The disclosures in this Item 1 are qualified by the disclosures below in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” and Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and in other cautionary statements set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10–K.

Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (“Horizon” or the “Company”) is a registered bank holding company incorporated in Indiana and headquartered in Michigan City, Indiana. Horizon provides a broad range of banking services in northern and central Indiana and southern and central Michigan through its bank subsidiary, Horizon Bank (“Horizon Bank” or the “Bank”) and other affiliated entities and Horizon Risk Management, Inc. Horizon operates as a single segment, which is commercial banking. Horizon’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol HBNC. Horizon Bank (formerly known as “Horizon Bank, N.A.”) was founded in 1873 as a national association, and it remained a national association until its conversion to an Indiana commercial bank effective June 23, 2017. The Bank is a full–service commercial bank offering commercial and retail banking services, corporate and individual trust and agency services and other services incident to banking. Horizon Risk Management, Inc. is a captive insurance company incorporated in Nevada and was formed as a wholly–owned subsidiary of Horizon.

Over the last 20 years, Horizon has expanded its geographic reach and experienced financial growth through a combination of both organic expansion and mergers and acquisitions. Horizon’s initial operations focused on northwest Indiana, but since then, the Company has developed a presence in new markets in southern and central Michigan and northeastern and central Indiana. The most recent material expansions through acquisitions are described below.

The Company’s Internet address is www.horizonbank.com. The Company makes available, free of charge through the “About Us – Investor Relations – Documents – SEC Filings” section of its Internet website, copies of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10–K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10–Q, Current Reports on Form 8–K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports are filed with or furnished to the SEC.

We believe that the foundation of our success in the banking business lies with the quality of our employees, the development of our employees' skills and career goals, and our ability to provide a comprehensive rewarding experience and work environment. We encourage and support the development of our employees and, wherever possible, strive to fill positions from within the organization. As of December 31, 2020,2021, the Bank had 761843 full–time and 5469 part–time employees.

Horizon faces a high degree of competition in all of its primary markets. The Bank’s primary market consists of areas throughout the northern and central regions of the state of Indiana along with the southern and central regions of the state of Michigan. The Bank’s primary market is further defined by the Indiana and Michigan counties identified below. The Bank competes with other commercial banks, savings and loan associations, consumer finance companies, credit unions and other non–bank and digital financial service providers. In addition, Financial Technology, or FinTech, start–ups are emerging in key banking areas. To a more moderate extent, the Bank

As a bank holding company and a financial holding company, the Company is subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board” or “Federal Reserve”) as its primary federal regulator under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (“BHC Act”). The Company is required to file annual reports with the Federal Reserve and provide other information that the Federal Reserve may require. The Federal Reserve may also make examinations and inspections of the Company.

The BHC Act generally limits the business in which a bank holding company and its subsidiaries may engage to banking or managing or controlling banks and those activities that the Federal Reserve Board has determined to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident thereto. Those closely related activities currently can include such activities as consumer finance, mortgage banking and securities brokerage. Certain well–managed and well–capitalized bank holding companies may elect to be treated as a “financial holding company” and, as a result, will be permitted to engage in a broader range of activities that are financial in nature and in activities that are determined to be incidental or complementary to activities that are financial in nature. Horizon has both qualified as, and elected to be, a financial holding company. Activities that are considered financial in nature include securities underwriting and dealing, insurance underwriting and making merchant banking investments.

Indiana law, the BHC Act and the Bank Merger Act restrict certain types of expansion by the Company and the Bank. The Company and the Bank may be required to apply for prior approval from (or give prior notice and an opportunity for review to) the Federal Reserve, the DFI and the FDIC, and or other regulatory agencies as a condition to the acquisition or establishment of new offices, or the acquisition by merger, purchase or otherwise of the stock, business or assets of other banks or companies.

