Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

OR

For the transition period from to

Commission file number 1-37728

Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code—(800) 823-5304

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicated by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issues its audit report. ☑

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant's executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b) ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☑

The aggregate market value of the shares of common stock (based on the closing price of these shares on the NYSE) on June 30, 2022, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, held by non-affiliates was approximately $743.8 million.

As of February 14, 2023, 28,901,229 shares of common stock were outstanding.

Documents Incorporated By Reference

DONNELLEY FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS, INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. and subsidiaries (“DFIN” or the “Company”) has made forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Annual Report”) within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of the Company. Generally, forward-looking statements include information concerning possible or assumed future actions, events, or results of operations of the Company. These statements may include words such as “anticipates,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “plans,” “continues,” “believes,” “may,” “will,” “goals” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of important factors, including those factors discussed in detail in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors of this Annual Report, in addition to those discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report, that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated in any such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to:

Because forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements, which speak only as of the date of this document or the date of any document that may be incorporated by reference into this document.

Consequently, readers of this Annual Report should consider these forward-looking statements only as the Company’s current plans, estimates and beliefs. Except to the extent required by law, the Company does not undertake and specifically declines any obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect future events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this Annual Report to reflect any new events or any change in conditions or circumstances other than to the extent required by law.

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Company Overview

DFIN is a leading global risk and compliance solutions company. The Company provides regulatory filing and deal solutions via its software, technology-enabled services and print and distribution solutions to public and private companies, mutual funds and other regulated investment firms, to serve its clients’ regulatory and compliance needs. DFIN helps its clients comply with applicable regulations where and how they want to work in a digital world, providing numerous solutions tailored to each client’s precise needs. The prevailing trend is toward clients choosing to utilize the Company’s software solutions, in conjunction with its tech-enabled services, to meet their document and filing needs, while at the same time shifting away from physical print and distribution of documents, except for cases where it is still regulatorily required or requested by investors.

The Company serves its clients’ regulatory and compliance needs throughout their respective life cycles. For its capital markets clients, the Company offers solutions that allow public companies to comply with applicable U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regulations including filing agent services, digital document creation and online content management tools that support their corporate financial transactions and regulatory reporting; solutions to facilitate clients’ communications with their investors; and virtual data rooms and other deal management solutions. For investment companies, including mutual fund, insurance-investment and alternative investment companies, the Company provides solutions for creating, compiling and filing regulatory communications as well as solutions for investors designed to improve the access to and accuracy of their investment information.

Technological advancements, regulatory changes, and evolving workflow preferences have led to the Company’s clients managing more of the financial disclosure process themselves, changing the marketplace for the Company’s services and products. DFIN’s strategy in its Software Solutions segments (CM-SS and IC-SS, as defined below) aligns with the changing marketplace by focusing the Company’s investments and resources in its advanced software solutions, primarily ActiveDisclosure®, Arc Suite® software platform (“Arc Suite”) and Venue® Virtual Data Room (“Venue”), while making targeted investments, such as the Company’s acquisition of Guardum Holdings Limited (“Guardum”) in 2021, to further enhance product features. In its Compliance & Communications Management segments (CM-CCM and IC-CCM, as defined below), the Company’s strategy focuses on maintaining its market-leading position by offering a high-touch, service-oriented experience, using its unique combination of tech-enabled services and print and distribution capabilities.

Capital Markets

The Company provides software solutions, tech-enabled services and print and distribution solutions to public and private companies for deal solutions and compliance to companies that are, or are preparing to become, subject to the filing and reporting requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Capital markets clients leverage the Company’s software offerings, proprietary technology, deep industry expertise and experience to successfully navigate the SEC’s specified file formats when submitting compliance documents through the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (“EDGAR”) system for their transactional and ongoing compliance needs. The Company assists its capital markets clients throughout the course of initial public offerings (“IPOs”), secondary offerings, mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”), public and private debt offerings, leveraged buyouts, spinouts, special purpose acquisition companies (“SPAC”) and subsequent de-SPAC transactions and other similar transactions. In addition, the Company provides clients with compliance solutions to prepare their ongoing required Exchange Act filings that are compatible with the SEC’s EDGAR system, most notably Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, Form 8-K and proxy filings. These solutions include the Company’s traditional full-service EDGAR filing preparation and filing agent services, tech-enabled services and print and distribution solutions as well as the Company’s software solutions, ActiveDisclosure, Venue, eBrevia and others. In 2022, approximately 31% of capital markets net sales related to software solutions, of which approximately 55% related to Venue, the Company’s transactional solution, and 45% related to compliance and other software solutions. In 2022, tech-enabled services and print and distribution solutions accounted for approximately 69% of capital markets net sales, of which approximately 58% were transactional in nature and 42% were compliance in nature. In 2021, approximately 24% of capital markets net sales related to software solutions, of which approximately 58% related to the Company’s transactional solution and 42% related to compliance and other software solutions. In 2021, tech-enabled services and print and distribution solutions accounted for approximately 76% of capital markets net sales, of which approximately 72% were transactional in nature and 28% were compliance in nature.

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Transaction Solutions

The Company helps capital markets clients throughout the course of public and private business transactions. For M&A transactions, the Company supports deal participants in creating transaction-related registration statements, proxy statements and prospectuses, filing client documents as their filing agent through the EDGAR filing system and managing print for distribution to stockholders. The Company also provides registration statement and prospectus preparation and filing services through the Company’s filing solution and software solution, ActiveDisclosure, data room and secure file sharing through Venue as well as contract analytics through eBrevia.

The Company’s Venue solution is a highly secure data room platform that allows clients to share confidential information in real-time throughout the transaction lifecycle. Clients can also maintain control over sensitive data when conducting due diligence for M&A transactions, raising capital, dual-tracking an IPO or developing a document repository. Specifically, companies have used Venue to securely organize, manage, distribute and track corporate governance, financing, legal and other documents in an online workspace accessible to internal and outside advisors. Via integration with the Company’s eBrevia solution, Venue uses artificial intelligence to analyze documents to help clients better understand their content and make informed decisions. Venue's auto-redaction capability, powered by Guardum, also allows clients to protect personally identifiable information (“PII”) using efficient, secure, systematically burned-in redaction.

The Company's private conference facilities offer around-the-clock services to support the transaction process, production platform and service delivery model for a fully-virtual experience while replicating the in-person experience. The Company has seen clients utilizing the range of options available to them, including a hybrid approach with working group members working both virtually and in-person during drafting sessions for their transactions. While the Company has significantly reduced its private conferencing facilities footprint, the service helps clients maintain confidentiality in deal negotiations and provides clients a place to host in-person working groups to meet, strategize and prepare documents for the transaction deal stream.

Compliance Solutions

The Company provides compliance solutions to capital markets clients in preparing the Exchange Act filings that are compatible with the SEC’s EDGAR system. Capital markets clients leverage the Company’s deep industry expertise and experience to successfully navigate the SEC’s specified file formats when submitting compliance documents through the EDGAR system.

In 2021, the Company launched an entirely new cloud-based product, ActiveDisclosure (“ActiveDisclosure”), which provides new features such as built-in collaboration tools and eXtensible Business Reporting Language (“XBRL”) client-tagging capability. The new product replaced ActiveDisclosure 3.0, and as of December 31, 2022, less than 15% of the Company's ongoing ActiveDisclosure client base remain on ActiveDisclosure 3.0. The Company expects to decommission ActiveDisclosure 3.0 by the end of the first half of 2023, once the transition of clients has been completed. ActiveDisclosure provides capital markets clients with end-to-end solutions to collaborate, tag, validate and file with the SEC efficiently. By leveraging its software platform, ActiveDisclosure brings teams together across departments, functions and geographies in real time to create and edit filings and other documents across devices, simultaneously, while providing detailed audit trails for tracking every change made and employing interactive notifications for important tasks or comments. ActiveDisclosure utilizes native Microsoft Excel reporting capabilities of financial consolidation systems to seamlessly flow changes throughout an entire document automatically, reducing risk and providing additional assurance to clients. The Company employs stringent data security and privacy practices to provide that information is encrypted. The Company also engages third parties to perform annual SOC2 Type II compliance audits and penetration/vulnerability testing.

The Company also supports capital markets clients in meeting SEC-mandated regulatory filing requirements, including tagging filings in the XBRL format. The Company provides clients with a suite of tagging, review and validation tools to assist them with the XBRL requirements. The Company has accounting and finance professionals that assist its capital markets clients with the processes of tag selection, tag review, file creation, validation and distribution.

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The Company helps capital markets clients elevate their proxy filings from compliance documents to investor-focused strategic communications tools with Proxy Design services. The Company’s end-to-end proxy solutions include advisory services, proxy strategy and design, disclosure management, EDGAR filing and expertise, online hosting solutions, print production, distribution and annual meeting services. Through a strategic relationship, the Company can also simplify and facilitate the annual meeting and proxy process for its capital markets clients through the deployment of project management services and state-of-the-art voting and tabulation technology. This arrangement allows the Company to provide end-to-end annual and special meeting services, from fulfillment and distributions of proxy materials, to the centralization of communications for all investors, to hosting of virtual stockholder meetings and tabulation of voting results.

The Company provides additional compliance solutions through strategic relationships, including a full suite of audit management and compliance solutions for Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“SOX”) compliance, operational audits, IT compliance, enterprise risk management and workflow management.

Investment Companies

The Company provides software solutions, tech-enabled services and print, distribution and fulfillment solutions to its investment companies clients that are subject to the filing and reporting requirements of the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”) as well as European and Canadian regulations, primarily mutual fund companies, alternative investment companies, insurance companies and third-party fund administrators. The Company’s Arc Suite software platform, which includes ArcDigital, ArcReporting, ArcPro and ArcRegulatory, enables its investment companies clients to comply with applicable ongoing SEC, Canadian and European regulations as well as to create, manage and deliver accurate and timely financial communications to investors and regulators. Investment companies clients leverage the Company’s proprietary technology, deep industry expertise and experience to successfully navigate the SEC’s specified file formats when submitting compliance documents (including incorporating appropriate XBRL tagging) through the EDGAR system. In 2022, approximately 41% of investment companies net sales related to software solutions, while tech-enabled services and print and distribution solutions accounted for approximately 59% of investment companies net sales, of which approximately 94% were compliance in nature and 6% were transactional in nature. In 2021, approximately 35% of investment companies net sales related to software solutions, while tech-enabled services and print and distribution solutions accounted for approximately 65% of investment companies net sales, of which 93% were compliance in nature and 7% were transactional in nature.

