To inspire and build
better lives and communities
2019 Annual Report
Truist at a glance
Building a
better future
Truist Financial Corporation is a purpose-driven financial services
company committed to inspiring and building better lives and
communities. We have 275 years of combined BB&T and SunTrust
history and leading market share in many high-growth markets.
6th-largest
commercial bank
$473B
in assets
~10MM
client households
Regional businesses
• Commercial banking
• Premier banking
• Retail banking
National businesses
• Commercial real estate
• Corporate and investment banking
• Dealer finance
• Mortgage
Regional businesses
National businesses
• Small business
• Treasury solutions
• Wealth
• National consumer finance and
payments
• Retail and wholesale insurance
1
Who we are
Purpose
To inspire and build better lives and communities
Mission
For clients
Provide distinctive, secure and successful client
experiences through touch and technology
For teammates
Create an inclusive and energizing environment
that empowers teammates to learn, grow and have
meaningful careers
For stakeholders
Optimize long-term value for stakeholders through
safe, sound and ethical practices
Values
Trustworthy
We serve
with
integrity.
Caring
Everyone and
every moment
matters.
One Team
Together, we
can accomplish
anything.
Success
When our
clients win,
we all win.
Happiness
Positive
energy
changes lives.
2
CEO letter
At Truist, our purpose is:
To inspire and
build better lives
and communities.
Driven by a strong shared commitment to purpose,
we made banking history in 2019 by combining two
forward-looking and like-minded companies – BB&T and
SunTrust – to create Truist, a premier financial institution
that accelerates our relentless pursuit of innovation.
I’m most optimistic about our future because the
purposes and cultures of our legacy companies are so
closely aligned. Truist’s purpose syncs perfectly with
SunTrust’s “lighting the way to financial well-being” and
BB&T’s “making the world a better place to live.”
Our merger of equals, the largest financial services
combination in more than a decade, makes Truist the
nation’s sixth-largest commercial bank, serving about
10 million households and a full range of business
clients in many of the nation’s highest-growth markets.
Truist is charting a new course in our industry as we
seamlessly blend a high level of personal touch with
cutting-edge technology to deliver unparalleled service
for our clients.
But much more important than what we are is who we are.
Culture is the best driver of long-term performance.
Our shared culture – built on a foundation of our
purpose, mission and values – will be the biggest
reason for Truist’s long-term success.
We deliver on Truist’s purpose with our mission:
taking care of our clients with distinctive, secure
and successful experiences; creating an inclusive,
energizing and empowering environment for our
teammates; and optimizing long-term value for all
our stakeholders.
3
Our values
Most importantly, Truist’s mission is guided by long-
standing and deeply held beliefs, which we call our
values. Our most important value is being trustworthy.
When we surveyed our teammates and asked clients to
describe our legacy organizations’ values, they offered
many of the same words – honesty, integrity, trust.
Our purpose, mission and values are the only non-
negotiables at Truist and our starting point for every
decision. Everything else is either strategic or tactical,
constantly evolving over time in response to market
demands and our clients’ needs.
During periods of change or crisis, culture is the
bedrock that supports people and enables them to
focus on solving problems and working together,
making it possible to prevail during the most difficult
conditions. When we stay true to our culture, we still
will face challenges and obstacles, but we won’t need
to renegotiate how we behave every day. If we are clear
on why we’re here – our purpose – we can overcome
any obstacle.
As evidenced by our merger, we have the agility to
respond to shifting conditions quickly. Rapid and
unprecedented change in the banking industry
demands bold action. Many of today’s clients expect
real-time satisfaction – a banking experience that is
faster, more convenient and secure, often conducted
on their mobile devices. To keep pace, banks must
significantly step up their investment in innovation.
Our merger, completed in December 2019, gives us
the capacity to invest in the technology required for
the highest-quality service. We’re combining that with
the distinctive attention to clients that we’re known for
delivering. The result is a deeper level of trust with our
clients. We call this new definition of value “T3”: touch
integrated with technology equals trust. Ultimately,
to succeed in any business, you must have a value
proposition based on trust.
Truist has the scale, markets, financial strength and
talent to thrive in this new banking environment,
including:
• Complement
ary business models, diverse revenue
sources and leading market positions in traditional
banking, insurance brokerage and capital markets
• A base in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic regions with
5.0% projected population growth through 2025 –
the best among our peers – and the second-highest
market share of weighted average deposits in our top
20 markets
4
• The potential for peer-leading profitability with
new revenue opportunities, a projected $1.6 billion
in net cost savings from our merger, rigorous risk
management, and strong capital and liquidity
• A ne
w headquarters and Innovation and Technology
Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, a leading financial
hub, where we will offer the growth and benefits that
both energize our teammates and attract top talent
here and elsewhere
• A tr
ansformative three-year $60 billion community
benefits plan to grow small businesses, help individuals
thrive financially, strengthen local economies and fulfill
our commitment to building better lives
Connecting to clients
We wake up every morning focused on helping all
our stakeholders – clients, teammates, communities
and shareholders – achieve their dreams and goals,
be more successful and attain financial security. With
our combination, we are large enough to meet every
need our clients could have and also small enough to
operate on a personal level with the attention expected
from a hometown bank. Our community banking model
empowers our regional presidents with the authority
needed to remain close to clients, while local advisory
boards keep us connected to our communities.
Our merger of equals also gives us a unique
opportunity to use a “best of both” approach, picking
the best from each bank, including exciting new
products for all our clients. For example, we offer
SunTrust clients the services of BB&T’s comprehensive
insurance arm – the sixth-largest in the world. At the
same time, we give BB&T community bank clients
access to SunTrust’s robust capital markets; investment
banking capabilities; and digital consumer lending
platform, LightStream.
When I started at BB&T 47 years ago, and for most of
my career, quality banking service was a “front room”
concept – we were successful because we offered
great service in our branches. Technology was then
centered in the “back room,” but the “back room” was
rarely focused on “front room” needs. Meanwhile,
“front room” folks were designing branches and hiring
staff without thinking much about technology. That no
longer works. For much of our 275 years of combined
history, we have been able to compete effectively
against Wall Street and larger financial institutions with
our personal service. In recent years, though, we have
had to face those rivals’ much larger technology and
digital marketing budgets.
“Truist has the scale, markets, financial strength and
talent to thrive in this new banking environment.”
– Kelly S. King,
Chairman and CEO
Truist’s new headquarters is in Charlotte,
a national financial hub.
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A change in mindset
With our clients’ growing preference for and reliance
on digital products and services, metrics show that the
number of branches is not as important to our success
or the needs of our clients. The measure that matters
most today is the impact we have for our clients and
communities – an impact magnified by technology.
With increased investment in innovative solutions, we
have the potential to reach many more clients and
provide an enhanced digital experience that helps
them better manage their financial lives.
Our combined technology budgets and incremental tech
investment of $100 million annually – plus the new revenue
opportunities and cost savings – accelerate our ability to
expand our reach and create a sustainable competitive
advantage. Among other opportunities, we can develop
the next generation of mobile and web platforms, offer
superior payment options, and invest in emerging digital
technology companies and innovation leaders.
We’ll leverage many of these opportunities at the
Innovation and Technology Center, where teammates
from a variety of disciplines and lines of business will
collaborate, research, test and launch products and
services that harness the powerful combination of
analytics and automation. Our clients, telling us what
they need for convenience and speed, as well as privacy
and security, will be at the center of this collaboration.
A commitment to our communities
We’re dedicated to investing even more in our
communities. As part of a comprehensive community
benefits plan, over the next three years, we have
committed to $60 billion in loans and investments to
low- and moderate-income borrowers and communities.