The Bank’s deposits are insured to applicable limits by the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) of the FDIC. Generally, deposits are insured up to the statutory limit of $250,000. Banks are subject to deposit insurance premiums and assessments to maintain the DIF. The FDIC has authority to raise or lower assessment rates on insured banks in order to achieve statutorily required reserve ratios in the DIF and to impose special additional assessments.

Horizon and the Bank are subject to the Federal Reserve Act, which restricts financial transactions between banks, affiliated companies and their executive officers, including limits on credit transactions between these parties. The statute prescribes terms and conditions in order for bank affiliate transactions to be deemed to be consistent with safe and sound banking practices, and it also restricts the types of collateral security permitted in connection with a bank’s extension of credit to an affiliate. In general, extensions of credit (i) must be made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, and subject to credit underwriting procedures that are at least as stringent as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with non–affiliates, and (ii) must not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features.

The federal bank regulatory authorities have adopted risk–based capital guidelines for banks and bank holding companies that are designed to make regulatory capital requirements more sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banks and bank holding companies and account for off–balance sheet items. Generally, to satisfy the capital requirements, the Company must maintain capital sufficient to meet both risk–based asset ratio tests and a leverage ratio test on a consolidated basis. Risk–based capital ratios are determined by allocating assets and specified off–balance sheet commitments into various risk–weighted categories, with higher weighting assigned to categories perceived as representing greater risk. A risk–based ratio represents the applicable measure of capital divided by total risk–weighted assets. The leverage ratio is a measure of the Company’s core capital divided by total assets adjusted as specified in the guidelines.

Horizon is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank. The primary source of Horizon’s cash flow, including cash flow to pay dividends on its common stock, is the payment of dividends to Horizon by the Bank. Under Indiana law, the Bank may pay dividends of so much of its undivided profits (generally, earnings less losses, bad debts, taxes and other operating expenses) as is considered appropriate by the Bank’s Board of Directors. However, the Bank must obtain the approval of the DFI for the payment of a dividend if the total of all dividends declared by the Bank during the current year, including the proposed dividend, would exceed the sum of retained net income for the year to date plus its retained net income for the previous two years. For this purpose, “retained net income” means net income as calculated for call report purposes, less all dividends declared for the applicable period. The Bank is generally exempt from this DFI pre–approval process for dividends if (i) the Bank has been assigned a composite uniform financial institutions rating of 1 or 2 as a result of the most recent federal or state examination; (ii) the proposed dividend will not result in a Tier 1 leverage ratio below 7.5%; and (iii) the Bank is not subject to any corrective action, supervisory order, supervisory agreement or board approved operating agreement.

Under FDICIA, federal banking regulatory authorities are required to take regulatory enforcement actions known as “prompt corrective action” with respect to depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. The extent of the regulators’ powers depends on whether the institution in question is categorized as “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized,” or “critically undercapitalized,” as defined by regulation. Depending upon the capital category to which an institution is assigned, the regulators’ corrective powers include: (i) requiring the submission of a capital restoration plan; (ii) placing limits on asset growth and restrictions on activities; (iii) requiring the institution to issue additional capital stock (including additional voting stock) or to be acquired; (iv) restricting transactions with affiliates; (v) restricting the interest rate the institution may pay on deposits; (vi) ordering a new election of directors of the institution; (vii) requiring that senior executive officers or directors be dismissed; (viii) prohibiting the institution from accepting deposits from correspondent banks; (ix) requiring the institution to divest certain subsidiaries; (x) prohibiting the payment of principal or interest on subordinated debt; and (xi) ultimately, for critically undercapitalized institutions, appointing a receiver for the institution.

Horizon is subject to the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, which contains anti–money laundering and financial transparency laws and requires financial institutions to implement additional policies and procedures to address money laundering, suspicious activities and currency transaction reporting, and currency crimes. The regulations promulgated under the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 require financial institutions such as the Bank to adopt controls to detect, prevent and report money laundering and terrorist financing and to verify the identities of their customers.

