South Plains Financial, Inc. Publishes Inaugural ESG Highlights Report

LUBBOCK, Texas, Feb. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- South Plains Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPFI) (“South Plains” or the “Company”), the parent company of City Bank, today announced the release of the Company’s inaugural Environmental, Social & Governance (“ESG”) Highlights Report. This inaugural report is part of the Company’s commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen in each of the unique communities in which the Bank operates.

“At South Plains we're committed to upholding our Company's core values, which inspire us to do our best each day, as we strive to provide unrivaled customer service while fulfilling and exceeding our customers’ financial needs in each community we serve. We also recognize that we have a responsibility to support our local communities through service and support where South Plains has a long history of success,” commented Curtis Griffith, South Plains Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Today, I am very proud to launch our first ESG sustainability report which formalizes our engagement and strategy across a broad range of initiatives. Importantly, we understand that this is a journey and are excited with the many ways ahead where we can make a positive impact.”

Highlights from the 2021 ESG Report:

• Reinforces ESG commitment by the Board and management.
• South Plains fosters an inclusive workplace.
• Made continual gains in workforce and board diversity as 43% percent of the Company’s board of directors are women or members of underrepresented communities.
• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, provided credit modifications to over 1,000 commercial customers, the majority of which were small businesses.
• Facilitated over 2,000 new Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, loans to date.
• Scaled digital services, with over 60% of customers receiving statements through eDelivery to ensure both customer and employee safety.
• Expanded the usage of renewable energy providers, which power branch operations.
  

Access to the 2021 ESG Highlights Report is available here.

About South Plains Financial, Inc.

South Plains is the bank holding company for City Bank, a Texas state-chartered bank headquartered in Lubbock, Texas.  City Bank is one of the largest independent banks in West Texas and has additional banking operations in the Dallas, El Paso, Greater Houston, the Permian Basin, and College Station Texas markets, and the Ruidoso and Eastern New Mexico markets. South Plains provides a wide range of commercial and consumer financial services to small and medium-sized businesses and individuals in its market areas. Its principal business activities include commercial and retail banking, along with insurance, investment, trust and mortgage services.  Please visit https://www.spfi.bank for more information.

Contact:	Mikella Newsom, Chief Risk Officer and Secretary
	investors@city.bank
	(866) 771-3347

Source: South Plains Financial, Inc.