Wintrust - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Wintrust is Lower Risk.

Wintrust 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	Medium 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:

Wintrust has not publicly 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:

Wintrust 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:

Wintrust requires its employees to take unconscious bias training (1). Wintrust appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its Corporate Governance Guidelines: “Among the personal characteristics that should be considered for Board membership are…long-term availability and diversity, including age, gender, ethnicity and geography” (2). It is an affirmative action employer. “Wintrust, including its community banks and financial services subsidiaries, is committed to furthering the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) through Affirmative Action (AA)” (3). It does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (4).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Wintrust’s former CEO, Edward Wehmer, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace, strategize on DEI programs/initiatives with other signatories, and engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating DEI strategies (1)(2). It supports DEI within its business practices employing a DEI Officer (3). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its Business Unit Overview: “Diversity & Inclusion Business Unit Action Plans are constructed to align…effective efforts towards advancing diversity, equity & inclusion” (4). Otherwise, the company has not supported ideological causes or policies (5).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Wintrust has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1)(2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Wintrust does not operate a PAC or engage in lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).