The shares of common stock of Horizon have been registered with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act (the “1934 Act”). Horizon is subject to the information, proxy solicitation, insider trading restrictions and other requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules of the SEC promulgated thereunder.

Horizon is subject to the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes–Oxley Act”), which revised the laws affecting corporate governance, accounting obligations and corporate reporting. The Sarbanes–Oxley Act applies to all companies with equity or debt securities registered under the 1934 Act. In particular, the Sarbanes–Oxley Act established: (i) new requirements for audit committees, including independence, expertise and responsibilities; (i) additional responsibilities regarding financial statements for the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the reporting company; (ii) new standards for auditors and regulation of audits; (iv) increased disclosure and reporting obligations for the reporting company and its directors and executive officers; and (v) new and increased civil and criminal penalties for violation of the securities laws.

The Dodd–Frank Act, which was signed into law in 2010, significantly changed the regulation of financial institutions and the financial services industry. The Dodd–Frank Act includes provisions affecting large and small financial institutions alike, including several provisions that have profoundly affected how community banks, thrifts, and small bank and thrift holding companies are regulated. Among other things, these provisions eliminated the Office of Thrift Supervision and transferred its functions to the other federal banking agencies, relaxed rules regarding interstate branching, allowed financial institutions to pay interest on business checking accounts, changed the scope of federal deposit insurance coverage and imposed new capital requirements on bank and thrift holding companies.

FDIC regulations restrict the interest rates that less than well–capitalized insured depository institutions may pay on deposits and also restrict the ability of such institutions to accept brokered deposits. These regulations permit a “well capitalized” depository institution to accept, renew or roll over brokered deposits without restriction, and an “adequately capitalized” depository institution to accept, renew or roll over brokered deposits with a waiver from the FDIC (subject to certain restrictions on payments of rates). The regulations prohibit an “undercapitalized” depository institution from accepting, renewing or rolling over brokered deposits. These regulations contemplate that the definitions of “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized” and “undercapitalized” will be the same as the definitions adopted by the agencies to implement the prompt corrective action provisions of FDICIA. The Bank is a well–capitalized institution, and management does not believe that these regulations have a materially adverse effect on the Bank’s current operations.

Under the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”), the Bank has a continuing and affirmative obligation consistent with its safe and sound operation to help meet the credit needs of its entire community, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions nor does it limit an institution’s discretion to develop the types of products and services that it believes are best suited to its particular community, consistent with the CRA. The CRA requires the FDIC in connection with its examination of the Bank, to assess its record of meeting the credit needs of its community and to take that record into account in its evaluation of certain applications by the Bank. For example, the regulations specify that a bank’s CRA performance will be considered in its expansion proposals (e.g., branching and acquisitions of other financial institutions) and may be the basis for approving, denying or conditioning the approval of an application. As of the date of its most recent regulatory examination, the Bank was rated “satisfactory” with respect to its CRA compliance.

The Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act adopted in 1999 (“Gramm–Leach”) was intended to modernize the banking industry by removing barriers to affiliation among banks, insurance companies, the securities industry and other financial service providers. Gramm–Leach was responsible for establishing a distinct type of bank holding company, known as a financial holding company, which is allowed to engage in an expanded range of financial services, including banking, securities underwriting, insurance (both agency and underwriting) and merchant banking. As previously discussed, Horizon has qualified as, and elected to become, a financial holding company under the Gramm–Leach amendments to the BHC Act.

Under the Dodd–Frank Act, interchange fees for bank card transactions must be reasonable and proportional to the issuer’s incremental cost incurred with respect to the transaction plus certain fraud related costs. Interchange fees are transaction fees between banks for each bank card transaction, designed to reimburse the card-issuing bank for the costs of handling and credit risk inherent in a bank credit or debit card transaction. Although institutions with total assets of less than $10 billion, like the Bank, are exempt from this requirement, competitive pressures are likely to require smaller depository institutions to reduce fees with respect to these bank card transactions.

