Governmental Policies

The Company’s earnings are significantly affected by the monetary and fiscal policies of governmental authorities, including the Federal Reserve Board. Among the instruments of monetary policy used by the Federal Reserve Board to implement these objectives are open-market operations in U.S. Government securities and federal funds, changes in the discount rate on member bank borrowings and changes in reserve requirements against member bank deposits. These instruments of monetary policy are used in varying combinations to influence the overall level of bank loans, investments and deposits, and the interest rates charged on loans and paid for deposits. The Federal Reserve Board frequently uses these instruments of monetary policy, especially its open-market operations and the discount rate, to influence the level of interest rates and to affect the strength of the economy, the level of inflation or the price of the dollar in foreign exchange markets. The monetary policies of the Federal Reserve Board have had a significant effect on the operating results of banking institutions in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future. It is not possible to predict the nature of future changes in monetary and fiscal policies, or the effect which they may have on the Company’s business and earnings.

Other Legislative Initiatives

Proposals may be introduced in the United States Congress and in the Pennsylvania Legislature and before various bank regulatory authorities, which would alter the powers of, and restrictions on, different types of banking organizations and which would restructure part or all of the existing regulatory framework for banks, bank holding companies and other providers of financial services. Moreover, other bills may be introduced in Congress which would further regulate, deregulate, or restructure the financial services industry, including proposals to substantially reform the regulatory framework. It is not possible to predict whether these or any other proposals will be enacted into law or, even if enacted, the effect which they may have on the Company’s business and earnings.

Human Capital Management

We believe that outstanding people are the key to the Company’s growth and success. Through the efforts of our team, Embassy has established itself as a leading organization in our Lehigh Valley community. The Company’s philosophy is to strive to maintain simplicity in our policies and efficiency in our procedures. We pride ourselves in creating an open, diverse, and transparent culture that celebrates teamwork and recognizes team members at all levels. We believe that diversity of cultures, thoughts, and experiences results in better outcomes and empowers our team members to make more meaningful contributions within our company and community. This in turn provides an environment in which our team will thrive. The majority of our team are regular full-time employees, and we also employ regular part-time employees and some seasonal/temporary team members.

It is by design that the Company runs a very efficient operation, relying greatly on the knowledge and experience of its leadership team, and, where appropriate, the outsourcing of certain functions to high quality vendors, in order to do so.  This level of efficiency requires that individual members of the Company’s leadership team assume roles that are most often held by multiple individuals at banks within the Company’s peer group.   For example, David M. Lobach, Jr. serves as Chairman of the Board, as well as President and Chief Executive Officer,  Judith A. Hunsicker serves as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, James R. Bartholomew serves as Senior Lending Officer (until his retirement effective December 31, 2022) and oversees business banking and business development, Diane M. Cunningham oversees retail banking and consumer lending, as well as marketing, and Lynne M. Neel oversees the finance department, deposit and loan operations and investor relations, to name a few such examples. This multidisciplinary approach is replicated throughout the Company.  

The Company has created a group consisting of team members called the “Culture Club.” The club is designed to keep our business culture in the forefront of all we do. This team provides new employees with their first look at the unique Embassy culture through an orientation program created with the individual in mind. In addition, the team actively works on creative activities and educational events to enhance our existing culture for the entire Embassy team. Our culture is truly defined by “us.” The Company family is made up of a diverse group of professionals who share the common goal of making our bank succeed by providing superior customer service through sales, education,

technology, and teamwork. Our experience has shown that when employees communicate openly and directly with supervisors, the work environment can be excellent, expectations can be clear, and attitudes will be positive. We believe that the Company amply demonstrates its commitment to employees by responding effectively to employee concerns.

Annually, every team member is asked to complete a team member commitment form, in which he or she describes duties and responsibilities they may face in their day to day work. The Company maintains these forms and uses them to aid in orienting new employees to their jobs, identifying the requirements of each position, balancing responsibilities amongst the team, establishing hiring criteria, setting standards for employee performance evaluations, and establishing a basis for making reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. They are also used for discussion in connection with an existing employee’s review process. Supervisors and employees are strongly encouraged to discuss job performance and goals on an informal, day-to-day basis. Employees are asked to annually participate in the Company's self-assessment process, which includes their Personal Team Member Commitment (which describes positions) and Personal Balance Sheet. Additionally, this Balance Sheet is a formal performance evaluation conducted to provide both supervisors and employees the opportunity to discuss job tasks, identify and correct weaknesses, encourage and recognize strengths, and discuss positive, purposeful approaches for efficiently carrying out the responsibility of each position.

