Item 1. Business

General Corporate Overview

The Charles Schwab Corporation (CSC), headquartered in San Francisco, California, was incorporated in 1986 and engages, through its subsidiaries (together referred to as the Company, and located in San Francisco except as indicated), in securities brokerage, banking, money management, and financial advisory services. At December 31, 2013, the Company had $2.25 trillion in client assets, 9.1 million active brokerage accounts(a), 1.3 million corporate retirement plan participants, and 916,000 banking accounts.

Significant business subsidiaries of CSC include:

· Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab), which was incorporated in 1971, is a securities broker-dealer with over 300 domestic branch offices in 45 states, as well as a branch in each of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and London, England, and serves clients in Hong Kong through one of CSC’s subsidiaries;

· Charles Schwab Bank (Schwab Bank), which commenced operations in 2003, is a federal savings bank located in Reno, Nevada; and

· Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM), which is the investment advisor for Schwab’s proprietary mutual funds, referred to as the Schwab Funds®, and Schwab’s exchange-traded funds, referred to as the Schwab ETFs™.

The Company provides financial services to individuals and institutional clients through two segments – Investor Services and Advisor Services. The Investor Services segment provides retail brokerage and banking services to individual investors, retirement plan services, and corporate brokerage services. The Advisor Services segment provides custodial, trading, and support services to independent investment advisors (IAs), and retirement business services to independent retirement plan advisors and recordkeepers whose plan assets are held at Schwab Bank. These services are further described in the segment discussion below. For financial information by segment for the three years ended December 31, 2013, see “Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – 23. Segment Information.”

As of December 31, 2013, the Company had full-time, part-time and temporary employees, and persons employed on a contract basis that represented the equivalent of about 13,800 full-time employees.

Business Acquisitions

On December 14, 2012, the Company acquired ThomasPartners, Inc., a growth and dividend income-focused asset management firm.

In September 2011, the Company acquired optionsXpress Holdings, Inc. (optionsXpress), an online brokerage firm primarily focused on equity options and futures. The optionsXpress® brokerage platform provides active investors and traders trading tools, analytics and education to execute a variety of investment strategies. optionsXpress, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of optionsXpress, is a securities broker-dealer.

In November 2010, the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Windward Investment Management, Inc., an investment advisory firm that managed diversified investment portfolios comprised primarily of exchange-traded fund securities. As a result of the acquisition, Windhaven Investment Management, Inc. (Windhaven®) was formed as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Schwab Holdings, Inc.

For additional information pertaining to the Company’s business acquisitions, see “Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – 24. Business Acquisitions.”

(a) Accounts with balances or activity within the preceding eight months.

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Business Strategy and Competitive Environment

The Company’s stated purpose is to champion every client’s goals with passion and integrity, believing the best long-term strategy is one that puts clients first. Because investing plays a fundamental role in building financial security, the Company strives to deliver a better investing experience for its clients – individual investors and the people and institutions who serve them – by disrupting longstanding industry practices on their behalf and providing superior service. The Company aims to offer a broad range of products and solutions to choose from, including relevant and actionable advice, with a focus on transparency and convenience. In addition, management works to leverage Company scale and resources, as well as expense discipline, to help keep costs low and ensure that client solutions are both affordable and responsive to needs.

The Company’s competition in serving individual investors includes a wide range of brokerage, wealth management, and asset management firms, as well as banks and trust companies. In serving these investors and competing for a growing percentage of the investable wealth in the U.S., the Company offers a multi-channel service delivery model, which includes online, mobile, telephonic, and branch capabilities. Under this model, the Company can offer personalized service at competitive prices while giving clients the choice of where, when, and how they do business with the Company. Schwab’s branches and regional telephone service centers are staffed with trained and experienced financial consultants (FCs) focused on building and sustaining client relationships. The Company offers the ability to meet client investing needs through a single ongoing point of contact, even as those needs change over time. In particular, management believes that the Company’s ability to provide those clients seeking help, guidance, or advice with an integrated, individually tailored solution – ranging from occasional consultations to an ongoing relationship with a Schwab FC or an IA – is a competitive strength compared to the more fragmented or limited offerings of other firms.