In addition to the matters discussed above, the Bank is subject to additional regulation of its activities, including a variety of consumer protection regulations affecting its lending, deposit and debt collection activities and regulations affecting secondary mortgage market activities. Both federal and state law extensively regulate various aspects of the banking business, such as reserve requirements, truth-in-lending and truth-in-savings disclosures, equal credit opportunity, fair credit reporting, trading in securities and other aspects of banking operations.

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting standard update, “Financial Instruments–Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” which replaces the current “incurred loss” model for recognizing credit losses with an “expected loss” model referred to as the Current Expected Credit Loss (“CECL”) model. Under the CECL model, Horizon will be required to present certain financial assets carried at amortized cost, such as loans held for investment and held to maturity debt securities, at the net amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is to be based on information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. On December 21, 2018, the federal banking agencies approved a final rule modifying their regulatory capital rules and providing an option to phase in over a period of three years the day–one regulatory capital effects of the CECL model. The final rule also revises the agencies' other rules to reflect the update to the accounting standards. The final rule took effect April 1, 2019. Horizon adopted the new CECL standard effective as of January 1, 2020, the effects of which are shown and discussed in the financial statements and related notes included in this Annual Report.

The Bank’s earnings are affected by domestic economic conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government and its agencies. The Federal Reserve’s monetary policies have had, and are likely to continue to have, an important impact on the operating results of commercial banks through its power to implement national monetary policy in order, among other things, to curb inflation or combat a recession. The monetary policies of the Federal Reserve have major effects upon the levels of bank loans, investments and deposits through its open market operations in United States government securities and through its regulation of the discount rate on borrowings of member banks and the reserve requirements against member bank deposits. It is not possible to predict the nature or impact of future changes in monetary and fiscal policies.

Additional legislative and administrative actions affecting the banking industry may be considered by the United States Congress, state legislatures and various regulatory agencies. Horizon cannot predict with certainty whether such legislative or administrative action will be enacted or the extent to which the banking industry in general or Horizon and its affiliates in particular will be affected.

An investment in Horizon’s securities is subject to numerous risks inherentand uncertainties related to our business. The material risks and uncertainties that management believes currently affect Horizon are described below, categorized as risks related to our business, risks related to the banking industry generally, and risks related to our common stock. BeforeAdditional risks and uncertainties that management is not aware of or that management currently deems immaterial may also impair Horizon's business operations and its financial results. This report is qualified in its entirety by these risk factors. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If this were to happen, the value of our securities could decline significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment. As a result, before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider these risks as well as information we include or incorporate by reference in this report and other filings we make with the SEC. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not

Some statements in the only ones facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently knownfollowing risk factors constitute forward–looking statements. Please refer to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may affect our business operations."Forward–Looking Statements" beginning on page 3 of this Annual Report on Form 10–K.

In addition, the United States Government and its related entities are incurring unprecedented debt levels in support of the United States economy. This level of debt may not be sustainable, may cause further inflationary pressures and increasesposes increased risks to fund the balance sheetUnited States economy if international investors elect to no longer purchase United States Treasuries.

Because there have been no recent global pandemics that resulted in similar global impact, we do not yet know the full extent of COVID–19's effects on our business, operations, and customers, or the global economy as a whole. Any future development will be highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the scope and duration of the pandemic, the effectiveness of our work from home arrangements, third party providers' ability to support our operation,operations, and any actions taken by governmental authorities and other third parties in response to the pandemic. The uncertain future development of this crisis could materially and adversely affect our business, operations, operating results, financial condition, liquidity or capital levels.

Our primary market area for deposits and loans consists of northern and central Indiana and southern and central Michigan. An economic slowdown could hurt our business and the possible consequences of such a downturn could include the following:

The banking and financial services business in most of our markets is highly competitive. Our competitors include large regional banks, local community banks, savings and loan associations, securities and brokerage companies, mortgage companies, insurance companies, finance companies, money market mutual funds, credit unions, neo–banks (a digital or mobile–only bank that exists without any physical bank branches), and other non–bank financial and digital service providers, many of which have greater financial, marketing and technological resources than us.we do. Many of these competitors are not subject to the same regulatory restrictions that we are and may be able to compete more effectively as a result.

