A Purpose-Driven Financial Services Company

Our approach to operating ethically and sustainably has always been core to our business and culture. Over the last decade we have taken deliberate steps to formalize our environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, measure our performance and report our progress with transparency.

Our ability to integrate sustainable business practices into our operations is critical to delivering long-term value to our clients, customers, associates and community. In order to meet increasing and changing expectations an enormous commitment is required by all companies, and we are well positioned to execute.

Governance

Integrate ESG issues into our overall governance, risk management, business strategy and priorities.

Ethics
38% Board gender diversity
25% Board racial/ethnic diversity
99.6% associates completing annual Code of Ethics training
84% associates that believe Bread Financial shows a commitment to ethical business decisions and conduct

Management Approach

Managing Our Business Responsibly

Managing our business responsibly is core to delivering sustainable financial performance as well as value to our stockholders, clients, associates and communities.

Corporate governance

We have a solid track record of sound corporate governance, with rigorously stress-tested processes, controls and comprehensive policies. Corporate governance at Bread Financial is designed to promote the diverse priorities and interests of all our stakeholders, strengthen Board and management accountability and foster responsible decision-making.

Our Board of Directors oversees and supports the implementation of responsible, stakeholder-centric practices consistent with the evolving governance environment, stakeholder expectations and the commitments we have made to them. Recognizing the importance of embedding environmental and social priorities within our business operations, in 2021, our executive leadership team and Board approved an enhanced and modernized ESG strategy intended to drive progress on initiatives that promote sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), and increased transparency in our disclosures.

Ethics & Integrity

Integrity, ethical decision-making and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations governing our business drive our global growth and long-term success. We know that the way to secure stakeholders' trust and foster long-term success is through our business conduct — by what we do, not just what we say.

Our comprehensive Code of Ethics outlines the values and principles we agree to embody, maintain and protect, and provides guidance to help us consistently make sound decisions and perform our duties ethically and responsibly. Every decision we make — and each of our daily actions — reflects our values, beliefs and behaviors. Individually and collectively, we are focused on driving business performance and protecting our reputation as a responsible and compliance-centric organization.

We also maintain supplementary codes of ethics for our Board of Directors and senior financial officers, which address additional standards and guidance applicable to their roles.

Risk management

Our approach to Enterprise Risk Management identifies and manages risks related to the achievement of strategic, financial, compliance and operational objectives.

Our key risks and mitigation strategies are documented, monitored and reviewed quarterly. The Company’s Board of Directors reviews management’s assessment of enterprise risk as well as risk mitigation strategies twice a year. The Board may request additional review should they deem it appropriate or necessary. These risks are also reviewed alongside our sustainability strategy and priorities to ensure alignment of key issues across functions company-wide.

Resources

Customers

Empower customers through inclusive, responsible access to a diverse mix of financial solutions.

Excellence
600 companies and online merchants that make up our partner base
14% faster than the industry average that Bread Financial customer calls are answered*
55% less time in queue Bread Financial customers spend than the industry average*

"Highly Satisfied" overall customer satisfaction score*

*As determined by Benchmark Portal

Management Approach

Customer Experience

Ensuring a positive customer experience is a business imperative. We strive to provide frictionless, seamless, secure and memorable experiences across all our financial products and services.

We consistently monitor and gather real-time customer insights and feedback across customer journeys to ensure our services reflect the exceptional standards we seek to attain. These insights are leveraged to better understand, anticipate and respond to the needs of both our customers and associates, which allows us to create personalized and effortless experiences across all channels. The cumulative impact of multiple touchpoints over the course of a customer's interaction with our organization generates a sense of value, ease and trust that inspires confidence and satisfaction with Bread Financial and the brands we represent.

Focused training programs are provided to our associates, and we strive to achieve the highest possible customer service standards in the industry. Our customer service performance is monitored through regular surveys we conduct with our customers.

Fair and Responsible Banking

As a leading provider of branded credit programs, fair and responsible lending is core to our cardmembers’ journey. We take great care and consideration to ensure our consumer credit application and underwriting processes are administered equitably. We are transparent and impartial in our lending practices and rely on our fully automated proprietary process to accurately analyze and issue credit based on unbiased statistical modeling criteria.

Our automated lending process undergoes routine scrutiny both internally and externally to verify its decision-making criteria. As part of this assessment, we employ a third-party firm to conduct an extensive annual review of our credit portfolio and evaluation metrics, screening for any evidence of unintentional bias or discrimination to further ensure fair and responsible lending protocols.

During the underwriting process, issuing credit responsibly also means taking care not to overburden cardmembers with credit limits that surpass their ability to repay. We apply advanced analytics and best-practice industry strategies to establish limits that provide the appropriate level of credit access and spending power while responsibly protecting the interests and needs of both cardmembers and our brand partners.

