Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)

Rating Overview

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is High Risk.

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is High Risk. The company yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. SVB embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

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

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

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:

SVB Financial has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs.

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

SVB Financial’s charitable matching gifts guidelines require that organizations abide by its nondiscrimination policy, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, thereby excluding some religious charities (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

SVB Financial does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (1). The company has mandatory unconscious bias training for all its employees (2).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Greg Becker, then CEO of SVB, signed a letter regarding racial injustice in support for BLM and NAACP (1). Prior to its downfall, the company supported ESG principles and reporting standards (2). As part of its ESG strategy, SVB supported DEI initiatives within the firm (100% of employees underwent DEI education) and the clients and suppliers it supported (3). The company supported multiple initiatives for LGBTQ+, Black, and Latinx entrepreneurs and investors (4). SVB disclosed 4 different ESG frameworks (5). The company had a goal of being carbon neutral by 2025, including 100% renewable energy (6). SVB’s CEO, Greg Becker, denounced various states’ legislative efforts to protect election integrity and security (7). The company’s CEO, Gregory Becker, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace (8)(9).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

SVB Financial Group donated over $73 million to Black Lives Matter and related causes (1)(2). The company, prior to its collapse in 2023, pledged $5 billion to ESG priorities (3). In 2021, SVB pledged $11.2 billion to a Community Benefits Plan as part of its ESG goals (4). Through a specific gift-matching program, the company has donated to the ACLU and the National Urban League (5). SVB’s health benefits packaged covered transgender reassignment surgery (6).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

SVB Financial Group has not used its PAC donations or lobbied for ideological purposes (1)(2)(3).