Social Responsibility

OUR COMMUNITIES

Our expression A Stronger Bond stands for the connections we have to the communities we serve - our clients, colleagues, and our commitment to corporate philanthropy.  

As a financial guarantor, Assured Guaranty plays a valuable role in building communities. For four decades, we have helped local, state, sub-sovereign and sovereign governments lower the financing cost of essential public works. We guarantee financings that enable municipalities to provide services that have direct and tangible benefits for their communities: education, healthcare, housing, mass transit, infrastructure, utilities, economic development, and other vital services.  

In our own corporate community, we recognize that our workforce is among our most valued assets and critical to our success.  Our people are how we innovate, interface with our stakeholders, and implement our business objectives. We strive to identify, hire, retain, develop, and support a team of highly qualified employees. And we work to create a culture of cooperation and collegiality, in which all employees are valued, treated with respect, have equal access to opportunities and resources, understand and share our company’s mission and are motivated to contribute to its success.

We also believe in giving back – in strengthening the communities where we work and live through corporate philanthropy, volunteering, and encouraging our employees to contribute to the causes they care about. 

We believe our commitment to social responsibility makes us a stronger company.  

OUR VALUES AND CULTURE

Our values – being ethical, professional, inclusive and giving back - guide our actions and shape our culture. 

Ethics
As articulated in the Global Code of Ethics and Anti-Bribery Policy, Assured Guaranty is committed to maintaining high ethical and professional standards and conducting business fairly, honorably, and with integrity. 

Our reputation in the insurance industry, with our investors, policyholders, vendors, counterparties, and with those individuals and organizations with whom we have contact, depends upon the trust and professionalism with which we conduct our affairs. We seek to foster and maintain Assured Guaranty’s reputation as an honest, professional, and ethical business and live up to high ethical and professional standards. The Global Code of Ethics sets forth the standards by which all Assured Guaranty employees, officers and directors must abide as they work for our company. We implement our Global Code of Ethics through a variety of means, including: 

• Employee Training. We offer our employees regular training on our Global Code of Ethics and other policies that prohibit discrimination and harassment.  Our employees also have access to all of Assured Guaranty’s policies through our intranet. 
• Reporting. Assured Guaranty provides multiple channels, including via anonymous communication, for employees to report information about any violations or potential violations of the Global Code of Ethics, or about any actual or planned wrongdoing or unethical behavior involving us or any of our employees.   
• Non Retaliation. Our company will not permit retaliation of any kind because of good-faith reports of violations of its Global Code of Ethics, or of applicable laws.  Various company policies also explicitly prohibit retaliation, including but not limited to our company’s policy regarding Equal Employment and Prohibition of Discrimination and Harassment.

Respect for Human Rights
As a good corporate citizen, we recognize our responsibility to respect human rights and to comply with applicable legal requirements in our operations. Our policy on human rights is informed and influenced by the frameworks provided by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: we are committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect and we strive to avoid causing or contributing to human rights violations.  

We believe our main responsibility regarding human rights is in our role as an employer.  We do not tolerate forced or child labor, human trafficking, or other human rights abuses in any form, and we seek to abide by applicable laws regarding wages, working hours, and worker safety.     

Similarly, we expect our vendors, suppliers, and other business partners to respect human rights and to comply with all applicable laws, including those governing wages, worker safety, child labor, forced labor, discrimination, and harassment. In furtherance of this objective, we strive to make our counterparties aware of our commitment to respect human rights.    

Equal Opportunity
We are committed to equal employment opportunity and compliance with all applicable work-related laws and regulations. Employment decisions are made and terms and conditions of employment are set without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We also make reasonable accommodations for disabled employees and applicants, as required by law.

Our objective is to reach, attract, and then hire the best possible applicants to join our Company. Talent is not determined by race, color, religion, sex, national origin or other protected characteristic. We recruit from a wide applicant pool so we can build our best workforce. We recognize that having a wide range of talent, at all levels of our organization, will yield a broader range of ideas, increase innovation and improve performance, all in a manner consistent with our business needs, scale and resources.

Anti-Discrimination and Harassment
Our goal at Assured Guaranty is to maintain a work environment based upon mutual respect and cooperation. The Company is committed to providing a work environment that is free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment, including but not limited to sexual harassment.  

Though the laws may differ from time to time and across the jurisdictions where we do business, our core values of respect, opportunity, and equality remain constant and consistent. We are diligent about understanding and complying with applicable laws regarding anti-discrimination and anti-harassment.

Inclusivity
Our objective of creating an inclusive culture is borne out of our commitment to provide a respectful work environment that is free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, allowing employees to feel they can be their authentic selves. We work to create a culture that respects and recognizes the abilities of each employee. Fostering a work environment that promotes inclusion results in a more productive and impactful sharing of ideas and a stronger community. 

We value the range of perspectives, backgrounds, experiences and education that our employees bring to the workplace, which underscores our ongoing commitment to anti-discrimination and equal opportunity. When supported by an inclusive environment, these varied viewpoints enrich our ideas, strengthen collaboration, and promote meaningful employee engagement.

Respect, professionalism, and fairness are at the heart of our corporate culture.

Employee Development
We endeavor to develop our workforce by providing equal access to training and mentoring opportunities to enable our employees to realize their full potential, feel valued by us, collaborate and contribute to the success of the organization.

At Assured Guaranty, we have programs in place to help our employees improve their credentials and skill sets so that they can achieve their career goals. We maintain a strong commitment to continued education, learning and development – we offer tuition reimbursement, payment of fees for business certifications and professional exams, as well as professional development and training including in leadership, management and effective communication and presentation skills, and access to mentoring.  When employees thrive, Assured Guaranty thrives too.