The salary and benefits program at the Company was created to achieve consistent pay practices, comply with federal and state laws, mirror our commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity, and offer competitive salaries and benefits within our labor market. Because recruiting and retaining talented and diverse employees is critical to our success, the Company is committed to paying its team members equitable wages that reflect the requirements and responsibilities of their positions and are competitive with the pay received by similarly situated employees in other banks in the area.

Compensation for every position is determined by several factors, including the essential duties and responsibilities of the job, and knowledge of pay practices of other employers. The Company periodically reviews its salary and benefits program and restructures it as necessary.

Eligible employees at the Company are provided a wide range of benefits. A number of the programs (such as Social Security, workers' compensation, state disability, and unemployment insurance) cover all employees in the manner prescribed by law. Benefits eligibility is dependent upon a variety of factors, primarily whether the employee is full time or part time.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of a novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) as a global pandemic and on March 13, 2020 the United States government declared COVID-19 as a national emergency. Specific to COVID-19, the Company’s top priority is the health and safety of our team, customers, vendors, and the public. Embassy Bank’s Pandemic Officer is responsible for the oversight of the Company’s COVID-19 Program. The COVID-19 Plan Guidance has been distributed to all employees, and when necessary, to on-site workers, and vendors. All team members, onsite workers, visitors, vendors, and customers must comply with local, state, and federal government regulations regarding COVID-19 policies and personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements. The Company has followed, and intends to continue to follow, at minimum, the most recent guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control (“CDC”).

Available Information

The Company’s common stock is registered under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Trades in Company common stock made by certain brokerage firms are reported on the OTCQX Market Tier of the OTC Markets under the symbol “EMYB”.  The Company is subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act, and, accordingly, electronically files annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy and information statements and other information with the SEC.U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  You may obtain these reports and statements, and any amendments, from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.www.sec.gov. You may obtain copies of these reports, and any amendments, through our website at www.embassybank.com. These reports are available through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed electronically with the SEC.

The Company’s headquarters are located at 100 Gateway Drive, in Hanover Township, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18017, and its telephone number is 1-610-882-8800. The Company has adopted a Code of Conduct/Ethics that applies to all directors and officers of the Company. This document is available in the Investor Relations section on the Company’s website.  The information included on the website and the Investor Relations page areis not considered a part of this document.

Caution About Forward-looking Statements

This report contains forward-looking statements, including statements of goals, intentions, and expectations as to future trends, plans, events or results of Company operations and policies and regarding general economic conditions. These forward-looking statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon current and anticipated economic conditions, nationally and in the Company’s market, interest rates and interest rate policy, competitive factors, and other conditions that, by their nature, are not susceptible to accurate forecast, and are subject to significant uncertainty.

Such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes”, “expects”, “may”, “intends”, “will”, “should”, “anticipates”, or the negative of any of the foregoing or other variations thereon or comparable terminology, or by discussion of strategy.

No assurance can be given that the future results covered by forward-looking statements will be achieved. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could impact the Company’s operating results include, but are not limited to, (i) the effects of changing economic conditions in the Company’s market areas and nationally, (ii) credit risks of commercial, real estate, consumer and other lending activities, (iii) significant changes in interest rates, (iv) changes in federal and state banking laws and regulations which could impact the Company’s operations, and (v) other external developments which could materially affect the Company’s business and operations, including those described in this Report under section Item 1A – Risk Factors.Factors or in our other filings with the SEC.

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS.

Before investing in Embassy Bancorp, Inc. common stock, an investor should carefully consider the risk factors described below, which are not intended to be all inclusive, and review other information contained in this report and in our other filings with the SEC. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing the Company. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are not aware of, or that we currently deem less significant, or that we otherwise are not specifically focused on, may also impact our business, results of operations, and our common stock. If any of these known or unknown risks or uncertainties actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If this were to happen, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly, and an investor could lose all or part of his or her investment in the Company.

Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Embassy,” or “Embassy Bancorp, Inc.,” collectively refer to Embassy Bancorp, Inc. and its banking subsidiary, and specific references to the “Bank” refer to Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley, the wholly-owned banking subsidiary of Embassy Bancorp, Inc.

Risks Related to Our Business

Changes in interest rates may adversely affect our earnings and financial condition.

