Truist utilizes a variety of financial instruments to mitigate exposure to risks and meet the financing needs and provide investment opportunities for clients. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit, letters of credit and financial guarantees, derivatives, and other investments. Truist also has commitments to fund certain affordable housing investments and contingent liabilities related to certain sold loans.

The Company invests in certain affordable housing projects throughout its market area as a means of supporting local communities. Truist receives tax credits related to these investments, for which the Company typically acts as a limited partner and therefore does not exert control over the operating or financial policies of the partnerships. Truist typically provides financing during the construction and development of the properties; however, permanent financing is generally obtained from independent third parties upon completion of a project. Tax credits are subject to recapture by taxing authorities based on compliance features required to be met at the project level. Truist's maximum potential exposure to losses relative to investments in VIEs is generally limited to the sum of the outstanding balance, future funding commitments and any related loans to the entity, exclusive of any potential tax recapture associated with the investments. Loans to these entities are underwritten in substantially the same manner as the Company’s other loans and are generally secured.

Additionally, the Company invests in other community development entities as a limited partner and/or a lender. The Company receives tax credits for its limited partner investments. The Company has determined that the majority of the related partnerships are VIEs. The Company has concluded that it is not the primary beneficiary of these investments. Truist uses the equity method of accounting for these investments.

The Company also invests in entities that promote renewable energy sources as a limited partner. The Company has determined that these renewable energy tax credit partnerships are VIEs. The Company has concluded that it is not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs because it does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIEs' financial performance and therefore, it is not required to consolidate these VIEs. The Company’s maximum exposure to loss related to these investments is limited to its equity investments in these partnerships and any additional unfunded equity commitments.

The following table presents a summary of tax credits and amortization associated with the Company’s tax credit investment activity:




Year Ended December 31, (Dollars in millions)	Income Statement Location	2021		2020		2019
Tax credits:
Investments in affordable housing projects	Provision for income taxes	$	477	$	454	$	284
Other community development investments	Provision for income taxes	103		96		39
Renewable energy investments	NA (1)	157		159		—
Amortization and other changes in carrying amount:
Investments in affordable housing projects	Provision for income taxes	$	472	$	455	$	279
Other community development investments	Other noninterest income	86		81		28
Renewable energy investments	Other noninterest income	4		4		4

In the normal course of business, Truist utilizes certain financial instruments to meet the financing needs of clients and to mitigate exposure to risks. Such financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and certain contractual agreements, including standby letters of credit and financial guarantee arrangements.

Commitments to extend, originate, or purchase credit are primarily lines of credit to businesses and consumers and have specified rates and maturity dates. Many of these commitments also have adverse change clauses, which allow Truist to cancel the commitment due to deterioration in the borrowers' creditworthiness. The fair values of commitments are estimated using the fees charged to enter into similar agreements, taking into account the remaining terms of the agreements and the present creditworthiness of the counterparties. The fair values of guarantees and letters of credit are estimated based on the counterparties' creditworthiness and average default rates for loan products with similar risks. Consumer lending and revolving credit commitments have an immaterial fair value as Truist typically has the unconditional ability to cancel such commitments. Refer to "Note 18. Fair Value Disclosures" for additional disclosures on the RUFC.

Truist has sold certain mortgage-related loans that contain recourse provisions. These provisions generally require Truist to reimburse the investor for a share of any loss that is incurred after the disposal of the property. Truist also issues standard representations and warranties related to mortgage loan sales to GSEs. Refer to "Note 8. Loan Servicing" for additional disclosures related to these exposures.

Letters of credit and financial guarantees are unconditional commitments issued by Truist to guarantee the performance of a client to a third party. These guarantees are primarily issued to support borrowing arrangements, including commercial paper issuance, bond financing and similar transactions. The credit risk involved in the issuance of these guarantees is essentially the same as that involved in extending loans to clients and, as such, the instruments are collateralized when necessary.

