UMPQ Umpqua Holdings Corporation

Oregon's business community recognizes bank for 18^th consecutive year

PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: UMPQ), has been named Oregon's Most Admired Financial Services Company by business and community leaders for the 18^th consecutive year. Oregon's largest bank, Umpqua has received the Most Admired honor every year since the Portland Business Journal first introduced the award in 2005.

"It's a special honor to be named Oregon's Most Admired Financial Services Company by the outstanding leaders across our state. This recognition reflects our continued pursuit of excellence in all we do and our deep commitment to serving our communities at the highest possible level," said Umpqua CEO Cort O'Haver. "This award is a testament to the talent and integrity of Umpqua's nearly 4,000 associates, whose commitment to the people, businesses and communities we serve is unparalleled."

As part of its annual Most Admired program, the Portland Business Journal conducts a statewide poll of CEOs and top executives across the state to determine Oregon's Most Admired Companies in several industry categories. Those polled rank organizations based on criteria including community involvement, innovation, quality of management, quality of products and services, and branding and marketing.  

This year was a year of significant achievement for Umpqua Bank, including:

• Ranking #12 on Forbes' list of America's Best Banks based on an evaluation of growth, credit quality and the profitability of the 100 largest publicly traded banks in the U.S.
• Continuing to expand throughout the western U.S. with the entrance of the bank's middle market banking and commercial real estate divisions into Colorado.
• Launching its Small Business Empowerment Program to expand access to capital, resources, and expertise for minority and women entrepreneurs. Through strategic multi-year partnerships, Umpqua is working to remove barriers to key areas of business support, including access to technology, low-cost financing, and technical assistance and expertise.
• Deploying $1 million in 0% interest microloans by matching individual contributions 3:1 for nearly 200 women and BIPOC entrepreneurs through an innovative crowdfunding partnership with Kiva. More than 10,000 individual funders joined Umpqua to accelerate access to the capital these entrepreneurs need to start or grow their small business.
• Forging an innovative private-public partnership with the State of Washington to provide $15.5 million to the newly formed Small Business Flex Fund, which offers low-cost loans and support through community development financial institutions for minority-owned businesses.
• Umpqua's 2022 Business Barometer, an in-depth study into the mood, mindset, and strategic priorities of nearly 1,200 business leaders across the U.S., provided  valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities small and middle market companies face.
• Publishing its 2021 ESG Report, sharing the company's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies, activities, metrics and progress.
• Logging more than 20,000 volunteer hours in 2022 through the bank's Connect Volunteer Program. Connect provides Umpqua associates with 40 hours of paid time off to volunteer each year. Since the program launched in 2004, Umpqua associates have volunteered nearly 600,000 hours, representing a $13 million investment to support thousands of community nonprofits.
• Investing more than $3.5 million in support for nonprofits committed to improving their communities and increasing access and opportunity for micro and small businesses across the bank's footprint through the Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation.

Oregon's Most Admired Companies is an annual ranked listing and event held by the Portland Business Journal to recognize the region's leading organizations. To learn more visit www.bizjournals.com/portland.

Umpqua Bank, headquartered in Roseburg, Ore., is a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation and operates across Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Umpqua Bank has been recognized for its innovative customer experience and banking strategy by national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fast Company and CNBC. The company has been recognized for eight years in a row on FORTUNE magazine's list of the country's "100 Best Companies to Work For," and was recently named by The Portland Business Journal the Most Admired Financial Services Company in Oregon for the 18th consecutive year. In addition to its retail banking presence, Umpqua Bank also owns Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., a nationally recognized commercial finance company that provides equipment leases to businesses.

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SOURCE Umpqua Bank