Our ability to make a profit, like that of most financial institutions, substantially depends upon our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income earned on interest earning assets, such as loans and

investment securities, and the interest expense paid on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. Changes in interest rates can increase or reduce net interest income and net income.

Different types of assets and liabilities may react differently, and at different times, to changes in market interest rates. When interest-bearing liabilities mature or reprice more quickly than interest-earning assets in a period, an increase in market rates of interest could reduce net interest income. When interest-earning assets mature or reprice more quickly than interest-bearing liabilities, falling interest rates could reduce net interest income. Changes in market interest rates are affected by many factors beyond our control, including inflation, unemployment, money supply, international events, and events in the United States and other financial markets.

We attempt to manage risk from changes in market interest rates, in part, by controlling the mix of interest rate sensitive assets and interest rate sensitive liabilities.  However, interest rate risk management techniques are not exact and a substantial, unexpected, prolonged, or rapid change in interest rates could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Interest rate volatility could negatively affect our net interest income, lending activities, deposits, and profitability.

Our net interest income, lending activities, deposits and profitability could be negatively affected by volatility in interest rates. A prolonged period of extremely volatile and unstable market conditions would likely increase our funding costs and negatively affect market risk mitigation strategies. Higher income volatility from changes in interest rates and spreads to benchmark indices could cause a loss of future net interest income and a decrease in current fair market values of our assets. Fluctuations in interest rates will impact both the level of income and expense recorded on most of our assets and liabilities and the market value of all interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our net income, operating results, or financial condition.

Effects of inflation may adversely affect our profitability.

The majority of assets and liabilities of the Company are monetary in nature, and therefore, differ greatly from most commercial and industrial companies that have significant investments in fixed assets or inventories. The precise impact of inflation upon the Company is difficult to measure. Inflation may affect the borrowing needs of consumers, thereby impacting the growth rate of the Company’s assets, as well as the expense paid on our deposits and borrowings. Inflation may also affect the general level of interest rates, which can have a direct bearing on the profitability of the Company.

As a participating lender in the SBA’s PPP, we are subject to additional risks of litigation from our clients or other parties regarding our processing of loans for the PPP and risks that the SBA may not fund some or all PPP loan guaranties.

The Company participates in the SBA’s PPP under the CARES Act and subsequent 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act (“CAA”). Under the PPP, small businesses and other entities and individuals applied for loans from existing SBA lenders and other approved regulated lenders that enrolled in the program, subject to numerous limitations and eligibility criteria. We participated as a lender in the PPP and started accepting applications from qualified borrowers on April 3, 2020. Since the opening of the PPP, several other larger banks have been subject to litigation regarding the process and procedures that such banks used in processing applications for the PPP. We may be exposed to the risk of litigation, from both clients and non-clients that approached us regarding PPP loans, regarding our process and procedures used in processing applications for the PPP. If any such litigation is filed against us and is not resolved in a manner favorable to us, it may result in significant financial liability or adversely affect our reputation. In addition, litigation can be costly, regardless of outcome. Any financial liability, litigation costs or reputational damage caused by PPP related litigation could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We also have credit risk on PPP loans if a determination is made by the SBA that there is a deficiency in the manner in which the loan was originated, funded, or serviced by us, such as an issue with the eligibility of a borrower to

receive a PPP loan, which may or may not be related to the ambiguity in the laws, rules, and guidance regarding the operation of the PPP. In the event of a loss resulting from a default on a PPP loan and a determination by the SBA that there was a deficiency in the manner in which the PPP loan was originated, funded, or serviced by us, the SBA may deny its liability under the guaranty, reduce the amount of the guaranty, or, if it has already paid under the guaranty, seek recovery of any loss related to the deficiency from us. We are not aware of any fraud related to PPP loans originated by the Bank.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $286 thousand of PPP loans yet to be forgiven.

We are subject to credit risk.

As of December 31, 2019,2022, excluding PPP loans, approximately 4947 percent of the Company’s loan portfolio consisted of commercial, commercial construction, and commercial real estate loans. These types of loans are generally viewed as having more risk of default than residential real estate or secured consumer loans. These types of loans are also typically larger than residential real estate loans and consumer loans. Because our loan portfolio contains a significant number of commercial, commercial construction and commercial real estate loans with relatively large balances, the deterioration of one or a few of these loans could cause a significant increase in non-performing loans. An increase in non-performing loans could result in a net loss of earnings from these loans, an increase in the provision for possible loan and lease losses and an increase in loan charge-offs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our allowance for loan and lease losses may be insufficient.