The Company’s online, mobile, and telephonic channels provide quick and efficient access to an extensive array of information, research, tools, trade execution, and administrative services, which clients can access according to their needs. For example, clients that trade more actively can use these channels to access highly competitive pricing, expert tools, and extensive service capabilities – including experienced, knowledgeable teams of trading specialists and integrated product offerings. Individuals investing for retirement through 401(k) plans can take advantage of the Company’s bundled offering of multiple investment choices, education, and third-party advice. Management also believes the Company is able to compete with the wide variety of financial services firms striving to attract individual client relationships by complementing these capabilities with the extensive array of investment, banking, and lending products and services described in the following section.

In the IA arena, the Company competes with institutional custodians, traditional and discount brokers, banks, investment advisory firms, and trust companies. Management believes that its Advisor Services segment can maintain its market leadership position primarily through the efforts of its expanded sales and support teams, which are dedicated to helping IAs grow, compete, and succeed in serving their clients. In addition to focusing on superior service, Advisor Services competes by utilizing technology to provide IAs with a highly-developed, scalable platform for administering their clients’ assets easily and efficiently. Advisor Services sponsors a variety of national, regional, and local events designed to help IAs identify and implement better ways to grow and manage their practices efficiently.

Another important aspect of the Company’s ability to compete is its ongoing focus on efficiency and productivity, as lower costs give the Company greater flexibility in its approach to pricing and investing for growth. Management believes that this flexibility remains important in light of the competitive environment, in which a number of competitors offer reduced online trading commission rates and low expense ratios on certain classes of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Additionally, the Company’s nationwide marketing effort is an important competitive tool because it reinforces the attributes of the Schwab® brand.

Products and Services

The Company offers a broad range of products to address individuals’ varying investment and financial needs. Examples of these product offerings include:

· Brokerage – an array of full-feature brokerage accounts; individual retirement accounts; retirement plans for small to large businesses; 529 college savings accounts; designated brokerage accounts; equity incentive plan accounts; and margin loans, as well as access to fixed income securities, equity and debt offerings, options, and futures;

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· Mutual funds – third-party mutual funds through Mutual Fund Marketplace®, including no-load mutual funds through the Mutual Fund OneSource® service, proprietary mutual funds from two fund families – Schwab Funds® and Laudus Funds®, other third-party mutual funds, and mutual fund trading and clearing services to broker-dealers;

· Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) – third-party and proprietary ETFs, including Schwab ETFs, Schwab ETF OneSource™, and separately managed portfolios of ETFs;

· Advice solutions – separately managed accounts, customized personal advice for tailored portfolios, and specialized planning and full-time portfolio management;

· Banking – checking accounts linked to brokerage accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, demand deposit accounts, first lien residential real estate mortgage loans (First Mortgages), home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), personal loans and entity lending collateralized by securities; and

· Trust – trust custody services, personal trust reporting services, and administrative trustee services.

These products, and the Company’s full array of investing services, are made available through its two segments – Investor Services and Advisor Services. The Company’s major sources of revenues are generated by both of the Company’s reportable segments. Revenue is attributable to a reportable segment based on which segment has the primary responsibility for serving the client. The accounting policies of the Company’s reportable segments are the same as those described in “Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.” For financial information related to the Company’s reportable segments, see “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Results of Operations – Segment Information,” and “Item 8 – Financial Statement and Supplementary Data – Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements – 23. Segment Information.”

Investor Services

Through the Investor Services segment, the Company provides retail brokerage and banking services to individual investors. The Company offers research, analytic tools, performance reports, market analysis, and educational material to all clients. Clients looking for more guidance have access to online portfolio planning tools, professional advice from Schwab’s portfolio consultants who can help develop an investment strategy and carry out investment and portfolio management decisions, as well as a range of fully delegated managed solutions that provide ongoing portfolio management.