We developed the plan after hosting listening
sessions throughout our markets and working
closely with the National Community Reinvestment
Coalition, an association of 600-plus community-
based organizations. The commitment includes
funds and support for home mortgages, affordable
housing, small-business lending, education and rural
communities. We’ll also help fund renewable energy
projects, set long-term sustainability goals and
prioritize a healthier planet for future generations.
We’ve pledged to double our financial commitment
to our former home offices of Atlanta, where Truist’s
corporate and institutional group still will be based,
and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where we’re
maintaining our community banking center.
Those plans are consistent with our combined heritage of
community engagement and partnership. Our volunteers,
for example, have completed more than 12,000
Lighthouse community improvement projects in the
last decade; last year, teammates completed more than
200,000 hours of community-focused volunteering.
Our focus on education
At Truist, we’re particularly passionate about education
and financial literacy. According to the U.S. Department
of Education, two out of three of America’s public
school fourth graders – and eight out of 10 low-income
fourth graders – cannot read at a “proficient” level, a key
deficiency, as children beginning the fourth grade need
reading skills to learn other subjects. Many will drop out
before finishing high school. When I was growing up,
there were plenty of unskilled jobs for those without a high
school education. Now, most of those jobs are gone.
We’re facing a giant educational and economic divide in
“T ruist showed tremendous leadership in 2019 by collaborating with
us and our member organizations to develop the largest community
benefits plan. It will provide investment in programs to improve
affordable housing, mortgage lending, small-business development
and economic development in low- and moderate-income
communities across the eastern U.S.”
– Jesse Van Tol,
CEO, National Community Reinvestment Coalition
6
our country. We must, as a nation, confront this
inequality and work together to create hope and
opportunity for millions of underserved citizens.
Truist is committed to doing our part. Together
with our financial literacy partner, EverFi, we
have launched a digital reading game called
WORD Force that will help teach elementary
school children how to read. Our Leadership
Institute helps improve our public education
system by teaching school principals to
become more effective leaders. At a time when
more than half of Americans live paycheck to
paycheck, our onUp Movement provides tools
and tips to increase financial confidence.
I’m thrilled that our combination as Truist
will multiply these positive efforts for all
our stakeholders.
Our investment in teammates
We invest in our teammates, who are at the
heart of every great client experience. We offer
an empowering environment and superior
teammate benefits: the unusual combination
of a company-matched 401(k) and pension
plan, unparalleled leadership development,
time-off policies to ensure maximum flexibility
in life events, financial wellness programs and
company-subsidized health care.
We talk a lot about culture with our teammates,
so everyone knows how we operate. As I
described earlier, our culture is built around
clear, sound and agreed-upon beliefs, our
five values:
Trustworthy. We serve with integrity.
Caring. Everyone and every moment matters.
One team. Together, we can accomplish anything.
In the underserved communities of Washington, D.C., STEM projects
change lives.
A brighter future for at-risk youth
100 Black Men of Greater Washington, D.C. helps
at-risk students engage in projects to develop their
skills and fuel their motivation to finish high school
and pursue college. We’re proud to support this life-
changing effort.
Success. When our clients win, we all win.
A blanket made with love can mean so much to a child.
Happiness. Positive energy changes lives.
We want to create an environment in which
our teammates are not only successful but also
have an opportunity to find happiness – positive
energy coming from feeling fulfilled because
we’re doing important work, changing lives for
the better.
Wrapping kids in love
As part of a Lighthouse Project effort, 45 teammates
spent a day making blankets by hand for children
dealing with trauma or illness. The blankets find their
way to their recipients through the nonprofit Project
Linus, providing hope and comfort.
7
Revenue composition by type
Revenue mix by segment
Net interest
income
60%
Noninterest
income
40%
Retail,
wealth and
national
consumer
finance
50%
Corporate
and
commercial
banking
40%
Insurance holdings
10%
We are committed to diversity and inclusion – a
commitment that helps us understand our markets,
makes our teammates more effective and improves
our results. We recognize diversity is the first step.
Inclusion is the crucial test, as it provides equal
opportunity for everyone. We should not rest until
every teammate has equal opportunity at Truist,
regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender or other
characteristics. We also remain committed to serving
all of our communities equally and fairly.
There will be no change to our conservative approach
to risk. Like BB&T and SunTrust, Truist serves Main
Street and national corporate clients, focusing on
meeting the needs of the people and businesses in
our markets. Our approach to risk also will include
comprehensive cybersecurity measures to ensure
clients’ accounts are as secure as possible. We have
a large and talented team that focuses exclusively on
security every day – a key part of our commitment to
remaining trustworthy.
A smooth transition
Positioned for profitability
We are working as one team during our integration
to ensure a seamless transition, both for our clients
and our teammates. One of the first announcements
we made was that our clients can use their debit or
ATM cards at any BB&T or SunTrust ATM. For the vast
majority of clients, there will be no merger-related
changes to account numbers, no need to order
new checks or make changes to direct deposits
or automatic drafts. We will not close overlapping
branches for the first year, and many clients are
being greeted by the same teammates who served
them previously. We are in the process of moving
approximately 2,000 teammates into our signature
headquarters in the heart of Charlotte’s financial
district. Our conversion to Truist systems, processes,
branding, products and services will be completed
in 2021.
8
Truist is well positioned to achieve industry-leading
financial and operating metrics, and we have the
opportunity to produce the strongest returns among our
peers. We expect an industry-leading return on tangible
common equity in the low 20% range based on our
merger’s substantial financial opportunities.
Our performance is powered by a diverse mix of
revenue. Retail, wealth and national consumer finance
comprise half of our revenue, with corporate and
commercial banking contributing 40% and insurance
holdings making up the remaining 10%. The merger also
enhances our fee income mix and creates compelling
opportunities to build further scale in specialized
businesses, such as insurance brokerage and wealth.
Our combined 2019 performance reflects strong
momentum. As we move into our first full year
together, our performance ratios are strong, loans are
growing at a healthy pace, asset quality is excellent,
and capital levels are solid. We’ve talked with business
leaders throughout our markets, and they’re confident
about their companies’ prospects and excited about
doing business with Truist.
Despite merger-related costs in the fourth quarter, our
underlying performance is strong. Taxable-equivalent
revenue for the quarter totaled $3.7 billion, and
adjusted net income was $1.0 billion. We restructured
the balance sheet to enhance credit quality, liquidity,
interest sensitivity and return on capital. Insurance,
our largest producer of noninterest income, delivered
industry-leading organic growth of 8.8% in the full year
of 2019, due to strong retention, improved pricing and
new business production.
Our revenue opportunities
Even though we’ve been combined for only a few
months, our teammates have hit the ground running by
collaborating to find new revenue opportunities, such
as the relationships between our investment bankers
and commercial community bankers. We intentionally
didn’t factor revenue opportunities into our projected
return on tangible common equity. And those
opportunities are substantial, in private banking, wealth
management, insurance and more.
For the next three years, as we realize our expense
savings, we expect revenue to grow faster than
expenses. We’re confident Truist can generate peer-
leading return on tangible common equity and
efficiency. By the fourth quarter of 2020, we expect an
annualized investment of about $200 million, enabling
us to double digital teams and develop our Innovation
and Technology Center.
Of course, our industry and our world continue to face
challenges, from a difficult interest rate environment
to global geopolitical risks, such as volatility in the
Middle East and potential pandemics. Climate change
is a great global risk; it also has become a defining
factor in companies’ long-term success, portending
a fundamental reshaping of finance. The ultimate
winners will be companies committed to making
sustainable investments and helping stakeholders
adjust to society’s changing demands – purpose-driven
companies like Truist.
