NEW YORK, NY--(MARKET WIRE)--Sep 26, 2008 -- In a year when writedowns, bankruptcies and uncertainties have plagued financial markets, U.S. Banker, published by SourceMedia, has showcased a collection of underreported success stories in its sixth annual ranking of The 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking (The 25 MPWIB). This year's ranking details how the most influential female executives in the financial services industry have kept their business units' revenue increasing and their profit goals on course in the face of significant financial and economic headwinds.

The ranking, featured in U.S. Banker's October issue and online at www.US-Banker.com, recognizes the professional achievements, personal tenacity and influence of top-performing financial services executives.

"With the pillars of Wall Street crumbling around them, these remarkable women steadily delivered outstanding results for their institutions while making meaningful contributions to their communities," said Holly Sraeel, editorial director of U.S. Banker at SourceMedia and president of The 25 MPWIB. "They navigated a complex economic environment and took on increasing responsibilities to drive results and implement best practices within their respective organizations."

Heidi Miller, JPMorgan Chase's CEO of Treasury and Securities Services, again topped The 25 MPWIB ranking for posting extraordinary financial results in 2008.

Barbara Desoer, Bank of America's president of Mortgage, Home Equity and Insurance Services, ranks second in this year's list. She is followed by Wells Fargo's Carrie Tolstedt, senior EVP of Community Banking; U.S. Bancorp's Pamela Joseph, vice chair of Payment Services; and Citigroup's Sallie Krawcheck, CEO, Citi Global Wealth Management, respectively.

U.S. Banker's October issue also profiles The 25 Women to Watch, a ranking that honors women whose leadership continues to shape the financial services industry. This year's top five, in order, include TD Bank Financial Group's Colleen Johnston, group head of Finance and CFO; Cascade Financial's Carol Nelson, president and CEO; Wells Fargo's Avid Modjtabai, EVP and CIO; Citigroup's Elyse Weiner, managing director, global head of Liquidity and Investments, GTS; and Citigroup's Maura Markus, EVP and head of International Consumer Banking.

For the second year, U.S. Banker ranked The Top 25 Nonbank Women in Finance, recognizing the top performers in the securities, asset management, insurance, private equity and exchange businesses. Topping this year's ranking is Nicole S. Arnaboldi, vice chairman of Alternative Investments, Credit Suisse; Clara Furse, CEO, London Stock Exchange; Stacy Bash-Polley, partner and managing director and co-head of Fixed Income Sales in the Americas, Goldman Sachs; Abigail Johnson, president of Personal and Workplace Investing, Fidelity; and Clare R. Scherrer, partner and managing director, Goldman Sachs.

Finally, the magazine also recognized the "Top 3 Banking Teams," naming U.S. Bancorp, Zions National Bank and Citigroup as the top three, respectively. U.S. Bancorp, headquartered in Minneapolis, has landed the top spot for three years since the designation debuted in 2005.

In addition to recognizing the accomplishments of these distinguished women, it also is important to note that this has been a year of firsts for The 25 MPWIB. This is the first time an honoree, Heidi Miller, has topped the list twice, and in consecutive years. This year is the first time a sibling of a former honoree has made the ranking, as this year's number eight on The 25 MPWIB, Diane D'Erasmo, is the sister of 2005 honoree Maryann Bruce, a Wachovia alumnus. Finally, this year's list features an unprecedented number of foreign honorees and new faces. Nine out of the 25 honorees on The 25 MPWIB rankings are new to the list, as are 10 honorees on The 25 Women to Watch and 11 honorees on The Top 25 Nonbank Women in Finance.

Ranking Methodology

To be eligible for The 25 MPWIB rankings, an executive must be in her position for at least 12 months and hold a title of senior vice president or higher within a bank, division, group or subsidiary owned by a bank holding company. The same rules apply to those ranked in the Top 25 Nonbank Women in Finance.

U.S. Banker evaluated each of the 4,700 nominees using quantitative and qualitative measures. Quantitative performance measures, such as one-year and three-year performance, business initiatives and results and length of tenure in the business, counted for two-thirds of the honorees' evaluation. Qualitative measures, including job complexity and responsibility, management style, best practices and innovations implemented, charitable work and overall influence within her environment account for the balance. U.S. Banker also considers performance in light of a business's size and development; however, no market-condition weighting was applied as all players faced the same circumstances.