We have resources dedicated to continually examine and evaluate our models to ensure we maintain accurate and consistent credit thresholds.

FINANCIAL WELLNESS

Bread Financial is committed to fostering financial wellness through education and training, access to technology and other financial literacy tools needed to build a bright financial future for our customers, associates and community. These tools are critical for helping individuals make informed financial decisions that allow them to thrive financially.and achieve financial wellness.

As part of this commitment, in 2021, we established an internal work group to create a formalized financial wellness program in support of our broader ESG objectives and to benefit our stakeholders. This program initiative is being rolled outfurther defined throughout 2022 and beyond.

Data Protection & Privacy

Our tech-forward, customer-first business depends on the responsible use of data and the complex information technology systems we manage. Keeping data safe from cybersecurity risks, adhering to applicable state and federal privacy regulations, and applying sound data management practices are the foundational business tenets we live by every day.

Bread Financial utilizes and protects data in an ethical and secure manner. A primary objective in our commitment to maintaining secure systems and protecting the privacy of data is to provide transparency and clarity in our practices. As the data threat landscape continually changes and regulation becomes more complex, our layered approach to cybersecurity, data privacy and data management governance continuously evolves to protect our customers, partners and associates.

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Associates

Promote an inclusive, culture that empowers associates through opportunities to grow, develop and lead.

Associates
6,000+ global associates
60% total workforce gender diversity
43% Director and above gender diversity
78% favorable score in annual associate engagement survey

Management Approach

Associate Experience and Engagement

Delivering an exceptional experience for our customers relies on our ability to cultivate an engaging and rewarding experience for our associates – we are driven to enable our associates to be their best at Bread Financial.

To achieve this aspiration, we have evolved how we define and evaluate associate engagement over the past several years. We proactively measure and manage associates’ perspectives related to numerous, crucial elements of our culture, with a collective goal to enhance associates’ overall experience.

We have defined key areas of improvement that enable associates to feel more engaged. Optimizing the associate experience across these key areas leads to career confidence, employer advocacy and motivation, all of which have been shown to be correlated with high levels of associate engagement and retention. Associates’ perceptions related to these key areas are measured on at least a quarterly basis to ensure we are evolving, as needed, based on associate feedback and data.

Through our annual associate engagement survey and regular pulse surveys, we stay connected to how our associates are feeling and ensure our workplace works for our associates. Results from these surveys are used to:

  • Gauge the effectiveness of our work environment and identify opportunities for improvement
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of policies and programs
  • Create action plans to challenge the status quo and address priority issues
  • Develop post-survey communications to keep associates informed of results and progress

Growth and Development

Critical to our success, and the success of every associate, is creating equitable pathways for individual learning and development. Bread Financial offers a variety of online and on-site structured training, coaching, tuition reimbursement for external courses and on-the-job learning opportunities. We endeavor for every associate to have the tools and opportunity to grow within their current role, as well as help them find stretch opportunities to further advance in line with the long-term goals of the organization.

Associates receive formal feedback via mid-year and year-end reviews from their supervisor. We encourage all associates to have an Individual Development Plan to further guide their growth and development as defined career pathways and development opportunities set associates up for long-term success.

As part of our focus on increasing internal movement across the organization, we created the Opportunity Index, which measures the percentage of open roles filled by internal candidates, as well as promotion and lateral move rates. The goal of the Opportunity Index is to measure associate movement within the company and identify areas where we can better support our associates’ career growth.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We are at our best when we embrace the different backgrounds, viewpoints, ethnicities and talents of our associates. Our steadfast commitment to be a purpose-driven company is supported by the progress we have made across our diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts.

Over the past few years, we have renewed and accelerated our actions and activities in support of DE&I, and in 2020, our Chief Executive Officer initiated a formal process to elevate this commitment. In 2021, we appointed a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), hired a Vice President of DE&I and appointed a 13 member DE&I Council. This structure signified the establishment of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office, solidifying our dedication and focus to these efforts. The Council, comprising associates and leaders from cross-functional areas of the business, serves as a conduit to the CDO, representing the varied perspectives of their business functions, to foster a strong, inclusive feedback loop.

Our newly formalized DE&I strategy marks the first time we have clearly articulated what we seek to accomplish and how we will measure progress. Our strategic focus areas serve as the foundation of our holistic strategy and under each we have identified specific priorities, programs and metrics to support our progress.

Across Bread Financial, we promote an inclusive, engaged culture that empowers our associates through opportunities to learn and grow. Our associate-led Business Resource Groups (BRG) are focused on celebrating a distinct dimension of diversity. Through our “Power of Conscious Inclusion” training, all associates and leaders gain a better understanding of their own biases, the impact on those around them and how to better foster inclusion in the workplace. In 2022, we will continue to engage our associates and leaders in training sessions.

