08/04/2010

Citizens Financial Group tops Conceive magazine’s annual list of 50 Best Companies for Fertility and Adoption Benefits

Providence, R.I. (August 4, 2010) - For the third straight year, Citizens Financial Group, Inc. topped Conceive magazine’s annual “50 Best Companies” list, a showcase of employers who are leading the way in corporate America with their generous family-building benefits. Through its Adoption Assistance program, CFG offers colleagues up to $22,170 in financial support and one week paid leave for each adoption. In addition, Citizens offers a $100,000 lifetime cap for fertility treatment plus $100,000 for prescription drugs. This year, CFG shared top honors in Conceive’s ranking with Robins & Morton,
a family-run construction company in Birmingham, Ala.

Since Citizens began offering adoption assistance in 1996, 161 colleagues have adopted 180 children with the help of more than $1.5 million from the bank. 

“We are honored to be named to Conceive magazine’s list of best companies for fertility and adoption benefits,” said Ellen Alemany, Chairman and CEO, Citizens Financial Group. “Our Adoption Assistance program and fertility benefits have helped so many of our colleagues add to their families. We are committed to being one of the best places in the world to work and these programs are an extension of our dedication to providing benefits that have a meaningful impact to our colleagues.”

“Adopting our son James David was the happiest day of our lives,” said Amy O’Connor, Senior Administrative Assistant in the Commercial Real Estate Finance Division at Citizens Bank. “Due to the great expenses incurred with adoption, Citizens’ generous Adoption Assistance program helped to make our life-long dream of a family come true.”

“Companies like Citizens Financial Group are raising the bar on the fertility and adoption coverage being offered by U.S. employers,” said Beth Weinhouse, editorial director of Conceive. “We salute their commitment to their employees and their employees’ families.”

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the percentage of companies that include In Vitro Fertilization coverage has dropped from 28 percent in 2006 to 23 percent in 2009; and the percentage that offer adoption assistance has dropped from 22 percent in 2006 to only 10 percent in 2009. 

Released in the Summer 2010 issue of Conceive, and available on www.ConceiveOnline.com, the list highlights U.S. companies offering their employees the best benefits for starting or adding to their families. The rankings are based on the company’s fertility and adoption coverage, including benefits for assisted reproductive technology and in vitro fertilization, infertility prescription drugs, paid parental leave, and cash reimbursement towards adoption expenses.

For a complete list of Conceive’s “50 Best Companies” and the benefits they offer, visit www.ConceiveOnline.com.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is a $144 billion commercial bank holding company. It is headquartered in Providence, R.I., and, through its subsidiaries, has more than 1,500 branches, approximately 3,500 ATMs and approximately 22,700 employees. Its two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).

About Conceive
Conceive is the only media voice that educates and informs women as they negotiate a major turning point in their lives — the process of becoming parents. Through the quarterly Conceive magazine, ConceiveOnline.com, the Conceive On-Air radio show, books, and newsletters, the Conceive brand empowers women by providing them with the information they need to make the right family-building decisions for themselves. Conceive is part of Bonnier Corp.’s Parenting Group, publisher of Parenting and Babytalk magazines.