Citizens Financial : Bank Announces $60,000 in Contributions to Organizations in Connecticut through the Helping Manage Money Initiative

04/12/2017

HARTFORD, Conn. -- As part of its ongoing commitment to give consumers the confidence and tools they need to be fiscally healthy, Citizens Bank announced today that six nonprofit organizations in Connecticut will receive $60,000 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 newFinancial Fundamentalshub 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 itsFacebook pagethroughout 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 Lisa Maass, president, Citizens Bank, Connecticut. '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 education and helping us to improve the financial security of the clients we serve,' said Jim Horan of the Connecticut Association for Human Services. 'We will use these funds to support our Connecticut Money School workshops and 1:1 coaching, which are implemented by trained volunteer instructors from Citizens Bank and others, in partnership with more than 100 community-based organizations throughout the state.'

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 a demonstration to incorporate sustainability in their program plans.

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

• Community Economic Development Fund Foundation Inc. - to support low-to-moderate income small business owners in achieving financial self-sufficiency.
• Connecticut Association for Human Services - to support Building Financial Capability, a financial literacy program for adults and young people ages 16-24.
• New Haven HomeOwnership Center - to support financial literacy programs that assist individuals in achieving sustainable homeownership.
• Mutual Housing Association of South Central Connecticut, Inc. - to support financial literacy and homeownership counseling programs to participants in New Haven, Fairfield, and New London counties.
• Junior Achievement of Southwest New England - to support financial literacy, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship programming to students in grades K-12 in Middlesex and New Haven counties.
• The WorkPlace - to support financial literacy workshops for Retail Career Academy participants in Fairfield County

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 $149.5 billion in assets as of December 31, 2016. 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 atwww.citizensbank.com.