Employee Engagement 
We are proud of our employee-led initiatives and recognize their value to the strength and success of our organization. Employees have opportunities to volunteer to serve on various committees and groups that direct corporate philanthropy and determine programming.  

• Corporate Philanthropy Committee. Members of the Philanthropy Committee have successfully coordinated companywide charitable giving, augmenting it with targeted and strategic donations and sponsoring volunteer opportunities that have enhanced employee engagement.  Among its many accomplishments, the committee has formalized the review and approval process, expanded charitable giving in non-U.S. jurisdictions where Assured Guaranty has offices, developed strategic partnerships with several organizations, including one to make directed donations for disaster relief, and enhanced employee giving through targeted campaigns. 
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Based on employee feedback, we currently have the following ERGs: the African Heritage ERG, the Women's ERG, the Working Parents ERG, the Asian and Pacific Islander ERG, and the Young Professionals ERG. Participation in ERGs is voluntary. Our ERGs are open to all.  All employees are welcome to join any ERG, regardless of whether they identify with the group’s focus, and all of our ERGs include members who do not share those characteristics. These groups create community and awareness and encourage employees to engage with and support one another. Because the ERGs are employee-led, they provide additional opportunities for employees to develop and demonstrate their leadership and organizational skills. The ERGs also prepare and present (to senior leadership) strategic plans that incorporate Assured Guaranty’s business objectives into their programming. 
• Belonging and Culture Committee (B&C Committee). Our employee-led B&C Committee is composed of dedicated employees with different backgrounds, points of view, levels of seniority and tenure with Assured Guaranty, who provide input into policies and strategies for creating and fostering belonging in an inclusive work  environment. The B&C Committee has played a key role in recommending and working to implement strategies and initiatives that have enriched the employee experience at Assured Guaranty, such as the mentoring program, ERGs, hosting firm-wide events and investing in organizations that provide access to education, career and skills development and networking opportunities.

Employee Feedback. In 2022, we launched our inaugural employee engagement survey. While we encourage open dialogue, the engagement survey was conducted through a third-party vendor to offer a confidential forum for employees to provide more candid feedback.  The vendor conducted the survey, collected and aggregated feedback, and benchmarked results relative to other similar-size financial services companies. Since then, we periodically conduct employee engagement surveys.

Transparency 
In the spirit of transparency and disclosure, we make available information about Assured Guaranty’s Board, including their skills, qualifications, gender, racial or ethnic composition here. We also provide the most recent EEO-1 Report for our U.S. workforce here.

Compensation
We believe that it is in the best interest of both our organization and our employees to fairly compensate the workforce for the value of the work provided. Our compensation program is designed to attract, retain and motivate talented individuals and to recognize and reward outstanding achievement. Assured Guaranty is committed to offering a compensation system that is objective and nondiscriminatory in policy and practice.  

Living Wage
We pay our employees a fair living wage and offer a generous benefits package to eligible employees that includes health insurance for employees and their families, and a 401K plan and employee stock purchase plan to give employees the opportunity to plan for their future. 

Health and Wellness
We endeavor to provide a safe and healthful work environment for employees, clients and visitors. Assured Guaranty is committed to complying with applicable occupational health and safety laws in the jurisdictions where we operate. Employees are expected to exercise caution in their work activities and must immediately report any unsafe condition to the appropriate manager. 

To maintain the wellness of our employees, Assured Guaranty offers a benefits package designed to promote and support physical and mental health as well as financial security. We offer comprehensive health benefits, health and fitness benefits, bicycle parking in our offices that can be paid for out of pre-tax dollars, and health and wellness events throughout the year. In addition, we provide:

• TouchCare, an independent company that provides concierge services to help our employees navigate the healthcare system
• Employee Assistance Programs that provide confidential assistance to employees on issues as well as topics such as personal development, mental and behavioral health and wellness, parenting and family, substance abuse and recovery, financial planning, and legal issues
• A partnership with UrbanSitter around childcare, elder care and pet care
• Fertility and family planning benefits
• Workshops and educational sessions for employees
• The option for employees to work remotely for a portion of their time – both as a convenience to them and to remain competitive as an employer.

ENGAGING WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS

As a publicly traded company that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: AGO), we are subject to, and comply with, numerous disclosure requirements. We also understand the value of dialogue. We welcome the opportunity to communicate and engage with a broad range of stakeholders that includes regulators, policyholders, issuers, investors, shareholders and our own employees. Engagement with stakeholders is not exclusive to our Investor Relations group; in their respective roles, members of our Board, senior management, and others at Assured Guaranty also participate in outreach and make themselves available in compliance with our Corporate Communications policy. We work hard to earn the trust of our stakeholders through a robust program of engagement.

• Senior management and Investor Relations conduct investor road trips and one-on-one visits with shareholders to discuss our performance and gain insight into the issues they care about. 
• Investor Relations regularly fields calls and emails from shareholders and policyholders. In addition, we periodically reach out to our shareholders to seek their perspectives on our executive compensation program.
• We sponsor seminars, conferences and social events where our Public and Structured Finance professionals, as well as senior management and Investor Relations, meet with issuers and investors to respond to questions and receive ideas
• We participate in industry groups and trade associations and join in the conversations about policies that affect our business
• Members of our regulatory group are in contact with the insurance departments and regulatory bodies in the many jurisdictions where we are licensed to do business and respond to their requests for information
• Each quarter, following our earnings call, our CEO, CFO, and COO hold a town-hall style meeting for all employees where they provide an update on our company’s performance, acknowledge the contributions made by employees to the continued success of the business and answer questions