The Company’s Arc Suite software platform provides investment companies clients with a comprehensive suite of cloud-based technology services and products that store and manage information in a self-service, central repository allowing regulatory documents to be easily accessed, assembled, edited, translated, rendered and submitted to regulators for compliance purposes. Arc Suite products are cloud-based and include automation and single-source data validation which streamlines processes and drives efficiency for clients. The Company's Total Compliance Management (“TCM”) offering allows clients to utilize multiple Arc Suite products to streamline the creation and distribution of materials required by the SEC Rules 30e-3 “Optional Internet Availability of Investment Company Shareholder Reports” and 498A “Updated Disclosure Requirements and Summary Prospectus for Variable Annuity and Variable Life Insurance Contracts.”

The Company provides turnkey proxy services, including discovery, planning and implementation, print and mail management, solicitation, tabulation services, stockholder meeting review and expert support for mutual funds, variable annuities, REITs and other alternative investments. Through a strategic relationship, the Company provides a suite of software to brokers and financial advisors that enables them to monitor and view stockholder communications. The Company offers various technology and electronic delivery services and products to make the distribution of documents and content more efficient. The Company also supports the distribution, tabulation and solicitation of stockholders for corporate elections and mutual fund proxy events. The Company’s services and sales teams currently support clients in the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Luxembourg, Poland, India and Australia.

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Segments

The Company’s four operating and reportable segments are: Capital Markets – Software Solutions (“CM-SS”), Capital Markets – Compliance and Communications Management (“CM-CCM”), Investment Companies – Software Solutions (“IC-SS”) and Investment Companies – Compliance and Communications Management (“IC-CCM”). Corporate is not an operating segment and consists primarily of unallocated selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) activities and associated expenses including, in part, executive, legal, finance and certain facility costs. In addition, certain costs and earnings of employee benefits plans, such as pension and other postretirement benefits plans expense (income) as well as share-based compensation expense, are included in Corporate and not allocated to the operating segments. For the Company’s financial results and the presentation of certain other financial information by segment, see Note 15, Segment Information, to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

Capital Markets – Software Solutions—The CM-SS segment provides Venue, ActiveDisclosure, eBrevia and other solutions to public and private companies to help manage public and private transactional and compliance processes; extract data and analyze contracts; collaborate; and tag, validate and file SEC documents.

Capital Markets – Compliance & Communications Management—The CM-CCM segment provides tech-enabled services and print and distribution solutions to public and private companies for deal solutions and SEC compliance requirements. The Company's private conference facilities offer around-the-clock services to support the transaction process, production platform and service delivery model for a fully-virtual experience while replicating the in-person experience. The Company has seen clients utilizing the range of options available to them, including a hybrid approach with working group members working both virtually and in-person during drafting sessions for their transactions. While the Company has significantly reduced its private conferencing footprint, the service helps clients maintain confidentiality in deal negotiations and provides clients a place to host in-person working groups to meet, strategize and prepare documents for the transaction deal stream.

Investment Companies – Software Solutions—The IC-SS segment provides clients with the Arc Suite platform that contains a comprehensive suite of cloud-based solutions, including ArcDigital, ArcReporting, ArcPro and ArcRegulatory as well as services that enable storage and management of compliance and regulatory information in a self-service, central repository so that documents can be easily accessed, assembled, edited, tagged, translated, rendered and submitted to regulators and investors.

Investment Companies – Compliance & Communications Management—The IC-CCM segment provides clients with tech-enabled solutions for creating, filing and distributing regulatory communications and solutions for investor communications, as well as XBRL-formatted filings pursuant to the Investment Company Act, through the SEC EDGAR system. The IC-CCM segment also provides turnkey proxy services, including discovery, planning and implementation, print and mail management, solicitation, tabulation services, stockholder meeting review and expert support.

Services and Products

The Company separately reports its net sales and related cost of sales for its software solutions, tech-enabled services and print and distribution offerings. The Company’s software solutions consist of Venue, ActiveDisclosure, eBrevia, Arc Suite, among others. The Company’s tech-enabled services offerings consist of document composition, compliance-related SEC EDGAR filing services and transaction solutions. The Company’s print and distribution offerings primarily consist of conventional and digital printed products and related shipping.

Company History

On October 1, 2016, DFIN became an independent publicly traded company through the distribution by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (“RRD”) of shares of DFIN common stock to RRD stockholders (the “Separation”). On October 1, 2016, RRD also completed the separation of LSC Communications, Inc. (“LSC”), its publishing and retail-centric print services and office products business.

In 2018, the Company sold its Language Solutions business and acquired eBrevia Inc. (“eBrevia”), a provider of artificial intelligence-based data extraction and contract analytics software solutions.

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On December 13, 2021, the Company completed the acquisition of Guardum, a leading data security and privacy software provider that helps companies locate, secure and control data. The acquisition enhances the Company's Venue offering. By safeguarding privacy and improving data accuracy, Guardum's data security is a competitive differentiator. Prior to the acquisition, the Company held a 33.0% investment in Guardum. The purchase price for the remaining equity of Guardum was $3.6 million, net of cash acquired of $0.1 million.

The Company's disposition of the Edgar Online (“EOL”) business closed on November 9, 2022, and the Company received net cash proceeds of $3.3 million.

Markets and Competition

Technological and regulatory changes continue to impact the market for the Company’s services and products. In addition to the Company’s ongoing innovation in its software solutions, the Company’s competitive strengths include its ability to offer a wide array of products for required regulatory communications, compliance services, a global platform, exceptional sales and service and regulatory domain expertise, which provide differentiated solutions for its clients.

The global risk and compliance industry, in general, is highly competitive and barriers to entry have decreased as a result of technology innovation and the simplification of EDGAR filings. Despite some consolidation in recent years, the industry remains highly fragmented in the United States and even more so internationally with many in-country alternative providers. The Company expects competition to increase from existing competitors as well as new and emerging market entrants. In addition, as the Company expands its services and product offerings, it may face competition from new and existing competitors. The Company competes primarily on the depth and breadth of its products, features, benefits, service levels, subject matter regulatory expertise, security, price and reputation.

The impact of digital technologies has impacted many of the products and markets in which the Company competes, most acutely in the Company’s mutual fund, variable annuity and public company compliance business offerings. While the Company offers a high-touch, service-oriented experience, technology changes have provided alternatives to the Company’s clients that allow them to manage more of the financial disclosure process themselves. The Company has invested in its own software solutions, ActiveDisclosure, Arc Suite and Venue, to serve clients and increase retention, and has invested to expand capabilities and address new market sectors. The future impact of technology as well as the streamlining and modernizing of disclosure requirements on the business is difficult to predict and could result in additional expenditures to restructure impacted operations or develop new technologies. In addition, the Company has made targeted acquisitions and investments in its existing business to offer clients innovative services and solutions that support the Company’s position as a technology service leader in this evolving industry.

The Company’s competitors for SEC filing services for public company compliance clients include full service financial communications providers, technology point solution providers focused on financial communications and general technology providers. The Company’s competitors for Venue include providers of virtual data room-specific solutions and enterprise software providers that offer online products that serve as document repositories, virtual data rooms as well as file sharing and collaboration solutions. The Company’s competitors for SEC filing services for investment companies clients include full service traditional providers, small niche technology providers as well as local and regional print providers that bid against the Company for printing, mailing and fulfillment services.

Technology

The Company invests resources in developing software solutions to address customer and market requirements. The Company invests in client facing solutions and its core composition systems and has also adopted market-leading third-party systems which have improved the efficiency of its sales and operations processes. The Company has continued to invest in enhancements of its technology-based offerings including ActiveDisclosure, the Arc Suite software platform, Venue, EDGAR filing and iXBRL services, among others. The Company continues to invest in leading and innovative technology such as cloud-native solutions, composable applications, API management machine learning and hybrid cloud architecture.

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Market Volatility/Cyclicality and Seasonality

The Company’s Capital Markets segments (CM-SS and CM-CCM), in particular, are subject to market volatility in the United States and world economies, as the success of the transactional and Venue offerings is largely dependent on the global market for IPOs, secondary offerings, M&A, public and private debt offerings, leveraged buyouts, spinouts, SPAC and de-SPAC transactions and other similar transactions. A variety of factors impact the global markets for transactions, including economic activity levels, interest rates, market volatility, the regulatory and political environment, geopolitical and civil unrest and global pandemics, among others. Due to the significant net sales and profitability derived from transactional and Venue offerings, market volatility can lead to uneven financial performance when comparing to previous periods. U.S. IPOs, M&A transactions and public debt offerings were also previously disrupted by U.S. federal government shutdowns, and any future government shutdowns could result in additional volatility. The Company mitigates a portion of this volatility through its compliance offerings, supporting the quarterly and annual public company reporting processes through its filing services and ActiveDisclosure, as well as its Investment Companies segments (IC-SS and IC-CCM) regulatory and stockholder communications offerings, including Arc Suite. The Company also mitigates some of the risk by offering services in higher demand during a down market, such as document management tools for the bankruptcy/restructuring process and by moving upstream in the filing process with products like Venue.

The quarterly/annual public company reporting process work subjects the Company to filing seasonality which peaks shortly after the end of each fiscal quarter. Additionally, investment companies clients require the Company to manage the financial and regulatory reporting and filing for mutual funds on a semi-annual basis as well as annual prospectus filings, which peaks during the second fiscal quarter. The seasonality and associated operational implications include the need to increase staff during peak periods through a combined strategy of hiring temporary personnel, increasing the premium time of existing staff and outsourcing production for a number of services. Additionally, clients and their financial advisors have begun to increasingly rely on web-based services which allow clients to autonomously file and distribute compliance documents with regulatory agencies, such as the SEC. While the Company believes that its ActiveDisclosure and Arc Suite solutions are competitive in this space, competitors are also continuing to develop technologies that aim to improve clients’ ability to autonomously produce and file documents to meet their regulatory obligations. The Company remains focused on driving annual recurring revenue to mitigate market volatility.

COVID-19

In December 2019, COVID-19 was identified and subsequently characterized as a pandemic. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has taken numerous steps, and will continue to take further actions to ensure the safety of the Company's employees. The Company also incurred and may continue to incur certain expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company continues to work closely with its clients to help them access the Company's services and products and continue to meet their regulatory requirements. Although COVID-19 adversely impacted the Company’s financial condition, results of operations and overall financial performance in prior periods, the extent of any further impact is currently uncertain and depends on factors including the impact on the Company’s customers, employees and vendors.

