ABSTRACT
The influence of financial institutions on the environmental performance of companies may grow, too, if these institutions pursue environmentally conscious lending and investment policies. The most active institution in this field was the Hungarian department of a large international financial institution, and a big commercial bank where a significant proportion of equity is owned by an environmentally conscious international financial institution. Due to the vague perception of the environmental responsibilities of financial institutions and the lack of environmental commitment, as well as the limited experience with environmentally risky financial transactions, Hungarian financial institutions are still rather passive with respect to environmental challenges. The public relations activities of financial institutions do not frequently include environmental components, either. Supporting economic development in the communities where the banks operate is definitely a more popular PR tool for the banks than educating customers or the general public about environmental issues.