Schwab strives to educate and assist clients in the development of investment plans. Educational tools include workshops, interactive courses, and online information about investing, from which Schwab does not earn revenue. Additionally, Schwab provides various internet-based research and analysis tools that are designed to help clients achieve better investment outcomes. As an example of such tools, Schwab Equity Ratings® is a quantitative model-based stock rating system that provides all clients with ratings on approximately 3,000 stocks, assigning each equity a single grade: A, B, C, D, or F. Schwab Equity Ratings International®, an international ranking methodology, covers approximately 4,000 stocks in 27 foreign equity markets.

Clients may need specific investment recommendations, either from time to time or on an ongoing basis. The Company provides clients seeking advice with customized solutions. The Company’s approach to advice is based on long-term investment strategies and guidance on portfolio diversification and asset allocation. This approach is designed to be offered consistently across all of Schwab’s delivery channels.

Schwab Private ClientTM features a personal advice relationship with a designated portfolio consultant, supported by a team of investment professionals who provide individualized service, a customized investment strategy developed in collaboration with the client, and ongoing guidance and execution.

For clients seeking a relationship in which investment decisions are fully delegated to a financial professional, the Company offers several alternatives. The Company provides investors access to professional investment management in a diversified account that is invested exclusively in either mutual funds or ETFs through the Schwab Managed PortfoliosTM and Windhaven, or equity securities through ThomasPartners® programs. The Company also refers investors who want to utilize a specific third-party money manager to direct a portion of their investment assets to the Schwab Managed Account program. In addition, clients who want the assistance of an independent professional in managing their financial affairs may be referred to IAs in the Schwab Advisor Network®. These IAs provide personalized portfolio management, financial planning, and wealth management solutions.

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To meet the specific needs of clients who trade actively, Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc. both offer integrated Web- and software-based trading platforms, which incorporate intelligent order routing technology, real-time market data, options trading, premium stock or futures research, and multi-channel access, as well as sophisticated account and trade management features, risk management tools, decision support tools, and dedicated personal support.

For clients wishing to invest in foreign equities, the Company offers a suite of global investing capabilities, including online access to certain foreign equity markets with the ability to trade in their local currencies. In addition, the Company serves both foreign investors and non-English-speaking U.S. clients who wish to trade or invest in U.S. dollar-based securities. In the U.S., the Company serves Chinese-, Spanish-, and Vietnamese-speaking clients through a combination of its branch offices and Web-based and telephonic services.

The Investor Services segment also includes the Retirement Plan Services, Corporate Brokerage Services, Stock Plan Services, and Compliance Solutions business units. Retirement Plan Services offers a bundled 401(k) retirement plan product that provides plan sponsors a wide array of investment options, trustee or custodial services, and participant-level recordkeeping. Plan design features, which increase plan efficiency and achieve employer goals, are also offered, such as automatic enrollment, automatic fund mapping at conversion, and automatic contribution increases. In 2012, the Company launched Schwab Index Advantage®, a unique 401(k) plan offer designed to lower costs, simplify investing and help workers better prepare for retirement. Services also include support for Roth 401(k) accounts and profit sharing and defined benefit plans. The Company provides a robust suite of tools to plan sponsors to manage their plans, including plan-specific reports, studies and research, access to legislative updates and benchmarking reports that provide perspective on their plan’s features compared with overall industry and segment-specific plans. Participants in bundled plans serviced by the Company receive targeted education materials, have access to electronic tools and resources, may attend onsite and virtual seminars, and can receive third-party advice delivered by Schwab. This third-party advice service is delivered online, by phone, or in person, including recommendations based on the core investment fund choices in their retirement plan and specific recommended savings rates.

