Environmental, Social and Governance
Environmental, Social and Governance
Our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) areas of focus are organized around our associates, our communities, our clients and our shareholders.

$700,000+
donated by associates from their own pockets to local food banks since April 2020
$2MM+
in donations to charitable causes since 2020 by the Peoples Bank Foundation
“Satisfactory”
CRA rating for meeting the credit needs of our communities
55%
diverse in terms of gender or race/ethnicity on the Board of Directors
Governance Across Peoples Bank
Our Core Values: The PEBO Promise Circle
Our vision at Peoples is to be the Best Community Bank in America. We are committed to conducting our business in a way that ensures that Peoples will be around for many years to come. Our actions are guided by our core values represented by the Promise Circle, which embodies how we do business, and our never-ending pursuit of creating value for our employees (or as we also often refer to them, “our associates”), our communities, our clients and our shareholders. Being true to these core values in the decisions we make and in our business practices is essential to driving sustainable long-term growth.
The PEBO Promise Circle:
Clients First
Integrity Always
Respect for All
Commitment to Community
Lead the Way
Excellence in Everything
How We Support Our Associates
We are devoted to fostering the physical and mental well-being of our workforce and are proud to have been recognized by American Banker as one of the top
90 banks to work for in the United States in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. We provide a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that supports the health
and financial wellness of our people. Some common benefits offered to our associates include the following:
- Medical, dental and vision benefits for associates, spouse and dependents
- Flexible spending and health savings accounts for both healthcare and dependent care
- Wellness program with incentives for participants who meet certain criteria
- Company-paid life insurance for associates
- Short-term and long-term disability insurance for associates
- Paid parental leave
- 401(k) retirement savings program with company matching contributions of up to 6%
- Employee stock purchase program allowing for the purchase of Peoples common shares at a 15% discount
- Student loan pay down program that pays up to $200 per month towards the associate’s student loan
- Tuition assistance program for associates
- Scholarship program for children of our associates, for college, community college or trade school
- Associate hardship and disaster relief fund to provide financial support to associates in need
- Employee Assistance Program providing free counseling services
- Learn more about PEBO benefits
We are also committed to pay equity, and we regularly review our compensation model to ensure fair and inclusive pay practices across our businesses. Some
of our recent workforce investment highlights include establishing a company-wide minimum wage of $15 per hour and adding parental leave in 2022. We also
added two additional annual scholarships in 2023 – bringing the total to four annual scholarships offered to children of associates – with a focus on technical or
trade training for the two new scholarships. We provide educational offerings to colleagues believed to be suited for leadership roles within Peoples. We survey
our associates to gauge their satisfaction and to solicit feedback, and management thoroughly reviews the results. Management addresses issues raised by
surveys in a timely manner and provides regular progress updates as the survey results are used to continually improve the workplace for associates. In 2024,
we launched the “PEBO Closet” where associates can donate and take used clothing items. In addition, the Peoples Professional Development Associate
Program provides a unique opportunity for recent college graduates to immerse themselves in the financial industry and gain valuable real-world experience.
Our focus on the well-being of our associates and on having a first-class workplace resulted in Peoples being named one of U.S. News and World Report’s “Best
Companies to Work – Banking” and “Best Companies to Work for – Midwest” in their Best Companies Ratings for 2024-2025. Peoples was recognized by
Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Mental Wellbeing in 2024 and as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women in 2025. Peoples
has also been acknowledged in many of the geographical areas in its footprint, being named “Top Workplace” by The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com, its fifth
such award in the last six years. Peoples was also named a Top Workplace by the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati.com for 2024, the third time it received this
honor in the last four years. Peoples was recognized as a Top Workplace in Greater Louisville in 2024 by the Louisville Courier-Journal, and as a Top Workplace
2024 in Greater Columbus by Columbus CEO.
Diversity & Inclusion
We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for training, compensation, transfer, promotion and other aspects of employment for all qualified
applicants and associates without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or veteran status. A diverse and inclusive
workplace begins with our core value of “Respect for All” – treating all associates and clients with respect. Our goal is to attract, retain and develop a workforce
that is diverse in background, knowledge, skill and experience. As of December 31, 2024, women represented 71% of Peoples’ workforce.
How We Support Our Communities
At Peoples, we continually strive to use our knowledge, talents and resources to improve the quality of life in our communities. We are committed to making a
positive and meaningful difference in the neighborhoods where we work and live. Therefore, we measure success not only in financial terms, but also in our
ongoing actions such as fundraising efforts, educational sponsorship, community development, food drives, and partnerships with local universities. Our
charitable giving occurs in two distinct areas – financial contributions and volunteerism – both of which are of equal importance and emphasis within our
organization.
Financial Contributions
Peoples and our foundation, Peoples Bank Foundation, Inc. (the “Foundation”), collectively contributed over $2 million in 2024 in sponsorships and donations to
charitable causes and organizations within the communities we serve. Contributions were made in the areas of economic development, youth and education,
human services for low to moderate income individuals, arts and culture, and environmental stewardship. Specifically, the Foundation awarded over $750,000 in
grants and scholarships to non-profit organizations and local students in 2024. Peoples Bank also made several donations in 2024, including $250,000 to
Memorial Health Systems for a new Women and Children’s Hospital and fulfilling an annual pledge of $50,000 to Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery. The
Foundation also partnered with Washington State College of Ohio to open the “Peoples Bank Foundation Student Market” and made a $50,000 pledge toward
the project, with $25,000 being donated in 2024. Since 2020, we are extremely proud that our associates have donated over $700,000 of their personal funds to
local area food banks. In total, the Foundation awarded over 200 grants across eight states and Washington, D.C. in 2024. Since its inception in 2003, the
Foundation has awarded nearly $8 million in grants and scholarships.
