Better Health for All

Independent Bank's philanthropic efforts in 2021 included over $632,495 in donations, with $70,000 for financial literacy and $16,000 for Habitat for Humanity.

In 2022, the bank donated $112,240 to Ukrainian relief efforts, specifically to Razom (Together) for Ukraine and Doctors Without Borders USA. The company's 2024 Community Impact Report indicates over $1.2 million in total financial support, including over $20,000 for food pantries and over $40,000 for Commission on Aging Programs. In 2021, Independent Bank invested $2 million in affordable housing, including a $500,000 grant for a Traverse City rehabilitation project and a $1 million pledge for a My Home Reward Program, which enables home purchases in low-income neighborhoods with no closing costs. The bank also partnered with Cinnaire to develop and rehabilitate nine apartment communities.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Independent Bank Corporation's inclusion lending, comprising $215.6 million in small business loans and $487 million in total community reinvestment lending in 2022, amounts to $702.6 million.

This represents approximately 16.77% of its total loan portfolio of $4.19 billion as of September 30, 2025. The bank invested $12.4 million in local community development initiatives in 2022 and allocated 3.4% of its net income to corporate social responsibility initiatives in the same year. The company operates 52 full-service branches across Michigan and Ohio, with 98% of operations focused in these two states, and 40 communities in Michigan with 93 banking centers. It offers simplified, fully digital account opening and loan application processes. The bank demonstrated 99.6% regulatory compliance in 2022 but has not undertaken proactive fair-lending audits.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The CEO's total compensation to median employee compensation ratio was 23:1 in 2024.

Employee feedback indicates a strong workplace culture, with an overall employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars (82%) and an 83% recommendation rate. Additionally, 98% of employees approve of the CEO. No specific regulatory actions, violations, or fines related to labor laws or human rights have been mentioned in the provided articles.

Kind to Animals

Independent Bank Corporation is a service-oriented bank, and as such, many animal welfare KPIs are not applicable to its core business model. The company has no animal-derived products, animal testing operations, animal husbandry under its control, or relevant R&D, leading to N/A scores for cruelty-free certification, alternative testing, humane certifications for operations, ethical input substitution, supplier audits for animal welfare, cage-free sourcing, animal testing policies or volume, innovation investment in animal-free technologies, and animal-free R&D collaboration.

Regarding animal agriculture ethics, the bank finances cattle operation expansion, but there is no evidence of any ethical practices, enrichment, space allocation, or natural behavior enablement in these operations. For public policy engagement, the company uses a grassroots website to weigh in on the farm bill, but there is no public position or advocacy for animal welfare legislation or higher standards.

Planet-Friendly Business

In 2023, 98% of the company's operational energy consumption was sourced from wind and solar energy through a 3-year agreement.

One office, the Boston Commercial Banking and Investment Management office, has achieved LEED Gold designation. The company has not reported any regulatory violations, fines, or compliance issues.

Safe & Smart Tech

Independent Bank Corporation reported no material losses from cyberattacks or breaches as of December 31, 2024, indicating no documented data breaches or unauthorized data use incidents.

The company adheres to ISO 27002, an international standard for information security controls. Employee security and privacy training is mandatory during onboarding and refreshed annually, with regular phishing simulation tests conducted. Data encryption is mentioned as part of the cybersecurity framework, but no specific details on its extent or strength are provided. The company conducts annual cybersecurity penetration testing of internal and external networks and performs ongoing network vulnerability scans. It uses a vulnerability management solution to prioritize remediation of vulnerabilities scoring 650 or above on a 0-1000 scale, but specific patching timeframes are not provided. The company references FFIEC and NIST frameworks and mentions compliance with various regulations like the Bank Secrecy Act, GLB, and HMDA, indicating a standard approach to regulatory compliance.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

The company implements several waste reduction initiatives, including single-stream recycling programs at 32 office and branch locations as of 2024.

In 2024, it shredded and recycled nearly 329,000 lbs. of confidential paper, and also recycles printer toner cartridges, light bulbs, and electronics. Paper waste is further reduced through a digital mortgage platform, with 96% of mortgage applications eDisclosed and 90% of loans closed as hybrid eClosings in 2024. Customers are encouraged to enroll in eStatements to avoid paper statement fees. For hazardous waste, the company conducts environmental reviews prior to originating certain commercial real estate loans and before initiating foreclosure actions to detect potential environmental hazards. There have been no waste disposal violations in the past three years. However, the company does not have formal waste reduction targets. Regarding supplier waste, the company uses green logistics and certified electronics recyclers to repurpose or recycle physical assets responsibly. For customer waste education, the company held 20 'Shred Day' events in 2024 for customers to shred and recycle personal documents.