Government Regulation and Regulatory Impact

The SEC is adopting new as well as amending existing rules and forms to modernize the reporting and disclosure of information under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the Investment Company Act. These actions, primarily within the Investment Companies business, are driving significant regulatory changes which impact the Company’s customers, and have enabled the Company to accelerate its transition from print and distribution to software solutions.

On June 5, 2018, the SEC adopted Rule 30e-3 which provides certain registered investment companies with an option to electronically deliver stockholder reports and other materials rather than providing such reports in paper. Investors who prefer to receive reports in paper will continue to receive them in that format. While Rule 30e-3 was effective January 1, 2019, default electronic distribution pursuant to the rule began on January 1, 2021 due to a 24-month transition period, during which registered investment companies notified investors of the upcoming change in transmission format of stockholder reports. As a result of Rule 30e-3, the Company experienced a significant decline in the volume of printed annual and semi-annual stockholder reports in 2021 and an increase in revenue from the ArcDigital software solution in 2021. The Company does not anticipate a material impact from Rule 30e-3 in 2023.

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On March 11, 2020, the SEC announced that it adopted a new rule 498A under the Securities Act and related regulatory amendments permitting variable annuity and variable life insurance contracts to use a more concise summary prospectus to provide disclosures to investors. More detailed information about the variable annuity or variable life insurance contract will be available online, and an investor must opt in to have that information delivered in paper. The new rule and related form amendments became effective on July 1, 2020 with compliance required by January 1, 2022. As a result of Rule 498A, the Company experienced a significant decline in printed prospectus volume in 2021 and an increase in revenue from the ArcPro and ArcDigital software solutions in 2021. The Company does not anticipate a material impact from Rule 498A in 2023.

On October 26, 2022, the SEC announced that it adopted the Tailored Shareholder Reports (“TSR”) for Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds rule which requires certain investment companies to complete a new concise and visually engaging annual and semi-annual TSR that highlights key information that is particularly important for retail investors to assess and monitor their investments. The TSR, which can be printed and mailed or delivered electronically upon request of the investor, replace Rule 30e-3 for open-ended funds and ETFs registered under N-1A and will require iXBRL tagging. While the rule was effective January 24, 2023, due to an 18-month transition period, compliance is not required until July 24, 2024. As a result, the Company is expecting an increase in revenue from Arc Suite software and related regulatory filings beginning in 2024.

It is the Company’s policy to conduct its global operations in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations and other requirements. It is not possible to quantify with certainty the potential impact of actions regarding environmental matters, particularly remediation and other compliance efforts that the Company may undertake in the future. However, in the opinion of management, compliance with the present environmental protection laws, before taking into account estimated recoveries from third parties, will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated annual results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

Resources

The primary raw materials used in the Company’s printed products are paper and ink. Paper and ink are sourced from a small set of select suppliers to ensure consistent quality and provide for continuity of supply. The global supply chain challenges, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, made it more difficult to source paper in 2021 and 2022. The Company anticipates it will continue to be difficult and potentially more expensive to source paper in 2023. Any increased cost of paper is typically recovered by increased pricing. The Company believes that the risk of incurring material losses as a result of a shortage in raw materials is unlikely as the Company has strategically downsized its print production platform in favor of outsourcing the offset printing to its select network of vendors and reduced its print and distribution revenue such that the losses, if any, would not have a materially negative impact on the Company’s business.

Distribution

The Company’s products are distributed to end-users through the U.S or foreign postal services, through retail channels, electronically or by direct shipment to customer facilities.

Customers

For each of the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, no customer accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s net sales.

Cybersecurity and Data Protection

A core aspect of the Company’s business relies on technology and software; as a result, the security of those technologies and software, as well as the protection of the confidential information entrusted to the Company by its customers, are key components of the Company’s business and strategy. The DFIN Cybersecurity Program is based upon industry leading frameworks, which include International Standardization Organization #27001 (ISO 27001), Control Objectives for Information Technology (COBIT), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (commonly known as NIST CSF). The Company’s technologies and software must also comply with domestic and international regulatory and legal requirements. Ensuring that these technologies and software comply with those regulations is a key focus of the Company’s efforts.

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The Company leverages cybersecurity technologies designed to ensure security of client, employee and business confidential data. To deliver upon regulatory, client and Company cybersecurity objectives, DFIN developed a Zero Trust strategy wherein all users, systems, applications and networks are deemed untrusted and must be verified. This strategy guides the Company's technology investments, architectures and system operations models.

The Company leverages cybersecurity technologies designed to provide for the security of client, employee and business confidential data. The Company’s cybersecurity portfolio is inclusive of, but not limited to, data encryption, data masking, leading secure software development methodologies, application and network penetration testing, incident response, digital forensics, least-privileged access controls, anti-malware, end-point detection and response, virtual private networks and cyber threat intelligence. Additionally, the Company manages a 24x7 Security Operations capability that monitors and responds to cyber threats in real-time.

To demonstrate transparency, the Company’s commitment to effective cybersecurity and data protection efforts and in pursuit of continuous improvement, the Company undergoes a series of third-party security reviews, including third-party penetration tests.

Human Capital

The Company’s human capital objective is to attract, retain and develop the talent needed to deliver on the Company’s strategic priorities. The Company strives to create a culture where employees are empowered to do their best work each day and are rewarded based on their contributions and performance.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had approximately 2,150 employees, approximately 80% of whom are located in the United States and approximately 20% in international locations. The Company's workforce is approximately 40% female and 60% male, with an average tenure of approximately 12.7 years with the Company (including periods prior to the Separation from RRD). The Company also hires temporary employees in its manufacturing facilities during peak periods of production. None of the Company’s employees are represented by a labor union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The Company's U.S. employee voluntary turnover rate is less than 8% per year.

In 2022, the Company continued its strategy to provide greater market-driven and predictable pay and benefit programs through the “My Total Wellbeing” program, which was launched in 2021. The components of the program are below:

My Time—The Company announced its move to an unlimited paid time-off philosophy in which U.S. salaried employees can take as much time as needed for vacation or personal issues not covered by other sick or disability policies. New policies providing up to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave were also announced. The Company continued to embrace a flexible model in which employees work remotely (with the exception of essential employees whose roles require them to be on site). Office space is available for team meetings and collaboration, and the Company hosted several in-person events throughout the year so that employees could connect with one another.

My Career—The Company supports employees in growing their skills and making informed choices about their career. The “Career Map,” launched in 2021, shows every role in the Company by level and was updated in 2022 with summaries about key positions. The map and career framework are designed to help employees understand how their role fits into the overall structure and the various pathways for advancement.

My Health—The Company offers comprehensive health and benefits including medical insurance, prescription drug benefits, dental insurance and vision insurance. The Company's programs focus on physical as well as mental and emotional health and encourage all employees to take ownership of their wellbeing. Highlights include topical webinars, targeted programs (e.g., tobacco cessation, diabetes management and weight management) and employee assistance programs.

My Money—The Company offers competitive base salaries and compensation programs to reward performance relative to key strategic and financial metrics. The Company also cultivates a “pay for performance” culture in which when the Company does well, it shares those rewards with employees. Based on the Company's strong fiscal year 2021 results, in March 2022, the Company paid performance bonuses to all employees who were not eligible for another variable compensation program and funded a 10% discretionary 401(k) match. In 2022, the Company began a 401(k) match of 50 cents for every dollar an employee contributes up to 6% of eligible compensation (along with the potential of a future discretionary match).

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The Company enhanced financially-focused benefits available by improving short-term disability, long-term disability and life insurance programs. Other benefits include the health savings account (which includes a Company contribution), flexible spending accounts and a group legal services plan.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (“DEI”)—The Company is committed to increasing gender and racial diversity at all levels through recruiting, training and promotion opportunities. The Company has made progress in bringing more diverse perspectives into leadership. In 2022, approximately 38% of U.S. employees in managerial roles were women and approximately 26% of U.S. employees in managerial roles were people of color. In 2022, women or people of color made up approximately 58% of all U.S. hires and promotions at the manager level and above, an increase of 10% over the last three years. The Company's Board of Directors (the “Board”) reflects both gender and racial/ethnic diversity, constituting 22% each, respectively. The Company has continued to improve over time. The percentage of diverse leaders at the director level and above increased 13% over three years. For the last three years, a portion of executive performance incentive pay has been tied to achieving the Company's DEI objectives.

The Company values the collective approach that results from leveraging diverse perspectives, sharing knowledge and fostering an inclusive environment. In 2021, the Company formed the DEI Council (the “Council”), whose mission is to keep DEI at the forefront of the Company's culture. The Council led a mental wellbeing campaign on World Mental Health Day that raised awareness about the resources available to all employees. In 2022, the Company welcomed its first employee resource group - the Women's Impact Network (“WIN”). WIN sponsors quarterly programs featuring both internal and external speakers and maintains an online forum where women employees network and share information. The launch was a grassroots employee-led effort with executive-level sponsorship.

The Company is committed to paying its employees in a fair and equitable way and has a rigorous internal compensation review process.

Training and Development—The Company invests in its employees’ skills and professional development by offering virtual, social and self-directed learning, mentoring, coaching and career development opportunities. In 2022, approximately 66% of employees engaged in self-directed learning and development activities through the Company's on-demand learning platform. The Company provides its employees with curated and targeted learning pathways for leadership, finance, and technical roles as well as safety, compliance and equipment-related training. The Company continues to focus on leadership development and launched two cohort leadership development programs aligned to the Company's values, leadership behaviors and skills for effective leadership. In partnership with external vendors, the Company provides situational development for senior leaders to support their skills and career growth.

In addition to personal training and development, the Company requires employees to complete a series of mandatory courses in data protection, IT security, principles of ethical business conduct, harassment awareness, anti-corruption/anti-trust and General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). In 2022, the Company achieved more than 99% completion of these required courses.

Employee Experience and Retention—The Company's efforts to engage and retain its employees were recognized in 2022. The Company was ranked #59 on Newsweek's list of the 2022 Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® in America for putting respect, care and appreciation at the center of its business model. Best Practice Institute, a leadership benchmark research company, surveyed employees prior to certifying the Company and found that the Company earned high ratings in the areas of trust, teamwork and competence. Employees cited their strong bond with coworkers, flexible work schedules and strong management and senior leadership among the reasons they loved working for DFIN.

The Company also earned certifications from Great Place to Work® based on a survey measuring employees’ level of trust at work. For the fourth year in a row, the Company was chosen as one of the Best Places to Work by Built In, for going above and beyond in terms of compensation, benefits and cultural programs, nationally and in the largest tech markets. Built In is the online community for startups and tech companies.