We maintain an allowance for loan and lease losses, which is a reserve established that represents management’s best estimate of probable losses that have been incurred within the existing portfolio of loans. The Company has determined, because of the 100% SBA guarantee, that no allowance for loan losses is required on the PPP loan portfolio. The allowance, in the judgment of management, is necessary to reserve for estimated loan and lease losses and risks inherent in the loan

portfolio. The level of the allowance reflects management’s continuing evaluation of industry concentrations; specific credit risks; loan loss experience; current loan portfolio quality; present economic, political, and regulatory conditions and unidentified losses inherent in the current loan portfolio. The determination of the appropriate level of the allowance for possible loan and lease losses inherently involves a high degree of subjectivity and requires us to make significant estimates of current credit risks and future trends, all of which may undergo material changes. Changes in economic conditions affecting borrowers, new information regarding existing loans, identification of additional problem credits and other factors, both within and outside of our control, may require an increase in the allowance. In addition, bank regulatory agencies periodically review our allowance for possible loan and lease losses and may require an increase in the provision for possible loan and lease losses or the recognition of further loan charge-offs, based on information unavailable to, or judgments different than those of, management. In addition, if charge-offs in future periods exceed the allowance, we may need additional provisions to increase the allowance for possible loan and lease losses. Any increases in the allowance resulting from loan loss provisions will result in a decrease in net income and, possibly, capital, and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The FASB issued an accounting standard on allowance for loan losses. This new accounting standard became effective for us beginning on January 1, 2023. This standard, referred to as CECL, requires financial institutions to determine periodic estimates of lifetime expected credit losses on loans and recognize the expected credit losses as allowances for credit losses. This will change the current method of providing allowances for loan losses that are probable, which may require us to increase our allowance for loan losses, and to greatly increase the types of data we will need to collect and review to determine the appropriate level of the allowance for loan losses. CECL may cause volatility in the allowance due to its forecasting requirement. Any increase in our allowance for loan losses or expenses incurred to determine the appropriate level of the allowance for loan losses may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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Our profitability depends significantly on economic conditions in Pennsylvania.

Unlike larger or regional financial institutions that are more geographically diversified, our success is dependent to a significant degree on economic conditions in Pennsylvania, especially in Lehigh and Northampton Counties, which are the counties and markets primarily served by us in the years up to and including 2019.2022. The banking industry is affected by general economic conditions, including the effects of inflation, recession, unemployment, real estate values, trends in national and global economics, and other factors beyond our control. An economic recession or a delayed recovery over a prolonged period of time in Pennsylvania, or more specific to the areas served by us, could cause an increase in the level of the Bank’s non-performing assets and loan and lease losses, thereby causing operating losses, impairing liquidity, and eroding capital. We can give no assurance that adverse changes in the local economy would not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Strong competition within our market area may limit our growth and profitability.

Competition in the banking and financial services industry is intense. The geographic market the Company serves is highly competitive for deposits and loans. The Company competes with local, regional, and national traditional banking institutions, as well as non-bank financial service providers such as credit unions, brokerage firms, insurance companies and mortgage companies. In the Company’s primary market area, major regional and super-regional banks generally hold larger market share positions. By virtue of their larger capital bases and greater financial resources, these institutions have significantly larger lending limits, more robust advertising campaigns, larger branch networks, and can invest in technology on a larger scale. The industry, as a whole, competes primarily in the area of interest rates, products offered, customer service and convenience. Our profitability depends upon our ability to successfully compete in our market area.

The Basel III capital rules require us to maintain higher levels of capital, which could reduce our profitability.

Basel III targets higher levels of base capital, certain capital buffers, and a migration toward common equity as the key source of regulatory capital. Although the new capital requirements were fully phased in as of January 1, 2019, Basel III signals a growing effort by domestic and international bank regulatory agencies to require financial institutions, including depository institutions, to maintain higher levels of capital. In the future, we may be required to maintain higher levels of capital, thus potentially reducing opportunities to invest capital into interest-earning assets, which could limit the profitable business operations available to us, and adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

If our information systems are interrupted or sustain a breach in security, those events may negatively affect our financial performance and reputation.

