Environment

AUB is committed to sustainability and improving our processes to lessen our environmental impact.

We recognize the importance of protecting the environment and improving the world for generations to come. We have initiated steps to become a greener, more environmentally conscious organization.

Green Vibes Program

The Green Vibes Program is our pledge to reduce the amount of nonessential, single-use plastic we use as a company and to reduce our carbon footprint. Starting in 2023, we partnered with our vendors to reduce nonessential plastics in our purchasing and looked for opportunities to invest in protecting green spaces. We also installed Gridpoint, a clean technology service that helps us manage our energy usage in an additional 35 locations. That helped reduce energy consumption at those locations by 22%-25%.

Our efforts to become a more environmentally friendly company include providing more recycling options at our corporate office locations, automating our HVAC units, reducing single-use plastics and installing carbon-neutral chairs in our offices and branches, thereby reducing the use of energy, wood, water, greenhouse gases and solid waste.

In 2024, we provided opportunities for Teammates to engage with environmental topics through a week-long Earth Day celebration. Over 50 Teammates participated in four volunteer events across Virginia, two educational lunch-and-learns and a document shredding initiative in our corporate offices. Highlights included a Composting Lunch and Learn with Compost RVA, a conservation session with the James River Association, an eco-friendly food truck visit and community-driven Earth Day activities like trash cleanups and tree planting.

Our secure shred program* resulted in:

812 trash bags avoided
4,916 bathtubs of water preserved
3,105 trees saved
137 gas-powered cars off the road
1,556 residential refrigerators operated per year

*All numbers come from Iron Mountain

Digital Tools To Reduce Environmental Impact

We are committed to providing an excellent customer experience while encouraging the use of digital offerings to lower our environmental impact. In fact, 55% of our customers get their statements delivered electronically, which saves an estimated 604 trees a year. We also have many customers who apply for accounts online, which cuts down on paperwork that must be completed in the branches.

Green Investments

AUB supports our partners who wish to be more environmentally friendly. We make capital available to help businesses and communities implement green technology. In 2024, we originated $45.5 million in leases for partners to use in green initiatives like electric school buses and clean energy.

Tech for Troops

In honor of National Military Appreciation Month, AUB hosted electronics donation drives at five locations, including our headquarters. Tech for Troops is a nonprofit organization that takes old, unwanted electronics and refurbishes them to give to veterans to help them re-integrate into civilian life. AUB donated over $21,000 to support their mission and workforce development initiatives.

Our Partnership with the James River Association

AUB has committed to donating $250,000 over a five-year period to support the construction of the new James A. Buzzard River Education Center.

The building features a green roof and conservation landscaping to minimize impact on the watershed and blend into the natural surroundings. Flexible classroom spaces and exhibits with interactive activities such as a “riverquarium” and the latest educational technology allows students to see their local environment in a global perspective. The new center celebrates the importance of the James River and launches a lifelong love of the river.

We proudly sponsor the James River Health Meter, prominently displayed on the exterior of the building. This initiative helps the community stay informed about the safety of swimming conditions in our beautiful James River.

Caution Regarding Forward–Looking Statements

This report contains certain forward–looking statements, including, but not limited to, certain plans, expectations, goals, projections, and statements, which are not historical facts and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties. Statements that do not describe historical or current facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward–looking statements. Forward–looking statements may be identified by words such as “expect,” “seek to,” “strive to,” “anticipate,” “vision,” “committed,” “believe,” “intend,” “estimate,” “continue,” “plan,” “target,” “goal,” or similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as will, may, might, should, would, could, or similar variations. The forward–looking statements are intended to be subject to the safe harbor provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. While there is no assurance that any list of risks and uncertainties or risk factors is complete, below are certain factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained or implied in the forward–looking statements: changes in general economic, political, or industry conditions particularly in the markets in which we operate and which our loans are concentrated, including the effects of declines in real estate values, an increase in unemployment levels and slowdowns in economic growth; changes in market interest rates and their related impact on macroeconomic conditions, customer and client behavior, our funding costs, and our loan and securities portfolio; volatility and disruptions in capital and credit markets; inflation and its impact on economic growth and customer and client behavior; competitive pressures on product pricing and services; success, impact, and timing of our business strategies; the nature, extent, timing, and results of governmental actions, examinations, reviews, reforms, regulations, and interpretations; potential claims, damages, and fines related to litigation or government actions; cybersecurity risks and the vulnerability of our network and online banking portals, and the systems of parties with whom we contract, to unauthorized access, computer viruses, phishing schemes, spam attacks, human error, and other security breaches that could adversely affect or disrupt our business and financial performance or reputation; and the adverse effects of events beyond our control that may have a destabilizing effect on financial markets and the economy, such as epidemics and pandemics, war or terrorist activities, essential utility outages, deterioration in the global economy, instability in the credit markets, disruptions in our customers’ supply chains or disruption in transportation. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described above can be found in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Annual Report on Form 10–K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and in our subsequent Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings, which are on file with the SEC and available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. All forward–looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and are based on information available at that time. We do not assume any obligation to update forward–looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward–looking statements were made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events except as required by federal securities laws. As forward–looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, caution should be exercised against placing undue reliance on such statements.