By Ethisphere Institute and US Bank

U.S. Bank announced today that it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as a 2015 World’s Most Ethical Company®. The World’s Most Ethical Companies designation recognizes those organizations that have had a material impact on the way business is conducted by fostering a culture of ethics and transparency at every level of the company.

“We are thrilled to be honored as a World’s Most Ethical Company®, which is a distinct recognition for a large U.S.-based banking company,” said Richard Davis, chairman, president and chief executive officer for U.S. Bank. “A strong financial performance and a strong commitment to ethical leadership and corporate behavior are the cornerstone of the U.S. Bank culture and purpose. We are proud to be bankers and to have the privilege to be trusted partners for our customers, communities and shareholders.”

Being an honoree underscores U.S. Bank’s commitment to leading ethical business standards and practices ensuring long-term value creation for key stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers, regulators and investors. U.S. Bank is the fifth largest commercial bank in the U.S. and the largest U.S.-based bank being honored by the Ethisphere Institute this year.

The World’s Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute’s Ethics Quotient™ (EQ) framework developed over years of research to provide a means to assess an organization’s performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics. The EQ framework and methodology is determined, vetted and refined by the expert advice and insights gleaned from Ethisphere’s network of thought leaders and from the World’s Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel.

Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%).

The full list of the 2015 World’s Most Ethical Companies can be found at http://ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical/wme-honorees/.