Southside Bancshares - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Southside Bancshares is Lower Risk.

Southside Bancshares, Inc. is Lower Risk. The company does not yield to political activism in shaping corporate governance, preventing initiatives that potentially alienate consumers, divide employees, and harm shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Overall, the company does not embrace corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues. This approach protects free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Lower Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	Lower Risk
Funding	Lower Risk
Political Actions	No Data

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled 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:

Lower

Rationale:

Southside Bancshares has not canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Southside Bancshares does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Southside Bancshares appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its board composition. From its Corporate Governance Guidelines: “The composition of the Board should collectively encompass a broad range of sound judgment, character, business expertise, technical skills, diversity, and industry knowledge relevant and useful to the effective oversight of the Company’s business” (1). The company is an affirmative action employer. “Southside Bank takes affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability” (2). Southside Bancshares does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).