Managing Liquidity

Complicated financial and legal situations often require escrow arrangements. Whether it's a merger or acquisition, public or private subscription, cross-border transaction, litigation, work guarantee, regulatory action or settlement, companies need to know where their accounts stand at all times.

To simplify the administration of your escrow accounts while ensuring total privacy and security, we offer:

• Competitive interest rates
• Unlimited escrow subaccounts
• Streamline account monitoring.
• Tax reporting

Take greater control over your treasury functions with accessESCROW®. This robust online tool empowers you to:

• Add and manage users for your accounts directly from the online platform
• Open and fund escrow subaccounts once the appropriate documentation is received
• Process transfers between your master account(s) and subaccount(s) and close escrow subaccounts
• Access escrow statements and a variety of online reports

Financial executives need to optimize control over surplus funds by efficiently managing excess cash and return on idle money to support the financial performance of their companies.

accessLIQUIDITY provides a comprehensive dashboard view of your business’ liquidity positions with detailed, point-in-time information. It enables you to conduct market research for informed decision making and execute trades at your convenience.

Features and benefits:

• Access this web-based application from any computer or mobile device
• View consolidated portfolio data and download statements and trade confirmations
• Manage deposit products and purchase/redeem third-party investment products from a single platform
• Trade same-day across mutual funds offered by leading asset management companies
• Self-direct your investments. Functionality allows market index tracking, research and analysis
• Integrates with other treasury workstations
• Security and compliance features include dual authorization, data privacy protections and multi-point backup of historical platform data

Idle cash is cash at risk. At risk of losing value relative to inflation. At risk of not investing in capabilities and capacity need for growth. At risk of not optimizing debt in your capital structure. Putting funds to work immediately is a critical Treasury Management capital preservation strategy. That’s where our automated sweeps program comes in.

Once you’ve set a target balance level for your account, we’ll automatically sweep excess cash every night to generate income, reduce debt, insuring your deposits leveraging FDIC.

Insured Deposits Program

• Receive FDIC coverage on multi-million-dollar deposits – fully backed by the U.S. government with an AAA credit rating - through a single, trusted banking relationship.
• Retain instant access to all of your deposited funds. Through automated sweep functionality, you can make withdrawals any time through check, wire or any other form of payment that you currently utilize.
• Access monthly reports detailing each transaction and the network bank(s) where your funds are deposited.

Line of Credit Sweeps

• Excess cash is swept overnight to pay down outstanding loan balances.
• Payments reduce interest expense.
• If operating balances fall below a targeted level, funds are automatically swept from your line of credit into your account.

A third choice, Sweep to Line of Investment, combines the two options. Balances first pay down any outstanding loan balances and then the remaining funds are invested.

At Citizens, we understand the inherent pressure in escrow transactions. Ensuring the successful deposit and transfer of funds in a secure, timely and seamless manner is of paramount importance with no room for error. Furthermore, it is critical that the entire process is easy and consistent from one escrow transaction to the next.

Citizens can serve as a neutral third party to hold and administer funds required to meet your Escrow Agent needs. Our experienced Escrow Specialists are dedicated to our clients’ success and the facilitation of efficient and unbiased, third-party escrow services.

Our service ensures your escrow arrangements are administered smoothly and efficiently, with:

• A team of experienced professionals dedicated to your success
• Individualized attention and service
• Quick turnaround of agreement
• Assurance that all disbursements of funds are effected in accordance with the terms of escrow agreement
• Paying Agent and Shareholder Representation to streamline transactions

Our primary focus on Escrow Agent deals includes but is not limited to:

• Mergers and acquisitions
• Private equity
• Commercial real estate
• 1031 tax deferred exchanges
• Construction holdbacks
• Subscription agreements

Managing multiple accounts that may be required if you have numerous locations or business lines can be costly and time-consuming.

Zero Balance Accounts (ZBAs) offer you an easy and convenient way to automatically consolidate funds into one account that can then be used to fund disbursements or investments. It’s less expensive than wires and frees employees from having to transfer funds manually. Use ZBAs to:

• Reduce administrative time required to manually manage transfers between accounts.
• Optimize account balances by setting your preferences for account balances and transfer timing.
• Streamline account monitoring.
• Automate nightly transfers to sweeps accounts to earn income or reduce outstanding debt.

You can even access detailed reports of all ZBA transactions online using our accessOPTIMA® application. And, if you have accounts with us in other nations, we offer a Cross-border Zero Balance solution that delivers the same benefits on a global scale.

Sustainable Liquidity options provide a way for sustainably-minded companies to support socially and environmentally beneficial activities with their deposit dollars and contribute to their sustainability goals.

Sustainable Deposits Program

• For each dollar deposited, an equal amount is held in an eligible lending portfolio supporting renewable energy, green buildings, affordable housing and more
• Our Sustainable Deposits Program Framework and Loan Eligibility Criteria was developed by Citizens with support of Morningstar Sustainalytics to ensure deposits are earmarked against impactful loans and investments
• Sustainable Deposits Program Framework
• Quarterly Program Report

Carbon Offset Deposit Account

• Provides simple offset procurement in a highly fragmented market - receive high quality carbon offsets in the amount of credit earned on deposit balances
• Navigate the Voluntary Carbon Market with a trusted partner and benefit from established vendor relationships with industry experts and access to high integrity projects
• Use retired offsets to support sustainability goals and strategies
• Carbon Offset Program Framework