Fifth Third Bank Ranks #78 on EPA’s National Top 100 List of Green Power Users; Use Supports Development of Clean Renewable Resources

Tampa—Fifth Third Bank announced today that it appears as No. 78 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA's) National Top 100 list of the largest green power users. Fifth Third Bank is using nearly 70 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 30 percent of the organization's electricity use. Fifth Third Bank is buying renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Greenlight Energy.  This demonstrates a proactive choice to switch away from traditional sources of electricity generation and support cleaner renewable energy alternatives.

“This is a huge honor and we are proud to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” said Scott Hassell, vice president and sustainability manager for Fifth Third Bank. “Using green power helps our organization become more sustainable, while also sending a message to others across the U.S. that supporting clean sources of electricity is an important way companies and communities can take action today to reduce the risks of climate change.”

In addition to Fifth Third Bank's spot on the National Top 100 list, Fifth Third Bank also appears as No. 28 on the Fortune 500® list. This green power commitment also qualifies Fifth Third Bank for EPA’s Green Power Leadership Club, a distinction given to organizations that have significantly exceeded EPA’s minimum requirements. Green Power Leadership Club members must use ten times the Partnership’s minimum green power use requirement organization-wide.

Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact hydro. Using green power helps accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.

According to the U.S. EPA, Fifth Third Bank's green power use of nearly 70 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of more than 10,000 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of more than 7,000 average American homes annually.

Additional information on Fifth Third Bank’s efforts to be a good corporate citizen, including its environmental sustainability program, can be found at http://www.53.com/csrreport.

Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $130 billion in assets and operates 17 affiliates with 1,320 full-service Banking Centers, including 104 Bank Mart® locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,586 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third also has a 25% interest in Vantiv Holding, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of December 31, 2013, had $302 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $27 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858.  Member FDIC.

About Greenlight Energy

Greenlight Energy provides access to renewable energy projects to organizations and individuals.  Founded in 2010 as the first woman-owned renewable energy marketing firm in the U.S. and industry pioneers for over a decade, our founders have transacted over 7 billion kWh of RECs over their careers with some of the world's most recognizable brands.  Helping clients support renewables, reduce emissions and drive sustainability throughout their operations is core to Greenlight Energy’s mission.  For more information, call (518) 499-3557 or visit www.gltenergy.com.

About EPA’s Green Power Partnership

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,500 Partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies; small and medium sized businesses; local, state, and federal governments; and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.