Bread Financial

Ohio
Diversified Financials

Risk Level:

Rating - Caution
Medium Risk

Summary:

Bread Financial, formerly Alliance Data Systems, is a credit card services provider. Bread Financial has pledged to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies but has not canceled clients for their views or beliefs. The company does not have viewpoint protection for its employees. Bread Financial has advocated for the Equality Act and teaching kids about gender fluidity while forming corporate partnerships with a company that directly funds Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and other self-identified "progressive" organizations. For these reasons, Bread Financial receives a "Medium Risk" rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Under its former name Alliance Data Systems, Bread Financial received a score of 90% on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign (1). Among other requirements, this means the company has pledged to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies. There is no public instance of Bread Financial having publicly terminated a business relationship due to political or religious differences.

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Bread Financial prohibits giving to groups that do not align with the company’s DEI policy. Additionally, Bread Financial does not allow matching donations to religious groups, except for the non-sectarian aspects of those organizations (1). 

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Bread Financial’s Code of Ethics does not protect employees from political viewpoint discrimination (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Listed as Alliance Data Systems, Bread Financial is a member of the Business Coalition for the Equality Act (1). Bread Financial also ascribes to ESG goals and governance (2). Bread Financial’s predecessor, Alliance Data, has partnered with LGBTQ Youth Centers to teach children about theories of gender fluidity and sexuality using “The Gender Unicorn” (3).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

In 2013, Alliance Data agreed to partner with CREDO, an explicitly ideological long-distance phone services provider that has donated upwards of $75 million to the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and hundreds of other left-wing organizations (1). Bread Financial has not made ideological donations or partnered with ideological partners since then.

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Bread Financial (Alliance Data Systems) has not used its contributions in an ideological manner (1)(2). 

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 24, 2023

Company reports are intended for educational use only. Full Disclaimer

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