a reasonable cost. The Bank uses its liquidity to extend credit and to repay liabilities as they become due or as demanded by customers. The board of directors establishes liquidity policies, including contingency funding plans, and limits and management establishes operating guidelines for liquidity.

Our primary source of liquidity is our large supply of deposits from consumer and commercial customers. The continued availability of this supply depends on customer willingness to maintain deposit balances with banks in general and us in particular. The availability of deposits can also be impacted by regulatory changes (e.g., changes in FDIC insurance, the Liquidity Coverage Ratio,LCR, etc.), changes in the financial condition of Huntington, other banks, or the banking industry in general, changes in the interest rates our competitors pay on their deposits, and other events which can impact the perceived safety or economic benefits of bank deposits. While we make significant efforts to consider and plan for hypothetical disruptions in our deposit funding, market related, geopolitical, or other events could impact the liquidity derived from deposits.

Huntington is an entity separate and distinct from the Bank. The Bank conducts most of our operations, and Huntington depends upon dividends from the Bank to service Huntington'sHuntington’s debt and to pay dividends to Huntington'sHuntington’s shareholders. The availability of dividends from the Bank is limited by various statutes and regulations. It is possible, depending upon the financial condition including liquidity and capital adequacy of the Bank and other factors, that the OCC could limit the payment of dividends or other payments to Huntington by the Bank. In addition, the payment of dividends by our other subsidiaries is also subject to the laws of the subsidiary’s state of incorporation, and regulatory capital and liquidity requirements applicable to such subsidiaries. In the event that the

Wholesale funding sources include securitization, federal funds purchased, securities sold under repurchase agreements, non-core deposits, and long-term debt.  The Bank is also a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati,FHLB, which provides members access to funding through advances collateralized with mortgage-related assets.  We maintain a portfolio of highly-rated, marketable securities that is available as a source of liquidity.

Capital markets disruptions can directly impact the liquidity of Huntington and the Bank.  The inability to access capital markets funding sources as needed could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and level of regulatory-qualifying capital.  We may, from time-to-time, consider using our existing liquidity position to opportunistically retire outstanding securities in privately negotiated or open market transactions.

The credit rating agencies regularly evaluate Huntington and the Bank, and credit ratings are based on a number of factors, including our financial strength and ability to generate earnings, as well as factors not entirely within our control, including conditions affecting the financial services industry, the economy, and changes in rating methodologies. There can be no assurance that we will maintain our current credit ratings. A downgrade of the credit ratings of Huntington or the Bank could adversely affect our access to liquidity and capital, and could significantly increase our cost of funds, trigger additional collateral or funding requirements, and decrease the number of investors and counterparties willing to lend to us or purchase our securities. This could affect our growth, profitability, and financial condition, including liquidity.

Our computer systems and network infrastructure and those of third parties, on which we are highly dependent, are subject to security risks and could be susceptible to cyber-attacks, such as denial of service attacks, hacking, terrorist activities, or identity theft. FinancialOur business relies on the secure processing, transmission, storage, and retrieval of confidential, proprietary, and other information in our computer and data management systems and networks, and in the computer and data management systems and networks of third parties. In addition, to access our network, products, and services, our customers and other third parties may use personal mobile devices or computing devices that are outside of our network environment and are subject to their own cybersecurity risks.

We, our customers, regulators, and other third parties, including other financial services institutions and companies engaged in data processing, have reportedbeen subject to, and are likely to continue to be the target of, cyber-attacks. These cyber-attacks include computer viruses, malicious or destructive code, phishing attacks, denial of service or information, ransomware, improper access by employees or vendors, attacks on personal email of employees, ransom demands to not expose security vulnerabilities in our systems or the systems of third parties or other security breaches that could result in the securityunauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss, or destruction of their websitesconfidential, proprietary, and other information of ours, our employees, our customers, or of third parties, damage our systems or otherwise materially disrupt our or our customers’ or other systems, some of which have involved sophisticated and targeted attacks intendedthird parties’ network access or business operations. As cyber threats continue to obtain unauthorized access to confidential information, destroy data, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems, often through the introduction of computer viruses or malware, cyber-attacks and other means. Denial of service attacks have been launched against a number of large financial services institutions, including us. None of these events against us resulted in a breach of our client data or account information; however, the performance of our website, www.huntington.com, was adversely affected, and in some instances customers were prevented from accessing our website. We expect to be subject to similar attacks in the future. While events to date primarily resulted in inconvenience, future cyber-attacks could be more disruptive and damaging. Hacking and identity theft risks, in particular, could cause serious reputational harm. Cyber threats are rapidly evolving andevolve, we may not be ablerequired to anticipateexpend significant additional resources to continue to modify or prevent all such attacksenhance our protective measures or to investigate and could be held liable forremediate any information security breachvulnerabilities or loss.

