FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: John Doyle
(703) 447-1124

 “SPIRIT OF 76,000!”
Community Service 2008’ Breaks All Records

WASHINGTON D.C. (October 23, 2008) – More than 76,000 volunteers from the financial services industry taught financial literacy, “Marched for Babies” with March of Dimes, built low-income housing, and conducted public park clean-ups over the past three months as part of Community Service 2008.

Community Service 2008 (CS08), an initiative of The Financial Services Roundtable, united Roundtable member companies' efforts to improve the communities in which they work, and strengthened partnerships with non-profit partners and policymakers. This 90-day initiative focused on improving financial literacy by increasing the visibility of financial education programs in communities across America.

For examples of the projects Roundtable member companies were engaged in, go to
http://www.fsround.org/community/community_service_company_archive.html

“Community Service 2008 was the most successful initiative by far,” said Steve Bartlett, President and CEO of The Financial Services Roundtable. “When we started this program seven years ago, 800 volunteers teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for 11 families in eight cities. Today, we are proud to say CS08 has touched the lives of untold thousands from every state in the nation.”

The final tally for CS08: 76,000 volunteers from 90 member companies of The Financial Services Roundtable, participating in 2,027 projects, in 1,294 cities in all 50 states.

“We identified and registered 2,027 specific projects and 76,000 volunteers, but we believe this represents just the tip of the iceberg within the financial services industry,” Bartlett said. “Even in the face of economic turmoil, our companies have sustained—and even increased—their commitment to serving their communities. And while our data represents a 90-day snapshot, volunteers are working seven days a week, 365 days a year to improve the communities in which they work and live.”

Following are just a few examples of this volunteer service:

1. More than 1,000 volunteers helped victims of the flooding in Cedar Rapids, IA in early summer;
2. 200 interns gave up a Saturday morning to clean two local parks in Brooklyn, NY;
3. 400 employees helped build 24 new townhomes in Ramsey, MN for low-income families;
4. Volunteers collected books and school supplies for the Maine Public School System in Portland, ME; and
5. Associates from multiple banks teamed up to teach financial literacy to Denver, CO middle-school students.

Community Service 2008 was co-chaired by Richard K. Davis, Chairman, President, and CEO, U.S. Bancorp, and Don J. McGrath, Chairman and CEO, BancWest Corporation.

The non-profit partners are: Habitat for Humanity, Jump$tart Coalition, Junior Achievement, March of Dimes, National Council on Economic Education, NeighborWorks® America, Operation HOPE, Points of Light & Hands On Network, Rebuilding Together, Society for Financial Education and Professional Development, and USA Freedom Corps.

The National Sponsors of CS08 are: AEGON USA, Inc., The Allstate Corporation, American General Financial Services, AXA Equitable, Bank of America Corporation, BancWest Corporation, The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, Barclays Capital, Inc., Capital One Financial Corporation, The Charles Schwab Corporation, Edward Jones, GMAC Financial Services, HSBC – North America, ING, MasterCard Worldwide, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc., Nationwide, The PMI Group, Inc., Principal Financial Group, Protective Life Corporation, Raymond James Financial, Inc., Regions Financial Corporation, State Farm Insurance Companies, Toyota Financial Services, Union Bank of California, N.A.., Unum, U.S. Bancorp, Visa, Inc., Washington Mutual, Inc., and Wells Fargo & Company

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The Financial Services Roundtable represents 100 of the largest integrated financial services companies providing banking, insurance, and investment products and services to the American consumer.  Member companies participate through the Chief Executive Officer and other senior executives nominated by the CEO.