Christopher Schnirel

About Christopher Schnirel

Christopher J. Schnirel, age 53, is Executive Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) and Controller of Citizens Financial Group (CFG), appointed effective October 21, 2024. He is a Certified Public Accountant with a B.S. and MBA from the University at Buffalo, and previously served as SVP & Assistant Controller at Huntington Bancshares and held senior accounting roles at HSBC; he began his career at PwC . As CFG’s principal accounting officer, he signed the FY2024 Form 10-K and subsequent 2025 10-Qs, underscoring his oversight of financial reporting and controls . Company performance in 2024: GAAP diluted EPS $3.03, Underlying EPS $3.24, Underlying ROTCE 10.5%, efficiency ratio 65.2% (Underlying), CET1 ratio 10.8%; CFG reported its TSR as second among its peer group in 2024 .

Past Roles

Organization	Role	Years	Strategic Impact
Huntington Bancshares Inc.	SVP & Assistant Controller	~12 years	Led SEC and regulatory reporting, accounting policy, treasury controllership, and capital markets controllership
HSBC North America	Senior accounting positions	Not disclosed	Senior accounting leadership across multiple controllership functions
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP	Early career (audit/accounting)	Not disclosed	Foundational audit and accounting experience

External Roles

Organization	Role	Years	Notes
None disclosed	—	—	No external public company directorships or board roles disclosed in CFG filings for Schnirel

Fixed Compensation

Component	Amount	Notes
Total annual compensation	$1.1 million	As per employment agreement dated September 11, 2024
Buy-out award (RSUs)	Not disclosed	Granted in RSUs to replace forfeited awards from prior employer; number/vesting details not disclosed
Base salary	Not disclosed	Not separately disclosed
Target bonus %	Not disclosed	Not disclosed
Relocation benefits	Eligible	Per executive relocation policy
Other perquisites	Not disclosed	Not disclosed

Performance Compensation

No Schnirel-specific performance award metrics, weightings, targets, or payouts are disclosed in the 2024/2025 proxy/CD&A; NEO lists do not include Schnirel for 2024 .

Equity Ownership & Alignment

Item	Detail
Beneficial ownership (common shares)	0 as of Form 3 filed October 21, 2024 (“No securities are beneficially owned”)
Options	None disclosed
RSUs outstanding	Buy-out RSUs to be granted; number/vesting not disclosed
Shares pledged	Pledging of Citizens securities prohibited for employees/directors
Hedging	Hedging of Citizens securities prohibited for monitored employees/directors
Stock ownership guidelines	Executives and directors subject to stock ownership and retention guidelines
Compliance status (guidelines)	Not disclosed

Employment Terms

Term	Detail
Appointment date	October 21, 2024
Employment agreement date	September 11, 2024
Position	EVP, Chief Accounting Officer & Controller; Principal Accounting Officer signatory
Term length	At-will; Company may terminate anytime; employee may resign with 90 days’ written notice
Non-compete	Not disclosed
Non-solicit	12 months post-termination for employees and for customers/prospects
Confidentiality	Perpetual duration
Severance	Not disclosed
Change-of-control	Not disclosed
Clawback policy	Company clawback policy effective December 1, 2023
Insider trading policy	Pre-clearance, 30-day hold; hedging/pledging prohibited for officers/directors

Performance & Track Record

Role execution: Principal accounting officer signature on FY2024 Form 10-K and FY2025 Q1–Q3 10-Qs indicates responsibility for CFG’s financial reporting integrity and internal controls .

CFG FY2024 Performance Metrics	Value
Diluted EPS (GAAP)	$3.03
Underlying EPS	$3.24
Underlying ROTCE	10.5%
Underlying Efficiency Ratio	65.2%
CET1 Ratio	10.8%
TSR (relative)	Second among peer group (qualitative)

Investment Implications

Retention and alignment: The $1.1M total annual compensation plus buy-out RSUs (to replace forfeited awards) suggests retention focus; lack of disclosed vesting dates limits assessment of near-term selling pressure, but company policies prohibit hedging/pledging, supporting alignment and reducing risk of forced sales .
Governance and risk: As principal accounting officer, Schnirel’s presence and signatures across 2024–2025 filings support confidence in CFG’s reporting controls; company-wide clawback and insider trading policies strengthen accountability and alignment .
Ownership profile: No beneficial holdings at appointment (Form 3) and executive stock ownership guidelines apply; future RSU vesting could add modest supply but specifics are not disclosed, limiting visibility on timing/size .
Disclosure gaps: No severance or change-of-control economics disclosed for Schnirel; no performance metric-based incentives are specified for him, constraining pay-for-performance analysis at the individual level .