MASHINIi

Southern States Bancshares, Inc..

SSBK.US | Other monetary intermediation

Southern States Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Southern States Bank. The bank provides a range of community banking services to individuals and businesses. These services include checking and savings accounts, loans (commercial, real estate, and consumer), and other financ...Show More

Ethical Profile

Mixed.

Southern States Bancshares, Inc. receives a mixed ethical rating. The bank has committed to an $8.3 billion community investment plan (2025-2029) targeting underserved communities and awarded $5.8 million in grants to 1,839 organizations. Employees also volunteered 15,352 hours with 905 groups. The company implements unconscious bias training for leaders. However, there is insufficient public data to assess its performance in areas like fair pay, ethical sourcing, or specific environmental impact, though reports suggest its DitchCarbon score is lower than 80% of the industry average. Information on regulatory fines or pricing fairness is also limited.

Value Scores

Better Health for All0
-100100
Fair Money & Economic Opportunity0
-100100
Fair Pay & Worker Respect0
-100100
Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing0
-100100
Honest & Fair Business-40
-100100
Kind to Animals0
-100100
No War, No Weapons0
-100100
Planet-Friendly Business0
-100100
Respect for Cultures & Communities0
-100100
Safe & Smart Tech-40
-100100
Zero Waste & Sustainable Products0
-100100

Better Health for All

0

The company operates as a bank, providing financial services such as checking and savings accounts, and various loans.

1
Its core products and services do not have a direct positive or negative impact on health outcomes, nor do they generate revenue from products with negative health consequences. There are no direct safety implications for physical or mental health from its services.
2
The company does not offer health-related products or services that would require considerations for price accessibility, health innovation investment, or health data responsibility.
3
The company's operations do not generate significant health externalities, nor do they involve preventative health measures, mental health initiatives, or health education.
4
The company is not a pharmaceutical or food company, and does not conduct clinical trials, thus KPIs related to these areas are not applicable.
5
While the company engages in community development and philanthropic contributions,
6
and targets underserved communities with financial products,
7
the provided articles do not explicitly link these initiatives to addressing health disparities, promoting health equity, or supporting healthcare workforce development,
8
therefore, KPIs like 'vulnerable_reach' and 'health_equity_programs' are not scored based on the strict definition of 'health needs' in the rubric.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

0

The provided articles focus primarily on the company's financial performance, including net income, net interest margin, return on assets, and efficiency ratios for Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. They also mention the completion of the Century Bank acquisition in August 2024.

1
While a Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) information document is available,
2
the articles do not provide specific data points or outcomes related to fair money and economic opportunity, such as underserved client share, pricing fairness, inclusion initiatives, or wealth-building outcomes. There is no explicit mention of regulatory violations, fines, or compliance issues in the financial summaries,
3
but no details on fair-lending practices or audits are provided.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

0

The company's employee engagement score, based on 17 reviews, is 64/100.

1
Its Code of Ethics Policy, dated March 17, 2021, prohibits retaliation against personnel who report suspected violations in good faith and requires compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
2
The benefits package includes health care, and employee reviews mention 'good' or 'wonderful' benefits, including sick time and paid time off.
3
Employees participate in monthly staff meetings for recognition and open discussion, and the company hosts an annual picnic and individual office Christmas parties.
4
The company reports a low employee turnover rate.
5
The CEO's total compensation in 2024 was $1,065,970.
6

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

0

Southern States Bancshares, Inc. operates as a bank, providing financial services.

1
The nature of its business means it does not procure or trade physical commodities, nor does it have a supply chain that typically involves upstream labor practices or high-risk materials.
2
Therefore, several KPIs related to fair trade certifications, supplier audits for welfare, child/forced labor incidents, supply chain traceability, remediation processes for such issues, and high-risk material sourcing are not applicable to its operations.
3

Honest & Fair Business

-40

Southern States Bank has a whistleblower policy that allows customers to report concerns via branch visit, phone call, or an online portal. Specific accounting, auditing, and security matters can also be reported through a dedicated phone number or the online portal.

Kind to Animals

0

The company operates as a bank, providing financial services. Its core business model does not involve animal testing, animal-derived products, animal agriculture, or direct impact on wildlife habitats. Consequently, the rubric's KPIs related to cruelty-free certification, alternative testing, humane operations, ethical input substitution, supplier audits, cage-free sourcing, animal testing policy and volume, R&D investment in animal-free alternatives, animal agriculture ethics, and animal-free R&D collaboration are not applicable. While the company's bankers donated 50 blankets to a local animal rescue, which reported 1,500 pets rescued in 2024, this charitable activity does not align with the specific metrics for wildlife conservation impact or public policy engagement as defined in the rubric.

1

No War, No Weapons

0

No specific, concrete data points were found in the provided articles for any of the KPIs related to the 'No War, No Weapons' value. The articles primarily detail the company's financial performance, merger information, and general banking regulatory compliance, none of which provide evidence regarding arms contracts, dual-use technology, sales to embargoed regimes, peacebuilding investments, or any other conflict-related activities.

Planet-Friendly Business

0

No specific quantitative data is available for any of the environmental metrics, including carbon emissions, renewable energy use, water consumption, waste diversion, or climate targets.

1
The company has no reported regulatory actions, violations, fines, or compliance issues.
2
This lack of transparency makes a comprehensive assessment of its planet-friendly business practices difficult.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

0

No specific, concrete data points were found in the provided articles to score any of the KPIs related to 'Respect for Cultures & Communities'. While the company engages in significant community development loans

1
and philanthropic contributions
2
, and has general community partnerships
3
, the articles do not provide the necessary percentages relative to revenue, nor do they offer details on cultural impact assessments, specific partnerships with indigenous or local community groups, cultural appropriation incidents, or other metrics required by the rubric. The articles also lack information on language inclusivity, cultural sensitivity training, or community representation in governance.

Safe & Smart Tech

-40

The company offers moderate user data control options, allowing users to adjust browser cookie settings, opt-out of targeted advertising, and decline location data collection.

1
However, its mobile app collects location data even when closed for fraud detection and requests various device permissions.
2
For authentication security, the mobile app uses device and app history for authentication, but there is no explicit mention of multi-factor authentication (MFA) availability or strong password policies.
3
The company states it uses information for risk control, fraud detection, and increasing security, and engages in regular assessments of its infrastructure, software systems, and network architecture using internal and third-party specialists.
4
Its information security program is designed around the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, regulatory guidance, and other industry standards, and it maintains a third-party risk management program.
5
The company complies with the Consumer Privacy Notice and the California Consumer Privacy Act Notice, and its online privacy policy was updated on January 1, 2026.
6
It also states that federal regulations limit sharing consumer financial information with unaffiliated third parties.
7
The company employs a "trust by design" philosophy when designing new products, services, and technology, and its risk management program is designed to identify, assess, and mitigate risks.
8
The company engages in regular assessments of its infrastructure, software systems, and network architecture, using internal cybersecurity experts and third-party specialists, but the scope and frequency of these tests are not quantified.
9

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

0

No evidence available to assess Southern States Bancshares, Inc. on Zero Waste & Sustainable Products.

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AI-generated analysis based on publicly available data. Not financial advice. Ratings are expressions of opinion derived from automated models and may contain inaccuracies. See our Risk Disclosure for full details.