Regions
Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF) on Friday announced the release of
its 2013
Social Responsibility Report.
The report, titled “Doing More,” reflects the commitment Regions has
made to serving customers and communities through more than banking
transactions. “Doing More” is about building stronger relationships,
building stronger communities, supporting causes that are making a
positive difference, and creating sustainable economic development.
“We make business decisions that allow us to do well by doing good,”
said Grayson Hall, president, chairman and chief executive officer of
Regions Financial Corporation. “It’s about creating shared value for all
our stakeholders – customers, associates, communities, and shareholders.
I’m proud of the stories in this report that illustrate how our
customers and associates are working together to make life better for
others. Their personal interests and how they use their collective
talents and expertise to improve the quality of life in our communities
push us all to do more, to do better.”
Examples of Regions “Doing More,” highlighted in the report, include:
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Investing in our Hometowns:
“Where other banks said no, Regions saw our progress and gave us the
opportunity,” said Dr. Kelli Joseph, superintendent of the St. Helena
Parish School District in Louisiana.
A few years ago, Dr. Joseph was given the challenge of turning around
the failing school district. Not long before that, LaSundra Pitts was
given the opportunity to manage a Regions Bank branch in the nearby town
of Amite. The two began a business relationship that has helped the
school district and its students both financially and academically –
while helping Regions invest in the community and serve more people.
“Doing More” describes how Pitts started teaching financial education to
students, she participated in career days, and she encouraged students
to enter Regions’ Riding Forward Scholarship Contest. Dr. Joseph started
implementing reforms and turning around the school district’s deficit.
The system moved its banking relationship to Regions, and in May of
2013, Regions approved a $3.54 million loan to help repair and improve
physical structures within the school district.
“This truly has been, and continues to be, an experience where shared
values work to make life better for our customers, our community, and
our bank,” said Pitts – who, herself, was a student at St. Helena
Central High School and is now giving back to her hometown.
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Supporting Affordable Housing:
“I’ve just always loved old buildings – the character they have,” said
Joe Whitsett. “A lot of them have been torn down, but the ones that are
left are great.”
Whitsett’s love of historic structures, his commitment to diversity, and
his expertise in affordable housing finance laws inspired him and his
son to found TWG Development, LLC. Based in Indianapolis, the company
specializes in redeveloping vacant buildings into quality affordable
housing.
In 2010, associates from the Regions Affordable Housing segment began
meeting with Joe. The discussions ultimately led to Regions securing a
$1.8 million equity investment for one of TWG’s latest projects –
turning the old Litho Press building into the new 800 North Capitol
Apartments. The property renovation was completed in December of 2013,
featuring a mix of affordable units and market-rate units.
“These buildings represent community treasures that were once sources of
local pride,” said Anne Bridges, affordable housing portfolio manager
for Regions. “Now, in part through our financial commitments, they are
once again becoming icons in our communities.”
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Celebrating 50 Years Forward:
“People often see Birmingham as black and white,” said former U.S.
Attorney Doug Jones. “But we are a city of full, living color.”
In 2001, Jones successfully prosecuted members of the Ku Klux Klan who
were responsible for the fatal 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th
Street Baptist Church. In 2013, Jones gathered at Regions’ headquarters,
just a few blocks from the church, with former U.S. Secretary of State
Dr. Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, and retired U.S.
District Judge U.W. Clemon. Together, they participated in a compelling
panel discussion and commemoration of the Civil Rights Movement.
The televised discussion was part of “50 Years Forward,” a series of
commemorations dedicated to observing how far our country has come in
the five decades since the pivotal events of 1963. Titled “Beyond
Suffering and Suffrage: The Past, Present and Future of International
Civil and Human Rights,” the discussion also focused on the challenges
that remain in terms of human and civil rights.
“As a corporate partner headquartered in a city that played such a
pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, we felt being a part of the
efforts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that movement
was the right thing to do,” said Lajuana Bradford, head of Regions
Corporate Social Responsibility.
The discussion can be viewed in its entirety on the 50
Years Forward page on the Regions Financial website.
Additional stories in “Doing More” include how Regions is helping
survivors of domestic abuse recover and rebuild their lives, how Regions
is supporting services for veterans who have returned home from war with
post-traumatic stress disorder, and how Regions is supporting the
expansion of an organization that connects major restaurant chains with
hunger relief agencies.
Further, in 2013, Regions supported more than 8,000 organizations across
the 16 states served by Regions through grants, donations, charitable
contributions, and sponsorships. Regions associates also participated in
“Share the Good” initiatives, joining community service activities
ranging from Habitat for Humanity building projects to food drives,
financial education classes, random acts of kindness and hundreds of
other events.
The complete “Doing More” 2013 Social Responsibility Report is available
on the Regions Financial web site at www.regions.com/socialresponsibility.
About Regions Financial Corporation
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $117 billion in assets, is
a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest
full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth
management, mortgage, and insurance products and services. Regions
serves customers in 16 states across the South, Midwest and Texas, and
through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,700
banking offices and 2,000 ATMs. Additional information about Regions and
its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.
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