Our financial condition and results of operations are significantly affected by changes in market interest rates. We can neither predict with certainty nor control changes in interest rates. These changes can occur at any time and are affected by many factors, including international, national, regional and local economic conditions, competitive pressures and monetary policies of the Federal Reserve.

We may need to raise additional capital in the future to fund acquisitions and to provide us with sufficient capital resources and liquidity to meet our commitments, regulatory capital requirements and business needs, particularly if our asset quality or earnings were to deteriorate significantly. Although we are currently, and have historically been, “well capitalized” for regulatory purposes, in the past we have been required to maintain increased levels of capital in connection with certain acquisitions. Additionally, we periodically explore acquisition opportunities with other financial institutions, some of which are in distressed financial condition. Any future acquisition, particularly the acquisition of a significantly troubled institution or an institution of comparable size to us, may require us to raise additional capital in order to obtain regulatory approval and/or to remain well capitalized.

We have a large percentage of commercial, residential mortgage and consumer loans. Commercial loans generally have greater credit risk than residential mortgage loans because repayment of these loans often depends on the successful business operations of the borrowers. TheseCommercial real estate loans generally have greater risk than residential mortgage loans because repayment of these loans is often dependent upon income being generated in amounts sufficient to cover operating costs and debt service. Both types of commercial loans also typically have much larger loan balances than residential mortgage loans. Consumer loans generally involve greater risk than residential mortgage loans because they are unsecured or secured by assets that depreciate in value. Although we undertake a variety of underwriting, monitoring and reserving protections with respect to these types of loans, there can be no guarantee that we will not suffer unexpected losses. Residential mortgage loans and consumer loans are at risk due to risingthe continuing volatility of unemployment rates caused by COVID–19 and increasing interest rates, which may adversely affect the underlying real estate value.and other collateral values and the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans on scheduled terms.

Construction loans, loans secured by commercial real estate and home equity loans generally entail more risk than other types of mortgage loans. When real estate values decrease, the developers to whom we lend are likely to experience a decline in sales of new homes from their projects. Land and construction loans are more likely to become non–performing as developers are unable to build and sell homes in volumes large enough for orderly repayment of loans and as other owners of such real estate (including homeowners) are unable to keep up with their payments. We strive to establish what we believe are adequate reserves on our financial statements to cover the credit risk of these loan portfolios. However, there can be no assurance that losses will not exceed our reserves,

and ultimately result in a material level of charge–offs, which would adversely impact our results of operations, liquidity and capital.

Our business depends on the creditworthiness of our customers. We periodically review the allowance for credit losses for adequacy considering economic conditions and trends, collateral values, and credit quality indicators, including past charge–off experience and levels of past due loans and non–performing assets. There is no certainty that the allowance for credit losses will be adequate over time to cover credit 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 theour customer base materially decreases, if the risk profile of a market, industry or group of customers changes materially, or if the allowance for credit losses is not adequate, our business, financial condition, liquidity, capital, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

We buy loans originated by mortgage bankers and automobile dealers. Because we must rely on the mortgage bankers and automobile dealers in making and documenting these loans, there is an increased risk of fraud to us on the part of the third–party originators and the underlying borrowers. In order to guard against this increased risk, we perform investigations on the mortgage companies with whomand other third parties who originate loans we do business,purchase, and we review the loan files and loan documents we purchase to attempt to detect any irregularities or legal noncompliance. However, there is no guarantee that our procedures will detect all cases of fraud or legal noncompliance.

