Royal Bank Community Service
... 1928 the head office moved to a larger building on St. James Street and at the time was the tallest standing building in the British Empire. During the World War I and II eras, RBC contributed to the war efforts by way of victory bonds, handling millions of dollars. Banks were permitted to carry new home mortgages in 1954 and RBC swiftly became buyers’ preferred lender as well as the industry’s primary leader. Edward Kenny was one of the original founders and a director of Merchants’ Bank until October 26, 1908 when he died. Along with Edward Kenny, were co-founders J.W. Merkel, T.C. Kinnear, John Duffus, William Cunard, John Tobin, George P. Mitchell, Jeremiah Northup. RBC began using automated bank machines by 1972. By the early 1980’s RBC operated in more than 50 countries. RBC Today RBC is the leading full-service brokerage operation (by assets), and the largest private bank; therefore it ranks first or second in retail products, which include mortgages and deposits. Top mutual fund provider among the banks of Canada and one of the largest self-directed brokerage operations (by accounts). Royal Bank is a leading merger and acquisitions (M&A) advisor and currently the largest Canadian bank-owned insurer. Royal Bank is considered to be the fastest growing bank in the country, being a leader in travel insurance and creditor products. RBC has 1,311 branches; with 4,151 banking machines. Online customers for RBC are approximately 2.5 million people, with a total of 2.4 million telephone clients. RBC Financial Group trades on the TSX (Toronto Stock Exchange) and NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) under the ticker symbol of RY. There are five major lines of business which RBC attends to, and they are: o Personal and commercial banking (RBC Banking) o Wealth management (RBC Investments) o Insurance (RBC Insurance) o Corporate and investment banking (RBC Capital Markets) o Securities custody and transaction processing (RBC Global Services). More than 12 million personal, business and public sector clients are served worldwide because of RBC being one of the most diversified financial services companies. Athletics Athletes have been put first by RBC financial group since 1947. Among the sponsored are the Canadian Olympic Committee, hockey teams, freestyle skiing and snowboarding teams. RBC Olympians is a program which RBC provides former Olympic and Paralympic athletes a set income as well as job training and work experience after their commitment to the Olympics has ended. This longest standing partnership between the COC and RBC Financial Group began with Sydney Dawes, in 1947, making a phone call to the Royal Bank President Sydney Dobson in which he asked the bank to pay for travel for the Olympic team to Saint Moritz, Switzerland. Among some of the establishments that the Royal Bank made since the inception at 1947 are: Royal Bank Junior Olympics, supporting of the Olympic Games in Montreal, The Royal Bank became a founding member of the Olympic games in Canada, RBC Financial Group created a Visa card that contributed to the Olympic funding to amateur athletes in Canada, and recently RBC was a large contributor to the bid for the Winter Olympic games in 2010 which will be held in Vancouver. Snowboarding Snowboarding is among one of three major sporting teams that receives funds from the RBC Financial Group. The Canadian Snowboard Federation (CSF) is funded by the Royal Bank to help coach and develop snowboard athletes in their trials for success in competitive events worldwide. Freestyle Skiing The Canadian Freestyle Ski Association (CSFA) is also funded by the RBC Financial Group for the coaching and development of amateur athletes, including amateur mogul and aerial freestyle skiers, to prepare them for worldwide competition. The CSFA has been awarded or 90 world cup medals since 2000, four medals of which were awarded in the 2004 World Championships. “RBC Jumps and Bumps” program supports young skiers in developing fundamental and freestyle skiing skills through clubs nationwide. Hockey Premier sponsorship by RBC Financial Group for Hockey Canada began in 1995 which provides management of hockey programming in Canada with their mission to “develop, lead, and promote positive hockey experiences” (http://www.rbc.com/sponsorship/hockey.html). RBC Financial Group supports group community hockey leagues as well as holding awards for various titles in amateur hockey leagues such as “Canadian Junior ‘A’ Player of the Year Award” and “RBC Royal Bank Cup.” Arts and Culture RBC has a vision of “building prosperity together” and believes in supporting arts and culture which helps to build successful and prosperous communities. By way of using concerts, plays, and visual arts RBC attempts to achieve the enrichment of people’s lives as well as enhancing the energy within communities. Shaw Festival One event sponsored by the RBC Financial Group is the “Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Shaw Festival,” which is world renowned for the plays, which are staged by George Bernard Shaw and his colleagues. This festival attracts about 310,000 people and runs from late spring to late fall. RBC Financial Group is the production sponsor of “Waiting for the Parade” which is a play featured in the Shaw Festival produced by John Murrell. RBC Investments Canadian Painting Competition RBC Financial Group, in a partnership with the Canadian Art Foundation, is also a key sponsor in the RBC Investments Canadian Painting Competition, which has been sponsored for 5 years, since 1999. This event is sponsored by the Royal Bank to support “Canada’s rich cultural heritage.” RBC Centura DonorsChooseNC On April 27, RBC donated $50,000 over a 3 year period to “DonorsChooseNC,” a nonprofit organization which gives students the opportunity to acquire the resources they need for learning. An initial donation of $10,000 is already being used towards the welfare of worthwhile classrooms across North Carolina. Although future donations may be made, this is the first donation to “DonorsChoose...