Health and Safety—The health, safety and well-being of its employees is the Company’s highest priority and a core element of its culture. The Company believes everyone contributes to a safe and healthy work environment no matter their role in the organization. The Company’s Environmental, Health and Safety Management System aligns with ISO 14001 and 45001. The Company sets annual leading and lagging indicators to improve its sustainability performance and in 2022 achieved a workforce total recordable incident rate of 0.99 (per 200,000 hours worked). Manufacturing employees achieved a 100% completion rate for job-specific safety training and participate in an onsite safety committee that promotes safe practices at work and at home.

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For wellness, employees participated in a 28-day activity challenge in June 2022 during Safety Month and collectively achieved 85 million steps. In November 2022, the Company expanded its Safety Pinnacle Awards, which annually recognizes best-in-class contributions of employees who foster a culture of safety, health and well-being in the workplace, to recognize employee contributions in four additional environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) categories: community service, data privacy and security, DEI and the environment. 46 employees were recognized with awards in 2022.

The Company continues to monitor country, state and local guidelines and remains prepared with a company-wide COVID-19 protocol.

Climate

In 2022, the Company purchased renewable energy credits to match 100% of the electricity used by its print manufacturing facilities. The Corporate Responsibility and Governance Committee has broad oversight of environmental, social and governance issues, which includes climate-related risks and opportunities. Due to the nature of the business, DFIN does not anticipate any material direct impacts from climate-related regulations, physical effects of climate change or material expenditures for climate-related projects.

Available Information

The Company maintains a website at www.dfinsolutions.com where the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports, as well as other SEC filings, are available without charge, as soon as reasonably practicable following the time they are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The Principles of Corporate Governance of the Board, the charters of the Audit, Compensation, Corporate Responsibility & Governance Committees of the Board and the Company’s Principles of Ethical Business Conduct are also available on the Investor Relations portion of the Company’s website, and will be provided, free of charge, to any stockholder who requests a copy. References to the Company’s website address do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on the website, and the information contained on the website is not part of or incorporated by reference in this document.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

The Company’s consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows can be adversely affected by various risks. These risks include the principal factors listed below and the other matters set forth in the Annual Report. You should carefully consider all of these risks.

Technology Risks

The Company’s failure to maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of its systems, software and solutions could seriously damage the Company’s reputation and affect its ability to retain clients and attract new business.

Maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and availability of DFIN’s systems, software and solutions is an issue of critical importance for the Company and its clients and users who rely on DFIN’s systems to prepare regulatory filings and store and exchange large volumes of information, much of which is proprietary, confidential and may constitute material nonpublic information. Given DFIN’s systems contain material nonpublic information about public reporting companies and potential M&A activities prior to its public release, the Company has been, and expects it will continue to be, a target of hacking or cybercrime. Inadvertent disclosure of the information maintained on DFIN’s systems (or on the systems of the vendors on which the Company relies) due to human error, breach of the systems through hacking, cybercrime or a leak of confidential information due to employee misconduct, could seriously damage the Company’s reputation, could cause it to expend significant resources responding to requests from government agencies and customers and could cause significant reputational harm for the Company and its clients. The Company’s technologies, systems, networks and software have been and continue to be subject to cybersecurity threats and attacks, which range from uncoordinated individual attempts to sophisticated and targeted measures directed at the Company. The risk of a security breach or disruption, particularly through cyber attack or cyber intrusion, has increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased and the Company has in the past and may in the future be subject to security breaches. For example, during 2019 and 2020 the Company experienced two cyber incidents, one of which was through a commercial partner. The incident involving the Company’s commercial partner was a result of a compromise to the partner’s email server, which allowed unauthorized viewing of client information on that system. The DFIN incident was, the Company believes, the result of a compromised login credential which allowed unauthorized viewing of client information on that system and access to an internal Company system. In each incident, the Company believes the unauthorized viewing of client information was limited to that system and the DFIN incident has been fully remediated with no indication of continuing unauthorized access.

The Company’s customers and employees have been, and will continue to be, targeted by parties using fraudulent e-mails and other communications in attempts to misappropriate login credentials, including passwords, or to introduce viruses or other malware programs to its information systems, the information systems of its vendors or third-party service providers and/or its customers' computers. Though the Company endeavors to mitigate these threats through product improvements, use of encryption and authentication technology and customer and employee education, such cyber attacks against the Company or its vendors and third-party service providers remain a serious issue. Further, to access the Company’s services and products, the Company’s customers use personal electronic devices that are beyond DFIN’s security control systems. Techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to, or to sabotage, systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until executed against a target. Consistent with all software solutions, DFIN’s software may be vulnerable to these types of attacks. Breaches and other inappropriate access can be difficult to detect and any delay in identifying them could increase their harm. An attack of this type, such as the incident described in the preceding paragraph, could disrupt the proper functioning of the Company’s software solutions, cause errors in the output of clients’ work, allow unauthorized access to sensitive, proprietary or confidential information and other undesirable or destructive outcomes.

As a result of these types of risks and attacks, the Company has implemented and continuously reviews and updates systems, processes and procedures to protect against unauthorized access to or use of data and to prevent data loss. For example, the Company continues to refresh relevant security standards to reflect changes in current security threats, monitors DFIN systems for cyber threats, continues to update intrusion and detection capabilities and refreshes mandatory information security awareness training content, including awareness around phishing. However, the ever-evolving threats mean the Company and its third-party service providers and vendors must continually evaluate and adapt their respective systems and processes and overall security environment. There is no guarantee that these measures will be adequate to safeguard against all data security breaches, system compromises or misuses of data.

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Furthermore, DFIN’s systems allow the Company to share information that may be confidential in nature to its clients across the Company’s offices worldwide. This design allows the Company to increase global reach for its clients and increase its responsiveness to client demands, but also increases the risk of a security breach or a leak of such information as it allows additional points of access to information by increasing the number of employees and facilities working on certain jobs. In addition, DFIN’s systems leverage third party outsourcing arrangements, which expedites the Company’s responsiveness but exposes information to additional access points. The occurrence of an actual or perceived information leak or breach of security could cause the Company’s reputation to suffer, clients to stop using DFIN’s services and products offerings, the Company to have to respond to requests from government agencies and customers in connection with such event and the Company to face lawsuits and potential liability, any of which could cause DFIN’s financial performance to be negatively impacted. The Company has incurred, and expects to continue to incur, expenses to prevent, investigate and remediate security breaches and vulnerabilities, including deploying additional personnel and protection technologies, training employees and engaging third-party experts and consultants. Though the Company maintains professional liability insurance that includes coverage if a cybersecurity incident were to occur, there can be no assurance that insurance coverage will be available, responsive, or that the available coverage will be sufficient to cover losses and claims related to any cybersecurity incidents the Company may experience.

A number of core processes, such as software development, sales and marketing, client service and financial transactions, rely on DFIN’s IT infrastructure and applications. Defects or malfunctions in the Company’s IT infrastructure and applications have caused, and could cause in the future, DFIN’s services and products offerings not to perform as clients expect, which could negatively impact the Company’s reputation and business. In addition, malicious software, sabotage, ransomware and other cybersecurity breaches of the types described above could cause an outage in DFIN’s infrastructure, which could lead to a substantial delay of service and ultimately downtimes, recovery costs and client claims, any of which could negatively impact the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

The Company’s business may be adversely affected by new technologies enabling clients to produce and file documents on their own.

The Company’s business may be adversely affected as clients seek out opportunities to produce and file regulatory documentation on their own and begin to implement technologies that assist them in this process. For example, clients and their financial advisors have increasingly relied on web-based services which allow clients to autonomously file and distribute reports required pursuant to the Exchange Act, prospectuses and other materials as a replacement for using the Company’s EDGAR filing services. If technologies are further developed to provide clients with the ability to autonomously produce and file documents to meet their regulatory obligations, and the Company does not develop products or provide services to compete with such new technologies, the Company’s business may be adversely affected by those clients who choose alternative solutions, including self-serving or filing themselves.

Some of DFIN’s systems and services are developed by third parties or supported by third party hardware and software. The Company’s business and reputation could suffer if these third party systems and services fail to perform properly or are no longer available to the Company.

Some of DFIN’s systems and services are developed by third parties or rely on hardware purchased or leased and software licensed from third parties. These systems and services, or the hardware and software required to run the Company’s existing systems and services, may not continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Any loss of the right to use any of this hardware or software could result in delays in the provisioning of DFIN’s services, which could negatively affect the Company’s business until equivalent technology is either developed by the Company or, if available, is identified, obtained and integrated. In addition, it is possible that the Company’s hardware vendors or the licensors of third party software could increase their prices, which could have an adverse impact on DFIN’s business, operating results and financial condition. Further, changing hardware vendors or software licensors could detract from management’s ability to focus on the ongoing operations of the Company’s business or could cause delays in the operations of the business.

Additionally, third party software underlying DFIN’s services can contain undetected errors or bugs, or be susceptible to cybersecurity breaches described above. The Company may be forced to delay commercial release of its services until any discovered problems are corrected and, in some cases, may need to implement enhancements or modifications to correct errors that the Company does not detect until after deployment of its services.

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Undetected errors or failures found in DFIN’s services and products may result in loss of or delay in market acceptance of the services and products that could negatively impact its business.

DFIN’s services and products may contain undetected errors or scalability limitations during their life cycle, but particularly when first introduced or as new versions are released to the market. The Company releases enhanced versions of products including platforms during various stages of development. Despite production testing by the Company and operational testing by current and potential clients, errors may not be found in new services and products until after commencement of commercial availability or use, resulting in a loss of or a delay in market acceptance, damage to the Company’s reputation, client dissatisfaction and decline in net sales and operating income.

If the Company is unable to protect its proprietary technology and other rights, the value of DFIN’s business and its competitive position may be impaired.

