Environmental, Social and Governance

Our ESG Program Foundations

At Granite Point, we are committed to identifying and responding to business risks and opportunities related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. We are also committed to being a responsible, ethical corporate citizen, an employer of choice for talented professionals, and a positive member of the communities where we live and work.

Overview of ESG Matters

We believe the following topics are among the most significant ESG matters for our business and stakeholders. Please read the content under each tab for more information.

Environmental

Climate change and other environmental factors pose risks to our investment portfolio that we must actively manage, and we also recognize our responsibility to operate our business in a manner that limits negative environmental impacts.

About Environmental

Social

Our social commitment is centered on human capital management–that is, providing resources and support to attract, develop and retain our team of talented professionals–as well as positively engaging with the communities where we operate in New York and Minnesota.

About Social

Governance

A strong governance framework—including an effective ethics and compliance program, thoughtful attention to information security and privacy concerns, and quality corporate governance practices at the Board level—is critical to our long-term success as a real estate finance company.

About Governance

Granite Point Core Values

Our core values guide us in building and maintaining productive long-term relationships internally and with our investors, business partners, communities, and other stakeholders. They inform everything we do and how we do it, including our ESG program.

Image of a circular doughnut chart that shows the relationship/interconnectivity between Granite Point's Core Values: Excellence, Responsibility, Integrity, and Respect.

Board Oversight of ESG Matters

As reflected in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Board oversees our approach to ESG matters and reviews periodic reports from management on related topics. Our Board has assigned duties and responsibilities to its independent committees through their charters to help our Board fulfill its oversight function.

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee provides leadership by assisting the Board in overseeing our overarching ESG approach, and each of the three committees has oversight responsibility for some specific ESG matters consistent with that committee’s overall purpose, as outlined below.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

View Charter

  • Reviewing, and assisting the Board in overseeing, our ESG priorities, strategies and related public disclosures.
  • Recommending to the Board changes to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and Corporate Governance Guidelines.
  • Reviewing and advising the Board with respect to Board composition, structure and membership.

Compensation Committee

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  • Reviewing our human capital management strategies and practices, which may include those related to recruiting, retention, non-executive compensation, employee engagement, professional development, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
  • Determining compensation of executive officers.
  • Evaluating risks arising from our compensation plans and programs.

Audit Committee

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  • Overseeing risks to which our company is exposed—including those arising from data security issues, climate change and other environmental matters—as well as our assessment and management of such risks.
  • Overseeing our compliance and ethics programs.

Management’s Cross-Functional Approach to ESG

We have assembled an ESG working group that reports to our Chief Executive Officer and consists of members from our loan originations, human resources, legal, financial reporting, and investor relations functions. This working group meets monthly and has been charged with providing leadership in the following areas:

  • Identifying the most significant risks and opportunities that ESG matters represent for our business and the most significant impacts that ESG matters have on our business partners, investors, employees, communities, and other stakeholders. The group does this work through reflection on the members’ subject matter expertise, consideration of stakeholder priorities communicated to members, and reference to external reporting standards and peer disclosures.
  • Developing strategies and responsive measures to address ESG risks and opportunities while generating positive impacts.
  • Communicating Granite Point’s ESG priorities, strategies, and measures to other team members in all-hands and smaller group meetings, in training sessions, and through the development of policies and other materials distributed to all personnel.
  • Preparing disclosures to provide our external stakeholders with information about the ESG matters we have identified as being most significant to our company, as well as the strategies and responsive measures we have developed.