A merger of true equals
We started our combination with the premise that
this is a merger of true equals. Our experienced
14-member executive leadership team and our
22-member board of directors are drawn equally from
our two heritage companies.
From day one, former SunTrust CEO Bill Rogers and I
adopted the code words “no light between us” – we
share the same vision for Truist. For the last 25 years,
I’ve known and admired Bill, who will succeed me
as Truist CEO in September 2021. We bring similar
backgrounds and a shared outlook about the future
of banking. As with my history at BB&T, Bill has spent
his entire career – 39 years – at SunTrust. He and
his colleagues built a great company, respected
throughout our industry and their communities. Like
me, he believes we must embrace opportunities to
disrupt our own business during times of change, as
we are doing with our merger, to drive a sustainable
competitive advantage.
We recognize that combining two organizations
requires extensive and continuous communication. Bill
and I, along with our executive team, have spent the
last two months meeting with teammates throughout
Truist to begin a deeper discussion about our purpose,
mission and values. It will take all of us working
together to build an authentic culture that truly sets us
apart from other financial institutions.
During these town-hall-style meetings, I have been
so impressed with the leadership and team we have
assembled as we move into 2020 and beyond. I also
want to take this opportunity to thank those former
colleagues as well as former BB&T and SunTrust
directors who are no longer a part of Truist. Their
outstanding contributions and guidance have been
crucial to our success.
William H. “Bill” Rogers Jr.
is president and chief
operating officer; he’ll
become CEO in
September
2021.
9
The road ahead
We have a lot of work to do, but I’m confident we
will make Truist known, respected and trusted
among all our stakeholders. For our clients, we will
create an enhanced financial experience through a
seamless integration of touch and technology that
generates trust, financial stability and success. For our
teammates, we will provide an inclusive environment
in which to learn, grow and have meaningful careers.
For our communities, we will fulfill our expansive
community benefits plan, understanding that we must
build strong communities to build a strong financial
services company. And for our shareholders, we will
deliver peer-leading returns.
Individually, we were strong. Together, we are better.
Truist stands for better – better experiences, better
partnerships, better technology and a better future.
This is just the beginning. The months and years
ahead will be filled with more exciting firsts and an
abundance of opportunities. I am proud to be part of
Truist as we write the first chapters of our new history.
With our shared culture, a clear road map for what lies
ahead and the continuing support of our stakeholders,
we will earn the right to call ourselves the premier
financial institution.
Kelly S. King
Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer
Feb. 21, 2020
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“Cult ure is the best driver of long-term performance.
Our shared culture – built on a foundation of our
purpose, mission and values – will be the biggest reason
for Truist’s long-term success.”
– Kelly S. King,
Chairman and CEO
11
Financial highlights and performance
Our financial
performance
Truist is starting from a position of financial strength with
opportunities to grow revenues and improve our efficiency.
Due to our merger closing on Dec. 6, 2019, Truist’s
financial performance in the fourth quarter of 2019
drew from BB&T’s numbers combined with 25 days
from SunTrust’s performance. While that makes it more
difficult to gauge our performance in the quarter and
full year, our pledge to our stakeholders is unchanged:
to be as transparent as possible as we share
performance measures in the months and years ahead.
What’s clear, though, is we’re starting from a position
of strength. Adjusted return on average assets was
1.40% for the fourth quarter and adjusted return on
average tangible common equity was 18.60% in the
fourth quarter, both very strong numbers. Net income
available to common shareholders totaled $702 million.
Excluding merger costs, we made $1 billion, or $1.12
per diluted share in the quarter, an increase of 4.2%
compared with the fourth quarter last year. For the full
year of 2019, return on average assets was 1.31% and
return on average tangible common equity was 16.40%.
For the full year of 2019, taxable-equivalent revenue
increased 8.7% to $12.7 billion. Our loans held for
investment showed good momentum and mix,
totaling $299.8 billion at year-end, balanced
between commercial and consumer. We took
steps in the fourth quarter to improve the loan
portfolio’s future profitability.
1212
2019 adjusted return on average assets
2019 adjusted return on average tangible
common equity
1.50%
19.04%
P1
TFC P2
P3
P4
P5
P6
P7
P8
P9 P10
P1
TFC P2
P3
P4
P5
P6
P7
P8
P9 P10
Adjusted ratios are non-GAAP measures; please refer to Page 32 and the inside back cover for related disclosures.
Deposits are also strong, totaling $334.7 billion at year-
end, including $170.7 billion acquired in connection
with the merger. Average deposits increased 10.0%
in 2019 compared to 2018. Importantly, noninterest
deposits represented 30.6% of total deposits for the
fourth quarter – a strong percentage when compared
with our peers.
Our asset quality remains healthy. Nonperforming
assets were at a low 0.14% of total assets at year-end,
and net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans
were 0.40%, down one basis point from the previous
quarter. Truist’s allowance for loan loss coverage ratios
also is strong at 3.41 times nonperforming loans and
leases and 2.03 times net charge-offs.
Our net interest margin, a key profitability measure,
was 3.41% in the fourth quarter, up four basis points
from the third quarter. The margin is the difference
between interest received on loans and investments
and interest paid on deposits and other funding,
expressed as a percentage of average earning assets.
Our diversification is reflected in the balance between
our net interest income and noninterest income
sources, such as our robust insurance, investment
banking and wealth management businesses. Our fee
income ratio, where a higher value indicates a higher
revenue contribution from noninterest income, was
41.8% for the year, comparing favorably with our peers.
Noninterest expenses increased from the third
quarter, mostly due to merged operations; we expect
core expenses to trend lower in 2020. Our adjusted
efficiency ratio of 57.5% in the fourth quarter compared
favorably with Truist’s peers, and we expect the ratio
to continue decreasing to an industry-leading level in
the low 50% range in future years. The ratio measures
expenses as a percentage of revenue, so lower
percentages signal better performance.
Our capital and liquidity levels are excellent. While the
capital ratio declined from the third quarter because
of the merger, it remained strong relative to regulatory
capital levels for well-capitalized banks. The dividend
and total payout ratios – critical to our shareholders –
were 49.1% for the fourth quarter.
Taxable-equivalent revenues/billions
Tangible book value per share
$12.7
$11.7
$11.5
13
12
11
10
$25.93
$20.80
$21.89
30
25
20
15
2017
2018
2019
2017
2018
2019
Represents a non-GAAP measure; please refer to Page 32 and the inside back cover for related disclosures.
13
Teammates and culture
Driven by
purpose
Our teammates are the heart of our efforts
to build better lives and better communities.
14
Mo Ramani
Risk Management
“ As I think about the Truist opportunity, what excites me
the most is that we will have a very human and caring
element about what we do. Personally, I draw from my
travel experiences as a means to connect with clients
and teammates to understand their cultures, what’s
important to them, and their hopes and dreams.
I’ve been really pleased with the teammates and the
sense of inclusion at Truist, bringing two companies
together with such rich heritages and top talent in
the industry. There’s great diversity of people with
different points of view and different practices. In a
short amount of time, we’ve already learned a ton from
each other through day-to-day knowledge sharing.
Diversity is what will make Truist special, relative to
our competition. It will make for more-engaging client
experiences. It will help us meet client needs.”
Charlene McNeil
Inclusion and Diversity
“ We meet client needs by better understanding our
clients. And one important way we do that is by
looking like the communities that we serve, by living
in the communities we serve. We reinforce inclusion
in everything we do, every conversation we have and
every communication that we share. Clients come to
Truist and know they matter.
For teammates, you can bring as many diverse people
into an organization as you want, but if there’s not an
inclusive environment, where everyone has a voice
at the table and contributes their uniqueness, then it
doesn’t work.