To determine rankings for the top banking teams, the magazine considered overall year-to-date financial performance of the company, the percentage of women corporate officers, the total percentage of senior women executives firm-wide, the overall financial performance of women-led business units and functional areas, and, most importantly, growth-engine businesses led by women.

Gala in New York City, October 20

In conjunction with its published rankings, U.S. Banker and SourceMedia will host a Black Tie Gala celebrating honorees on October 20, 2008, at The Plaza in New York City. The Gala will feature keynote addresses by Barbara Desoer, Bank of America's president of Mortgage, Home Equity and Insurance Services, and Heidi Miller, JPMorgan Chase's CEO of Treasury and Securities Services.

Rita Turner, EVP, Wilmington Trust Company, will be honored with the Marjorie Magner Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes an individual whose outstanding personal and professional achievements are marked by a demonstrated ability to inspire excellence in others and an unrelenting commitment to use personal influence to support education, equal opportunity and diversity within corporate America and communities locally, regionally or nationally over the course of her career.

About U.S. Banker and SourceMedia, Inc.

U.S. Banker (www.US-Banker.com), published for more than 117 years, is written monthly for individuals charged with generating profits and shareholder value for their financial institutions and covers market trends, regulations, innovations and individuals that are reshaping the financial services landscape.

SourceMedia, an Investcorp company, is the pre-eminent provider of timely and essential news, analysis, research, and insights for members of the financial services community, and the related fields of professional services and technology. SourceMedia offers its clients and subscribers professional publications, industry-standard data applications and in-depth seminars and conferences.

 
APPENDIX A: The 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking
Heidi Miller
CEO, Treasury and Securities Services
JPMorgan Chase

Barbara Desoer
President, Mortgage, Home Equity and Insurance Services
(ranked based on prior role as Chief Technology and Operations Officer)
Bank of America

Carrie Tolstedt
Senior EVP, Community Banking
Wells Fargo

Pamela Joseph
Vice Chair, Payment Services, U.S. Bancorp
Chairman, Elavon
U.S. Bancorp

Sallie Krawcheck
Chairman and CEO
Citi Global Wealth Management
Citigroup

Karen Peetz
CEO of Issuer, Treasury, Broker-Dealer and Hedge Fund Services
(ranked based on prior role as CEO of Global Corporate Trust)
The Bank of New York Mellon

Mollie Hale Carter
President and CEO
Sunflower Bank

Diane D'Erasmo
EVP and Regional President, Commercial Banking
HSBC Bank USA

Sheila Schauer
President and CEO
Four Corners Community Bank

Charlotte McLaughlin
President and CEO, PNC Capital Markets
The PNC Financial Services Group

Catherine Keating
CEO, U.S. Private Bank
JPMorgan Chase

Diane Reyes
Global Treasury and Trade Sales Head
Global Transaction Services
Citi

Amy Woods Brinkley
Global Risk Executive
Bank of America

Diane Thormodsgard
Vice Chairman and Head of Wealth Management
and Securities Services
U.S. Bancorp

Kathleen Murphy
CEO, ING US Wealth Management
ING Group

Iris Chan
EVP, Head of Commercial Banking
Wells Fargo

Barbara Stymiest
COO
Royal Bank of Canada

Deanna Oppenheimer
CEO, UK Retail Banking
Barclays Bank PLC

Beth Mooney
Vice Chair, Community Banking
KeyCorp

Cynthia Smith
SVP and Director of BankCard Products and Services
Zions Bancorporation

Ellen Alemany
CEO
RBS Americas

Ranjana Clark
Senior EVP and CMO
Wachovia

Alberta Cefis
EVP and Group Head, Global Transaction Banking
Scotiabank

Jacque Fiegel
EVP and COO
Coppermark Bank

Lisa Binder
President and COO
Associated Banc-Corp

APPENDIX B: The 25 Women to Watch
Colleen Johnston
Group Head, Finance and CFO
TD Bank Financial Group

Carol Nelson
President and CEO
Cascade Financial Corp.