Truist enters into derivative contracts to manage various financial risks. A derivative is a financial instrument that derives its cash flows, and therefore its value, by reference to an underlying instrument, index, or referenced interest rate. Derivative contracts are carried at fair value on the Consolidated Balance Sheets with the fair value representing the net present value of expected future cash receipts or payments based on market interest rates. For additional information on derivative instruments, see "Note 19. Derivative Financial Instruments."

The Company facilitates matched book TRS transactions on behalf of clients, whereby a VIE purchases reference assets identified by a client and the Company enters into a TRS with the VIE, with a mirror-image TRS facing the client. The Company provides senior financing to the VIE in the form of demand notes to fund the purchase of the reference assets. Reference assets are typically fixed income instruments primarily composed of syndicated bank loans. The TRS contracts pass through interest and other cash flows on the reference assets to the third party clients, along with exposing those clients to decreases in value on the assets and providing them with the rights to appreciation on the assets. The terms of the TRS contracts require the third parties to post initial margin collateral, as well as ongoing margin as the fair values of the underlying reference assets change.

The Company concluded that the associated VIEs should be consolidated because the Company has (i) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits, that could potentially be significant. At December 31, 2021, the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet reflected $1.5 billion of assets and $50 million of other liabilities of the VIEs. At December 31, 2020, the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet reflected $1.3 billion of assets and $41 million of other liabilities of the VIEs. VIE assets include trading loans and bonds totaling $1.5 billion and $1.3 billion at December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. The activities of the VIEs are restricted to buying and selling the reference assets and the risks/benefits of any such assets owned by the VIEs are passed to the third party clients via the TRS contracts. For additional information on TRS contracts and the related VIEs, see “Note 19. Derivative Financial Instruments.”

In December 2021, Truist and Sterling Capital Management LLC, a registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Truist, established the Sterling Capital Diverse Multi-Manager Active Exchange Traded Fund to demonstrate the Company’s support for increasing access for individuals and institutions to invest using strategies from diverse-owned firms. This ETF combines active management investment strategies from three majority diverse-owned asset managers, the sub-advisors to the ETF. Each sub-advisor submits its strategy to Sterling Capital, the ETF’s investment advisor, for review and implementation within the overall ETF portfolio. The Company concluded that the ETF is a VIE that should be consolidated as the Company is the ETF’s primary beneficiary. As of December 31, 2021, the Company consolidated $102 million of equity securities held by the ETF, which substantially represents the Company’s initial investment in the ETF and is classified as Other assets within the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Truist holds public funds in certain states that do not require 100% collateralization on public fund bank deposits. In these states, should the failure of another public fund depository institution result in a loss for the public entity, the resulting uncollateralized deposit shortfall would have to be absorbed on a pro-rata basis (based upon the public deposits held by each bank within the respective state) by the remaining financial institutions holding public funds in that state. Truist monitors deposits levels relative to the total public deposits held by all depository institutions within these states. The likelihood that the Company would have to perform under this guarantee is dependent on whether any financial institutions holding public funds default, as well as the adequacy of collateral coverage.

In the ordinary course of business, Truist indemnifies its officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law against liabilities arising from pending litigation. Truist also issues standard representations and warranties in underwriting agreements, merger and acquisition agreements, loan sales, brokerage activities and other similar arrangements. Counterparties in many of these indemnification arrangements provide similar indemnifications to Truist. Although these agreements often do not specify limitations, Truist does not believe that any payments related to these guarantees would materially change the financial position or results of operations of Truist.

As a member of the FHLB, Truist is required to maintain a minimum investment in capital stock. The board of directors of the FHLB can increase the minimum investment requirements in the event it has concluded that additional capital is required to allow it to meet its own regulatory capital requirements. Any increase in the minimum investment requirements outside of specified ranges requires the approval of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Because the extent of any obligation to increase Truist's investment in the FHLB depends entirely upon the occurrence of a future event, potential future investments in the FHLB stock are not determinable.

The Company utilizes the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation for trade comparisons, netting, and settlement of fixed income securities. As a Government Securities Division netting member, the Company has a commitment to the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation to meet its financial obligations as a central counterparty clearing house in the event the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation has insufficient liquidity recourses through a potential committed liquidity resource repurchase transaction. Any commitment would be based on the Company’s share of its liquidity burden on the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation. Truist does not believe that any payments related to these guarantees would materially change the financial position or results of operations of Truist.