Corporate Brokerage Services provides specialty brokerage-related services to corporate clients through its Corporate Brokerage Retirement Services business and mutual fund clearing services to banks, brokerage firms and trust companies, and also offers proprietary mutual funds, ETFs, collective trust funds, and investment management outside the Company to institutional channels. Corporate Brokerage Retirement Services serves independent recordkeepers seeking a custodian for retirement plan assets. Schwab provides custody services tailored for retirement plans seeking a low-cost solution. Plans held at Schwab are either self-trusteed or trusteed by a separate, independent trustee. Corporate Brokerage Retirement Services also offers the Schwab Personal Choice Retirement Account®, a self-directed brokerage offering for retirement plans and the Company Retirement Account, a brokerage account designed to hold the assets of an individually designed business retirement plan.

Stock Plan Services offers equity compensation plan sponsors full-service recordkeeping for stock plans: stock options, restricted stock, performance shares and stock appreciation rights. Specialized services for executive transactions and reporting, grant acceptance tracking and other services are offered to employers to meet the needs of administering the reporting and compliance aspects of an equity compensation plan.

Compliance Solutions provides solutions for compliance departments of regulated companies and firms with special requirements to monitor employee personal trading, including trade surveillance technology.

Advisor Services

Through the Advisor Services segment, the Company provides custodial, trading, and support services to IAs.

To attract and serve IAs, the Company has a dedicated sales force and service teams assigned to meet their needs. IAs who custody client accounts at Schwab may use proprietary software that provides them with up-to-date client account information, as well as trading capabilities. The Advisor Services website is the core platform for IAs to conduct daily business activities online with Schwab, including submitting and retrieving client account information and viewing news and market information. This platform provides IAs with a comprehensive suite of electronic and paper-based reporting capabilities. The Company offers online cashiering services, as well as internet-based eDocuments sites for both IAs and

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their clients that provide multi-year archiving of online statements, trade confirms and tax reports, along with document search capabilities.

To help IAs grow and manage their practices, the Company offers a variety of services, including marketing and business development, business strategy and planning, and transition support. Regulatory compliance consulting and support services are available, as well as website design and development capabilities. The Company maintains a website that provides interactive tools, educational content, and research reports to assist advisors thinking about establishing their own independent practices.

The Company offers an array of services to help advisors establish their own independent practices through the Business Start-up Solutions package. For some IAs this includes access to dedicated service teams and outsourcing of back-office operations, as well as third-party firms who provide assistance with real estate, errors and omissions insurance, and company benefits.

The Company offers a variety of educational materials and events to IAs seeking to expand their knowledge of industry issues and trends, as well as sharpen their individual expertise and practice management skills. The Company updates and shares market research on an ongoing basis, and it holds a series of events and conferences every year to discuss topics of interest to IAs, including business strategies and best practices. The Company sponsors the annual IMPACT® conference, which provides a national forum for the Company, IAs, and other industry participants to gather and share information and insights.

IAs and their clients have access to a broad range of the Company’s products and services, including individual securities, mutual funds, ETFs, managed accounts, and cash products.

The Advisor Services segment also includes the Retirement Business Services business unit. Retirement Business Services provides trust, custody, and retirement business services to independent retirement plan advisors and independent recordkeepers. Plan assets are held at the Business Trust division of Schwab Bank. The Company and independent retirement plan providers work together to serve plan sponsors, combining the consulting and administrative expertise of the administrator with the Company’s investment, technology, trust, and custodial services. Retirement Business Services also offers the Schwab Personal Choice Retirement Account® for retirement plans.

Regulation

CSC is a savings and loan holding company and Schwab Bank, CSC’s depository institution subsidiary, is a federal savings bank. CSC is subject to supervision and regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve). CSC is currently not subject to specific statutory capital requirements; however, CSC is required to serve as a source of strength for Schwab Bank. Under the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” (the Dodd-Frank Act), CSC will be subject to new minimum leverage and minimum risk-based capital ratio requirements that will be set by the Federal Reserve that are at least as stringent as the current requirements generally applicable to insured depository institutions. These requirements will be phased in beginning January 1, 2015. For further information, see “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Current Market and Regulatory Environment and Other Developments.”