We are proud to have been recognized by MasterCard in 2024 with the Financial Literacy & Education Community Institution Segment Award. This honor
reflects our commitment to empowering our community with the tools and knowledge needed to make informed financial decisions. This is the fourth time in five
years we have received an award from MasterCard for making a difference in the communities we serve.
Volunteerism
Peoples associates are encouraged to volunteer in their communities. We provide every associate with eight hours of paid time off to use for community service
each year. Peoples Bank is proud to be able to support many events and organizations across our footprint including youth sports and education programs, as
well as community development organizations. There are Peoples associates with backgrounds in residential lending on affordable housing non-profit boards of
directors in Cincinnati and Columbus, and there are Peoples associates serving as treasurers on local food banks and pantries that serve multiple states. Our
associates regularly volunteer their time with local United Way organizations and serve on boards of other local non-profit institutions. In 2022, 2023 and 2024 we partnered with Cristo Rey High School in Columbus, Ohio to provide internships to low-income high school students. Supporting our communities is core to our mission, and we will continue to partner with, and strengthen our relationships with, organizations that share our values.
Learn more about our Commitment to Communities
Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable Business Practices
We strive to operate our business in a sustainable manner and to be good stewards of the environment. With a view to increasing efficiency and reducing waste,
we are continuing to digitize manual back office and financial center functions. We also offer digital delivery of banking services and electronic bank statements
to reduce the amount of paper used in our business. In addition, we employ recycling collection bins for aluminum, plastic and paper, and we recycle toner
cartridges and electronic equipment. During branch renovations in 2024, we donated approximately 200 pieces of furniture to non-profit and other organizations
rather than sending these items to the landfill. We added solar panels to our branches in Jackson, Ohio and Brooksville, Kentucky, which are intended to
produce at least 90% of the average energy used at each branch, and we plan to install solar panels to additional branch locations in the future. We upgraded
parking lot lights from high energy to solar powered lights in four locations in 2024. In 2024, Peoples continued its purchase of renewable energy production for a
majority of its Ohio locations. Going forward, we will continue to focus on reducing paper usage through digitization, waste reduction and energy and resource
efficiency in our facilities.
How We Support Our Clients
One of our core values is Clients First. This means doing what is in the best interest and meets the needs of the client, and not pushing products. We are
committed to meeting the financial needs of those in the communities we serve, including all low and moderate income and minority areas within our
communities. We have consumer lending products such as our Dreams2Keys program, which helps borrowers in a low- to moderate-income census tract or
located in a majority-minority census tract gain homeownership. We offer many ways to avoid the maintenance fee on our checking and savings products.
Peoples Bank closed 461 small business loans totaling $60.9 million in 2024.
Meeting the needs of our clients also means providing excellent service and timely resolution of any issues or questions they raise. To that end, we established a
Client Experience position in 2023 to streamline customer complaint management and resolution and to drive the implementation of process improvements that
benefit clients. We also made a significant investment in 2023 and 2024 to implement customer relationship management software from Salesforce, which will
help us to better connect with and serve our clients. In addition, in early 2024, we created an internal call center to support our client-facing associates in
providing timely assistance to our clients.
In 2024, Peoples received many accolades for how we take care of our clients. The following are a few notable examples:
- Recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Regional Banks 2024
- Finished in the top 18% in the United States in terms of SBA 7(a) approved loans
Lastly, security of client information is always a top priority for Peoples, and we have established strong governance measures to protect the privacy and security
of client information to ensure compliance with all privacy and cybersecurity laws and regulations through physical, electronic and procedural safeguards. We
evaluate our cybersecurity readiness through internal reviews and external audits, as well as through regulatory oversight by the Federal Reserve Bank of
Cleveland and the Ohio Department of Commerce – Division of Financial Institutions.
How We Support Our Shareholders
We believe that strong governance and sustainability oversight is essential to providing long-term value for our shareholders. In 2024, our stock dividend yield
and stock payout ratio remained competitive as compared to our peers. We are committed to continuing practices that allow for this level of stock dividend.
Our corporate governance program provides a foundation for operating our business in a manner that is fair, ethical and responsible. Our Corporate Governance
Guidelines reflect our Board’s commitment to sound and effective governance and serve as a framework for the governance of our company. Our Code of Ethics outlines our principles that help each of us make the right decisions when conducting business.
Over 90% of our directors are independent, which allows for our Board to provide objective oversight of management performance and overall risk management.
Our Board is also diverse, with 55% of directors being diverse in terms of gender or race/ethnicity as of February 24, 2025. Our leadership structure consists of a
different person serving as each of the Chief Executive Officer and non-executive Chairman of the Board, with the Chairman of the Board being an independent
director. We believe this leadership structure allows the Board to provide effective oversight of management.
Peoples utilizes a comprehensive enterprise risk management framework to identify, assess, measure, monitor, report and control risks throughout the company,
including ESG related risks. The Risk Committee is comprised of all the independent directors of the Board, in addition to Peoples’ Chief Executive Officer
(“CEO”), and is responsible for oversight of our risk management processes. Our management level risk committee, which consists of senior leaders at Peoples
and reports directly to the Risk Committee, develops and recommends our risk appetite for approval by the Risk Committee, monitors key risk indicators and
assesses and monitors current and emerging risks. Peoples’ Chief Risk Officer oversees our enterprise risk management framework and reports directly to the
Risk Committee and administratively to our CEO.
We believe our compensation programs and philosophy are appropriately designed to reward performance, protect the interests of our shareholders, and
provide appropriate incentives to executive management, while not encouraging excessive risk taking. We believe that tying compensation to the results
achieved is vital to the long-term sustainability of Peoples.
For more info, including our latest investor presentation, quarterly earnings and dividends press releases, visit the Investor Relations site.