Cybersecurity risks for banking organizations have significantly increased in recent years in part because of the proliferation of new technologies, and motive. The techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, may not be recognized until launchedthe use of the internet and can originate from a wide variety of sources, including outside groups such as external service providers, organized crime affiliates, terrorist organizations or hostile foreign governments. Thesetelecommunications technologies to conduct financial transactions. For example, cybersecurity risks may increase in the future as we continue to increase our mobile-payment and other internet-based product offerings and expand our internal usage of web-based products and applications.

Cyber-attacks or other information or security breaches, whether directed at us or third parties, may result in a material loss or have material consequences. Furthermore, the public perception that a cyber-attack on our systems has been successful, whether or not this perception is correct, may damage our reputation with customers and third parties with whom we do business. Hacking of personal information and identity theft risks, in particular, could cause serious reputational harm. A successful penetration or circumvention of system security could cause us serious negative consequences, including our loss of customers and business opportunities, costs associated with maintaining business relationships after an attack or breach; significant business disruption to our operations and business, misappropriation, exposure, or destruction of operations, misappropriation ofour confidential information, intellectual property, funds, and/or those of our customers; or damage to our or our customers’ and/or third parties’ computers or systems, or those of our customers and counterparties. A successful security breach could result in violationsa violation of applicable privacy laws and other laws, financial loss to uslitigation exposure, regulatory fines, penalties or to our customers,intervention, loss of confidence in our security measures, significant litigation exposure,reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensatory costs, additional compliance costs, and harm to our reputation, all of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

We face legal risks inmay become subject to new legislation or regulation concerning cybersecurity or the privacy of personally identifiable information and personal financial information or of any other information we may store or maintain. We could be adversely affected if new legislation or regulations are adopted or if existing legislation or regulations are modified such that we are required to alter our businesses, and the volume of claims and amount of damages and penalties claimed in litigation and regulatory proceedings against financial institutions remain high. Substantial legal liability against us could have material adverse financial effectssystems or cause significant reputational harmrequire changes to us, which in turn could seriously harm our business prospects. It is possible that the ultimate resolution of these matters, if unfavorable, may be material to the results of operations for a particular reporting period.practices or privacy

We are exposed to many types of operational risks, including the risk of fraud or theft by colleagues or outsiders, unauthorized transactions by colleagues or outsiders, operational errors by colleagues, business disruption, and system failures. Huntington executes against a significant number of controls, a large percent of which are manual and dependent on adequate execution by colleagues and third-party service providers. There is inherent risk that unknown single points of failure through the execution chain could give rise to material loss through inadvertent errors or malicious attack. These operational risks could lead to financial loss, expensive litigation, and loss of confidence by our customers, regulators, and the capital markets.

Moreover, negative public opinion can result from our actual or alleged conduct in any number of activities, including clients, products, and business practices; corporate governance; acquisitions; and from actions taken by government regulators and community organizations in response to those activities. Negative public opinion can adversely affect our ability to attract and retain customers and can also expose us to litigation and regulatory action.

Relative to acquisitions, we incur risks and challenges associated with the integration of employees, accounting systems, and technology platforms from acquired businesses and institutions in a timely and efficient manner, and we cannot guarantee that we will be successful in retaining existing customer relationships or achieving anticipated operating efficiencies expected from such acquisitions.  Acquisitions may be subject to the receipt of approvals from certain governmental authorities, including the Federal Reserve, the OCC, and the United States Department of Justice, as well as the approval of our shareholders and the shareholders of companies that we seek to acquire. These approvals for acquisitions may not be received, may take longer than expected, or may impose conditions that are not presently anticipated or that could have an adverse effect on the combined company following the acquisitions. Subject to requisite regulatory approvals, future business acquisitions may result in the issuance and payment of additional shares of stock, which would dilute current shareholders’ ownership interests.  Additionally, acquisitions may involve the payment of a premium over book and market values. Therefore, dilution of our tangible book value and net income per common share could occur in connection with any future transaction.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. We are subject to regulation that focuses on effective internal controls and procedures. Such controls and procedures are modified, supplemented, and changed from time-to-time as necessitated by our growth and in reaction to external events and developments. Any failure to maintain an effective internal control environment could impact our ability to report our financial results on an accurate and timely basis, which could result in regulatory actions, loss of investor confidence, and an adverse impact on our business and our stock price.