If the Company is unable to protect its intellectual property, the Company’s competitors could use its intellectual property to market services and products similar to DFIN’s, which could decrease demand for its services. The Company relies on a combination of patents, trademarks, licensing and other proprietary rights laws, as well as third party nondisclosure agreements and other contractual provisions and technical measures, to protect its intellectual property rights. These protections may not be adequate to prevent competitors from copying or reverse-engineering DFIN’s technology and services to create similar offerings. Additionally, any of DFIN’s pending or future patent applications may not be issued with the scope of protection the Company seeks, if at all. The scope of patent protection, if any, the Company may obtain is difficult to predict and the patents may be found invalid, unenforceable or of insufficient scope to prevent competitors from offering similar services. DFIN’s competitors may independently develop technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to the Company’s technology. To protect DFIN’s proprietary information, the Company requires employees, consultants, advisors, independent contractors and collaborators to enter into confidentiality agreements and maintain policies and procedures to limit access to the Company’s trade secrets and proprietary information. These agreements and the other actions may not provide meaningful protection for DFIN’s proprietary information or know-how from unauthorized use, misappropriation or disclosure. Further, existing patent laws may not provide adequate or meaningful protection in the event competitors independently develop technology, products or services similar to DFIN’s. Even if the laws governing intellectual property rights provide protection, the Company may have insufficient resources to take the legal actions necessary to protect its interests. In addition, DFIN’s intellectual property rights and interests may not be afforded the same protection under the laws of foreign countries as they are under the laws of the United States.

Business, Economic, Market and Operating Risks

A significant part of the Company’s business is derived from the use of DFIN’s services and products in connection with financial and strategic business transactions. Trends that affect the volume of these transactions may negatively impact the demand for DFIN’s services and products.

A significant portion of the Company’s net sales depends on the purchase of DFIN’s services and products by parties involved in capital markets compliance and transactions. As a result, a significant portion of the Company’s business is dependent on the global market for IPOs, secondary offerings, M&A, public and private debt offerings, leveraged buyouts, spinouts, SPAC and de-SPAC transactions and other similar transactions. These transactions are often tied to market conditions and the resulting volume of these types of transactions affects demand for the Company’s services and products. Downturns in the financial markets, global economy or in the economies of the geographies in which the Company does business and reduced equity valuations create risks that could negatively impact the Company’s business. For example, in the past, economic volatility has led to a decline in the financial condition of a number of the Company’s clients and led to the postponement of their capital markets transactions. To the extent that there is continued volatility, the Company may face increasing volume pressure. Furthermore, the Company’s offerings for investment companies clients can be affected by fluctuations in the inflow and outflow of money into investment management funds which determines the number of new funds that are opened and closed. As a result, the Company is unable to predict the impact of any potential worsening of macroeconomic conditions which could have impacts to the Company’s results of operations. The level of activity in the financial communications services industry, including the financial transactions and related compliance needs DFIN’s services and products are used to support, is sensitive to many factors beyond the Company’s control, including interest rates, regulatory policies, general economic conditions, the Company’s clients’ competitive environments, business trends, terrorism and political change. In addition, a weak economy could hinder the Company’s ability to collect amounts owed by clients. Failure of the Company’s clients to pay the amounts owed or to pay such amounts in a timely manner, may increase the Company’s exposure to credit risks and result in bad debt write-offs. Unfavorable conditions or changes in any of these factors could negatively impact the Company’s business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

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The highly competitive market for DFIN’s services and products and industry fragmentation may continue to create adverse price pressures.

The financial communications services industry is highly competitive with relatively low barriers to entry and the industry remains highly fragmented in North America and internationally. Management expects that competition will increase from existing competitors, as well as new and emerging entrants. Additionally, as the Company expands its services and products offerings, it may face competition from new and existing competitors. As a result, competition may lead to additional pricing pressure on DFIN’s services and products, which could negatively impact its business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

The quality of the Company’s customer support and services offerings is important to the Company’s clients, and if the Company fails to offer high quality customer support and services, clients may not use DFIN’s solutions resulting in a potential decline in net sales.

A high level of customer support is critical for the successful marketing and sale of DFIN’s solutions. If the Company is unable to provide a level of customer support and service to meet or exceed clients’ expectations, the Company could experience a loss of clients and market share, a failure to attract new clients, including in new geographic regions, and increased service and support costs and a diversion of resources. Any of these results could negatively impact the Company’s business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

A substantial part of the Company’s business depends on clients continuing their use of DFIN’s services and products. Any decline in the Company’s client retention would harm the Company’s future operating results.

The Company does not have long-term contracts with most of capital markets and some investment companies clients and, therefore, relies on their continued use of DFIN’s services and products, particularly for IC-CCM and CM-CCM-related services. As a result, client retention, particularly during periods of declining transactional volume, is an important part of the Company’s strategic business plan. There can be no assurance that clients will continue to use DFIN’s services and products to meet their ongoing needs, particularly in the face of competitors’ services and products offerings. Client retention rates may decline due to a variety of factors, including:

If the Company’s retention rates are lower than anticipated or decline for any reason, the Company’s net sales may decrease and the Company’s profitability may be harmed, which could negatively impact the Company’s business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

The Company’s performance and growth partially depend on its ability to generate client referrals and to develop referenceable client relationships that will enhance the Company’s sales and marketing efforts.

The Company depends on users of its solutions to generate client referrals for the Company’s services. The Company depends, in part, on the financial institutions, law firms and other third parties who use DFIN’s services and products to recommend solutions to their client base, which provides the Company the opportunity to reach a larger client base than it can reach through the direct sales and internal marketing efforts. For instance, a portion of the Company’s net sales from capital markets clients is generated through referrals by investment banks, financial advisors and law firms that have utilized the Company’s services in connection with prior transactions. These referrals are an important source of new clients for the Company’s services.

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A decline in the number of referrals could require the Company to devote substantially more resources to the sales and marketing of its services, which would increase costs, potentially lead to a decline in net sales, slow the Company’s growth and negatively impact its business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

A failure to adapt to technological changes to address the changing demands of clients may adversely impact the Company’s business, and if the Company fails to successfully develop, introduce or integrate new services or enhancements to its services and products platforms, systems or applications, DFIN’s reputation, net sales and operating income may suffer.

In May 2018, management introduced the Company’s new business plan that focuses on transitioning its business to a software and technology focused company. In order to do that, the Company must attract new clients for those businesses, and its ability to attract new clients and increase sales to existing clients depends in large part on the Company’s ability to enhance and improve existing services and products platforms, including application solutions, and to introduce new functionality either by acquisition or internal development. As further described in Item 1. Business—Company History, in 2018, the Company sold its Language Solutions business and acquired eBrevia. In December 2021, the Company completed an acquisition of Guardum in order to enhance Venue product features, and in November 2022, the Company sold its EOL business. As a percentage of total net sales, the Company’s software solutions net sales increased from 18% in 2018 to 33% in 2022, while the Company’s tech-enabled services net sales were flat at 46% in 2018 and 2022 and print and distribution net sales declined from 36% in 2018 to 21% in 2022. In 2020, the Company undertook significant restructuring of its compliance and communications management operating segments due partially to regulatory changes that significantly reduced print volumes starting in 2021. In 2022, the Company completed the consolidation of its print platform, which enabled DFIN to achieve meaningful cost savings as well as reduced the number of owned and leased global facilities from 50 as of December 31, 2020 to 28 as of December 31, 2022. The Company continues to invest a significant portion of its capital expenditures budget on software development, including the development of software solutions for both investment companies and capital markets, most recently with the launch of new cloud-based ActiveDisclosure in early 2021. The Company’s operating results would suffer if its innovations are not responsive to the needs of the Company’s clients, are not appropriately timed with market opportunities or are not brought to market effectively. In addition, it is possible that management’s assumptions about the features that they believe will drive purchasing decisions for the Company’s potential clients or renewal decisions for the existing clients could be inaccurate. There can be no assurance that new products or services, or upgrades to DFIN’s products or services, will be released as anticipated or that, when released, they will not contain defects. If product defects arise, the Company could experience negative publicity, damage to its reputation, decline in net sales, delay in market acceptance or claims by clients brought against the Company. Moreover, upgrades and enhancements to the Company’s platforms may require substantial capital investment without assurance that the upgrades and enhancements will enable the Company to achieve or sustain a competitive advantage in the services and products offerings. If the Company is unable to license or acquire new technology solutions to enhance existing services and products offerings, the results of operations, financial position and cash flows may be negatively impacted.

Fluctuations in the costs and availability of paper and other raw materials may adversely impact the Company.

Global supply chain challenges leading to decreased availability of paper and other raw materials and the costs of these resources due to sourcing difficulties or otherwise have increased and are expected to continue to increase DFIN’s costs. The Company may not be able to pass these costs on to clients through higher prices. Moreover, rising raw materials costs, and any consequent impact on pricing, could lead to a decrease in demand for DFIN’s services and products.

DFIN’s business is dependent upon brand recognition and reputation, and the failure to maintain or enhance the Company’s brand or reputation would likely have an adverse effect on its business.

DFIN’s brand recognition and reputation are important aspects of the Company’s business. Maintaining and further enhancing DFIN’s brands and reputation will be important to retaining and attracting clients for DFIN’s products. The Company also believes that the importance of DFIN’s brand recognition and reputation for products will continue to increase as competition in the market for DFIN’s products and industry continues to increase. The Company’s success in this area will be dependent on a wide range of factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, including the efficacy of the Company’s marketing efforts, its ability to retain existing and obtain new clients and strategic partners, human error, the quality and perceived value of DFIN’s services and products offerings, actions of the Company’s competitors and positive or negative publicity. Damage to the Company’s reputation and loss of brand equity may reduce demand for DFIN’s services and products offerings and negatively impact its business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

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The Company may be unable to hire and retain talented employees, including management.

DFIN’s success depends, in part, on its general ability to attract, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled employees. The loss of a significant number of employees or the inability to attract, hire, develop, train and retain additional skilled personnel could have a serious negative effect on DFIN’s business. Management believes the Company’s ability to retain its client base and to attract new clients is directly related to DFIN’s sales force and client service personnel, and if the Company cannot retain these key employees, its business could suffer. In addition, many members of DFIN’s management have significant industry experience that is valuable to competitors. The Company expects that its executive officers will have non-solicitation agreements contractually prohibiting them from soliciting clients and employees within a specified period of time after they leave DFIN. If one or more members of the senior management team leave and cannot be replaced with a suitable candidate quickly, the Company could experience difficulty in managing its business properly, which could negatively impact its business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

There are risks associated with operations outside the United States.

The Company has operations outside the United States. DFIN works with capital markets clients around the world, and in 2022 the Company’s international sales accounted for approximately 14% of DFIN’s net sales. The Company’s operations outside of the United States are primarily focused in Europe, Asia and Canada. As a result, the Company is subject to the risks inherent in conducting business outside the United States, including:

The Company cannot be sure that its investments or operations in other countries will produce desired levels of net sales or that one or more of the factors listed above will not affect the Company’s global business.

The Company’s reliance on strategic relationships as part of its business strategy may adversely affect the development of DFIN’s business in those areas.