Associate Health and Well-being

We are committed to providing our associates with competitive total compensation, benefits and wellness resources. Our compensation model to ensure fair and inclusive pay practices and pay equity is reviewed regularly, and we provide a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that supports the physical and mental well-being of our workforce, including a focus on financial wellness.

In evaluating our total rewards for associates, we place emphasis on offerings that promote flexibility. Our “Workplace of the Future” Action Team is charged with providing ongoing recommendations for enhancements to schedule flexibility and work-life balance.

In addition, we have introduced the following benefits:

  • Recognizing that flexibility and work-life balance, though related, are not one and the same, we developed a Work at Home policy, giving qualified associates more flexibility in where they work.
  • Our new Paid Time Off and Flex Time Off policies give our associates even greater flexibility.
  • We added two paid holidays in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Presidents Day.
  • Our virtual benefits fairs give associates the freedom to explore our benefits on their own time to figure out what works best for them.

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Environment

Accelerate our actions and investments to address the impact of climate change while driving resource efficiency.

Community
159,924 MT CO2e total greenhouse gas emissions
144,864 GJ total energy consumed
15% electricity from renewable sources
85% electricity sourced from the grid

Management Approach

Environmental Strategy

We recognize the environment is under increasing strain, and it is imperative that we do our part to address the impact of climate change. We are committed to protecting and preserving our planet by adopting sustainable practices throughout our business, identifying and assessing financial and other risks associated with climate change and integrating low-carbon solutions into our product and service offerings.

With endorsement from our executive leadership team and Board of Directors, we are working to accelerate our actions and investments, drive resource efficiency within our operations and enhance transparency around our management process and progress.

Our commitment to environmental management includes measures to reduce the waste we send to landfills, cultivating a more sustainable supply chain and reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We are also continuously exploring and implementing solutions to boost efficiency, reduce resource consumption and limit waste.

In 2021, we refined our environmental strategy to reflect the advancement of our commitment to the planet in managing our climate-related risks. Our new environmental strategy includes a maturation timeline, roadmap and scorecard to ensure accountability in setting the right foundation for long-term progress.

Environmental Performance

Bread Financial made significant strides in advancing our environmental priorities in 2021. Our efforts were centered on reducing our carbon footprint and maximizing our resource efficiency by better understanding our impacts as well as executing our facility optimization and energy reduction strategies. Specific activities included:

  • Created a formalized Environmental Policy Statement
  • Created a process for donating devices at the end of their use to close the digital divide in our community
  • Hosted an annual electric vehicle (EV) education program and provided charging access at all major worksites

In 2021, we began laying the groundwork for establishing a new GHG emissions baseline in 2022 to better reflect our evolving business portfolio and real estate footprint. Our 2022 baseline will provide the basis for our ambition to set a science-based GHG emissions reduction target, which we intend to roll out as soon as 2023.

Resources

Communities

Make bold, strategic investments that empower our communities and create possibilities.

Environment
$5.5M total contributions
$1,021,000 matching gifts
7,000 volunteer hours
$160,000 Dollars for Doers contributions

Management Approach

Community Giving and Investment

Community-minded values have long been ingrained in our company and our culture. As Bread Financial, we continue our time-honored pursuit to advance initiatives that are good for society and good for our business – investing in programs that strengthen our communities, foster independence and create opportunities for our associates to engage through volunteerism and supported giving.

Our Purpose-Driven community investment priorities include:

  • Financial Wellness
  • Equity & Inclusion
  • Protect Our Planet
  • Associate Engagement

In 2021, we committed resources to support a wide range of organizations and programs – both local and national – that fulfilled our purpose-driven priorities. These investments were made with a focus on creating opportunities, fostering equity and inclusion, and supporting financial wellness in the communities we serve. In addition, we delivered on our commitment to low- to moderate-income (LMI) individuals and families through a number of investments and grants.

Associate Community Engagement

Our associates play a critical role in advancing our value to “Pay it Forward”. We match their donations, encourage their volunteer time and create opportunities for each and every associate to give back in their own way.

Examples of associate involvement include:

  • Giving Campaign: Through our annual giving campaign, associates can give to any eligible non-profit organization of their choosing and have their donation matched dollar-for-dollar by Bread Financial, with no cap on the match.
  • Operation Feed: This campaign supports local food banks in our associates’ communities. All donations made as part of Operation Feed are match eligible.
  • Dollars for Doers: This program allows associates to earn a $25 “charitable gift card” for each logged volunteer service hour outside of company volunteer time (up to $1,000 annually). These gift cards can then be donated to a nonprofit of each associate’s choosing.

Resources


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