Umpqua Bank Named Oregon’s Most Admired Financial Services Company

Bank recognized by Oregon’s business community for fourteenth year in a row


PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: UMPQ), has been named Oregon's Most Admired Financial Services Company by the Portland Business Journal. Umpqua, which celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2018, has received the recognition every year since the award was introduced 14 years ago.

"Being recognized once again as a Most Admired Company by the outstanding leaders and companies of our great state is a real honor, and something we’re extremely proud of,” said Cort O’Haver, Umpqua Bank president and CEO. “This award is first and foremost a testament to the passion and dedication of our 4,000 associates and reflects Umpqua’s continued commitment to the people, businesses and communities we serve.”

Each year, the Portland Business Journal conducts a statewide poll of CEOs and top executives across the state to determine Oregon’s Most Admired Companies in several industry categories. Those polled select winners based on criteria including community involvement, innovation, quality of management, quality of products and services, and branding and marketing—areas in which Umpqua marked important developments in 2018.

2018 Umpqua Bank Highlights:

  • Umpqua Bank and the Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation awarded $2.1 million in funding to nonprofits committed to enhancing the quality of life in communities across the company’s footprint.

  • In September, Umpqua associates marked 500,000 in paid volunteer hours through the bank’s Connect Volunteer Program, representing a $12.5 million investment to support thousands of community nonprofits since the program was formed in 2004.

  • Umpqua launched Umpqua Go-To, the industry’s first Human Digital Banking platform, which leverages technology to give every Umpqua customer the choice of a personal banker devoted to their financial needs regardless of account balance size.

  • Tory Nixon was named Umpqua’s first chief banking officer to advance Umpqua’s Human Digital Banking strategy and to ensure a more seamless and integrated customer experience across all customer-facing divisions of the bank.

  • Umpqua hired Kathe Anchel as director of innovation. Anchel is helping to build a world class innovation team to rapidly evolve Umpqua Go-To and build strategic partnerships that develop other innovations for associates and customers.

  • Umpqua launched a digitally-responsive website to support enhanced online and mobile banking solutions for consumers and businesses. The bank also partnered with Swift, a highly-regarded Portland-based creative agency, to bring customer service and marketing capabilities into the digital age and in a way that understands money is central to people’s lives.

Oregon's Most Admired Companies is an annual event held by the Portland Business Journal. Hosted by publisher Craig Wessel, the event is one of the publication's business programs created to recognize the state's leading organizations. To see the complete list of Oregon's Most Admired Companies, visit www.bizjournals.com/portland.

About Umpqua Bank
Umpqua Bank, headquartered in Roseburg, Ore., is a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, and has locations across Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada. Umpqua Bank has been recognized for its innovative customer experience and banking strategy by national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fast Company and CNBC. The company has been recognized for eight years in a row on FORTUNE magazine's list of the country's "100 Best Companies to Work For," and was recently named by The Portland Business Journal the Most Admired Financial Services Company in Oregon for the fourteenth consecutive year. In addition to its retail banking presence, Umpqua Bank also owns Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., a nationally recognized commercial finance company that provides equipment leases to businesses. A subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, Umpqua Investments, Inc., provides retail brokerage and investment advisory services in offices throughout Washington, Oregon, and California. 

Media Contact:
Kurt Heath
(503) 219-6124
KurtHeath@UmpquaBank.com