In conducting our business, we rely heavily on our information systems. Maintaining and protecting those systems and data is difficult and expensive, as is dealing with any failure, interruption, or breach in security of these systems,

whether due to acts or omissions by us or by a third party, and whether intentional or not. Any such failure, interruption, or breach could result in failures or disruptions in our customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan, and other systems. A breach of our information security may result from fraudulent activity committed against us or our customers, resulting in financial loss to us or our customers, or privacy breaches against our customers. Such fraudulent activity may consist of check fraud, electronic fraud, wire fraud, “phishing”, social engineering, identity theft, or other deceptive acts. Such fraudulent activity could be heightened by geopolitical events, including the Russia/Ukraine conflict. The policies, procedures, and technical safeguards put in place by us to prevent or limit the effect of any failure, interruption, or security breach of our information systems and data may be insufficient to prevent or remedy the effects of any such occurrences. The occurrence of any failures, interruptions, or security breaches of our information systems, or those of our third party vendors, and data could damage our reputation, cause us to incur additional expenses, result in online services or other businesses becoming inoperable, subject us to regulatory sanctions or additional regulatory scrutiny, or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our business operations and interaction with customers are increasingly done via electronic means, and this has increased risks related to cyber security.

We are exposed to the risk of cyber-attacks in the ordinary course of our business. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. An increased level of attention in the industry is focused on cyber-attacks that include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. To combat against these attacks, we have policies and procedures in place to prevent or limit the effect of the possible security breach of our information systems and we have insurance against some cyber-risks and attacks. While we have not incurred any material losses related to cyber-attacks, nor are we aware of any specific or threatened cyber-incidents as of the date of this report, we may incur substantial costs and suffer other negative consequences if we fall victim to successful cyber-attacks. Such negative consequences could include remediation costs, which may include liability for stolen assets or information and repairing system damage; deploying additional personnel and protection technologies, training employees, and engaging third party experts and consultants; lost revenues resulting from unauthorized use of proprietary information or the failure to retain or attract customers following an attack; litigation; and reputational damage adversely affecting customer or investor confidence.

We operate in a highly regulated environment and may be adversely affected by changes in laws and regulations.

We are subject to extensive regulation, supervision, and examination by federal and state banking authorities. Any change in applicable regulations or federal, state, or local legislation could have a substantial impact on us and our operations. Additional legislation and regulations that could significantly affect our powers, authority and operations may be enacted or adopted in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Further, regulators have significant discretion and authority to prevent or remedy unsafe or unsound practices or violations of laws by banks and bank holding companies in the performance of their supervisory and enforcement duties. The exercise of regulatory authority may have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

We are required to make a number of judgments in applying generally accepted accounting standardsprinciples and different estimates and assumptions in the application of these standards could result in a decrease in capital and/or other material changes to our reports of financial condition and results of operations.

Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change relate to the determination of the allowance for loan losses and reserve for unfunded lending commitments, the effectiveness of derivatives and other hedging activities, the fair value of certain financial instruments (securities, derivatives, and privately held investments), income tax assets or liabilities (including deferred tax assets and any related valuation allowance), share-based compensation, and accounting for acquisitions, including the fair value determinations and the analysis of goodwill impairment.(securities). While we have identified those accounting policies that are considered critical and have procedures in place to facilitate the associated judgments, different assumptions in the application of these standards could result in a decrease to net income and, possibly, capital and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. From time to time, the Financial Accounting Standards BoardFASB and the SEC issues changes to or

updated interpretations of the financial accounting and reporting guidance that governs the preparation of our financial statements. These changes are beyond our control, can be difficult to predict, and could materially impact how we report our financial condition and results of operations. We could be required to apply new or revised guidance retrospectively, which may result in the revision of prior financial statements by material amounts. The implementation of new or revised guidance could also result in material adverse effects to our reported capital.

Our controls and procedures may fail or could be circumvented.

Management has implemented a series of internal controls, disclosure controls and procedures, and corporate governance policies and procedures in order to ensure accurate financial control and reporting. However, any system of controls, no matter how well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met. Any failure or circumvention of our controls and/or procedures could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operation and financial condition.

Prior levels of market volatility were unprecedented and future volatility may have materially adverse effects on the market price of our common stock, our liquidity and financial condition.

In the not too distant past,Starting in March 2020, the capital and credit markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruption.disruption related to the COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently, as a result of the failures of Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) and Signature Bank. In somemany cases, the markets exerted downward pressure on stock prices, security prices, and credit availability for certain issuers without regard to their underlying financial strength. If such levels of market disruption and volatility return,continue, there can be no assurance that we will not experience adverse effects, which may materially affect the market price of our common stock and/or our liquidity, financial condition, and profitability.