Schwab Bank is subject to supervision and regulation by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), as well as various requirements and restrictions under federal and state laws, including regulatory capital guidelines. For additional information on the regulations applicable to CSC, Schwab, Schwab Bank, and optionsXpress, Inc., see “Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – 22. Regulatory Requirements.”

The securities industry in the United States is subject to extensive regulation under both federal and state laws. CSC’s principal U.S. broker-dealers are Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc. Schwab is registered as a broker-dealer with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the fifty states, and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. optionsXpress, Inc. is registered as a broker-dealer with the SEC, the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Schwab and CSIM are registered as investment advisors with the SEC. Additionally, Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc. are regulated by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) with respect to the commodity

THE CHARLES SCHWAB CORPORATION

futures and commodities trading activities they conduct as an introducing broker and futures commission merchant, respectively.

Much of the regulation of broker-dealers has been delegated to self-regulatory organizations (SROs). Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc. are members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA), the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), NYSE Arca, and the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE). optionsXpress, Inc. is also a member of other exchanges. The primary regulators of Schwab are FINRA and, for municipal securities, the MSRB. The primary regulators of optionsXpress, Inc. are FINRA, CBOE, and for municipal securities, the MSRB. The National Futures Association (NFA) is Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc.’s primary regulator for futures and commodities trading activities. The Company’s business is also subject to oversight by regulatory bodies in other countries in which the Company operates.

The principal purpose of regulating broker-dealers and investment advisors is the protection of clients and the securities markets. The regulations, to which broker-dealers and investment advisors are subject, cover all aspects of the securities business, including, among other things, sales and trading practices, publication of research, margin lending, uses and safekeeping of clients’ funds and securities, capital adequacy, recordkeeping and reporting, fee arrangements, disclosure to clients, fiduciary duties owed to advisory clients, and the conduct of directors, officers and employees.

Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc. are both subject to Rule 15c3-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Uniform Net Capital Rule) and related SRO requirements. The CFTC and NFA also impose net capital requirements. The Uniform Net Capital Rule specifies minimum capital requirements that are intended to ensure the general financial soundness and liquidity of broker-dealers. Because CSC itself is not a registered broker-dealer, it is not subject to the Uniform Net Capital Rule. However, if Schwab fails to maintain specified levels of net capital, such failure would constitute a default by CSC under debt covenants under CSC’s credit agreement.

The Uniform Net Capital Rule limits broker-dealers’ ability to transfer capital to parent companies and other affiliates. Compliance with the Uniform Net Capital Rule could limit Schwab’s operations and its ability to repay subordinated debt to CSC, which in turn could limit CSC’s ability to repay debt, pay cash dividends, and purchase shares of its outstanding stock.

In addition to net capital requirements, as self-clearing broker-dealers, Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc. are subject to cash deposit and collateral requirements with clearing houses, such as the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and Options Clearing Corporation, which may fluctuate significantly from time to time based upon the nature and size of clients’ trading activity.

Sources of Net Revenues

The Company’s major sources of net revenues are asset management and administration fees, net interest revenue, and trading revenue. The Company generates asset management and administration fees through its proprietary and third-party mutual fund offerings, as well as fee-based advisory solutions. Net interest revenue is the difference between interest earned on interest-earning assets and interest paid on funding sources. The Company generates trading revenue through commissions earned for executing trades for clients and principal transaction revenue primarily from trading activity in client fixed income securities.

For revenue information by source for the three years ended December 31, 2013, see “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Results of Operations – Net Revenues.”

Available Information

The Company files annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. The Company’s SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may read and copy any document that the Company files with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at1-800-SEC-0330.

On the Company’s website, http://www.aboutschwab.com, the Company posts the following recent filings as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC: the Company’s annual reports on

THE CHARLES SCHWAB CORPORATION

Form 10-K, the Company’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, the Company’s current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All such filings are available free of charge either on the Company’s website or by request via email (investor.relations@schwab.com), telephone (415-667-1959), or mail (Charles Schwab Investor Relations at 211 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94105).

SCHW - The Charles Schwab Corporation