Busey Impact Report
Our Values in Action
155 Years of Trusted Relationships and Thriving Communities
At Busey, our commitment to the Pillars of our organization—associates, customers, communities and shareholder —has never wavered. It’s the defining aspect of our culture, a vision that is brought to life each day by associates throughout our organization.
Busey’s focus has always been—and will always be—on doing the right thing for our Pillars. We lead and help our communities prosper. We make a positive impact.
In this report, you will see the latest results of those concentrated efforts. We’ve highlighted our progress with data and metrics that quantify the impact of our initiatives in several dedicated areas:
Associate Impact
We recruit and retain the best and brightest associates—associates who are positive, determined, thoughtful, resilient and humble. We provide them with the knowledge and resources needed to succeed at Busey, empower them to take ownership of their tasks and reward them accordingly.
- Nearly 1,500 associates with an average tenure of 7.6 years.
- 91% of associates completed the 2023 Associate Engagement Survey, an annual effort since 2015.
- In 2023, Busey scored 4.31 (out of 5.0) based on 12 critical measures of engagement. This is an increase from 2022’s score of 4.28.
- Over 216 internal promotions in 2023, based on personal and team performance and achievement.
- Of Busey hires in 2023, 25% were referred by a Busey associate.
Busey is committed to providing opportunities that equip associates with the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary to support and embody the Busey Promise by delivering on our vision of service excellence in everything we do for our Pillars. Our corporate development programs focus on optimizing our greatest asset—our people—no matter where they are in their careers.
- In 2023, Busey associates completed over 59,000 hours of personal and professional development training, including all program participation, leadership development, required material and voluntary e-learning.
- 55% of Busey associates are actively participating in programming designed to further develop their capabilities.
- Over $8 million invested in associate training and development since 2014.
In keeping with our environmental initiatives, this publication is brought to you in a digital-first format.
If you’d like to receive a printed copy of the Busey Impact Report, please complete the following form request.
Unless otherwise stated, data is as of December 31, 2023
Customer Impact
Busey serves our customers as One Busey, operating multiple business lines to bring a suite of impact products and services to each customer. Since we opened our doors in 1868, our core values to service excellence have remained, creating a strong foundation and shaping our culture.
- In 2023, Busey earned a Net Promoter Score® (NPS) of 56.5, well above the industry average of 23.5.
- From over 26,000 survey responses, Busey associates followed up with more than 20,000 customers in 2023. Associates conducted 100% of the required outreach to these survey respondents.
- Busey’s 2023 Customer Satisfaction score (CSAT) was 9.4 out of 10, an improvement from 9.3 in 2022 and tying a record-high annual score.
- Over 240,000 individuals served through five businesses—business, wealth management, personal, treasury management and FirsTech.
- Nearly 60 banking centers in Illinois, Missouri, Florida and Indiana.
- Busey offers a full suite of innovative remote banking capabilities, nationwide ATM coverage, drive-up banking, Busey eBank and contactless payments, allowing customers to access our services anytime, anywhere.
With a Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) commitment that stretches beyond the minimum legislative requirements, Busey’s goal is to maintain high standards of performance in meeting the needs of our communities.
- In the last year, the organization has contributed over $1.06 million in CRA eligible monetary donations and over 2,400 volunteer hours through CRA efforts across our footprint.
- The Community Banking Team—four of whom are bilingual—offers over 150 proactive, focused events annually including homeowner education workshops, financial literacy seminars, credit education classes and first-time homeowner events
- In 2023, Busey funded over $175 million in mortgage loans to low- to moderate-income families and/or communities.
- Financial Pathways, Busey's financial education platform, offers over 250 educational experiences for both adult community members and 7th - 12th graders.
In keeping with our environmental initiatives, this publication is brought to you in a digital-first format.
If you’d like to receive a printed copy of the Busey Impact Report, please complete the following form request.
Unless otherwise stated, data is as of December 31, 2023
Community Impact
Working with our communities to support the arts, advocate for our youth and help neighbors in need, we promise to bridge needs by providing financial capital through monetary contributions and guidance, human capital through energetic and committed volunteers and leaders who advocate for business and sustainability practices within our communities.
We’re proud to give back to our communities by doing the right thing for our customers and building trusted relationships that span generations.
- In 2023, Busey associates generously gave nearly 16,000 hours of their time to hundreds of community organizations. Over 180 associates actively commit to board service in their communities.
- Busey’s charitable donations total over $1.5 million annually, supporting the critical needs of each community through scholarships, youth programs, court advocacy, food security, shelter and more.
