Forward Together

Together, we make a Difference.

HTLF is committed to enriching lives one customer, employee and community at a time. We believe our continued growth and the growth of the communities we serve is guided by our values of integrity, accountability, community and excellence.

COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

Achieving a more sustainable future means helping solve problems and delivering solutions. It also means being an outstanding partner with our customers and communities. These priorities inspire us to nurture and develop diverse talent and build trust through collaboration. Our work both inside and outside HTLF continues to focus on our strategic partnerships. By shining a light on our progress and where we can improve, we become better equipped to take action.

HTLF partnered with One Tree Planted, a non-profit organization focused on reforestation and conservation. HTLF planted one tree for every HTLF and bank employee in honor of National Arbor Day. The trees were planted in areas of  our geographic footprint impacted by devastating forest fires. 
Planting trees in our western markets is just one way we demonstrate the importance of corporate social responsibility and our commitment to sustainability.

Other sustainability efforts include LEED Certified buildings, solar panels, converting  to LED lighting and decreasing paper printing volumes by 48 percent since 2019.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION (DEI)

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is the right thing to do, and we also believe it leads to a more positive culture, higher-performing teams and delivering better products and services. HTLF is two years into our DEI journey and made significant accomplishments in 2022 related to recruiting and developing diverse talent.
The HTLF Board of Directors has evolved its diversity efforts to include talented individuals with experiences that help evolve HTLF and the banking industry.  Recent directors added to the board came from a diverse group of candidates and enhanced gender and minority representation on the board.

In 2022, HTLF published its first DEI annual report, summarizing HTLF’s diversity statistics and helping identify areas of opportunity so we can continue to evolve on our DEI journey. 
Three employee business resource groups (EBRGs) launched. EBRGs are voluntary, employee-led networks based on shared characteristics or backgrounds formed around a common, yet traditionally underrepresented, social identity. These groups are open to all employees and promote a more diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to succeed. The three groups include LIFT – Powered by the Women of HTLF, Multicultural Champions and Veterans & Friends. These groups are comprised of more than 175 founding members combined.

HTLF seeks to improve the diversity among management and leadership. The creation of EBRGs provides new leadership and networking opportunities as well as professional development exposure for internal candidates.

Employee engagement remains an important part of our efforts and is cultivated with a quarterly speaker series and new DEI online training courses.

SERVING COMMUNITIES

HTLF employees have invested their time and talents in the communities we serve with more than 12,000 volunteer hours and charitable giving exceeding  $800,000. CRA hosted and attended events totaling more than 2,900 hours and over $200 million dedicated to CRA investments directly related to developing our communities.

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) are mission-driven organizations providing financing for underserved communities and populations. CDFI funds are certified by the U.S. Department of Treasury and are eligible to receive federal funding  matching the amount and terms of locally raised capital, so local dollars can be leveraged to generate additional funding for our communities. Illinois Bank & Trust is the lead bank on a CDFI  fund, the only one in Rockford, Illinois, and has committed $250,000.

EMPLOYEE FOCUS

The health and wellness of our employees remain a primary focus. The pandemic was hard on many employees and their families, and the impacts are still being felt.  Mental health care is an ongoing need, and to aid our employees and their dependents we’ve increased free access to counseling sessions.   HTLF has increased our remote workforce using technology. Remote work has allowed us to expand our talent pool across the U.S., employing people in 42 states. Remote work is also a talent retention tool and demonstrates our flexibility as an employer. 24 percent of employees are fully remote while 22 percent work on a hybrid basis. We have found  that overall productivity has increased with our remote workforce.

HTLF is enhancing our employee benefits in 2023, including:

• Increasing the 401k matching contribution from 3 percent to 5 percent
• Introducing a $2,000 scholarship for children of eligible employees
• Introducing a matching contribution for eligible charitable organizations ranging from $50 up to $2,500

We are driven to deliver Strength, Insight, and Growth to our customers, community, employees  and shareholders.