Citizens Bank today marked the start of National Financial Literacy Month with the launch of its multi-faceted financial education program, Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money. The program will reach 338,000 people through local partnerships to deliver home buyer’s assistance training, financial empowerment, earned income tax credit programs and small business development.

The Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money program is a yearly effort by the bank to teach financial literacy throughout the communities it serves. This year, the bank will provide more than $1.5 million in contributions to 84 nonprofits in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York. The program will help people obtain a better understanding of financial topics ranging from the basics of checking accounts to the intricacies of household budgeting and long-term financial planning.

“Financial Literacy Month is an opportunity to educate our communities on how to establish good financial habits and better understand personal finances,” said Barbara Cottam, Head of Corporate Affairs for Citizens Bank. “Through our Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money program, our contributions and our colleague volunteers will provide individuals and families with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to budget, save, invest and be fiscally healthy.”

Citizens Bank is also partnering with national nonprofit Junior Achievement on the Teens & Personal Finance Survey, a questionnaire of 1,000 13- to 18-year-olds focused on teens’ financial goals and concerns. The results of the survey, which were released on April 3, indicate a strong need to teach young people the basics of financial literacy from an early age to help them develop good financial habits for a lifetime.

Citizens Bank offers helpful tips on its website for consumers to learn how to budget and save as well as advice on how to save to buy a home, seek identity protection and more. The bank invites those interested in learning more about money management to follow along on social media, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, throughout the month of April to learn and share tips about topics such as goal-setting, saving, and managing credit. The bank’s Community Ambassadors will offer their real-world tips on saving and money management.

Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money is part of the bank’s broader Citizens Helping Citizens program, which addresses three key areas: hunger, financial education and strengthening communities.

For additional information on Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money, visit Citizens’ website.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $160.5 billion in assets as of December 31, 2018. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 2,900 ATMs and approximately 1,100 branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers corporate, institutional and not-for-profit clients a full range of wholesale banking products and services, including lending and deposits, capital markets, treasury services, foreign exchange and interest rate products, and asset finance. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

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