Comerica Bank Contributes $150,000 in October to Fuel Women's Small Business Growth

Community organizations supporting female entrepreneurs across Comerica's geographical footprint will receive donations during National Women's Small Business Month

DALLAS, Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Comerica Bank is celebrating the builders, growers and barrier-breakers who are shaping what's next this National Women's Small Business Month by contributing $150,000 to organizations across its geographical footprint that provide technical assistance and micro-lending to female entrepreneurs. October's contributions will bring this year's total to over $300,000 to support women in business.

Additionally, Comerica will host a variety of local events across its markets to engage with female entrepreneurs in honor of Women's Small Business Month.

"Women-owned small businesses play a vital role in our economy, and it is a privilege and a continued promise to support them in our local communities every day," said Wendy Bridges, Comerica Bank Executive Vice President and Executive Director of Corporate Affairs. "Community organizations are powerful resources for spurring women's small business growth because they recognize the opportunities to make a real impact on their future."

Exploring the state of women-owned small businesses

Today, there are more than 12 million women-owned small businesses nationwide. According to the first edition of the Comerica Small Business Pulse Index™, female business owners report a high level of confidence in the future success of their business and a moderate degree of optimism in the market conditions.

The national survey of 1,010 small business owners, conducted August 1-13, 2025, delves into small businesses' confidence level, market outlook, AI adoption and more. Key insights from the 444 female small business owners who participated in the Index include:

• Confidence Remains Strong: 81% of female small business owners say they are somewhat or very confident about the future success of their business.
• Inflation Tops the List of Concerns: 23% of female small business owners report inflation is their number one issue of concern – the same level as the all-business owner average – followed by tariffs and cash flow challenges.
• AI Adoption Is Accelerating: 46% of surveyed female owners report using AI tools today, with another 30% reporting they plan to adopt AI within the next 12 months.
• Investing in AI: 74% of female business owners report spending up to 5% of their annual budget on AI tools, technologies and platforms.
• AI Job Displacement: Only 36% of all female business owners surveyed predict AI will replace jobs in their industry in the next 5 years. This is identical to the all-business owner level of sentiment.
• Government Oversight of AI: 53% of female business owners surveyed support stricter government regulations on AI for business use. This is marginally lower than 57% of male owners who believe the same.

"The vast majority of women small business owners surveyed expressed a confident business outlook," said Larry Franco, Comerica Bank Executive Vice President and National Director of Retail & Small Business Banking. "This survey gives us a valuable glimpse into the state of women's small businesses today."

Swinging big for small businesses in 2025

Comerica's contributions for Women's Small Business Month quickly follow its week-long Small Business Week celebrations in May featuring customer and community-focused activities. The bank contributed $250,000 to five community organizations in Comerica markets focused on entrepreneurial development, growth, education and empowerment. Each nonprofit organization was additionally honored as a special guest during a check presentation at Comerica baseball-themed small business events in Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Comerica has prioritized bolstering its commitment to small businesses and entrepreneurs as well as supporting small business growth in the communities it serves over the past few years. By establishing dedicated small business banking teams across its markets and creating several innovative initiatives and services, Comerica aims to simultaneously elevate customer experiences and positively impact the community.

"From contributions to community organizations to creating unique resources and solutions for small business customers, we're committed to going above and beyond to provide real value to entrepreneurs and small business owners across our footprint," said Jim Weber, Comerica Bank Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer.

About the Survey
The Comerica Small Business Pulse Index™ surveyed 1,010 small business owners across the U.S. between August 1-13, 2025. The survey has a margin of error of ±3.1% at a 95% confidence level.

About Comerica Bank
Comerica Bank is a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA), which is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank and Wealth Management. Comerica, one of the 25 largest commercial U.S. financial holding companies, focuses on building relationships and helping people and businesses be successful. Comerica provides banking centers across the country with locations in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Texas. Founded on Aug. 17, 1849, in Detroit, Michigan, Comerica continues to expand into new regions, including its Southeast Market, based in North Carolina, and Mountain West Market in Colorado. Comerica has offices in 15 states and services 13 of the 15 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, as well as Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $78.0 billion at June 30, 2025. Learn more about how Comerica is raising expectations of what a bank can be by visiting www.comerica.com, and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Comerica Bank