Inclusion allows us to have the best – the best thoughts,
the best products and services, the best programs.
Feeling a part of, feeling valued, respected, connected,
and engaged – that’s the environment at Truist.”
15
Our clients
Touch and
technology
We’re creating a better financial experience to
help people and businesses achieve more.
16
Big dreams
lead to good
deeds
A hotel entrepreneur relied on
SunTrust to help build his business.
Now, he’s harnessing Truist to
pursue his philanthropic initiatives.
One of the key players in Harris Rosen’s life is Truist.
Rosen has been a client since 1971, and we have
provided him financial advice and loans ever since he
purchased his first hotel in Orlando, Florida, in 1974.
“We have no debt today, but in the early days, SunTrust
was there,” says Rosen Hotels & Resorts Chief Financial
Officer Frank Santos. “They were a friend and were
partnering with us to get us to where we are today. I don’t
think we would have been able to do it without them.”
Today, Rosen is the president of the most successful
independent hotel group in Florida. His eight Orlando
hotels serve guests of the city’s convention center and
amusement parks. Rosen Hotels has nearly 7,000 guest
rooms, 4,500 associates and a valuation of more than
$500 million.
Rosen’s business success has enabled him to improve
the lives of people in his local community.
Since 1993, The Harris Rosen Foundation has helped
economically disadvantaged members of the Tangelo
Park community and, in 2017, expanded the program to
the Parramore community, both in Orlando. It provides
preschool education and full scholarships (including
tuition, books, and room and board) for high school
graduates who attend a two- or four-year vocational
or technical school or college in Florida. To date, the
foundation has awarded about 450 scholarships.
Philanthropist Harris Rosen works to improve lives in Orlando and in Haiti.
Helping Haiti
Rosen’s philanthropic efforts have also extended
beyond Orlando to help many people in Haiti.
Since the 1990s, The Harris Rosen Foundation has
provided school and medical supplies as well as water
filtration systems to schools, hospitals and orphanages
in Haiti. More recently, following Hurricane Matthew
in 2016, the foundation has constructed or rebuilt 105
homes in the city of Les Cayes.
“What Harris Rosen is trying to do is expand his business
so that he can be more philanthropic,” says Truist
Relationship Manager Becky Cox. “The more successful
he is, the more philanthropic he wants to be. So, my
focus for him is to offer solutions that free up his time
and his energy to focus on what his passion is, which is
being a pillar for the community.”
With the support of Truist, Rosen will continue to
strengthen his philanthropic efforts.
17
The key ingredient
in his success
Carlos Hernandez knows what it takes to
make a business work.
Carlos Hernandez Jr. was born in Cuba, but his first
memories are from when his family lived in a house
with a dirt floor in Puerto Rico.
“My father would paint the floor regularly with white
paint,” he recalls.
Although they were successful, Hernandez’s parents
decided there was more potential for their children in
the mainland United States.
Decades later, the family has built and sold one
successful business. Now Hernandez, with support
from our Wealth team, has ambitious plans for a new
business. His success has grown from the decisions his
parents made and their focus on family.
“I imagine that it was a hard decision for them to sell
that small world that they had built for themselves,”
Hernandez says. “But they didn’t want to limit us to
their world.”
Hernandez says they sold everything they had and
moved to Miami, Florida, “with a lot of tears.”
The family opened Perfection Paint & Body Shop,
which grew to be one of the biggest body shops
in Miami-Dade County. After 38 years, they sold
Perfection Paint so his parents could retire.
Hernandez spent months searching for his next
opportunity before purchasing Harriette’s Restaurant
in Key Largo, Florida. The diner was already a local
favorite, but Hernandez had new ideas.
“When we purchased Harriette’s, we would serve,
on a busy day, between 350 and 400 people. On
our typical weekend day now, we serve about 1,500
people,” Hernandez says.
He sees even more potential in Harriette’s Key lime
muffins, a signature item that some customers buy two
or three dozen of at a time. Our team has been working
with him as he plans to open a stand-alone bakery and
potentially sell the muffins across the country.
Entrepreneur Carlos
Hernandez is pursuing his
next business success story.
No matter how big business
gets, however, Hernandez
maintains that family is the
key to everything.
“Family is the first step toward a
successful business,” he says. “If
you make it feel like family, it’s
not work anymore. Your family
grows as your business grows.”
18
Retiree writes
her next chapter
Truist client Terrie Davoll Hudson earned the financial
freedom she needed to pursue an active retirement.
Whether she’s speaking, writing or volunteering, Wealth
client Terrie Davoll Hudson is making the most of her “retirement.”
Terrie Davoll Hudson wasn’t born wealthy, but she has
fond memories of her upbringing in Columbia, South
Carolina, where she developed a love for books and a
passion for reading and writing.
“The subject was ‘Leaving a Leadership Legacy,’”
Hudson says. “At the end, several people wanted to
know more and asked me if I had a podcast or a blog.
I had none of those things.”
“Growing up in South Carolina in the '60s, you couldn’t
go just anywhere,” Hudson says. “When I was about 13,
my mother said, ‘We’ll let you go on the bus downtown,
but there are only two places you can go.’”
Those two places? The library and the Statehouse.
“Since then, I’ve never missed going to a library, no
matter what country or city I’m in,” Hudson says.
Hudson left home for college and then started a
corporate career. Eventually, she made her way to
Dallas to be near family.
In Dallas, a team of our Wealth advisors helped her
realize she could retire whenever she wanted. A couple
of years later, she said goodbye to her corporate
career.
“My vision of retirement was, I was going to sit by my
pool for a full summer,” Hudson says. “I thought I’d
spend most of my time volunteering and traveling.”
Soon, though, Hudson was doing more. She received
invitations to speak about leadership. Her speeches
became regular gigs, and one in particular inspired her.
Their questions stuck with her for months.
“I decided I really should write about legacy,” Hudson says.
So, she pursued a new goal: writing her book “Leave a
Legacy That Counts: Create One at Any Age.”
“Leaving a legacy is about what you’re going to give –
a deposit in people and communities, no matter where
you are in life,” Hudson says.
If she hadn’t retired when she did, Hudson says she
might not have written her book.
The Wealth team spent time understanding Hudson’s
dreams for the next phase of her life. They ran various
scenarios for Hudson, showing her that no matter what
might happen financially, she was secure and free to
continue her legacy on her own terms.
“My leadership and life experiences give me a platform
for speaking about overcoming adversity, being the
best person you can be and connecting with people,”
Hudson says. “And it gives me an opportunity to share
my journey.”
19
Our communities
Pursuing positive
impact every day
Truist is committed to fueling change
and building better communities.
20
Operation HOPE Financial
Wellbeing Coach LaWanna
Ross helps small-business
owners with financial literacy.
Changing
lives, building
businesses
With support from Truist,
Operation HOPE provides
financial know-how to those
who need it most.
Before finding Operation HOPE, Tiffany Toxey
approached wedding and event planning as a hobby,
never imagining she would one day launch her own
successful business.
“I didn’t dream big,” Toxey says. “I had ideas, but I didn’t
know how to act on them or even think that I should act
on them.”
Toxey’s personal finances weren’t great, either.
“I had a low credit score, and I didn’t know how to
budget,” she says.
At a local gathering of entrepreneurs, Toxey heard
about Operation HOPE – now the largest financial
empowerment organization that invests in underserved
communities across the country – from LaWanna Ross.
Ross is one of many small-business and financial well-
being coaches at Operation HOPE, many of whom are
given office space in their local branches. A former
Operation HOPE client herself, Ross met with Toxey
and explained their mission: to raise her credit score,
increase her savings and reduce her debt.
