National Bank presents its 2012 Social Responsibility Report

MONTREAL, March 6, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - National Bank is proud to publish its 2012 Social Responsibility Report, which provides an overview of its commitment to its clients, employees, the community and the environment.

The past year's highlights include a series of investments focused on the next generation and the economic and social development of the communities we serve. Here are a few examples:

• The Bank kept up its tradition of promoting tomorrow's entrepreneurs by committing to make a $10 million donation—the largest in its history—to Campus Montréal (which consists of HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal). The funds will go toward the creation of an entrepreneurship centre.
  
  
• Our commitment to investing in the next generation is now, more than ever, reflected in our donations and sponsorships program. We donated nearly $9.7 million to organizations in the areas we support. We also launched our "One for Youth" Program, which aims to help young people, from birth to adulthood, reach their full potential.
  
  
• National Bank continued to serve as a powerful economic driver for the benefit of clients, employees and shareholders by:
• granting $55 billion in debt financing to businesses across the country
• paying $1.9 billion in salaries and benefits to its nearly 20,000 employees as part of its competitive total compensation program
• spending $910 million on goods and services
• In 2012, National Bank continued with one of the largest technological overhauls ever undertaken in the Canadian banking industry, in addition to further improving its mobile and online banking solutions.
  
  
• We invested more than $25 million in optimizing our branch network, with 25 improvement initiatives carried out in 2012.
  
  
• We donated over $3.4 million to United Way/Centraide. This amount, which included a corporate donation, was raised by our employees and retired employees during a major Canada-wide campaign.

The Bank carried out numerous initiatives in 2012, and was once again named one of Canada's best employers. It earned a spot on such prestigious lists as the 50 Best Employers in Canada (Aon Hewitt) and the 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures in Canada^TM (Waterstone Human Capital). The Bank is also a recognized leader in terms of diversity, with more than 44% of senior management positions held by women.

National Bank also stood out for the efforts it made to reduce its environmental footprint. In 2012, our continued efforts on this front qualified us to become the first-ever recipient of a Carbon Care™ certificate from Enviro-access Inc., following a rigorous carbon audit.

More information on the many causes and projects National Bank supports as part of its commitment to the communities it serves can be found in our Social Responsibility Report. It is available on our website at www.nbc.ca/socialresponsibility, at commitment.nationalbank.ca, in our branches and via TelNat customer service (1-888-4-TelNat).

About National Bank of Canada
With $184 billion in assets as at January 31, 2013, National Bank of Canada (www.nbc.ca), together with its subsidiaries, forms one of Canada's leading integrated financial groups, and was named among the five strongest banks in the world by Bloomberg Markets. The Bank has close to 20,000 employees and is widely recognized as a top employer. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow the Bank's activities via social media and learn more about its extensive community involvement at clearfacts.ca and commitment.nationalbank.ca.

SOURCE: National Bank of Canada

(The telephone number provided below is for the exclusive use of journalists and other media representatives.):

Marie-Pierre Jodoin
Senior Advisor - Public Affairs
National Bank
Tel.: [phone]