Corporate Governance, Ethics & Risk Management
As we grow, we know that strong corporate governance is important to our clients and stakeholders.
Accountability and transparency
We've built our bank on the trust and confidence our clients and stakeholders place in us. We consistently strive to demonstrate responsible banking. We're committed to identifying and managing risks and seeking opportunities to improve.
Independent Board of Directors
At the end of 2021, our Board consisted of 12 directors, of which 11 directors were independent. Our Board members bring a well-rounded variety of experiences, qualifications, skills, tenures and diversity.
- Board committees chaired by independent directors
- Majority are independent directors
- Annual election of directors
- Stock ownership guidelines for directors
- Annual Board and committee self-assessments
At the end of 2021, our Board consisted of 12 directors, of which 11 directors were independent. Our Board members bring a well-rounded variety of experiences, qualifications, skills, tenures and diversity.
- Board committees chaired by independent directors
- Majority are independent directors
- Annual election of directors
- Stock ownership guidelines for directors
- Annual Board and committee self-assessments
How we protect our clients
Ethics and whistleblower complaints
We hold all our employees to the highest ethical standards, formally defined by our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. The code covers:
- Conflicts of interest
- Adhering to confidentiality
- Compliance with laws
- Acting with integrity
- Anonymously reporting violators
Data privacy
We use technology and monitoring techniques, firewalls and other methods to secure customer data:
- Multifactor authentication for verifying a customer’s identity before granting online account access. We also use authentication methods not seen to assist us confirming your identity
- Encryption secures transactions and personal information online by using encryption protocols that convert the information into code that only we can read
- We train our employees on our stringent privacy policies so they all treat confidential information with the utmost care, meeting or exceeding federal and state mandates
Protecting privacy, preventing fraud
Confidentiality is key for your personal information. We utilize administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect your data. Pacific Western Bank maintains policies and procedures that address information security. Some of our security measures are:
- Required yearly training for all employees
- Technical safeguards to protect information and assets
- Cybersecurity monitoring by our information security team
- Physical asset protections
- Outreach to clients on alerts and safety measures
Emergency preparedness
We have an active business continuity and disaster recovery program. We test our programs regularly both internally and with outside experts. Our plan includes:
- Life safety
- Technological and process recovery
- Incident management
- Crisis communication
Risk management that matters
As a bank, we face various risks, including credit, interest rate and price, liquidity, operations, information technology, compliance, strategic risk, reputation, legal, human resources and capital. We manage risks through the following:
- Complete annual risk assessment
- Board oversight of risk management
- Four board risk management committees
- Our Chief Risk Officer
- Our Chief Audit officer
As a bank, we face various risks, including credit, interest rate and price, liquidity, operations, information technology, compliance, strategic risk, reputation, legal, human resources and capital. We manage risks through the following:
- Complete annual risk assessment
- Board oversight of risk management
- Four board risk management committees
- Our Chief Risk Officer
- Our Chief Audit officer
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