“We teach them how to read a credit report,” she says.
“We teach them to be a smarter consumer and that the
choices they make every day impact them financially.”
Through regular meetings over a 12-week course, Ross
gave Toxey the tools she needed to meet her goals.
“In the beginning, LaWanna showed me different ways
to improve my credit, different things to sign up for,”
Toxey says. “She showed me how to set up an account
with budgeting tools.”
By the end of the course, Toxey was able to increase
her credit score and savings while kick-starting her
entrepreneurial efforts. She now runs a successful
wedding and event planning business that also offers
business coaching.
“It’s definitely rewarding,” Ross says, “to see someone
come from a place like myself – struggling and trying to
figure out what their next move is, where they’re going
to end up – and then helping them actually see that
vision that they never thought would be achievable.”
21
Powering
restoration
in historic
West Virginia
city
In Appalachia’s underserved
communities, small businesses
sometimes struggle to secure
capital. Truist is helping to
change that.
The mission of Appalachian Community Capital (ACC)
is to raise funds for entrepreneurs who have ideas that
can make a significant impact on their communities.
“In Appalachia, a lot of small-business owners have
great difficulty accessing affordable capital,” says
Donna Gambrell, president and CEO of ACC.
ACC has successfully raised $20 million since the
organization began in 2013. Working with about 20
other lending groups – a network that continues to
grow – they’ve distributed about 96% of that $20
million to many small businesses, giving them a chance
at success. But they wouldn’t be able to provide such
funding without support from Truist.
“They were one of the first banks to provide us
operating capital,” Gambrell says. “They’ve been very
much involved in looking at the work and hearing
about our successes and our challenges.”
You can find one of those success stories in Charleston,
West Virginia, where Bullock Properties is working to
restore, preserve and repurpose local historic properties
that have been abandoned or underutilized.
22
A mural on a Bullock Properties building adds whimsy to the West Side
neighborhood in Charleston, West Virginia.
“Growing up in an old coal town, watching it become
dilapidated around me, was the impetus for what
drove me,” says Tighe Bullock, president of Bullock
Properties. “There are lots of empty buildings, historic
buildings – just potential sitting everywhere.”
Bullock says their work has resulted in 14 new local
businesses opening, including a children’s theater, a
chiropractor’s office, a restaurant started by a former
coal miner and a distillery that’s currently in the works.
“Without Truist and their interest in community
development on a local level, these projects just
wouldn’t be possible,” Bullock says. “They’re truly in it
to help people and to help small businesses.”
Bullock is excited to have a relationship with
organizations like ACC and Truist.
“These relationships are going to enable my company
to grow,” he says, “and to continue providing the
services, spaces and jobs that we need in Appalachia.”
Teammates prepare
care packages for
women deployed
in the Middle East.
Teammates support
female combat veterans
“I just want to show them our support and make sure they know
we’re rooting for them back here, and we’re proud of them.”
A team of Truist teammates gathered with Combat
Female Veterans Families United (CFVF United)
volunteers to create care packages for women
deployed in the Middle East with the U.S. military. It was
a momentous day for the fledgling organization as it
hosted its first care package event.
Sandra Robinson has seen the need for organizations
devoted to female combat veterans since her
deployment with the U.S. Army National Guard in the
1990s. When Robinson settled in Greensboro, North
Carolina, no such organization existed. To fill the gap,
she founded CFVF United in 2017.
The organization primarily supports female combat
veterans transitioning to life after deployment, but it also
supports women who are still in combat zones.
When Sarah Hammes, a credit analyst from Commercial
Credit Administration, decided to lead a Lighthouse
Project, she knew she wanted to give back to the military.
After all, during her childhood, her father served in the Air
Force. CFVF United seemed like an obvious choice.
“Growing up in the military, I was like, ‘This is exactly
what I need to do,’” Hammes says.
Help is on the way
Robinson and Hammes quickly made a plan.
Teammates would purchase items for 60 care
packages and come together for assembly day. At the
end of the day, the volunteers would ship the boxes to
women serving in the Middle East.
When the teammates gathered with the organization’s
volunteers, they decided to add an extra component to
the packages: Each teammate signed cards for all 60
packages, expressing thanks to the women in service.
“I know how these women feel overseas, being without
their families, and it’s the hardest thing,” Hammes says.
“I just want to show them our support and make sure
they know we’re rooting for them back here, and we’re
proud of them.”
23
The Treehouse is one of the distinctive meeting spaces on The Leadership Institute campus.
Last fall, BB&T’s board of directors voted to rename The Leadership Institute
campus “The Kelly S. King Center.” The board’s unanimous decision was made
in recognition of King’s 40 years of dedication to leadership development and
his support of the unique mission of The Leadership Institute. The campus is
situated on a heavily wooded 11-acre site, just minutes from Piedmont Triad
International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. One of its main features
is a state-of-the-art, LEED Silver-rated headquarters that possesses all of the
amenities of a corporate retreat center.
24
The Leadership Institute
Trusting in the
power of leadership
The Leadership Institute is distinctive among
leadership development training organizations in
the U.S. Few, if any, U.S. businesses boast their own
leadership development organization, much less
one with an 11-acre, state-of-the-art LEED Silver-rated
campus dedicated to its practice.
“As we became self-aware of ourselves individually, we
became self-aware as a team operating together,” says
Doug Rinker, CEO of Winchester Equipment Co., who
participated in Mastering Leadership Dynamics along
with many of the company’s top leaders. “And that has
been extremely functional and beneficial to everybody.”
The Leadership Institute is also a vital tool in fulfilling
our purpose of inspiring and building better lives
and communities, as we deliver pro bono training to
educators and students.
In 2019, a new wave of business owners, senior
executives, managers and rank-and-file employees
experienced The Leadership Institute’s psychology-
based training courses. We also launched a successful
leadership development conference that featured
business luminaries like Harvard Business School
professor Bill George.
We have ambitious plans for 2020 – such as building
on the success of our inaugural 2019 conference by
hosting a multiday leadership conference in Charlotte,
North Carolina.
Programs and events at The Leadership Institute
are built on a neuropsychology-based approach to
leadership development. We focus on five core areas:
leadership development, employee engagement,
talent development, team optimization and change
management.
In the flagship Mastering Leadership DynamicsTM
program, participants learn how their beliefs drive their
behaviors and how to make needed adjustments – for
themselves and their teams.
Tuition-free training for public school
principals and college students
The philanthropic mission of The Leadership Institute
involves providing leadership training on a tuition-free
basis to public school principals as well as college and
university students.
To date, more than 950 pre-K through 12th grade
public school principals have completed our
Mastering Leadership DynamicsTM for Educational
Leaders program.
“It is incredible to see the self-awareness these
principals gain and for them to see themselves and
their behavior in work situations and ask themselves, ‘Is
that really me?’” says Walter Clark, education associate
of the South Carolina School Leadership Executive
Institute. “It leaves an indelible mark on them.”
Similarly, more than 7,500 college and university
students have participated in the Emerging Leaders
Certification program at The Leadership Institute.
“You learn so much about yourself, especially things
you don’t think about on a daily basis,” says Adyazbeth
Barrientos Solis, an Emerging Leaders program
graduate. “The program helps you reflect on who you
are and how the little things you do can make a big
difference in your life.”
25
Corporate social responsibility
Building
for better
At Truist, financial services are just the beginning.
We believe that a company’s longevity and long-term
profitability are bound to its purpose, the benefits it
brings to the communities in which it operates and its
contributions to society overall.
Our purpose – to inspire and build better lives and
communities – drives us to make a positive impact
every day. It forms the bedrock of our culture and is
rooted in our belief that corporate social responsibility
(CSR) is critical to our sustainability and success.