Certain assets were pledged to secure municipal deposits, securities sold under agreements to repurchase, certain derivative agreements, and borrowings or borrowing capacity, as well as to fund certain obligations related to nonqualified defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans and for other purposes as required or permitted by law. Certain assets related to the nonqualified defined contribution retirement plan were added to the pledged securities in the table below. Prior periods were revised consistent with the current presentation. Assets pledged to the FHLB and FRB are subject to applicable asset discounts when determining borrowing capacity. The Company obtains secured financing and letters of credit from the FRB and FHLB. The Company’s letters of credit from the FHLB can be used to secure various client deposits, including public fund relationships. Excluding assets related to nonqualified benefit plans, the majority of the agreements governing the pledged assets do not permit the other party to sell or repledge the collateral. The following table provides the total carrying amount of pledged assets by asset type:



December 31, (Dollars in millions)	2021		2020
Pledged securities	$	29,678	$	25,729

Pledged loans:
FRB	73,349		75,615
FHLB	64,698		69,994
Unused borrowing capacity:
FRB	52,170		52,831
FHLB	49,244		52,274

Truist and/or its subsidiaries are routinely parties to numerous legal proceedings, including private, civil litigation, and regulatory investigations, arising from the ordinary conduct of its regular business activities. The matters range from individual actions involving a single plaintiff to class action lawsuits with multiple class members and can involve claims for substantial amounts. Investigations involve both formal and informal proceedings, by both governmental agencies and self-regulatory organizations. These legal proceedings are at varying stages of adjudication, arbitration, or investigation and may consist of a variety of claims, including common law tort and contract claims, as well as statutory antitrust, securities, and consumer protection claims. The ultimate resolution of any proceeding is uncertain and inherently difficult to predict. It is possible that the ultimate resolution of these matters, if unfavorable, may be material to the consolidated financial position, consolidated results of operations, or consolidated cash flows of Truist.

Truist establishes accruals for legal matters when potential losses associated with the actions become probable and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. There is no assurance that the ultimate resolution of these matters will not significantly exceed the amounts that Truist has accrued. Accruals for legal matters are based on management’s best judgment after consultation with counsel and others.

The Company estimates reasonably possible losses, in excess of amounts accrued, of up to approximately $200 million as of December 31, 2021. This estimate is based upon currently available information and involves considerable judgment, given that claims often include significant legal uncertainties, damages alleged by plaintiffs are often unspecified or overstated, discovery may not have started or may not be complete and material facts may be disputed or unsubstantiated, among other factors. In addition, the matters underlying this estimate will change from time to time and actual losses may vary significantly from this estimate. As a result, the Company does not believe that an estimate of reasonably possible losses can be made for certain matters. Such matters are not reflected in the estimate provided herein.

This class action case was filed in the Fulton County State Court on July 12, 2010, and an amended complaint was filed on August 9, 2010. Plaintiff asserts that all overdraft fees charged to his account which related to debit card and ATM transactions are actually interest charges and therefore subject to the usury laws of Georgia. Plaintiff has brought claims for violations of civil and criminal usury laws, conversion, and money had and received. On October 6, 2017, the trial court granted plaintiff’s motion for class certification and defined the class as “Every Georgia citizen who had or has one or more accounts with SunTrust Bank and who, from July 12, 2006, to October 6, 2017 (i) had at least one overdraft of $500.00 or less resulting from an ATM or debit card transaction (the “Transaction”); (ii) paid any Overdraft Fees as a result of the Transaction; and (iii) did not receive a refund of those Fees,” and the granting of a certified class was affirmed on appeal. On April 8, 2020, the Company filed a motion seeking to narrow the scope of this class, and on May 29, 2020, it filed a renewed motion to compel arbitration of the claims of some of the class members. On February 9, 2021, the trial court denied both motions as premature but held that the issues could be raised again after the conclusion of discovery, which is currently underway. The Company believes that the claims are without merit.