Our banking subsidiary may be required to pay higher FDIC insurance premiums or special assessments which may adversely affect our earnings.

Poor economic conditions and the resulting bank failures from the most recent recession have stressed the Deposit Insurance Fund and increased the costs of our FDIC insurance assessments. Promptly following the recent failures of SVB and Signature Bank in March 2023, the federal banking regulators announced that the FDIC will use funds from the Deposit Insurance Fund to ensure that all depositors in SVB and Signature Bank are made whole, at no cost to taxpayers. We anticipate that the FDIC will impose special assessments on all banks in order to replenish the DIF, in addition to the recently announced increase in premiums. Additional bank failures may prompt the FDIC to increase its premiums above the recently increased levels or to issue additional special assessments. We are generally unable to control the amount of premiums or special assessments that our banking subsidiary is required to pay for FDIC insurance. Any future changes in the calculation or assessment of FDIC insurance premiums may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and our ability to continue to pay dividends on our common stock at the current rate or at all.

If we conclude that the decline in the value of any of our investment securities is other than temporary, we are required to write down the value of that security through a charge to earnings.

We review our investment securities portfolio at each quarter-end reporting period to determine whether the fair value of individual securities or the portfolio as a whole is below the current carrying value. When the fair value of any of our investment securities has declined below its carrying value, we are required to assess whether the decline is other than temporary. If we conclude that the decline is other than temporary, we are required to write down the value of that security through a charge to earnings. Due to the complexity of the calculations and assumptions used in determining whether an asset is impaired, the impairment disclosed, or lack thereof, may not accurately reflect the actual impairment in the future.

Our financial performance may suffer if our information technology is unable to keep pace with our growth or industry developments.

Effective and competitive delivery of our products and services is increasingly dependent upon information technology resources and processes, both those provided internally as well as those provided through third party vendors. In addition to better serving customers, the effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables us to reduce costs. Our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services to enhance customer convenience, as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations. Many of our competitors have greater resources to invest in technological

improvements. Additionally, as technology in the financial services industry changes and evolves, keeping pace becomes increasingly complex and expensive for us. Our failure to timely and effectively implement technological advances could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are highly reliant on third party vendors and our ability to manage the operational risks associated with outsourcing those services.

We rely on third parties to provide services that are integral to our operations. These vendors provide services that support our operations, including the storage and processing of sensitive consumer and business customer data, as well as our sales efforts. A cyber securitycybersecurity breach of a vendor’s system may result in theft of our data or disruption of business processes. In most cases, we will remain primarily liable to our customers for losses arising from a breach of a vendor’s data security system. We rely on our outsourced service providers to implement and maintain prudent cyber securitycybersecurity controls. We have procedures in place to assess a vendor’s cyber securitycybersecurity controls prior to establishing a contractual relationship and to periodically review assessments of those control systems; however, these procedures are not infallible, and a vendor’s system can be breached despite the procedures we employ. We cannot be sure that we will be able to maintain these relationships on favorable terms. The loss of these vendor relationships could disrupt the services we provide to our customers and cause us to incur expense in connection with replacing these services.

We have assembled a senior management team which has substantial background and experience in banking and financial services in the markets we serve. Loss of these key personnel could negatively impact our earnings because of their skills, customer relationships and/or the potential difficulty of promptly replacing them.

The soundness of other financial institutions may adversely affect us.

Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty, or other relationships. We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including commercial banks, brokers and dealers, investment banks, and other institutional clients. Many of these transactions expose us to credit risk in the event of a default by a counterparty or client. In addition, our credit risk may be exacerbated when the collateral held by us cannot be readily realized or liquidated at prices sufficient to recover the full amount of the credit or derivative exposure due to us. Any such losses could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

On March 10, 2023, the FDIC took control and was appointed receiver of SVB, and on March 12, 2023, the FDIC took control and was appointed receiver of Signature Bank, in each case due primarily to liquidity concerns related to those institutions. As of March 13, 2023, we did not have any direct exposure to SVB or Signature Bank. However, if other banks and financial institutions enter receivership or become insolvent in the future in response to financial conditions affecting the banking system and financial markets, our ability to access our existing cash, cash equivalents and investments may be threatened and could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock 

The trading volume in our common stock is less than that of larger public companies, which can contribute to volatility in our stock price and adversely affect the liquidity of an investment in our common stock.

