Citizens Receives "Outstanding" Community Reinvestment Act Rating from the OCC

Citizens secures a fourth straight top CRA rating, backed by multi-billion dollar 2025 community investments and extensive volunteer engagement.

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Highest possible CRA rating reflects strong performance across Lending, Investment and Service Tests

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Citizens today announced that it has received an Outstanding rating, the highest possible rating under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) following its most recent CRA Performance Evaluation, marking the bank's fourth consecutive Outstanding CRA rating since becoming a public company in 2014.

The CRA evaluates how banks help meet the credit and community development needs of the communities they serve, including low- and moderate-income individuals and neighborhoods. Citizens received Outstanding ratings on each of the OCC's three major performance tests: Lending, Investment and Service. The rating provides independent recognition of the bank's efforts to expand access to affordable housing, support small businesses and invest in community development across its footprint.

"Receiving an Outstanding CRA rating reflects the commitment of our colleagues and community partners to helping expand access to economic opportunity across the communities we serve," said Bruce Van Saun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Citizens. "We remain focused on supporting our customers and communities through responsible lending, community investment and volunteer service that help strengthen local economies and create pathways for individuals and communities to reach their potential."

Throughout the evaluation period, Citizens demonstrated strong performance in meeting the credit and community development needs of low- and moderate-income individuals and neighborhoods across its footprint. Among the factors cited in the OCC's evaluation were:

• Outstanding performance in the bank's largest markets, including Boston, New York and Philadelphia
• An excellent level of qualified community development investments
• Leadership in community development lending supporting affordable housing, economic development and neighborhood revitalization
• Continued use of innovative and flexible lending products designed for low- and moderate-income borrowers

Citizens' commitment to fostering strong communities extends beyond the evaluation period. In 2025, the bank:

• Invested more than $2 billion in community development funding, including support for more than 8,000 affordable housing units
• Delivered more than $300 million in small business loans
• Contributed $20 million in philanthropic giving
• Logged more than 265,000 volunteer hours supporting more than 4,000 community organizations

The Outstanding rating underscores Citizens' broader commitment to creating stronger communities through investments, lending, volunteerism, and strategic partnerships that promote economic mobility and neighborhood revitalization across its footprint.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $233.8 billion in assets as of June 30, 2026. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail, private banking, wealth management and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,000 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. Consumer Banking includes Citizens Private Bank and Private Wealth, which integrate banking services and wealth management solutions to serve high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, as well as investors, entrepreneurs and businesses. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on X, LinkedIn or Facebook.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260915242679/en/

Laura Ruiz
(857) 384-8854
Laura.Ruiz@citizensbank.com

Source: Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Key Terms

community reinvestment act regulatory

A federal law that requires banks to help meet the credit needs of the neighborhoods where they operate, especially low- and moderate-income areas. It matters to investors because regulators grade banks on this performance like a report card, and those grades can influence approvals for mergers, regulatory scrutiny, reputational risk and future lending patterns—factors that affect a bank’s growth prospects and stock value.

cra performance evaluation regulatory

A CRA performance evaluation is a formal, public assessment by U.S. banking regulators of how well a bank meets the credit needs of its local communities under the Community Reinvestment Act. Like a report card from regulators, it looks at lending, investment, and service patterns and can affect a bank’s reputation, regulatory approvals, and growth plans—information investors use to gauge regulatory risk and community relations.