Culture united BB&T and SunTrust from the beginning.
When our executives began discussing a merger,
we realized both companies had spent decades
striving to maximize societal good, strengthen
communities and respect the environment. We also
recognized the business case for CSR, including
enhanced risk management and long-term value
creation. Our community efforts and areas of focus
– leadership development, economic mobility,
thriving communities and educational equity – are
the foundation for the work we do and reflect our
desire to do better. It is our belief that by building
sustainable communities, we are helping everyone
to live healthy, safe and productive lives, and we’re
creating a ripple effect of positive impact.
26
Corporate governance
We’ve elevated and strengthened board oversight
for CSR:
• Added CSR to the Nominating and Governance
Committee’s responsibilities
• Made human capit
al management a priority in forming
the Compensation and Human Capital Committee
• Cr eated a Technology Committee to oversee
responsible business practices and other matters,
including cybersecurity, data security and data privacy
At the management level, we formed the Ethics,
Business Practices and Conduct Committee, reporting
to the Joint Audit, Risk, and Compensation and
Human Capital Committee and aligned our business
practices, CSR efforts and management of enterprise
reputational risk.
How better happens
We recognize the magnitude of CSR in today’s
marketplace and want to ensure that we are doing our
part as the sixth-largest commercial bank in America.
That’s why we’re building CSR and sustainability
infrastructure and practices in support of positive
societal impact and transparency. We’re fusing the
best of BB&T’s and SunTrust’s heritage programs while
creating signature CSR initiatives. Our purpose and
values will guide the development of this infrastructure
and our reporting of environmental, social and
governance (ESG) factors.
We’ll strengthen our practices to address what matters
most to stakeholders. Like the rest of our business,
our CSR and sustainability programs are in continuous
pursuit of improvement.
More information on Truist CSR and sustainability goals
and programs will be available in our corporate social
responsibility report this summer. Here’s a preview.
• Leading by example in our communities – Among
our most important relationships are those with the
communities in which we operate. From programs
like BB&T’s Lighthouse Project and SunTrust’s onUp
Movement, we are building upon a heritage of
corporate citizenship. We’re also doing more to
give back.
We’ve announced a three-year $60 billion community
benefits plan focused on rural and urban community
development and investment, affordable housing,
mortgage and small-business lending, supplier
diversity, natural disaster support and financial
wellness. Through this program, Truist will lend to
or invest in low- and moderate-income borrowers
and communities, deploying $60 billion in capital
from 2020 to 2022. The plan demonstrates our
commitment to CSR and our dedication to the
communities in which we operate. We’ll further
support underserved neighborhoods by opening at
least 15 new branches in low- and moderate-income
or majority-minority communities.
• Committing to CSR from the top – Our leaders
put their words into action when it comes to safe,
sound and ethical business practices. Chairman and
CEO Kelly S. King and President and COO William
H. “Bill” Rogers Jr. are role models of responsible
and purpose-driven leadership. They work with
Truist teammates to serve our communities and
our environment, driving accountability throughout
the organization. To accelerate our ethical business
practices programs, we’re enhancing ESG due
diligence and stakeholder engagement.
• Leading with diversity – At Truist, we’re committed
to diversity among our teammates, members of
executive leadership and our board of directors. Of
our 22 directors, seven are women, representing
almost one-third of our board, and four are African
American, comprising almost 20% of our board.
Altogether, 45% of our board is either racially,
ethnically or gender diverse. Moreover, women hold
key leadership positions, such as the chairs of our
Compensation and Human Capital Committee, our
Technology Committee and the Truist Bank Trust
Committee. Our directors also have a broad range of
tenures and experience, which offers wide-ranging
perspectives on the financial services industry and
the changes taking place in banking.
• Ensuring a r
ewarding, inclusive and diverse culture –
We strive to give Truist teammates the best possible
wages, health benefits, total rewards and work
experience. Importantly, we are making inclusion and
diversity a priority. We’re advancing our culture to
boost efforts to attract, develop and retain the best
talent, including:
o Expanding our Inclusion and Diversity Office’s
responsibilities and resources
o Making inclusion an integr
al part of our
company values
o Establishing eight diverse business resource
groups sponsored by members of the executive
leadership team
27
o Continuing to focus on multicultural marketing
• Prioritizing our planet
– Through renewable energy
o Remaining devoted to partnering with diverse
vendors, committing to increase our total spend to
diverse suppliers and minority- and women-owned
businesses
Our strategic objectives include increasing diverse
representation in key roles; recruiting, promoting
and retaining diverse talent; developing tools and
resources that enable and sustain an inclusive culture;
and positioning Truist as an employer and financial
services company of choice for diverse constituents.
These initiatives will make us more competitive and
innovative – and they are the right thing to do.
• Building a r
obust CSR infrastructure – Integrating
ESG factors into due diligence processes enhances
risk management and value creation, so we’re
thoughtfully establishing a CSR and sustainability
practice that navigates current and evolving priorities.
We understand the importance of rigorous CSR
processes and reporting, because organizations
achieve what they measure. Our ESG reporting
frameworks will provide disclosure on the most
important factors for our business. We will prioritize
action and measure success through long-term
value creation, community impact, client and
teammate success, risk management and
environmental impact.
28
investments, business operations and teammate
efforts, Truist is helping to address the issue of
climate change and the transition to a lower-carbon
economy. We’re cultivating partnerships with relevant
organizations to strengthen our sustainability efforts,
and we are evaluating opportunities to reduce our
environmental impact.
• F ocusing on material ESG factors and exemplary
execution – A game plan is only as good as its
execution. Our CSR and sustainability program will
prioritize oversight and reporting of nonfinancial ESG
factors that are material to our business operations.
These include but are not limited to:
o F inancial inclusion and capacity building for
unbanked/underbanked/underserved clients
o Data security and privacy for clients
o Financial and children’s literacy initiatives
o Loan programs to promote small-business and
community development
In addition, Truist will attract and retain investors,
teammates, clients and business partners who share
our commitment. We’re exploring many opportunities to
strengthen our CSR and sustainability efforts, and we are
confident Truist will develop industry-leading programs
that will inspire and build better lives and communities.
How we’re pursuing better
$15-$18 Per-hour minimum
wage, based on location and
$3.27 million Contribution to
Winston-Salem Alliance for economic
industry-competitive salaries
development and education
Paid time off for
volunteering and
well-being
Provides one of the few corporate-
funded pension programs in the U.S.,
plus a 6% 401(k) match
Implemented programs to cut electricity use by 845,000
kilowatt-hours annually, equal to an estimated 1.32 million
pounds of carbon dioxide reduction
In 2019, Lighthouse Project teammates completed
1,100 community service projects. Overall, our
teammates volunteered 210,000 hours.
Momentum
onUp
220 companies and 100,000-
plus employees participate in
Momentum onUp; 72% of participants
are more likely to feel they could handle
major unexpected expenses than non-
participants. 18,000+ teammates are
actively participating, and $18 million
has been paid out as incentive to build
emergency savings accounts.
Planted over 1,000
acres of trees through our
LightStream tree for every
loan program
~$700 million in
capital for renewable
energy and a lower-
carbon economy
29
Executive leadership
Kelly S. King
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ellen M. Fitzsimmons
Chief Legal Officer and Head of
Brant J. Standridge
Head of Retail Community Banking
William H. “Bill” Rogers Jr.