The Company’s business strategy includes pursuing and maintaining strategic relationships in order to provide seamless end-to-end solutions to its clients as well as to facilitate its entry into adjacent lines of business. This approach may expose the Company to risk of conflict with its strategic arrangement partners and divert management resources to oversee these arrangements. Further, as these arrangements require cooperation with third parties, DFIN may not be able to make decisions as quickly as it would have if it was operating on its own or may take actions that are different from what the Company would do on a standalone basis in light of the need to consider interests of all parties involved. As a result, the Company may be less able to respond timely to changes in market dynamics, which could have a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

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The Company has in the past acquired and may in the future acquire other businesses, and it may be unable to successfully integrate the operations of these businesses and may not achieve the cost savings and increased net sales anticipated as a result of these acquisitions.

Achieving the anticipated benefits of acquisitions will depend in part upon DFIN’s ability to integrate these businesses in an efficient and effective manner. The integration of companies that have previously operated independently may result in significant challenges, and the Company may be unable to accomplish the integration smoothly or successfully. In particular, the coordination of geographically dispersed organizations with differences in corporate cultures and management philosophies may increase the difficulties of integration. The integration of acquired businesses may also require the dedication of significant management resources, which may temporarily distract management’s attention from the day-to-day operations of the Company. In addition, the process of integrating operations may cause an interruption of, or loss of momentum in, the activities of one or more of the Company’s businesses and the loss of key personnel from the Company or the acquired businesses. Further, employee uncertainty and lack of focus during the integration process may disrupt the businesses of the Company or the acquired businesses.

Financial Risks

The Company’s indebtedness may adversely affect the Company’s business and results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $125.0 million outstanding under its Term Loan A Facility, as defined below, and $45.0 million outstanding under its Revolving Facility, as defined below. The Company’s ability to make payments on and to refinance indebtedness, as well as any future debt that it may incur, will depend on the Company’s ability to generate cash in the future from operations, financings or asset sales. The Company’s ability to generate cash is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond the Company’s control. The Company may not generate sufficient funds to service its debt and meet its business needs, such as funding working capital or the expansion of the Company’s operations. If the Company is not able to repay or refinance debt as it becomes due, it may be forced to take disadvantageous actions, including facility closure, staff reductions, reducing financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes, selling assets or dedicating an unsustainable level of cash flows from operations to the payment of principal and interest on its indebtedness, and restricting future capital return to stockholders. The lenders who hold the Company’s debt could also accelerate amounts due in the event of a default, which could potentially trigger a default or acceleration of the maturity of the Company’s debt.

In addition, the Company’s competitors who may be less leveraged, could put the Company at a competitive disadvantage. These competitors could have greater financial flexibility to pursue strategic acquisitions, secure additional financing and may better withstand downturns in the Company’s industry or the economy in general.

The agreements and instruments that govern the Company’s debt impose restrictions that may limit the Company’s operating and financial flexibility.

On May 27, 2021, the Company amended and restated its credit agreement dated as of September 30, 2016 (as in effect prior to such amendment and restatement, the “Credit Agreement,” and the Credit Agreement, as so amended and restated, the “Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”), by and among the Company, the lenders party thereto from time to time and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent and collateral agent, to, among other things, provide for a $200.0 million delayed-draw term loan A facility (the “Term Loan A Facility”), extend the maturity of the $300.0 million revolving facility (the “Revolving Facility,” and, together with the Term Loan A Facility, the “Credit Facilities”) to May 27, 2026 and modify the financial maintenance and negative covenants in the Credit Agreement. On October 14, 2021, the Company drew $200.0 million from the Term Loan A Facility and used the proceeds to redeem the Company's senior notes due October 15, 2024 (the “Notes”). The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement that governs the Company’s Credit Facilities contain a number of significant restrictions and covenants that limit the Company’s ability to:

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These covenants can have the effect of limiting the Company’s flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in the Company’s business and the markets in which it competes. In addition, the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement that governs the Credit Facilities requires the Company to comply with certain financial maintenance covenants. Operating results below current levels or other adverse factors, including a significant increase in interest rates, could result in the Company being unable to comply with the financial covenants contained in the Term Loan A Facility. If the Company violates covenants under the Credit Facilities and is unable to obtain a waiver from the lenders, the Company’s debt under the Credit Facilities would be in default and could be accelerated by the Company’s lenders.

If the Company’s debt is accelerated, the Company may not be able to repay its debt or borrow sufficient funds to refinance it. Even if the Company is able to obtain new financing, it may not be on commercially reasonable terms, on terms that are acceptable, or at all. If the Company’s debt is in default for any reason, the Company’s business and results of operations, financial position and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, complying with these covenants may also cause the Company to take actions that may make it more difficult for the Company to successfully execute its business strategy and compete against companies that are not subject to such restrictions.

The Company may be able to incur significantly more debt.

The Company may be able to incur significant additional debt, including secured debt, in the future. Although the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement governing the Credit Facilities restrict the incurrence of additional debt, these restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions. Also, these restrictions do not prevent the Company from incurring obligations that do not constitute indebtedness. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had the remaining $255.0 million available for additional borrowing under the Revolving Facility. The more indebtedness the Company incurs, the further exposed it becomes to the risks associated with leverage described above.

Adverse credit market conditions may limit the Company’s ability to obtain future financing.

The Company may, from time to time, depend on access to credit markets. Uncertainty and volatility in global financial markets may cause financial markets institutions to fail or may cause lenders to hoard capital and reduce lending. As a result, DFIN may not obtain financing on terms and conditions that are favorable, or at all.

The Company is exposed to risks related to potential adverse changes in currency exchange rates.

The Company is exposed to market risks resulting from changes in the currency exchange rates of the currencies in the countries in which it does business. Although operating in local currencies may limit the impact of currency rate fluctuations on the operating results of non-U.S. activities, fluctuations in such rates may affect the translation of these results into DFIN’s financial statements. To the extent borrowings, sales, purchases, net sales and expenses or other transactions are not in the applicable local currency, the Company may enter into foreign currency spot and forward contracts to hedge the currency risk. Management cannot be sure, however, that its efforts at hedging will be successful, and such efforts could, in certain circumstances, lead to losses.

Legal and Regulatory Risks

Modifications in the rules and regulations to which clients or potential clients are subject to may impact the demand for the Company’s services and products offerings.

Clients are subject to rules and regulations requiring certain printed or electronic communications governing the form, content and delivery methods of such communications, such as SEC Rule 30e-3 which provides certain registered investment companies with an option to electronically deliver stockholder reports and other materials rather than providing such reports in paper. Modifications in these regulations may impact clients’ business practices and could reduce demand for DFIN’s services and products offerings. Modifications in such regulations could eliminate the need for certain types of communications altogether or impact the quantity or format of required communications.

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Increasing regulatory focus on privacy issues and expanding laws could impact DFIN’s software solutions and expose the Company to increased liability.

Privacy and data security laws apply to DFIN’s various businesses in all jurisdictions in which the Company operates. In particular, clients use DFIN’s software solutions, including Venue, to share personal data and information on a confidential basis, and such sharing may be subject to privacy and data security laws. DFIN’s global business operates in countries that have more stringent data protection laws than those in the United States. These data protection laws may be inconsistent across jurisdictions and are subject to evolving and differing interpretations. Complying with these regulations has been, and will continue to be, costly, and there are or will be significant penalties for failure to comply with these regulations. Further, any perception of DFIN’s practices, products or services as a violation of individual privacy rights may subject the Company to public criticism, class action lawsuits, reputational harm, or investigations or claims by regulators, industry groups or other third parties, all of which could disrupt DFIN’s business and expose the Company to liability.

Transferring personal data and information across international borders is becoming increasingly complex. For example, Europe has stringent regulations regarding transfer of personal data and information. The mechanisms that DFIN and many other companies rely upon for data transfers from Europe to the United States (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses) have been successfully challenged in the European court systems and compliance with legislation related to data transfers is uncertain. The Company is closely monitoring developments related to requirements for transferring personal data and information. Privacy regulation continues to develop globally and could impact DFIN’s business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Benefit, Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Plans Risk

Changes in market conditions, changes in discount rates, or lower returns on assets may increase required pension and other postretirement benefits plans contributions in future periods.

The funded status of DFIN’s pension and other postretirement benefits plans is dependent upon many factors, including returns on invested assets and the level of certain interest rates. Declines in the market value of the securities held by the plans coupled with historically low interest rates have substantially reduced, and in the future could further reduce, the funded status of the plans. These reductions may increase the level of expected required pension and other postretirement benefit plan contributions in future years. Various conditions may lead to changes in the discount rates used to value the year-end benefit obligations of the plans, which could partially mitigate, or worsen, the effects of lower asset returns. If adverse conditions were to continue for an extended period of time, the Company’s costs and required cash contributions associated with pension and other postretirement benefits plans may substantially increase in future periods.

The Company may become liable for funding obligations arising from multi-employer pension plan obligations of the Company’s former affiliates.

On April 13, 2020, LSC announced that it, along with most of its U.S. subsidiaries, voluntarily filed for business reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. LSC and the Company separated from RRD in a tax-free distribution to stockholders of RRD effective October 1, 2016. In the second quarter of 2020, the Company became aware that, subsequent to the LSC Chapter 11 Filing, LSC failed to make certain required monthly and quarterly withdrawal liability payments to multiemployer pension plans from which RRD had withdrawn prior to the Separation. Responsibility for certain pre-Separation withdrawal liability obligations, resulting in such monthly and quarterly payment obligations (the “LSC MEPP Liabilities”), had been assigned to LSC pursuant to the Separation Agreement, while RRD retained responsibility for certain other pre-Separation withdrawal liability assessments against RRD. However, the Company and RRD remain jointly and severally liable for the LSC MEPP Liabilities pursuant to laws and regulations governing multiemployer pension plans, and the Company remains jointly and severally liable for certain additional RRD MEPP liabilities. In 2020 and 2021, RRD and the Company made payments to settle certain obligations related to these funds. In November 2021, arbitration proceedings were completed and the final allocation of the LSC MEPP Liabilities of one-third to the Company and two-thirds to RRD was determined by the arbitration panel. If RRD fails to make required payments in respect of the remaining LSC MEPP Liabilities or RRD fails to make required payments in respect of the RRD MEPP liabilities, the Company may become obligated to make such payments, which payment obligations may negatively impact the Company’s cash flows and results of operations. In addition, the Company’s MEPP liabilities could also be affected by the financial stability of other employers participating in such plans and decisions by those employers to withdraw from such plans in the future.

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The trend of increasing costs to provide health care and other benefits to employees and retirees may continue.