Avid Modjtabai
CIO
Wells Fargo

Elyse Weiner
Managing Director, Global Head of Liquidity and Investments
Global Transaction Services
Citi

Maura Markus
EVP, Head - International Consumer Banking
Citi

Lynn Pike
President
Capital One Bank

Mary McDowell
President and CEO
CitiFinancial North America

Leslie Godridge
EVP, Head of National Corporate and Institutional Banking
U.S. Bank

Lisa Banner
SVP, Executive Private Banking Manager
Zions First National Bank

Carmen Jordan
SVP, Corporate Energy Services Division Manager
Amegy Bank of Texas

Diana Starcher
Group EVP and Director, Customer Service, Sales and Operations
Wells Fargo

Ellen Costello
CEO
Harris Bankcorp

Catherine Smith
CEO, US Insurance
ING Group

Julie Monaco
Head of Global Transaction Services, North America
Citi

Katrina King
SVP, Treasury Management Sales Manager
Amegy Bank of Texas

Lisa Lane White
SVP and Senior Director of Innovative Solutions
Synovus

Anne Finucane
Chief Marketing Officer
Bank of America

Cece Sutton
EVP, Head of Retail and Small Business Banking
Wachovia

Karen Lee Hail
Senior EVP and COO
MidSouth Bancorp

Cara Heiden
Co-President, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Wells Fargo

Susan Horton
Chairman, CEO and president
Wheatland Bank

Donna DeMaio
President and CEO
MetLife Bank

Lori Chillingworth
SVP and Business Banking Director
Zions First National Bank

Mary Tuuk
EVP and Chief Risk Officer
Fifth Third Bancorp

Deloris Sims
President and CEO
Legacy Bank

APPENDIX C: The Top 3 Banking Teams
U.S. Bancorp
Zions National Bank
Citigroup

APPENDIX D: The Top 25 Nonbank Women in Finance
Nicole S. Arnaboldi
Vice Chairman, Alternative Investments
Credit Suisse

Clara Furse
CEO
London Stock Exchange

Stacy Bash-Polley
Partner and Managing Director
Co-Head of Fixed Income Sales in the Americas
Goldman Sachs

Abigail Johnson
President, Personal and Workplace Investing
Fidelity

Clare R. Scherrer
Partner and Managing Director
Goldman Sachs

Maliz Beams
President and CEO TIAA-CREF Individual and Institutional Services
EVP, Institutional and Individual Client Services
TIAA-Cref

Anne Stausboll
Interim Chief Investment Officer
CalPERS

Wei Christianson
Managing Director and China Chief Executive
Morgan Stanley

Joyce A. Phillips
President and Chief Operating Officer
American Life Insurance Company (ALICO)

Renu Sud Karnad
Joint Managing Director
Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited, India

Marjorie Magner
Managing Director
Brysam Global Partners

Candace Browning
President, Global Research
Merrill Lynch

Carla J. Brooks
Managing Director/Deputy Portfolio Manager
Commerce Street Capital LLC

Renuka Ramnath
Managing Director and CEO
ICICI Venture Funds Management Company Limited

Margaret Keane
President and CEO, Retail Consumer Finance Unit
GE Money-Americas

Barbara Goodstein
EVP Marketing, Chief Innovation Officer and CMO
AXA Equitable

M. Elaine Crocker
President
Moore Capital Management

Lisa M. Weber
President, Individual Business
MetLife, Inc.

Anne Dias Griffin
Founder and Managing Director
Aragon Global Management LLC

Karen Finerman
Founder
Metropolitan Capital

Christine L. Reilly
President
CIT Small Business Lending Corporation

Susan Shaffer Solovay
CEO
Pomegranate Capital

Eileen Murray
President
Duff Capital Advisors

Joan Kelly
Group Executive, Systems Delivery,
MasterCard Global Technology and Operations
MasterCard Worldwide

Diane Offereins
Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Discover Financial Services

     News Release Contact:
     Holly Sraeel
     SourceMedia
     732-306-8660
     holly.sraeel@sourcemedia.com
      
     Corporate Contact:
     Anne O'Brien
     SourceMedia
     212-803-8280
     anne.obrien@sourcemedia.com