04/27/2017

Citizens Bank Announces $112,000 in Contributions to Organizations in Greater Pittsburgh through the Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money Initiative

PITTSBURGH -- As part of its ongoing commitment to give consumers the confidence and tools they need to be fiscally healthy, Citizens Bank announced today that 10 nonprofit organizations in Greater Pittsburgh will receive $112,000 in contributions as part of the Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money financial literacy initiative.

 

Leveraging the financial expertise of its bankers and its partnerships with local nonprofits focused on financial education, the Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money program this year provides $1.4 million in contributions to 80 nonprofits and volunteer outreach by more than 400 trained Citizens colleagues to teach financial literacy in communities throughout the bank’s footprint.

 

Throughout the year, Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money is expected to improve the financial acumen of more than 260,000 Americans seeking a better understanding of financial topics ranging from the basics of checking accounts to the intricacies of household budgeting and long-term financial planning.

 

Citizens has launched a new Financial Fundamentals hub on its website (www.content.citizensbank.com/financialfundamentals) to provide consumers with information on budgeting and saving, home ownership, protecting identity, and more. The bank is also inviting those interested in learning more about money management to join a “Make It Count” challenge on its Facebook page throughout the month of April to learn and share tips about topics such as goal-setting, saving, and managing credit.

 

“We are helping our customers bank better by improving their financial literacy. Learning how to manage money is the first step individuals can take in achieving their financial goals,” said Mark Latterner, Citizens Bank Market President, Western Pennsylvania. “With Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money, we are providing resources to give our fellow citizens the confidence and tools they need to budget, save, invest, and be fiscally healthy.”

 

“We are grateful to Citizens Bank for investing in financial literacy and helping us improve the financial security of the clients we serve,” said Riverside Center for Innovation Executive Director Juan Garrett. “Funding from Citizens Bank will support financial literacy workshops for BizFIT, our construction entrepreneurial training classes. This critical program assists minority, woman, and veteran entrepreneurs with construction opportunities in the Pittsburgh region.”

 

Nonprofit organizations from across the bank’s 11-state footprint were chosen in a competitive application process based on their track record of success providing financial education programs, clear and measurable goals for the program, and the ability to incorporate sustainability in their program plans.

 

The funding recipients in Greater Pittsburgh and how the money will be used:

  • Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group – to stabilize and revitalize distressed and transitional neighborhoods of low-to-moderate income residents.
  • Mon Valley Initiative – to provide pre-purchase housing counseling to low-to-moderate income housing consumers as they work toward a home purchase.
  • Neighborhood Housing Services – to provide low-to-moderate income residents the skills and knowledge necessary to take control of their finances and build wealth.
  • Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh – to support Operation HOME, a first-time homebuyers program helping low-income residents make the transition from renter to homeowner.
  • East Liberty Development – to support the Circles anti-poverty program pairing low-income residents with higher-income "allies" to work on budgeting, asset growth, workforce, and educational priorities.
  • Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania – to support the JA Money 101 program giving individuals a basic understanding of money and good money habits.
  • Riverside Center for Innovation – to support the BizFIT program, assisting minority, woman, and veteran entrepreneurs in the construction industry.
  • ACTION-Housing – to support the Individual Development Account program to promote financial literacy for low-income individuals.
  • Hosanna House - to extend their existing financial literacy program to 250 students participating in summer programming.
  • Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center – to provide local families with instruction on credit counseling, student loans, and achieving financial stability.

Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money is part of the bank’s broader Citizens Helping Citizens program, which addresses four key areas: hunger, economic development, financial education and volunteerism.

For additional information on Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money, visit Citizens’ website. 

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $150.3 billion in assets as of March 31, 2017. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens helps its retail customers “bank better” with mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,200 ATMs and approximately 1,200 Citizens Bank branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Citizens also provides wealth management, mortgage lending, auto lending, student lending and commercial banking services in select markets nationwide. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers corporate, institutional and not-for-profit clients a full range of wholesale banking products and services including lending and deposits, capital markets, treasury services, foreign exchange and interest hedging, leasing and asset finance, specialty finance and trade finance.

Citizens operates through its subsidiaries Citizens Bank, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania as Citizens Bank, Citizens Commercial Banking and Citizens One. Additional information about Citizens and its full line of products and services can be found at www.citizensbank.com.