DFIN provides health care and other benefits to both employees and retirees. For many years, costs for health care have increased more rapidly than general inflation in the U.S. economy. If this trend in health care costs continues, the cost to provide such benefits could increase, adversely impacting profitability. Changes to health care regulations in the U.S. and internationally may also increase cost of providing such benefits.

COVID-19 Pandemic Risk

The current COVID-19 pandemic and other global public health epidemics may materially adversely impact the Company’s business, its future results of operations and its overall financial performance.

The Company’s business could be materially adversely affected by the risk, or the public perception of risk, related to a pandemic or widespread health crisis, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. A significant outbreak of epidemic, pandemic, or contagious diseases in the human population resulting in a widespread health crisis that adversely affect the broader economies and financial markets will also adversely impact the overall demand environment for DFIN’s services and products. The COVID-19 pandemic has had and may continue to have a material adverse impact on certain of the Company's customers' financial results, which has and may continue to force those clients to alter their plans for purchasing the Company's services and products. In addition, the global markets were disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a temporary negative impact on the Company's transactional offerings. A resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, including potentially new strains of COVID-19, resulting in renewal of mitigation measures, including targeted shutdowns, could lead to further economic downturns and adverse effects on the Company. A recession would adversely impact the global market for IPOs and other financial transactions, adversely affecting the demand for DFIN’s services and products (see the Company’s risk factor captioned “A significant part of the Company’s business is derived from the use of DFIN’s services and products in connection with financial and strategic business transactions. Trends that affect the volume of these transactions may negatively impact the demand for DFIN’s services and products.”), and those adverse effects may be material.

In addition, any preventative or protective actions that governments implement or that the Company takes in respect of a global health crises such as COVID-19, such as travel or movement restrictions, quarantines or site closures, may interfere with the ability of the Company’s employees and vendors to perform their respective responsibilities and obligations relative to the conduct of DFIN’s business. Such results could have a material adverse effect on DFIN’s operations, business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. For example, when both the State of New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania enacted stay at home orders in 2020, the Company was deemed essential and continued to operate, but there can be no assurances that the operations will continue to be deemed essential both in those locations and in other jurisdictions in which the Company or its vendors operate and are allowed to remain operational. In addition, the Company uses vendors in multiple countries to fulfill the global demand for its services. When global lockdowns were ordered by many governments in March 2020, many of the Company’s vendors had to rapidly transition to work from home, creating process inefficiencies. If the Company is not able to meet its client’s work requirements in a timely fashion or at all, the Company’s business, reputation and ability to retain clients would be adversely affected.

The Company is unable to accurately predict the ultimate impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic due to various uncertainties, including the ultimate geographic spread of the virus, the severity of the virus, the presence of new strains of the virus, the duration of the outbreak, actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to contain the virus and any economic recession resulting from the pandemic. The Company closely monitors the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, continually assessing its potential effects on its business. The extent to which the Company’s results are affected by COVID-19 will largely depend on future developments which cannot be accurately predicted and are uncertain, but the COVID-19 pandemic or the perception of its effects could have a material adverse effect on DFIN’s business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. Refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations—COVID-19 of this Annual Report for additional information.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

The Company’s corporate office is located in leased office space at 35 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois, 60601. As of December 31, 2022, the Company leased or owned 16 U.S. facilities, some of which had multiple buildings and warehouses, and these U.S. facilities encompassed approximately 0.5 million square feet. The Company leased 12 international facilities, some of which had multiple buildings and warehouses, encompassing less than 0.1 million square feet in Asia, Europe and Canada. Of the Company’s worldwide facilities, approximately 0.2 million square feet of space was owned, while the remaining 0.4 million square feet of space was leased. As further described in Note 1, Overview, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies, to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements, as of December 31, 2022, the Company had land held for sale which encompassed approximately 3.3 acres.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

For a discussion of certain litigation involving the Company, see Note 8, Commitments and Contingencies, to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR DONNELLEY FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS, INC.’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Principal Market

DFIN’s common stock began “regular-way” trading under the ticker symbol “DFIN” on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) on October 3, 2016.

Stockholders

As of February 14, 2023, there were 3,345 stockholders of record of the Company’s common stock.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

___________

Equity Compensation Plans

For information regarding equity compensation plans, see Part III, Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters of this Annual Report.

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PEER PERFORMANCE TABLE

The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return on DFIN’s common stock from December 31, 2017 through December 31, 2022, with (i) the cumulative total return of the Russell 2000 Index, (ii) the cumulative return of the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) SmallCap 600 Index, and (iii) S&P Composite 1500 Diversified Financials Index, a business industry index of which DFIN is a constituent.

The comparison assumes all dividends have been reinvested and an initial investment of $100 on December 31, 2017. The stock price performance on the following graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

Performance Table

This performance graph and other information furnished under Part II, Item 5. Market for Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc.'s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities of this Annual Report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C, or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act.

ITEM 6. [RESERVED]

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

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read together with the Company’s audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto, as well as Part I, Item 1. Business of this Annual Report.

MD&A contains a number of forward-looking statements, all of which are based on the Company’s current expectations and could be affected by the risks and uncertainties, as well as other factors, described throughout this Annual Report, particularly in “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Business

For a description of the Company’s business and services and products offerings, refer to Part I, Item 1. Business of this Annual Report.

The Company separately reports its net sales and related cost of sales for its software solutions, tech-enabled services and print and distribution offerings. The Company’s software solutions consist of Venue, ActiveDisclosure, eBrevia and Arc Suite, among others. The Company’s tech-enabled services offerings consist of document composition, compliance-related SEC EDGAR filing services and transaction solutions. The Company’s print and distribution offerings primarily consist of conventional and digital printed products and related shipping.

Segments

The Company operates its business through four operating and reportable segments: Capital Markets – Software Solutions, Capital Markets – Compliance and Communications Management, Investment Companies – Software Solutions and Investment Companies – Compliance and Communications Management. Corporate is not an operating segment and consists primarily of unallocated SG&A activities and associated expenses including, in part, executive, legal, finance and certain facility costs. In addition, certain costs and earnings of employee benefits plans, such as pension and other postretirement benefits plans expense (income) as well as share-based compensation expense, are included in Corporate and not allocated to the operating segments. For a description of the Company’s operating segments, refer to Part I, Item 1. Business of this Annual Report.

Executive Overview

Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased by $159.7 million, or 16.1%, to $833.6 million from $993.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, including a $6.3 million, or 0.6%, decrease due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Net sales decreased primarily due to lower capital markets transactional volumes and lower print volumes as a result of SEC Rules 30e-3 and 498A, which reduced print requirements, partially offset by higher capital markets compliance volumes, higher software solutions volumes in Arc Suite and higher ActiveDisclosure pricing and volumes.

Income from operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased by $74.3 million, or 33.9%, to $145.0 million from $219.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Income from operations decreased primarily due to lower capital markets transactional volumes, higher depreciation and amortization expense and higher bad debt and marketing expenses, partially offset by lower incentive compensation expense, lower selling expense as a result of the decrease in sales volumes, lower restructuring, impairment, and other charges, net and a $5.4 million decrease in expense related to the LSC multiemployer pension plans obligation.

Financial Review

In the financial review that follows, the Company discusses its consolidated results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and certain other information. This discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes thereto.

A discussion of the Company's financial condition, changes in financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, can be found in Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of DFIN's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on February 22, 2022.

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Results of Operations for the Year Ended December 31, 2022 as Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2021

The following table shows the results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:

nm – Not meaningful

Consolidated

Net sales of tech-enabled services of $380.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $138.6 million, or 26.7%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Net sales of tech-enabled services decreased primarily due to lower capital markets transactional volumes, partially offset by higher capital markets compliance volumes.

Net sales of software solutions of $279.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $9.6 million, or 3.6%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Net sales of software solutions increased primarily due to higher ActiveDisclosure pricing and volumes as well as higher ArcPro, ArcReporting and ArcDigital volumes, partially offset by lower Venue and other compliance software solutions volumes.

Net sales of print and distribution of $173.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $30.7 million, or 15.1%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Net sales of print and distribution decreased primarily due to lower insurance and investment companies compliance volumes as a result of SEC Rules 30e-3 and 498A, which reduced print requirements, and lower capital markets transactional volumes.

Tech-enabled services cost of sales of $141.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $21.2 million, or 13.1%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Tech-enabled services cost of sales decreased primarily due to lower capital markets transactional volumes, lower incentive compensation expense and cost control initiatives, partially offset by an unfavorable sales mix. As a percentage of tech-enabled services net sales, tech-enabled services cost of sales increased 5.8%, primarily driven by an unfavorable sales mix, partially offset by lower incentive compensation expense and cost savings initiatives.

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Software solutions cost of sales of $113.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $8.1 million, or 7.7%, as compared the year ended December 31, 2021. Software solutions cost of sales increased primarily due to an unfavorable sales mix, higher product development expense, higher sales volumes and a higher allocation of overhead costs. As a percentage of software solutions net sales, software solutions costs of sales increased 1.6%, primarily driven by an unfavorable sales mix, higher product development expense and a higher allocation of overhead costs.

Print and distribution cost of sales of $115.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $29.8 million, or 20.5%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Print and distribution cost of sales decreased primarily due to lower sales volumes, cost savings as a result of the consolidation of the print platform, a lower allocation of overhead costs and lower incentive compensation expense. As a percentage of print and distribution net sales, print and distribution cost of sales decreased 4.6%, primarily driven by cost savings as a result of the consolidation of the print platform, a lower allocation of overhead costs and lower incentive compensation expense.

SG&A expenses of $264.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $43.7 million, or 14.2%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. SG&A expenses decreased primarily due to lower selling expense as a result of a decrease in sales volumes, lower incentive compensation expense and a $5.4 million decrease in expense related to the LSC multiemployer pension plans obligation, partially offset by higher bad debt, marketing and consulting expenses. As a percentage of net sales, SG&A expenses increased from 31.0% for the year ended December 31, 2021 to 31.7% for the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily driven by lower sales volumes and higher bad debt, marketing and consulting expenses, partially offset by lower selling expense, lower incentive compensation expense and lower expense related to the LSC multiemployer pension plans obligation.

Depreciation and amortization of $46.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $6.0 million, or 14.9%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to higher software amortization expense.

Restructuring, impairment and other charges, net of $7.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $5.9 million, or 43.4%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. For the year ended December 31, 2022, these charges included $6.8 million of employee termination costs for approximately 130 employees. For the year ended December 31, 2021, these charges included impairment charges of $9.2 million, primarily related to the partial impairment of an investment in equity securities and the demolition of an office building, and $3.4 million of employee termination costs for approximately 175 employees.