Quantitative models may be used to help manage certain aspects of our business and to assist with certain business decisions, including estimating probable loan losses, measuring the fair value of financial instruments when reliable market prices are unavailable, estimating the effects of changing interest rates and other market measures on our financial condition and results of operations, managing risk, and for capital planning purposes (including during the CCAR capital planning and capital adequacy process). Our measurement methodologies rely on many assumptions, historical analyses, and correlations. These assumptions may not capture or fully incorporate conditions leading to losses, particularly in times of market distress, and the historical correlations on which we rely may no longer be relevant. Additionally, as businesses and markets evolve, our measurements may not accurately reflect this evolution. Even if the underlying assumptions and historical correlations used in our models are

All models have certain limitations. Reliance on models presents the risk that our business decisions based on information incorporated from models will be adversely affected due to incorrect, missing, or misleading information. In addition, our models may not capture or fully express the risks we face, may suggest that we have sufficient capitalization when we do not, or may lead us to misjudge the business and economic environment in which we will operate. If our models fail to produce reliable results on an ongoing basis, we may not make appropriate risk management, capital planning, or other business or financial decisions. Strategies that we employ to manage and govern the risks associated with our use of models may not be effective or fully reliable. Also, information that we provide to the public or regulators based on poorly designed models could be inaccurate or misleading.

Banking regulators continue to focus on the models used by banks and bank holding companies in their businesses. Some of our decisions that the regulators evaluate, including distributions to our shareholders, could be affected adversely due to their perception that the quality of the models used to generate the relevant information isare insufficient.

We rely on third-party service providers to leverage subject matter expertise and industry best practice, provide enhanced products and services, and reduce costs. Although there are benefits in entering into third-party relationships with vendors and others, there are risks associated with such activities. When entering a third-party relationship, the risks associated with that activity are not passed to the third-party but remain our responsibility. The Technology Committee of the board of directors provides oversight related to the overall risk management process associated with third-party relationships. Management is accountable for the review and evaluation of all new and existing third-party relationships. Management is responsible for ensuring that adequate controls are in place to protect us and our customers from the risks associated with vendor relationships.

Increased risk could occur based on poor planning, oversight, control, and inferior performance or service on the part of the third-party, and may result in legal costs or loss of business. While we have implemented a vendor management program to actively manage the risks associated with the use of third-party service providers, any problems caused by third-party service providers could adversely affect our ability to deliver products and services to our customers and to conduct our business. Replacing a third-party service provider could also take a long period of time and result in increased expenses.

The FASB, regulatory agencies, and other bodies that establish accounting standards periodically change the financial accounting and reporting standards governing the preparation of our financial statements. Additionally, those bodies that establish and interpret the accounting standards (such as the FASB, SEC, and banking regulators) may change prior interpretations or positions on how these standards should be applied. These changes can be difficult to predict and can materially affect how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations.

Our goodwill could become impaired in the future. If goodwill were to become impaired, it could limit the ability of the Bank to pay dividends to Huntington, Bancshares Incorporated, adversely impacting Huntington Bancshares Incorporated's liquidity and ability to pay dividends or repay debt. The most significant assumptions affecting our goodwill impairment evaluation are variables including the market price of our Common Stock, projections of earnings, the discount rates used in the income approach to fair value, and the control premium above our current stock price that an acquirer would pay to obtain control of us. We are required to test goodwill for impairment at least annually or when impairment indicators are present. If an impairment determination is made in a future reporting period, our earnings and book value of goodwill will be reduced by the amount of the impairment. If an impairment loss is recorded, it will have little or no impact on the tangible book value of our Common Stock, or our regulatory capital levels, but such an

