Banner Bank Releases 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report

WALLA WALLA, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Banner Bank released its 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report. The report identifies ongoing practices and recent accomplishments creating long-term value and driving progress while staying deeply connected to the needs of all the company’s stakeholders. It includes examples in the areas of environmental risk and impact management, social responsibility and governance, including:

• Increasing our focus on continuous improvement, which assists us in identifying new opportunities that benefit our corporate responsibility strategy as well as our overall organization. As we move to the next stage of this strategy, we are building on a clearer understanding of our climate impact, the tools at our disposal, and how we can maintain a sustainable business strategy in the years ahead.
• Identifying new ways to engage our employees through the launch of a leadership development program and more focused support of internal mobility and career advancement. Tangible impacts on our business include a highly engaged workforce and low voluntary turnover rates.
• Financing additional projects that reduce housing insecurity as well as provide vital capital to businesses in the form of loans. This helps drive the economic engine of our local and regional economies, which is especially important during periods of change and market turbulence.
• Making strides integrating climate risk into our broader risk management framework. This is not just a recognition that the risk profile of our business is shifting— it’s fundamental to our ability to make responsible, long-term decisions and remain a trusted part of our communities.
• Continuing to evolve our strong governance structure, including refining our Generative AI policy to better facilitate innovation in day-to-day work while maintaining our security and risk management standards.

Additionally, the 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report includes disclosures prepared using the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards for the financial sector that we determined to be most relevant to our business, as well as a link to our full SASB report. Our Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) disclosures are also included in this year’s report.

“For 135 years, we’ve demonstrated our company can and does evolve to meet the changing needs of our clients and communities while staying true to our core values,” said Mark Grescovich, President and CEO of Banner Corporation and Banner Bank. “We believe our achievements outlined in this report demonstrate that doing the right thing remains good business and creates long-term value for all our stakeholders.“

To view the full report, please visit https://www.bannerbank.com/impact.

About the Company

Banner Corporation (NASDAQ: BANR) is a $16.2 billion bank holding company operating one commercial bank—Banner Bank—in four Western states through a network of branches offering a full range of deposit services and business, commercial real estate, construction, residential, agricultural and consumer loans. Visit Banner Bank at www.bannerbank.com.