Currently, we sell a substantial portion of the mortgage loans we originate. The profitability of our mortgage banking operations depends in large part upon our ability to aggregate a high volume of loans and to sell them in the

Currently, we sell a substantial portion of the mortgage loans we originate. The profitability of our mortgage banking operations depends in large part upon our ability to originate and sell mortgages to the secondary market at a gain. A higher interest rate environment can negatively affect the volume of loan originations and refinanced loans reducing the dollar amount of loans available to be sold to the secondary market. Higher interest rates can also negatively affect the premium received on loans sold to the secondary market as competitive pressures to originate loans can reduce pricing.

In the course of our business, we may own or foreclose and take title to real estate, and could be subject to environmental liabilities with respect to these properties (including liabilities for property damage, personal injury, investigation and clean-up costs incurred by these parties in connection with environmental contamination), or may be required to investigate or clean up hazardous or toxic substances, or chemical releases at a property.

As of December 31, 2020,2021, we had $174.2$175.5 million of goodwill and other intangible assets. A significant and sustained decline in our stock price and market capitalization, a significant decline in our expected future cash flows, a significant adverse change in the business climate, or slower growth rates could result in impairment of goodwill. If we were to conclude that a future write-down of our goodwill is necessary, then we would record the appropriate charge, which could be materially adverse to our operating results and financial position. For further discussion, see Notes 1 and 9, “Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and “Goodwill and Intangible Assets,” to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10–K for the year ended December 31, 2020.2021.

ThePrior to September 30, 2021, we acted as an independent trustee for corporate ESOP plans throughout the U.S. Over the last several years, the U.S. Department of Labor and the plaintiffs’ bar have been aggressively targeting ESOP trustees and transactions on a variety of fronts, including valuations and the amount that ESOP trustees pay to buy back stock from selling shareholders, as well as the indemnity agreements commonly used by ESOP companies to protect ESOP fiduciariestrustees from undue risk and liability exposure. We act as an independent trustee for corporate ESOP plans throughoutIn December 2021, Horizon reached a mediation settlement with the U.S., Department of Labor concerning ESOP valuations and sale transactions relating to ESOPs for which we acted as trustee. On September 30, 2021, we sold our ESOP trustee business to a third party. Despite exiting this line of business and our settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor with respect to many of our prior engagement, we may expose usstill be exposed to an increased risk of litigation from the U.S. Department of Labor and the plaintiffs’ bar.

In July 2017, the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority (the authority that regulates LIBOR) (the “FCA”) announced that after 2021 it intends to stop compellingwould no longer compel banks to submit the rates required to calculate the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). Subsequently in November 2020 the FCA proposed end dates immediately following the December 31, 2021 publication for the one week and two month LIBOR settings, and the June 30, 2023 publication for other LIBOR tenors.

These announcements indicate that the continuation of LIBOR on the current basis cannot and will not be guaranteed after December 31, 2021 or June 30, 2023, as applicable. Consequently, at this time, it is not possible to predict whether and to what extent banks will continue to provide submissions for the calculation of LIBOR. Similarly, it is not possible to predict whether LIBOR after 2021. Thewill continue to be viewed as an acceptable market benchmark, what rate or rates may become accepted alternatives to LIBOR, or what the effect of any such changes in views or alternatives may be on the markets for LIBOR–indexed financial instruments.

In particular, regulators, industry groups and certain committees (e.g., the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”) has proposed thatCommittee) have, among other things, published recommended fall–back language for LIBOR–linked financial instruments, identified recommended alternatives for certain LIBOR rates (e.g., the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) is the rate that represents best practice as the recommended alternative to USD–LIBORU.S. Dollar LIBOR), and proposed implementations of the recommended alternatives in floating rate instruments. At this time, it is not possible to predict whether these specific recommendations and proposals will be broadly accepted, whether they will continue to evolve, and what the effect of their implementation may be on the markets for use in derivativesfloating–rate financial instruments.