Other operating loss, net of $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 included a $0.7 million loss on the sale of the EOL business. Other operating income, net of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 included a net gain on the sale of machinery and equipment from facilities being exited.

Income from operations of $145.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $74.3 million, or 33.9%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Income from operations decreased primarily due to lower capital markets transactional volumes, higher depreciation and amortization expense and higher bad debt and marketing expenses, partially offset by lower incentive compensation expense, lower selling expense as a result of the decrease in sales volumes, lower restructuring, impairment, and other charges, net and a $5.4 million decrease in expense related to the LSC multiemployer pension plans obligation.

Interest expense, net of $9.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $17.4 million, or 65.4%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Interest expense, net decreased primarily due to the prepayment of the Company's Notes during the fourth quarter of 2021 and a lower interest rate on the Term Loan A Facility, partially offset by a higher average Revolving Facility balance during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.

Investment and other income, net of $3.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $1.6 million, or 31.4%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to a decrease in net pension plan income, partially offset by an increase in earnings on equity investments.

The effective income tax rate was 26.4% for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 26.2% for the year ended December 31, 2021. The change in the effective income tax rate was primarily driven by decreased earnings in 2022, an increase in valuation allowances and an increase in non-deductible expenses, partially offset by favorable return to provision adjustments and income tax credits. Refer to Note 9, Income Taxes, to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

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Information by Segment

The following tables summarize net sales, income from operations, operating margin and certain items impacting comparability within each of the operating segments and Corporate.

Capital Markets – Software Solutions

nm – Not meaningful

Net sales of $180.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $0.8 million, or 0.4%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Net sales decreased primarily due to lower Venue and other compliance software solutions volumes, partially offset by higher ActiveDisclosure pricing and volumes.

Income from operations of $13.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $16.9 million, or 55.6%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to an unfavorable sales mix, an increase in depreciation and amortization, a higher allocation of overhead costs and higher product development costs, partially offset by lower selling expense, price increases and lower incentive compensation expense.

Operating margin decreased from 16.8% for the year ended December 31, 2021 to 7.5% for the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to an unfavorable sales mix, an increase in depreciation and amortization, a higher allocation of overhead costs and higher product development costs, partially offset by lower selling expense, price increases and lower incentive compensation expense.

Capital Markets – Compliance and Communications Management

nm – Not meaningful

Net sales of $410.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $151.2 million, or 26.9%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Net sales decreased primarily due to lower transactional volumes, partially offset by higher compliance volumes.

Income from operations of $131.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $111.2 million, or 45.8%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to lower transactional sales volumes, an unfavorable sales mix, higher bad debt and marketing expenses and a higher allocation of overhead costs, partially offset by lower selling expense as a result of the decrease in sales volume, lower incentive compensation expense, price increases and cost control initiatives.

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Operating margin decreased from 43.2% for the year ended December 31, 2021 to 32.0% for the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to an unfavorable sales mix, higher bad debt and marketing expenses and a higher allocation of overhead costs, partially offset by lower selling expense as a result of the decrease in sales volume, lower incentive compensation expense, price increases and cost control initiatives.

Investment Companies – Software Solutions

nm – Not meaningful

Net sales of $99.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $10.4 million, or 11.7%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Net sales increased primarily due to higher ArcPro, ArcReporting and ArcDigital volumes.

Income from operations of $21.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $13.0 million, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to higher sales volumes and lower incentive compensation expense, partially offset by higher product development costs.

Operating margin increased from 10.0% for the year ended December 31, 2021 to 22.0% for the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to higher sales volumes and lower incentive compensation expense, partially offset by higher product development costs.

Investment Companies – Compliance and Communications Management

nm – Not meaningful

Net sales of $143.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $18.1 million, or 11.2%, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Net sales decreased primarily due to lower print volumes as a result of the implementation of SEC Rules 30e-3 and 498A, which reduced print requirements.

Income from operations of $35.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $20.7 million, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to a favorable sales mix, a lower allocation of overhead costs, lower incentive compensation expense, cost savings as a result of the consolidation of the print platform and lower restructuring, impairment, and other charges, net.

Operating margin increased from 9.3% for the year ended December 31, 2021 to 24.8% for the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to a favorable sales mix, a lower allocation of overhead costs, lower incentive compensation expense, cost savings as a result of the consolidation of the print platform and lower restructuring, impairment, and other charges, net.

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Corporate

The following table summarizes unallocated operating expenses and certain items impacting comparability within the activities presented as Corporate:

Corporate operating expenses of $57.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $20.1 million as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to lower incentive compensation expense, lower restructuring, impairment, and other charges, net and the 2021 LSC multiemployer pension plans obligation expense, partially offset by a higher allocation of costs and higher legal expenses.

Non-GAAP Measures

The Company believes that certain non-GAAP measures, such as non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA (“Adjusted EBITDA”), provide useful information about the Company’s operating results and enhance the overall ability to assess the Company’s financial performance. The Company uses these measures, together with other measures of performance prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), to compare the relative performance of operations in planning, budgeting and reviewing the performance of its business. Adjusted EBITDA allows investors to make a more meaningful comparison between the Company’s core business operating results over different periods of time. The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA, when viewed with the Company’s results under GAAP and the accompanying reconciliations, provides useful information about the Company’s business without regard to potential distortions. By eliminating potential differences in results of operations between periods caused by factors such as historic cost and age of assets, restructuring, impairment and other charges, net, non-income tax, net, gain on equity investments, net as well as other items, as described below, the Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA can provide a useful additional basis for comparing the current performance of the underlying operations being evaluated.

Adjusted EBITDA is not presented in accordance with GAAP and has important limitations as an analytical tool. These measures should not be considered as a substitute for analysis of the Company’s results as reported under GAAP. In addition, these measures are defined differently by different companies and, accordingly, such measures may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures of other companies. In addition to the factors listed above, the following items are excluded from Adjusted EBITDA:

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A reconciliation of net earnings to Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 is presented in the following table:

Restructuring, impairment and other charges, net—The year ended December 31, 2022 included employee termination costs of $6.8 million. The year ended December 31, 2021 included employee termination costs of $3.4 million and impairment charges of $9.2 million, primarily related to a partial impairment of an investment in equity securities and the demolition of an office building. Refer to Note 6, Restructuring, Impairment and Other Charges, net, to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Share-based compensation expense—Included charges of $19.3 million and $19.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Accelerated rent expense—Included charges of $0.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 for the acceleration of rent expense associated with abandoned operating leases.

Loss on sale of a business—Included a loss of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 related to the disposition of the EOL business.

Disposition-related expenses—Included charges of $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 related to legal costs associated with the disposition of the EOL business.

Non-income tax, net—Included income of $0.9 million and $1.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, related to certain estimated non-income tax exposures previously accrued by the Company.

COVID-19 related recoveries—Included recoveries of $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 related to government subsidies, as described above, and recoveries of $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily related to insurance reimbursements of COVID-19 related expenses.

Gain on equity investments, net—Included net unrealized gains of $0.5 million and $0.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Refer to Note 1, Overview, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies, to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Gain on sale of long-lived assets, net—Included a gain of $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 from non-refundable deposits on agreements for the sale of land and a net gain of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily related to the sale of machinery and equipment from facilities being exited as a result of restructuring actions.

LSC multiemployer pension plans obligation—Included charges of $5.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 for the Company’s accrual related to the LSC MEPP Liabilities.

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Selected Financial Data

The following table includes the pre-tax and after-tax impact of certain Non-GAAP adjustments for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company believes it has sufficient liquidity to support its ongoing operations and to invest in future growth to create value for its investors. Cash on hand, operating cash flows and the Company’s Revolving Facility are the primary sources of liquidity and are expected to be used for, among other things, payment of interest and principal on the Company’s debt obligations, capital expenditures necessary to support productivity improvement and growth, acquisitions and completion of restructuring programs.

The Company maintains cash pooling structures that enable participating international locations to draw on the pools’ cash resources to meet local liquidity needs. Foreign cash balances may be loaned from certain cash pools to U.S. operating entities on a temporary basis in order to reduce the Company’s short-term borrowing costs or for other purposes. The Company has the ability to repatriate foreign cash, associated with foreign earnings previously subjected to U.S. tax, with minimal additional tax consequences. The Company maintains its assertion of indefinite reinvestment on all foreign earnings and other outside basis differences to indicate that the Company remains indefinitely reinvested in operations outside of the U.S., with the exception of the previously taxed foreign earnings already subject to U.S. tax. The Company repatriated excess cash at its foreign subsidiaries to the U.S. during the year ended December 31, 2021 and did not make cash repatriations during 2022 and 2020. The Company is evaluating whether to make any cash repatriations in the future.

On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) into law, which included enactment of a 15% corporate minimum tax effective in 2023 and imposes a 1% excise tax on share repurchases that occur after December 31, 2022. The Company currently does not expect the IRA to have a material impact on its financial results.

The Company currently expects capital expenditures to be approximately $60 million in 2023, as compared to $54.2 million in 2022. The increase in capital expenditures relates to investments in the Company's software portfolio.

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Cash and cash equivalents were $34.2 million at December 31, 2022, which included $4.2 million in the U.S. and $30.0 million at international locations.

The following describes the Company’s cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:

Cash Flows Provided By Operating Activities

Operating cash inflows and outflows are largely attributable to sales of the Company’s services and products as well as recurring expenditures for labor, rent, raw materials and other operating activities.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $150.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $180.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease in net cash provided by operating activities was primarily due to the unfavorable change in accrued liabilities and other and the decrease in net earnings, partially offset by favorable changes to accounts receivable, accounts payable and a decrease in income taxes and interest paid during the year ended December 31, 2022. Accrued liabilities and other decreased operating cash flows by $53.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to a $36.6 million increase in operating cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to higher incentive compensation and sales commission payments in 2022 and lower incentive compensation and sales commission accruals in 2022 compared to 2021. Accounts receivable increased operating cash flows by $24.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to a $28.8 million decrease for the year ended December 31, 2022, due to the decline in revenue. Accounts payable increased operating cash flows by $12.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to decreasing operating cash flows by $19.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, due to timing of supplier payments. The Company's income tax payments decreased by $26.6 million to $38.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 from $65.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the decrease in pre-tax earnings for the year ended December 31, 2022. The Company's interest payments decreased to $7.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 from $21.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the Company's prepayment of its 8.25% Senior Notes Due 2024 (the “Notes”) in 2021.