Meeting real needs with concrete solutions. - Investor Relations ...

In 2011, we started to pool the activities at our various locations in
an umbrella programme known as “Wir für die Region”. The objective
is to burnish our reputation in the area and to encourage our
employees to identify with the Bank. The programme is based on a
project launched by employees in our Nuremberg branch, linking
the sale of special design ec cards with donations and employee
volunteering. In Nuremberg, two euros from the proceeds on every
card sold goes to Lebenshilfe, a local city-wide charity, where HVB
employees can also do voluntary work with the handicapped during
their spare time. In 2011, 352 HVB employees in Nuremberg from
across all divisions did a total of more than a thousand hours of
voluntary work for Lebenshilfe. Nearly 60 further HVB branches now
collaborate with social organisations in their community along the
same lines.
Some 84 branches participated in our annual Christmas package
project last year, helping to make dreams of more than 3,500 socially
disadvantaged children come true.
Outlook: focus on business sustainability
As a responsible bank, we aim to operate sustainably again in 2012.
Our reputation management is a key element in our efforts to realise
this objective. The focus here is on creating awareness and implementing
special measures. Moving forward, we intend to put more
emphasis on the concept of business sustainability – integrating
sustainability in the business model. In terms of climate protection,
we aim to provide industry in general, and our corporate customers in
particularly, with competent advice as they turn from fossil to renewable
fuels. By financing energy-efficient future technologies, we are
also tapping important business potential. We will make our responsibility
towards our customers more visible and portray the resources
we are deploying to support them. We will strengthen the dialogue
with our stakeholders during 2012, notably with the relevant NGOs
and consumer protection organisations.
We aim to extend our social commitment in the communities during
2012. Newly devised programmes enable our employees to act as
mentors to disadvantaged young people or donate the cent amount in
their monthly net salary to a charitable organisation. We are expanding
our activities in the field of financial education by running our financial
workshops throughout Germany and maintaining our new financial
education portal www.euro.de.
New financial education portal on the internet
At the start of 2012, we rolled out a financial education portal
known as euro.de. The site is intended to impart basic knowledge
about various parts of the financial world to young people and
interested adults alike. The educational work this performs
represents an important part of our commitment to society at
large. The move aims to meet the needs of our customers for
factual information and create confidence.
The portal answers the most important questions that visitors
have about their own financial position in a way that is readily
comprehensible. Users can pick up relevant specialist information
in the sections on paying, investing, saving, loans and property.
The financial world section provides them with insights into things
like business policy correlations and the stock exchange. Clicking
on an interactive financial world map takes users on a journey
through the fascinating world of finance. HVB similarly conveys
fundamental financial knowledge on topics like investment, pensions
and property finance to customers and non-customers alike
at regional level. The free workshops are intended to improve
general understanding of financial issues among the public at
large.
HypoVereinsbank · 2011 Annual Report 27