We have loans, borrowings and other financial contractsinstruments with attributes that are currently indexedeither directly or indirectly dependent on LIBOR. The transition from LIBOR could create additional costs and risks. Since proposed alternative rates are calculated differently, payments under contracts referencing new rates will differ from those referencing

LIBOR. The transition will change our market risk profiles, requiring changes to USD–LIBOR. ARRC has proposed a paced marketrisk and pricing models, valuation tools, and product design. Furthermore, failure to adequately manage this transition plan to SOFR from USD–LIBOR and organizationsprocess with our customers could adversely impact our reputation. Although we are currently workingunable to assess what the ultimate impact of the transition from LIBOR will be, failure to adequately manage the transition could have a material adverse effect on industry wideour business, financial condition and company specific transition plans as it relates to derivatives and cash markets exposed to USD–LIBOR. The Company has material contracts that are indexed to USD–LIBOR and is monitoring this activity and evaluating the related risks.results of operations.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make significant estimates that affect the financial statements. One of our most critical estimates is the level of the allowance for credit losses. Due to the inherent nature of these estimates, we cannot provide absolute assurance that we will not have to increase the allowance for loan losses and/or sustain loan losses that are significantly higher than the provided allowance.

We rely heavily on internal and outsourced technologies, communications, and information systems to conduct our business. Additionally, in the normal course of business, we collect, process and retain sensitive and confidential information regarding our customers. As our reliance on technology has increased, so have the potential risks of a technology–related operationoperational interruption (such as disruptions in our customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan, or other systems) or the occurrence of cyber–attacks (such as unauthorized access to our systems, computer viruses, ransom ware, or other malicious code). These risks have increased for all financial institutions as new technologies, including the use of the Internet and telecommunications technologies (including mobile devices), have become commonly used to conduct financial and other business transactions, during a time of increased technological sophistication of organized crime, perpetrators of fraud, hackers, terrorists and others. In addition to cyber–attacks or other security breaches involving the theft of sensitive and confidential information, hackers recently have engaged in attacks against large financial institutions, particularly denial of service attacks, which are designed to disrupt key business services, such as customer–facing web sites. WeAlthough we have programs in place related to business continuity, disaster recovery and information security to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our systems, business applications and customer information, we are not able to anticipate or implement effective preventive measures against all cyber–security breaches of these types,threats, especially because the techniques used change frequently and because attacks can originate from a wide variety of sources, both domestic

The financial services industry is continually undergoing rapid technological change with frequent introductions of new technology–driven products and services. The effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial institutions to better serve customers and to reduce costs. Our future success depends, in part, upon our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands, as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations. Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements, and we may not be able to effectively implement new technology–driven products and services at the same speed at which our competitors do (or not at all) or be successful in marketing these products and services to our customers. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the financial services industry could have a material adverse impact on our business and, in turn, our financial condition and results of operations.

Third–party vendors provide key components of our business infrastructure, including Internet connections, mobile and internet banking, statement processing, loan document preparation, network access and transaction and other processing services. Although we have selected these third–party vendors carefully, we do not control their actions. Any problems caused by these third parties, including as a result of inadequate or interrupted service or breach of customer information, could adversely affect our ability to deliver products and services to our customers and otherwise to conduct our business. In addition, any breach in customer information could affect our reputation and cause legal liability and a loss of business. Replacing these third–party vendors also could result in significant delay and expense.

We depend heavily on the services of our existing senior management team particularly our CEO Craig M. Dwight, to carry out our business and investment strategies. As we continue to grow and expand our business and our locations, products and services, we will increasingly need to rely on Mr. Dwight’sour senior management team's experience, judgment and expertise as well as that of the other members of our senior management team.expertise. We also depend heavily on our experienced and effective lending teams and their respective special market insights, including, for example, our agricultural lending specialists. In addition to the importance of retaining our lending team, we will also need to continue to attract and retain qualified banking personnel at all levels. Competition for such personnel is intense in our geographic market areas. If we are unable to attract and retain an effective lending team and other talented people, our business could suffer. The loss of the services of any senior management personnel particularly Mr. Dwight, or the inability to recruit and retain qualified lending and other personnel in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

