Leadership and Governance

• Annual evaluations of the Board, its committees, and individual directors conducted by the Governance and Nominating Committee.

• Corporate Governance Guidelines are in place for all directors (available on our website under Investor Relations).

• Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging policies are in place as components of our Insider Trading Policy.

• Executive Session Facilitator is an independent director, annually recommended by the Governance and Nominating Committee and elected by the Board of Directors.

• Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer are separate positions.

• The oversight of environmental, social, and governance sustainability matters are the responsibility of the Governance and Nominating Committee.

The Role of the Board and Executive Management

• Board oversight of risk management practices — responsible for definition, structure, implementation, and coordination of the Bank’s risk management plan.

• The Bank’s Chief Risk Officer is a member of the Enterprise Excellence Committee (EEC) and the Enterprise Risk Management Committee (ERMC), which provide high-level attention and coordination to the risk management process, policies, procedures, and routine risk mitigation oversight.

• The Board reviews and discusses the Enterprise-Wide Risk Assessment on a quarterly basis.

• The Bank regularly consults with its independent audit firm, legal counsel, investment banking firms, and regulators to anticipate emerging risks and mitigate future threats. 

When done right, our Company’s strategies are reflected in our bottom-line success for all our stakeholders. The history of our ability to grow our position in innovative ways, while remaining strong, secure, and profitable, speaks to our commitment to uphold our values and leverage our talented and experienced team to ensure the Company is sustainable and strong, far into the future. We define sustainability as the leveraging of combined abilities to ensure our ongoing impact on people and the environment, and our success is always focused on upholding long-lasting, positive results. 

Communication Is Key 
Mercantile is a relationship-centered bank and believes it is essential to have open communication with our constituents. Regular communication (email, social media posts, online banking messaging, branch signage, website) is provided to our customers covering important and relevant topics such as financial wellness tips, how to avoid fraud, and other helpful messages relating to free products and services for our customers to leverage (Greenlight, Turbo Tax discounts, Credit Check app, and more). 

Enterprise Excellence Committee
Our Enterprise Excellence Committee (EEC) meets on a quarterly basis and supports our ongoing commitment to environmental, health, safety, corporate social responsibility, corporate governance, sustainability, and other matters relevant to our organization.