- In 2023, our associates and customers generously donated over 2,000 pairs of socks, 2,500 books, 500 boxes of bandages and 1,700 non-perishable food items to our communities through our Busey Drives Generosity campaign.
- Busey associates have raised more than $560,000 through the Pay It Forward Fridays initiative since 2015, and $110,500 in 2023 alone.
- In 2023, Busey’s United Way Workplace Campaign raised over $360,000 to support local United Way organizations across our footprint. Over $1.14 million has been donated to the United Way in the last three years of the campaign alone.
- Since the inception of Busey’s scholarship programs and partnerships with local universities, Busey has contributed $318,000 in scholarships throughout our footprint.
In keeping with our environmental initiatives, this publication is brought to you in a digital-first format.
If you’d like to receive a printed copy of the Busey Impact Report, please complete the following form request.
Unless otherwise stated, data is as of December 31, 2023
Corporate Sustainability
Busey is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions wherever possible and employs strategies related to energy efficiency and energy reduction, renewable energy, carbon sequestration and transportation.
- Busey provided over $7 million in green project financing in 2023, including energy efficiency improvements, historic preservation, solar development on commercial buildings and other green construction projects.
- In 2023, Busey invested over $1 million in energy efficiency upgrades across 12 locations that included heating and cooling improvements, water heater updates and upgraded lighting controls. In addition, we onboarded an energy management program to benchmark each of our facilities and identify opportunities for energy efficiency gains.
- We encourage our associates to Go Green with Busey on a regular basis—offering webinars, presentations and challenges that ask them to examine their environmental footprint and incorporate sustainability into their daily lives.
- Busey has installed solar panel systems at 11 Busey facilities, including the Champaign, IL, corporate headquarters, avoiding over 900 tons of CO2 emissions as of 2023.
- In 2023, Busey recycled over 35,000 pounds of waste and conserved over 125,000 gallons of water.
In keeping with our environmental initiatives, this publication is brought to you in a digital-first format.
If you’d like to receive a printed copy of the Busey Impact Report, please complete the following form request.
Unless otherwise stated, data is as of December 31, 2023
Governance Policies
Busey’s commitment to strong governance is not only a top priority, but also provides a foundation for sustainable growth and service excellence to our Pillars. This commitment is fulfilled through continual strengthening and advancement of corporate governance tools, risk management strategies, business ethics, data privacy, security and policy development.
- Majority of Directors are independent, with varying experiences and backgrounds.
- Committees related to audit; compensation and succession; enterprise risk; and nominating and corporate governance.
- Strong insider ownership with over 7% of First Busey stock owned by Directors and executive officers.
- Underrepresented/diverse backgrounds make up 40% of the Executive Team.
- Performance-based incentives.
- Strong compliance culture and compliance management system.
- Strong internal audit structure, reporting directly to the Board of Directors Audit Committee.
- Annual organizational business continuity and cybersecurity programs and planning.
- Enterprise risk metrics correspond with conservative business strategy and risk profile.
- Robust risk monitoring, reporting and regular risk assessments.
- Confidential and independent whistleblower hotline
In keeping with our environmental initiatives, this publication is brought to you in a digital-first format.
If you’d like to receive a printed copy of the Busey Impact Report, please complete the following form request.
Unless otherwise stated, data is as of December 31, 2023
Explore Busey's community-focused programs, campaigns and initiatives.
Unique Busey Drives Generosity campaigns encourage Busey associates and customers to give generously, supporting their neighbors and communities.
Busey associates are encouraged and recognized for being actively involved volunteers who enrich the quality of life for our Pillars and area citizens.
Through Busey Bank’s Financial Pathways, you will find tools, tips and resources to help you build strong financial futures for yourself, your family and your community.
Available in each market, Busey Bank Bridge Scholarships support the academic endeavors of low-to-moderate income students with a desire to continue their higher education.
Built to promote connection and literacy, Busey has over 20 Little Free Library installations across our footprint to increase access to books for all readers.
Busey Bank is pleased to offer sensory kits at each banking center, containing toys and tools to engage children while their care givers meet with a Busey associate
We are honored to be recognized for our culture of integrity, commitment to community development and advancements in sustainability.
Supporting the arts, advocating for our youth and helping those in need. We’re proud to give back to our communities and do the right thing for our customers.
How can we help your community?
We gladly evaluate charitable requests made on behalf of your organization. To be considered for a donation, please complete the following Charitable Request Form. All requested files must be uploaded to the form for consideration.