BBVA Bancomer will extend its Corporate Responsibility initiatives in 2010 and will continue with its commitment as a Socially Responsible Business, with shares in various social, economic and environmental activities, as well as in promoting education as the most important axis in the development of families and community.

The Director of the BBVA Bancomer Foundation, Gustavo Lara Alcántara, explained that the institution is using its leadership in the financial sector to develop high-impact programs for society supporting the country’s development; it has allocated a budget equal to 1% of the financial group’s net profit for the year to social responsibility activities.

The 2009 Corporate Responsibility Report was revised and approved by the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) international methodology, which standardizes the content of reports around the world, and has granted BBVA Bancomer the highest ranking for implementation, "A+ GRI Checked". It also incorporated the AA1000 Standard (Accountability Principles Standard).

The Director of Social Responsibility and Reputation of BBVA Bancomer, Irma Acosta Pedregal, emphasized that the bank obtained, for the second consecutive year, the highest rank for implementation of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), "A+ GRI Checked" in addition to submitting its results for the verification audit of Deloitte.

The Report provides a detailed description of the Bank’s progress, objectives and proposals for the future in each of the relevant topics:

- Corporate Responsibility Policy, which earned, for the tenth consecutive year, the title of Socially Responsible Business, granted by Cemefi, the Mexican Center for Philanthropy, and extended this recognition for the second year to the Afore Bancomer and Seguros BBVA Bancomer subsidiaries.

- Under the heading of Stakeholder Participation, all people, institutions and groups interacting with the Financial Group were taken into consideration, emphasizing the completion of consults of the degree of satisfaction for the Annual Corporate Responsibility Report 2009 and analysis of materiality, which allowed the most important aspects needing attention to be identified in a timely manner.

- Customer Focus, which seeks to redesign customer loyalty and make customer service more efficient and timely, in addition to providing greater security, with the development of the Bancomer.com page, when making transactions, and to send digital notices to customers to confirm transactions.

- Financial Inclusion as a tool for banking penetration. The National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) authorized BBVA Bancomer to create business partnerships under the regimen of Banking Correspondents; in 2010 the bank will be working to increase its points of sale in commercial establishments by 12,000, where it expects to make nearly 40 million annual banking transactions. This implementation would reinforce the 1,778 branches it now has nation-wide. 

- Financial Literacy has materialized with the “Adelante con tu futuro” Program’s Financial Literacy Workshops, through which, in 2009, more than 110,000 individuals (some taking more than one course), have gained basic financial knowledge in the areas of Savings, Retirement Savings, Credit Cards and Credit Health. Moreover, 509 people completed the Mortgage Loan Workshop launched on October 20th, and a Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) workshop will soon be incorporated.

- The categories of Responsible Finance and Responsible Products and Services refer to all innovative products and services that are based on social criteria. Also, BBVA Bancomer launched the Solidarity Fund for Education "B+Educa" as support for the Scholarship Program "Por los que se quedan" (For those left behind) to which investors contributed by donating 25% of their net monthly interest.

- In the area of Responsible Management of Human Resources, the principal lines of work involved the administrative area; 100 million pesos were allocated to training courses.

- Responsible Procurement refers to the procurement of goods and services keeping in mind their social and environmental impact. In 2009, the bank’s suppliers included 20 companies named Socially Responsible Businesses, 7 of which had maintained this title for over 3 consecutive years.

- In Environmental Management and Climate Change, the construction of 2 new headquarters for 9,000 employees was begun with LEED certification; these projects will allow for considerable savings in energy and water, as well as facilitate the development of recycling and resource management mechanisms.

- BBVA Bancomer’s Community Involvement initiatives already include an extensive Social Action Plan which, in 2009, resulted in 3,030 scholarships being granted at the Children's Knowledge Olympics; 7,000 environmental education scholarships with Pronatura; 108 scholarships in Prepa Tec Milenio; 23 graduates with merit scholarships for their degrees; 2,400 scholarships of environmental education with Ciceana, the North American Center for Environmental Information and Communication; and 1,829 children benefitted through Peasma, the San Miguel de Allende Environmental Education Project, in addition to providing support in natural disasters with 5,200 food stocks for flooding emergencies. Also in place is the Integration Scholarship Program "Por los que se quedan" supporting the children of Mexican immigrants to the United States. In 2009, 15,000 students from 143 municipalities of 18 states benefitted, with the support of 700 sponsors nation-wide on behalf of the directors, legal representatives and branch executives of the bank who, every two months, motivate interns to continue their studies and improve their grades. Likewise, the bank promotes art and culture through its support for the development and creation of artistic and cultural activities, such as the university cinema contest “Hazlo en cortometraje” (Do it in a short-film), the Support for the Arts Fund and the Bancomer-MACG (Carrillo Gil Art Museum) Contemporary Art Program, which seeks to strengthen and drive cultural exchanges. Finally, the Corporate Volunteer program, which operates 24 Educational and Productive Teaching Centers around the country to foster the learning of trades and follow-up of educational programs (primary, secondary and preparatory), benefits 3,160 adults and 580 children.