March 16, 2017, ST. LOUIS —The St. Louis Equal Housing and Community Reinvestment Alliance (SLEHCRA) and Enterprise Bank & Trust (Enterprise) have entered into a groundbreaking Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) designed as a catalyst to drive meaningful impact in local communities. Enterprise, in connection with its acquisition of Eagle Bank and Trust, is expanding on its commitment to lending and community development in low- and moderate-income communities. The collaboration between these two groups will substantially impact the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas through specific loan targets, service location openings, training, education, and community outreach.

Taken in total and combined with Enterprise’s historical performance in these specific areas, this CBA is valued at more than $1.8 billion in total investments into St. Louis and Kansas City area communities. Enterprise’s specific commitment includes:

• $30 million yearly lending goal for mortgages to both St. Louis’ and Kansas City’s Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) communities.
• $24 million yearly lending goal for mortgages to minority borrowers in St. Louis and Kansas City communities.
• Two service location openings in LMI census tracts.
• $180 million in small business loans to businesses and business owners located in LMI communities.
• Maintenance of at least 10 percent of the merged bank’s assets being used for community development lending.
• $120,000 in funding for both matched savings accounts and financial education throughout both the St. Louis and Kansas City area markets. Total value of these important community development and educational services is $240.000.
• $120,000 to marketing materials for underserved communities.

The agreement is structured to spur economic equity – to address the issues of access to homeownership, small business advancement, and deficient resources required to fuel financial power in these communities.

“By working together we are helping ensure that Low-to-Moderate Income communities and communities of color are receiving the access to credit that is necessary for families and individuals to build wealth, start small businesses and participate in the mainstream of the American economy,” said Jackie Hutchinson, SLEHCRA co-chair.

“We are extremely proud of the work that both SLEHCRA and Enterprise put into this meaningful agreement, which demonstrates a new trend in impact-oriented funding,” said Jim Lally, president Enterprise Financial Services Corp, the parent company of Enterprise. “We wanted to ensure this investment went beyond financial support for these communities to make a long-term impact for change for the communities we serve.”

View the Press Release here [PDF]

View the full Community Benefits Agreement here [PDF]

About SLEHCRA: The St. Louis Equal Housing and Community Reinvestment Alliance (SLEHCRA) is a coalition of non-profit and community organizations in the St. Louis metropolitan area. SLEHCRA works to increase investment in minority communities, regardless of income, and in low- and moderate-income communities, regardless of race, by ensuring that banks are meeting their obligations under the Community Reinvestment Act and fair lending laws. Additional information is available at www.slehcra.org.

About Enterprise: Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ: EFSC), with approximately $5 billion in assets, is a bank holding company headquartered in Clayton, Mo. Enterprise Bank & Trust operates 28 branch offices in the St. Louis, Kansas City and Phoenix metropolitan areas. EFSC offers a range of business and personal banking services, and wealth management services. Enterprise Trust, a division of Enterprise Bank & Trust, provides financial planning, estate planning, investment management, and trust services to businesses, individuals, institutions, retirement plans and non-profit organizations. Additional information is available at enterprisebank.com.

Forward-Looking Statements: Readers should note that, in addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and intended to be covered by, the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company’s plans, expectations, and projections of future financial and operating results, as well as statements regarding the Company’s plans, objectives, expectations or consequences of announced transactions (including the Company’s announced, pending merger with Jefferson County Bancshares, Inc.). The Company uses words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “could,” “continue,” “anticipate,” and “intend,” and variations of such words and similar expressions, in this communication to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated from such statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the Company’s ability to efficiently integrate acquisitions into its operations, retain the customers of these businesses and grow the acquired operations, credit risk, changes in the appraised valuation of real estate securing impaired loans, outcomes of litigation and other contingencies, exposure to general and local economic conditions, risks associated with rapid increases or decreases in prevailing interest rates, consolidation in the banking industry, competition from banks and other financial institutions, the Company’s ability to attract and retain relationship officers and other key personnel, burdens imposed by federal and state regulation, changes in regulatory requirements, changes in accounting regulation or standards applicable to banks, as well as other risk factors described in the Company’s 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events unless required under the federal securities laws.

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