President and Chief Operating Officer
Daryl N. Bible
Chief Financial Officer
Scott E. Case
Chief Information Officer
Hugh S. “Beau” Cummins III
Head of the Corporate and
Institutional Group
Enterprise Diversity and
Human Resources
Christopher L. Henson
Head of Banking and Insurance
Ellen C. Koebler
Deputy Chief Risk Officer
Mike Maguire
Head of National Consumer
Finance and Payments
Clarke R. Starnes III
Chief Risk Officer
Joseph M. Thompson
Head of Wealth
David H. Weaver
Head of Commercial
Community Banking
Dontá L. Wilson
Chief Digital and Client
Experience Officer
Front Row (L to R): Mike Maguire, Daryl N. Bible, William H. “Bill” Rogers Jr., Kelly S. King, Christopher L. Henson, Clarke R. Starnes III
Middle Row (L to R): Ellen M. Fitzsimmons, David H. Weaver, Ellen C. Koebler, Dontá L. Wilson, Hugh S. “Beau” Cummins III, Brant J. Standridge
Back Row (L to R): Scott E. Case, Joseph M. Thompson
3030
Board of directors
Jennifer S. Banner
Executive Director for the University of
Tennessee Haslam College of Business,
Forum for Emerging Enterprises and
Private Business
Patrick C. Graney III
President of PCG, Inc.
Linnie M. Haynesworth
Retired Sector Vice President and
General Manager, Northrop Grumman
K. David Boyer Jr.
CEO of GlobalWatch Technologies, Inc.
Corporation
Kelly S. King
Chairman and CEO of Truist
Easter A. Maynard
Director of Community Investment for
Investors Management Corporation
Donna S. Morea
CEO of Adesso Group, LLC
Charles A. “Chuck” Patton
Manager of Patton Holdings, LLC
Agnes Bundy Scanlan
Senior Advisor, Treliant, LLC
Anna R. Cablik
President of Anasteel & Supply
Company, LLC
Dallas S. Clement
EVP and CFO of Cox Enterprises, Inc.
Paul D. Donahue
President and CEO of Genuine Parts
Company
Paul R. Garcia
Retired Chairman and CEO of Global
Payments, Inc.
David M. Ratcliffe
Retired Chairman, President and CEO
of Southern Company
William H. “Bill” Rogers Jr.
President and COO of Truist
Frank P. Scruggs Jr.
Partner, Berger Singerman LLP
Christine Sears
CEO of Penn National Insurance
Thomas E. “Tom” Skains
Retired CEO of Piedmont Natural Gas
Company, Inc.
Bruce L. Tanner
Retired EVP and CFO of Lockheed
Martin Corporation
Nido R. Qubein
President of High Point University
Thomas N. “Tommy” Thompson
President of Thompson Homes, Inc.
Steven C. “Steve” Voorhees
President and CEO of WestRock
Company
Seated (L to R): Anna R. Cablik, Patrick C. Graney III, Donna S. Morea, Frank P. Scruggs Jr., Nido R. Qubein
Standing (L to R): Dallas S. Clement, Charles A. Patton, Jennifer S. Banner, Thomas E. Skains, Agnes Bundy Scanlan, Easter A. Maynard, Bruce L. Tanner,
William H. “Bill” Rogers Jr., Kelly S. King, Christine Sears, Paul R. Garcia, Steven C. Voorhees, Linnie M. Haynesworth, David M. Ratcliffe, Paul D. Donahue,
K. David Boyer Jr., Thomas N. Thompson
31
Shareholder information
Corporate headquarters
Truist Financial Corporation
214 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
Website
To find the latest information about Truist, go to Truist.com. Please visit the Newsroom section for
news releases or the Investors section for financial information, governance and responsibility
practices, or to access this report online.
SEC filings
Truist Financial Corporation files required reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission
each year. Copies of these reports may be obtained upon written request to:
Daryl N. Bible
Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Truist Financial Corporation
214 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
Transfer agent
Computershare Trust Company N.A.
P.O. Box 505005
Louisville, KY 40233
800-213-4314
Shareholder services
Shareholders seeking information regarding transfer instructions, dividends, lost certificates or
other general information should write or call:
Computershare Trust Company N.A.
P.O. Box 505005
Louisville, KY 40233
800-213-4314
Address changes, reprinting of tax information and account information may be directly accessed
through the Computershare website using Investor Center: Computershare.com/BBT
Stock Exchange and Trading Symbol
The common stock of Truist Financial Corporation is traded on the New York Stock Exchange
under the ticker symbol TFC.
Direct Stock Purchase and Dividend Reinvestment Plan
The Direct Stock Purchase and Dividend Reinvestment Plan offers prospective and current share-
holders the opportunity to affordably obtain Truist common shares. Shareholders may reinvest
dividends, purchase additional shares and sell shares on a regular basis. For more information,
contact Computershare at 800-213-4314.
Media
News media representatives seeking information should contact:
Brian E. Davis
Executive Vice President
Corporate Communications
Media@Truist.com
Analysts
Analysts, investors and others seeking additional financial information should contact:
Richard D. Baytosh
Executive Vice President
Investor Relations
336-733-0732
Clients
Clients seeking assistance with BB&T products and services should call 800-BANK BBT (800-226-
5228) or visit BBT.com.
Our CEO, Kelly S. King, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion to advance diversity, foster
inclusion, mitigate bias and empower teammates. We have internal and business Inclusion &
Diversity Councils designed to collaborate and share best practices, and our leaders are held
accountable for modeling inclusion in their business strategies. Our Diversity Recruiting team
also ensures we hire diverse and talented teammates, and our Supplier Diversity team partners
with minority- and women-owned businesses to build diverse partnerships that benefit us all.
Peer comparisons
The peer data reflected herein includes: Bank of America, Citizens Financial Group Inc., Fifth
Third Bancorp, JPMorgan Chase & Co., KeyCorp, M&T Bank Corp., PNC Financial Services Group,
Regions Financial Corp., U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo & Co.
About Truist
Truist Financial Corporation is a purpose-driven financial services company committed to
inspiring and building better lives and communities. With 275 years of combined BB&T and
SunTrust history, Truist serves approximately 10 million households with leading market share
in many high-growth markets in the country. The company offers a wide range of services,
including retail, small business and commercial banking; asset management; capital markets;
commercial real estate; corporate and institutional banking; insurance; mortgage; payments;
specialized lending and wealth management. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Truist
is the sixth-largest commercial bank in the U.S. with total assets of $473 billion as of Dec. 31, 2019.
Truist Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more at Truist.com.
Annual meeting
You are cordially invited to attend the annual meeting of shareholders of Truist Financial
Corporation at 11 a.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, at the Belk Theater at the Blumenthal
Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, North Carolina.
Forward-looking statements
This annual report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, regarding the financial condition, results of operations,
business plans and the future performance of Truist. Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,”
“estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,”
“could” and other similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but instead represent manage-
ment’s expectations and assumptions regarding Truist’s business, the economy and other future
conditions. Such statements involve inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances
that are difficult to predict. As such, Truist’s actual results may differ materially from those con-
templated by forward-looking statements. While there can be no assurance that any list of risks
and uncertainties or risk factors is complete, important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contemplated by forward-looking statements include the following,
without limitation, as well as the risks and uncertainties more fully discussed under Item 1A-Risk
Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2019 and in Truist’s subse-
quent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission:
• risks and uncertainties relating to the merger of BB&T and SunTrust, including the ability to
successfully integrate the companies or to realize the anticipated benefits of the merger;
• expenses relating to the merger and integration of BB&T and SunTrust;
• deposit attrition, client loss or revenue loss following completed mergers or acquisitions may be
greater than anticipated;
• changes in the interest rate environment, including the replacement of LIBOR as an interest rate
benchmark, that could adversely affect Truist’s revenue and expenses, the value of assets and
obligations, and the availability and cost of capital, cash flows and liquidity;
• volatility in mortgage production and servicing revenues, and changes in carrying values of
Truist’s servicing assets and mortgages held for sale due to changes in interest rates;
• management’s ability to effectively manage credit risk;
• inability to access short-term funding or liquidity;
• loss of client deposits, which could increase Truist’s funding costs;
Clients seeking assistance with SunTrust products and services should call 800-SunTrust (800-
786-8787) or visit SunTrust.com.
