Business ethics

Conducting business with integrity

“A continual commitment to conduct business with the highest degree of integrity and ethical standards has been the foundation of our success in the past and is the hallmark of a promising future. This commitment belongs to each of us; it must be every employee’s cause.”

That message was part of a recent communication to all employees that defines the values and ethics at Sallie Mae. We have long believed that our relationships with schools, parents, students, government, and other businesses need to uphold the highest standard. Part of the way we live up to our own standards is by creating an environment that encourages asking questions and feeling comfortable raising concerns.

Beyond empowering people to do the right thing, we regularly train and retrain our employees on not only meeting legal standards but making sure that we go beyond, regardless of what approach competitors take. Across the entire company we have a vigorously enforced code of business conduct that covers protecting privacy, banning unethical gifts, promoting fair dealing with vendors, and much more.

We believe that over the long term people choose companies that have integrity and act ethically — and we are committed to making Sallie Mae the obvious choice.