The Federal Reserve administers the annual CCAR, an assessment of the capital adequacy of bank holding companies with consolidated assets of $50 billion or morebanking industry is highly regulated. We are subject to supervision, regulation, and of the practices usedexamination by covered banks to assess capital needs. Under CCAR, the Federal Reserve makes a qualitative assessment of capital adequacy on a forward-looking basisvarious federal and reviews the strength of a bank holding company’s capital adequacy process. The Federal Reserve also makes a quantitative assessment of capital based on supervisory-run stress tests that assess the ability to maintain capital levels above each minimum regulatory capital ratio and above a CET1 ratio of 4.5%, after making all capital actions included in a bank holding company’s capital plan, under baseline and stressful conditions throughout a nine-quarter planning horizon. Capital plans for 2017 are required to be submitted by April 5, 2017, and the Federal Reserve will either object to the capital plan and/or planned capital actions, or provide a notice of non-objection, no later than June 30, 2017. We intend to submit our capital plan to the Federal Reserve on or before April 5, 2017. The Bank also must submit a capital plan to the OCC on or before April 5, 2017. There can be no assurance that the Federal Reserve will respond favorably to our capital plan, capital actions or stress test andstate regulators, including the Federal Reserve, OCC, or other regulatory capital requirements may limit or otherwise restrict how we utilize our capital, including common stock dividends and stock repurchases.

The Dodd-Frank Act was a comprehensive overhaulBoth the scope of the laws and regulations and the intensity of the supervision to which we are subject increased in response to the financial crisis as well as other factors such as technological and market changes. Regulatory enforcement and fines have also increased across the banking and financial services industry within the United States, established the CFPB, and required the CFPB and other federal agencies to implement many new and significant rules and regulations.sector. Compliance with these new laws and regulations have resulted in and will continue to result in additional costs, which could be significant, and may have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, if we do not appropriately comply with current or future legislation and regulations, especially those that apply to our consumer operations, which has been an area of heightened focus, we may be subject to fines, penalties or judgments, or material regulatory restrictions on our businesses, which could adversely affect operations and, in turn, financial results.

We face legal risks in our businesses, and the volume of claims and amount of damages and penalties claimed in litigation and regulatory proceedings against financial institutions remain high. Substantial legal liability against us could have material adverse financial effects or cause significant reputational harm to us, which in turn could seriously harm our business prospects. It is possible that the ultimate resolution of these matters, if unfavorable, may becomebe material to the results of operations for a particular reporting period.

There is also increased scrutiny of compliance with the rules enforced by the OFAC. If our policies, procedures, and systems are deemed deficient or the policies, procedures, and systems of the financial institutions that we have already acquired or may acquire in the future are deficient, we would be subject to more stringentliability, including fines and regulatory requirements and activity restrictions if the Federal Reserve and FDIC determine that our resolution plan is not credible.

We believe that our continued growth and future success will depend in large part on the skills of our management team and our ability to motivate and retain these individuals and other key personnel. The loss of service of one or more of our executive officers or key personnel could reduce our ability to successfully implement our long-term business strategy, our business could suffer, and the value of our stock could be materially adversely affected ifaffected. Leadership changes will occur from time to time, and we losecannot predict whether significant resignations will occur or whether we will be able to recruit additional qualified personnel. We believe our management team possesses valuable knowledge about the banking industry and that their knowledge and relationships would be very difficult to replicate. Our success also depends on the experience of our branch managers and lending officers and on their relationships with the customers and communities they serve. The loss of these key personnel could negatively impact our banking operations. The loss of key personnel, or the inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel in the future, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or operating results.

In order for usaddition, we are allowed to maintain ourconduct certain activities that are financial in nature by virtue of Huntington’s status as a financial holding company, we andan FHC, as discussed in more detail in Item 1. Regulatory Matters. If Huntington or the Bank must remain “well capitalized,” and “well managed.” If we or our Bank cease to meet

None.

Our headquarters, as well as the Bank’s, is located in the Huntington Center, a thirty seventhirty-seven story office building located in Columbus, Ohio. Of the building’s total office space available, we lease approximately 22%. The lease term expires in 2030, with six five-year renewal options for up to 30 years but with no purchase option. The Bank has an indirect minority equity interest of 18.4%18% in the building.

The common stock of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is traded on the NASDAQNasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “HBAN”. The stock is listed as “HuntgBcshr” or “HuntBanc” in most newspapers. As of January 31, 2017,2020, we had 34,83127,384 shareholders of record.

The following graph shows the changes, over the five-year period, in the value of $100 invested in (i) shares of Huntington’s Common Stock; (ii) the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index (the S&P 500 Index) and (iii) Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Bank Index, for the period December 31, 2011,2014, through December 31, 2016.2019. The KBW Bank Index is a market capitalization-weighted bank stock index published by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. The index is composed of the largest banking companies and includes all money center banks and regional banks, including Huntington. An investment of $100 on December 31, 2011,2014, and the reinvestment of all dividends, are assumed. The plotted points represent the cumulative total return on the last trading day of the fiscal year indicated.