• changes in Truist’s credit ratings, which could increase the cost of funding or limit access to
capital markets;
Diversity and inclusion at Truist
Inclusion and diversity are front and center in Truist’s purpose, mission and values. At Truist, our goal
is to be a magnet for talent, innovation and well-being through deliberate and inclusive connections
with our stakeholders.
We have eight diverse business resource groups dedicated to sharing business insights, connect-
ing with our communities and attracting diverse talent to help us think bigger. We offer inclusive
training for teammates to learn from their unconscious biases and engage in bold conversations
that lead to greater empathy and understanding.
• additional capit
al and liquidity requirements that will result from the merger of BB&T and SunTrust;
• regulatory matters, litigation or other legal actions, which may result in, among other things,
costs, fines, penalties, restrictions on Truist’s business activities, reputational harm or other
adverse consequences;
• risks related to originating and selling mortgages, including repurchase and indemnity demands
from purchasers related to representations and warranties on loans sold, which could result in
an increase in the amount of losses for loan repurchases;
• failure to execute on strategic or operational plans, including the ability to successfully com-
plete and/or integrate mergers and acquisitions;
32
• risks relating to Truist’s role as a servicer of loans, including an increase in the scope or costs
of the services Truist is required to perform without any corresponding increase in Truist’s
servicing fee, or a breach of Truist’s obligations as servicer;
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which
speak only as of the date they are made. Except to the extent required by applicable law or regu-
lation, Truist undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements.
• negative public opinion, which could damage Truist’s reputation;
• increased scrutiny regarding Truist’s consumer sales practices, training practices, incentive
compensation design and governance;
• competition from new or existing competitors, including increased competition from products
and services offered by nonbank financial technology companies, may reduce Truist’s client
base, cause Truist to lower prices for its products and services in order to maintain market share
or otherwise adversely impact Truist’s businesses or results of operations;
• Truist’s ability to introduce new products and services in response to industry trends or develop-
ments in technology that achieve market acceptance and regulatory approval;
• Truist’s success depends on the expertise of key personnel, and if these individuals leave
or change their roles without effective replacements, which could be exacerbated as Truist
continues to integrate the executive management teams of BB&T and SunTrust, or if we are
unable to hire and retain qualified personnel, Truist’s operations and integration activities could
be adversely impacted;
• legislative, regulatory or accounting changes may adversely affect the businesses in which
Truist is engaged;
• evolving regulatory standards, including with respect to capital and liquidity, and results of regu-
latory examinations, may adversely affect Truist’s financial condition and results of operations;
• accounting policies and processes require management to make estimates about matters that
are uncertain;
• general economic or business conditions, either nationally or regionally, may be less favorable
than expected, resulting in, among other things, slower deposit or asset growth, a deterioration
in credit quality or a reduced demand for credit, insurance or other services;
• risk management measures and management oversight functions may not identify or address
risks adequately;
• unfavorable resolution of legal proceedings or other claims or regulatory or other governmental
investigations or inquiries could result in negative publicity, protests, fines, penalties, restric-
tions on Truist’s operations or ability to expand its business or other negative consequences, all
of which could cause reputational damage and adversely impact Truist’s financial condition and
results of operations;
About the report
This annual report contains financial information and performance measures determined by
methods other than in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles in the
United States of America (GAAP). Truist’s management uses these non-GAAP measures in their
analysis of the Corporation’s performance and the efficiency of its operations. Management
believes these non-GAAP measures provide a greater understanding of ongoing operations, en-
hance comparability of results with prior periods and demonstrate the effects of significant items
in the current period. The Corporation believes a meaningful analysis of its financial performance
requires an understanding of the factors underlying that performance. Truist’s management
believes investors may find these non-GAAP financial measures useful. These disclosures should
not be viewed as a substitute for financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP, nor
are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by
other companies. Below is a listing of the types of non-GAAP measures used in this annual report:
• The adjusted efficiency ratio is non-GAAP in that it excludes securities gains (losses), amortiza-
tion of intangible assets, merger-related and restructuring charges and other selected items.
Truist’s management uses this measure in their analysis of the Corporation’s performance.
Truist’s management believes this measure provides a greater understanding of ongoing
operations and enhances comparability of results with prior periods, as well as demonstrates the
effects of significant gains and charges.
• Tangible common equity and related measures are non-GAAP measures that exclude the
impact of intangible assets, net of deferred taxes and their related amortization. These measures
are useful for evaluating the performance of a business consistently, whether acquired or
developed internally. Truist’s management uses these measures to assess the quality of capital
and returns relative to balance sheet risk and believes investors may find them useful in their
analysis of the Corporation.
• The adjusted diluted earnings per share is non-GAAP in that it excludes merger-related and re-
structuring charges and other selected items, net of tax. Truist’s management uses this measure
in their analysis of the Corporation’s performance. Truist’s management believes this measure
provides a greater understanding of ongoing operations and enhances comparability of results
with prior periods, as well as demonstrates the effects of significant gains and charges.
• The adjusted performance ratios are non-GAAP in that they exclude merger-related and
restruc-turing charges, selected items and, in the case of return on average tangible common
share-holders’ equity, amortization of intangible assets. Truist’s management uses these
measures in their analysis of the Corporation’s performance. Truist’s management believes these
measures provide a greater understanding of ongoing operations and enhance comparability of
results with prior periods, as well as demonstrate the effects of significant gains and charges.
• competitors of Truist may have greater financial resources or develop products that enable them
to compete more successfully than Truist and may be subject to different regulatory standards
than Truist;
A reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are
included in the appendix to Truist’s Fourth Quarter 2019 Earnings Presentation, which is available
at ir.truist.com/earnings.
• failure to maintain or enhance Truist’s competitive position with respect to technology, whether
because it fails to anticipate client expectations or because its technological developments fail
to perform as desired or are not rolled out in a timely manner or for other reasons, may cause
Truist to lose market share or incur additional expense;
• fraud or misconduct by internal or external parties, which Truist may not be able to prevent,
detect or mitigate;
• operational or communications systems, including systems used by vendors or other external
parties, may fail or may be the subject of a breach or cyberattack that, if successful, could
adversely impact Truist’s financial condition and results of operations;
• security risks, including denial of service attacks, hacking, social engineering attacks targeting
Truist’s employees and clients, malware intrusion or data corruption attempts, and identity theft
could result in the disclosure of confidential information, adversely affect Truist’s business or
reputation, or create significant legal or financial exposure;
• natural or other disasters, including acts of terrorism, could have an adverse effect on Truist,
including by materially disrupting Truist’s operations or the ability or willingness of clients to
access Truist’s products and services;
• widespread system outages, caused by the failure of critical internal systems or critical services
provided by third parties, could adversely impact Truist’s financial condition and results of
operations;
• accounting policies and processes requiring management to make estimates about matters that
are uncertain;
• depressed market values for Truist’s stock and adverse economic conditions sustained over a
period of time may require us to write down all or some portion of Truist’s goodwill; and
• new tax guidance or differences in interpretation of tax laws and regulations.
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© 2020 Truist Financial Corporation. BB&T, The
Leadership Institute, SunTrust, onUp, Momentum onUp,
Lightstream, Truist, Truist purple and the Truist logo are
service marks of Truist Financial Corporation.
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