SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC), today announced that it is one of 230 companies selected for the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which distinguishes companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women's equality. The index doubled in size from 2018 and includes firms from 10 sectors, headquartered across 36 countries and regions. Collectively, these firms have a combined market capitalization of USD 9 trillion and globally employ more than 15 million people, of which 7 million are women. Thirteen markets are represented for the first time this year, including Argentina, China, Israel, and South Africa.

"We believe that the diversity of our employee base needs to represent the diversity of our customer base and that is why we're committed to increasing the diversity of our leadership team not just at the C-suite and board level, which are currently at 22 percent and 30 percent respectively, but at all levels within our organization," said Whitney Jones, Chief People Officer at LendingClub. "For open roles, we strive for a 50 percent diverse candidate slate and a diverse interview panel. For current employees, we've instituted policies like gender pay equity assessments, a phased-in return to work program for new mothers, a mentorship/allyship program and are actively supporting an internal women's network to promote the important contributions of our female employees."

Bloomberg's standardized reporting framework offers public companies the opportunity to disclose information on how they promote gender equality across four separate areas – company statistics, policies, community engagement, and products and services. Reporting companies that score above a globally-established threshold, based on the extent of disclosures and the achievement of best-in-class statistics and policies, are included in the GEI. Demand for products and services using environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data has seen a significant increase over the last years, as a growing number of investors are looking to incorporate ESG into their investment decisions. Still, only 10% of eligible companies are currently disclosing their workplace gender policies and practices.

"We applaud LendingClub and the other 229 firms tracked by the index for their action to measure gender equality through the Bloomberg GEI framework," said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg and Founding Chairman of the U.S. 30% Club. "LendingClub's GEI inclusion is a strong indicator to its employees, investors, and industry peers alike that it is leading by example to advance ongoing efforts for a truly inclusive workplace."

Disclosures from firms included in the 2019 GEI provide a wide-ranging and comprehensive look at how companies around the world are investing in women. According to GEI data:

• Women had a 40% increase in executive level positions between fiscal years 2014-2017.
• 60% of firms conduct compensation reviews to identify gender-based variations in pay to close their average 20% pay gap (18% on average in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Middle East regions and 26% in Asia-Pacific).
• 34% have programs in place to recruit women looking to return to work after a career break.
• For U.S. employees, the average number of weeks of fully paid primary leave offered is 13 weeks, and the average number of weeks of fully paid secondary leave offered is 5 weeks.
• 43% of firms cover gender reassignment services in health insurance plans.
• 68% of firms evaluate all advertising and marketing content for gender biases prior to publication.

The Bloomberg gender reporting framework is voluntary and has no associated costs. The GEI is a reference index. All public companies can submit data to Bloomberg. Those with a security listed on a U.S. exchange and a market capitalization of USD 1 billion or greater are eligible for index inclusion. For more information on the GEI and how to submit information for next year's index visit:
https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/solution/gender-equality-index/

Companies included in the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index:

Media Contacts:
LendingClub
[email protected]
[email protected] 

Veronika Henze
Bloomberg LP
+1-646-324-1596
[email protected]

About LendingClub 
LendingClub was founded to transform the banking system to make credit more affordable and investing more rewarding. Today, LendingClub's online credit marketplace connects borrowers and investors to deliver more efficient and affordable access to credit. Through its technology platform, LendingClub is able to create cost efficiencies and passes those savings onto borrowers in the form of lower rates and to investors in the form of risk-adjusted returns. LendingClub is based in San Francisco, California. Currently, residents of the following states may invest in LendingClub notes: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, or WY. All loans are made by federally regulated issuing bank partner(s). More information is available at https://www.lendingclub.com.

About Bloomberg:
Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company's strength – delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately – is at the core of the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg's enterprise solutions build on the company's core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively. For more information, visit www.bloomberg.com or request a demo.

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SOURCE LendingClub