Our common stock is not traded on a security exchange.  Trades in our stock made by certain brokerage firms are reported on the OTCQX Market Tier of the OTC Markets, but trading in our stock is sporadic. The trading history of our common stock has been characterized by relatively low trading volume. This lack of an active public market means that the value of a shareholder’s investment in our common stock may be subject to sudden fluctuations, as individual trades have a greater effect on our reported trading price than would be the case in a broad public market with significant daily trading volume.

The market price of our common stock may also be subject to fluctuations in response to numerous other factors, including the factors discussed in this report, regardless of our actual operating performance. The possibility of such fluctuations occurring is increased due to the illiquid nature of the trading market of our common stock.  Therefore, a shareholder may be unable to sell our common stock at or above the price at which it was purchased, at or above the current market price, or at the time of his, her or its choosing.

Our insiders control a substantial percentage of our stock and therefore have the ability to exercise significant control over our affairs.

As of December 31, 2022, our directors and executive officers beneficially owned in excess of 28% of our issued and outstanding common stock on a fully diluted basis.  Such persons, as a group, will have sufficient votes to strongly influence the outcome of all matters submitted to our shareholders, including the election of directors.  This concentration of ownership might also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of our company.
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Our ability to pay dividends on our common stock, and principal and interest on our debt, depends primarily on dividends from our banking subsidiary, which is subject to regulatory limits.

Embassy Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company and its operations are conducted by its direct and indirect subsidiaries, primarily the Bank. Our ability to pay dividends on our common stock and principal and interest on our debt depends on our receipt of dividends from the Bank. Dividend payments from the Bank are subject to legal and regulatory limitations, generally based on net profits and retained earnings, imposed by the various banking regulatory agencies. The ability of the Bank to pay dividends is also subject to profitability, financial condition, liquidity, and capital management limits. There is no assurance that our subsidiary will be able to pay dividends in the future or that we will generate adequate cash flow to pay dividends in the future. Federal Reserve policy, which applies to us as a

registered bank holding company, also provides that dividends by bank holding companies should generally be paid out of earnings from both the current period and a designated look-back period. Our failure to pay dividends on our common stock could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws, Pennsylvania law, state and federal banking regulations, and our significant percentage of insider ownership, could act to delay or prevent a takeover by a third party.

Various Pennsylvania laws affecting business corporations may have the effect of discouraging offers to acquire us, even if the acquisition would be advantageous to our shareholders. By incorporating under Pennsylvania law, our board of directors owes its fiduciary duty solely to the corporation. As such, Pennsylvania law does not require a director to act solely because of the effect such action might have on an acquisition or potential acquisition of control of the corporation or the consideration that might be offered or paid to shareholders in such an acquisition. Additionally, Pennsylvania law:

expands the factors and groups which a corporation’s board of directors can consider in determining whether an action is in the best interests of the corporation, including the effect of such action on its shareholders, employees, suppliers, customers, creditors and communities;

provides that a corporation’s board of directors need not consider the interests of any particular group (including the shareholders) as dominant or controlling;

provides that a corporation’s directors, in order to satisfy the presumption that they have acted in the best interests of the corporation, need not satisfy any greater obligation or higher burden of proof with respect to actions relating to an acquisition or potential acquisition of control; and

provides that actions relating to acquisitions of control that are approved by a majority of “disinterested directors” are presumed to satisfy the directors’ standard, unless it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that the directors did not assent to such action in good faith after reasonable investigation.

In addition, we have various anti-takeover measures in place under our articles of incorporation and bylaws, including a supermajority vote requirement for mergers, advance notice requirements for nominations for election of directors and the presentation of shareholder proposals at meetings of shareholders, a staggered Board of Directors, and the absence of cumulative voting.

Further, federal and state banking laws and regulations generally require filings and approvals prior to certain transactions that would result in a party acquiring control of our company.

Any one or more of these laws or measures, particularly when coupled with the fact that our insiders hold approximately 28% of our voting shares, may impede the takeover of the Company and may prevent our shareholders from taking part in a transaction in which they could realize a premium over the current market price of our common stock.

General Risk Factors

Our controls and procedures may fail or could be circumvented.

Management has implemented a series of internal controls, disclosure controls and procedures, and corporate governance policies and procedures in order to ensure accurate financial control and reporting. However, any system of controls, no matter how well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met. Any failure or circumvention of our controls and/or procedures could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operation and financial condition.

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Loss of our senior executive officers or other key employees could impair our relationship with our customers and adversely affect our business.