We periodically evaluate merger and acquisition opportunities and conduct due diligence activities related to possible transactions with other financial institutions and financial services companies. We generally seek merger or acquisition partners that are culturally similar and possess either significant market presence or have potential for improved profitability through financial management, economies of scale or expanded services. Acquiring other banks, businesses, or branches involves various risks commonly associated with acquisitions, including, among other things:

Our operations are subject to extensive regulation by federal and state agencies. See “Regulation and Supervision” in the description of our Business in Item 1 of Part I of this report for detailed information on the laws and regulations to which we are subject. Many of these regulations are intended to protect depositors, the public or the FDIC insurance funds, not shareholders. Regulatory requirements affect our lending practices, capital structure, investment practices, dividend policy and many other aspects of our business. Changes in applicable laws, regulations or regulator policies can materially affect our business. The likelihood of any major changes in the future and their effects are impossible to determine.predict. As an example, the Bank could experience higher credit losses because of federal or state legislation or by regulatory or bankruptcy court action that reduces the amount the Bank's borrowers are otherwise contractually required to pay

We face other risks from recent actions of the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service. In November 2016, these agencies issued a Notice making captive insurance company activities “transactions of interest” due to the potential for tax avoidance or evasion. We have a captive insurance company and it is not certain at this point how the Notice may impact us on our operation of the captive insurance company as a risk management tool.

Legislation enacted in recent years, together with additional actions announced by the U.S. Treasury and other regulatory agencies, continue to develop. It is not clear at this time what impact legislation and liquidity and funding initiatives of the U.S. Treasury and other bank regulatory agencies, and additional programs that may be initiated in the future, will have on the financial markets and the financial services industry.

Although our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, our stock price constantly changes, and we expect our stock price to continue to fluctuate in the future. Our stock price is impacted by a variety of factors, some of which are beyond our control.

Although our common stock has been listed on the NASDAQ stock market since December 2001, our common stock is moderately traded. The prices of moderately traded stocks, such as ours, can be more volatile than stocks traded in a large, active public market and can be more easily impacted by sales or purchases of large blocks of stock. Moderately traded stocks are also less liquid, and because of the low volume of trades, you may be unable to sell your shares when you desire to do so.

Our articles of incorporation and by–laws and Indiana law contain provisions that have certain anti–takeover effects. While the purpose of these provisions is to strengthen the negotiating position of the board of directors in the event of a hostile takeover attempt, the overall effects of these provisions may be to render more difficult or discourage a merger, tender offer or proxy contest, the assumption of control by a holder of a largerlarge block of our shares, and the removal of incumbent directors and key management.

Not applicable.

The main office and full service branch of Horizon and the Bank is located at 515 Franklin Street, Michigan City, Indiana. The building located across the street from the main office of Horizon and the Bank, at 502 Franklin Street, houses the credit administration, operations, facilities and purchasing, and information technology departments of the Bank. In addition to these principal facilities, the Bank has 7377 sales offices located in various cities and towns in northern and central Indiana and southern and central Michigan. Horizon maintains such branches and offices as it believes are necessary for the convenience of its customers and the community, and Horizon frequently assesses the suitability of all its business locations.

Horizon and its subsidiaries are involved in various legal proceedings incidental to the conduct of their business. Management does not expect that the outcome of any such proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

Not applicable.

Horizon common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “HBNC.”

There were no purchases by the Company of its common stock during the fourth quarter of 2020.2021.

Performance Graph

The SEC requires Horizon to include a line graph comparing Horizon’s cumulative five–year total shareholder returns on the common shares with market and industry returns over the past five years. S&P Global Market Intelligence prepared the following graph. The return represented in the graph assumes the investment of $100 on December 31, 2015,2016, and further assumes reinvestment of all dividends. The Company’s common stock began trading on the NASDAQ Global Market on February 1, 2007, and on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on January 2, 2014. Prior to that date, the common stock was traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market.