National Bank Presents its 2013 Social Responsibility Report

MONTREAL, March 11, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - National Bank is very proud to publish its 2013 Social Responsibility Report. Once again this year the Bank is presenting a very strong balance sheet regarding its commitments to its clients, employees, the community and the environment. Here are a few examples of its achievements:

• The Bank kicked off 2013 with the announcement of the largest donation in its history: $10 million to Campus Montréal (HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal). The funds were used to create the National Bank | HEC Montréal Institute for Entrepreneurship, a centre dedicated to supporting business start-ups and relaunches.
  
  
• In addition, our commitment to investing in the next generation is now, more than ever, reflected in our One for Youth program. The approach of this program illustrates how inventive and hands-on the Bank's charitable efforts are. In order to effectively align our community involvement with local needs, the Bank set up 12 regional committees across Canada. The committees selected 104 inspiring youth-related projects—out of more than 1,600 applications—that will share $1 million.
  
  
• Thanks to our youth program and various key projects to promote entrepreneurship, diversity and culture, the Bank received the Outstanding Enterprise of the Year in Philanthropy award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals¹.
  
  
• The Bank continued to make targeted improvements in 2013, most notably to its electronic and mobile banking services for its 2.4 million clients. These efforts were recognized by Surviscor, which awarded the Bank its top ranking for mobile banking services in Canada.
  
  
• The Bank's ability to become a client experience leader ultimately hinges on the work of its close to 20,000 employees and its long-standing culture of collaboration, accountability and performance. All these factors contribute to maintaining a mobilizing work climate, as confirmed by our positioning among Canada's best employers for a ninth year.
  
  
• Lastly, the Bank has continued to implement various eco-friendly measures, such as the reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions, the alignment of its design standards with LEED certification standards and its carbon management, which earned it the Carbon Care^TM certification from Enviro-access.

More information on the many causes and projects National Bank supports as part of its commitment to the communities it serves can be found in our Social Responsibility Report. It is available on our website at www.nbc.ca/socialresponsibility, at commitment.nationalbank.ca, in our branches and via TelNat customer service (1-888-4-TelNat).

About National Bank of Canada
With $195 billion in assets as at January 31, 2014, National Bank of Canada (www.nbc.ca) together with its subsidiaries, forms one of Canada's leading integrated financial groups, and has been named among the 20 strongest banks in the world by Bloomberg Markets magazine. The Bank has close to 20,000 employees and is widely recognized as a top employer. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow the Bank's activities via social media and learn more about its extensive community involvement at clearfacts.ca and commitment.nationalbank.ca.

____________________________
¹ Quebec Chapter, over 250 employees category

SOURCE National Bank of Canada