We have assembled a leadership management team which has substantial background and experience in banking and financial services in the markets we serve. Loss of these key personnel could negatively impact our earnings because of their skills, customer relationships and/or the potential difficulty of promptly replacing them.

Acts of terrorism, natural disasters, global climate change, pandemics and global conflicts may have a negative impact on our business and operations.

Acts of war or terrorism, natural disasters, global climate change, pandemics, global conflicts, geopolitical events, including the military tensions between Russia and Ukraine, or other similar events, or a combination of these factor or other factors, could have a negative impact on our business and operations. While we have in place business continuity plans, such events could still damage our facilities, disrupt or delay the normal operations of our business (including communications and technology), result in harm to or cause travel limitations on our employees, and have a similar impact on our clients, suppliers, third-party vendors and counterparties. These events also could impact us negatively to the extent that they result in reduced capital markets activity, lower asset price levels, or disruptions in general economic activity in the United States or abroad, or in financial market settlement functions. In addition, these or similar events may impact economic growth negatively, which could have an adverse effect on our business and operations, and may have other adverse effects on us in ways that we are unable to predict.

Negative public opinion could damage our reputation and adversely affect our earnings.

Reputational risk, or the risk to our earnings and capital from negative public opinion, is inherent in our business. Negative public opinion can result from the actual or perceived manner in which we conduct our business activities, including banking operations, our management of actual or potential conflicts of interest and ethical issues, and our protection of confidential client information. Negative public opinion can adversely affect our ability to keep and

attract customers and can expose us to litigation and regulatory action. Although we take steps to minimize reputation risk in the way we conduct our business activities and deal with our customers, communities and vendors, these steps may not be effective.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock 

The trading volume in our common stock is less than that of larger public companies, which can contribute to volatility in our stock price and adversely affect the liquidity of an investment in our common stock.

Our common stock is not traded on a security exchange.  Trades in our stock made by certain brokerage firms are reported on the OTCQX Market Tier of the OTC Markets, but trading in our stock is sporadic. The trading history of our common stock has been characterized by relatively low trading volume. This lack of an active public market means that the value of a shareholder’s investment in our common stock may be subject to sudden fluctuations, as individual trades have a greater effect on our reported trading price than would be the case in a broad public market with significant daily trading volume.

The market price of our common stock may also be subject to fluctuations in response to numerous other factors, including the factors discussed in this report, regardless of our actual operating performance. The possibility of such fluctuations occurring is increased due to the illiquid nature of the trading market of our common stock.  Therefore, a shareholder may be unable to sell our common stock at or above the price at which it was purchased, at or above the current market price, or at the time of his, her or its choosing.

Our insiders control a substantial percentage of our stock and therefore have the ability to exercise significant control over our affairs.

As of December 31, 2019, our directors and executive officers beneficially owned in excess of 26% of our issued and outstanding common stock on a fully diluted basis.  Such persons, as a group, will have sufficient votes to strongly influence the outcome of all matters submitted to our shareholders, including the election of directors.  This concentration of ownership might also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of our company.

If we need to, or are compelled to, raise additional capital in the future, that capital may not be available when it is needed and on terms favorable to current shareholders.

Federal banking regulators require us and our bank subsidiary to maintain adequate levels of capital to support our operations. These capital levels are determined and dictated by law, regulation, and bank regulatory agencies.  In addition, capital levels are also determined by our management and board of directors based on capital levels that they believe are necessary to support our business operations. As of December 31, 2019,2022, all three capital ratios for us and our banking subsidiary were above “well capitalized” levels under current bank regulatory guidelines.

Our ability to raise additional capital will depend on conditions in the capital markets at that time, which are outside of our control, and on our financial performance.  Accordingly, we cannot assure you of our ability to raise additional capital on terms and time frames acceptable to us or to raise additional capital at all. If we cannot raise additional capital in sufficient amounts when needed, our ability to comply with regulatory capital requirements could be materially impaired. Additionally, the inability to raise capital in sufficient amounts may adversely affect our operations, financial condition, and results of operating.  Our ability to borrow could also be impaired by factors that are nonspecific to us, such as severe disruption of the financial markets or negative news and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry as a whole as evidenced by recent turmoil in the domestic and worldwide credit markets.  If we raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or other securities, we would likely dilute the ownership interests of current investors and could dilute the per share book value and earnings per share of our common stock. Furthermore, a capital raise through issuance of additional shares of common stock may have an adverse impact on our stock price.