PFGI Provident Financial Grp. (MM)

The Provident Bank's Retail Lockbox Team First in the Country to Achieve ISO Certification Marks Second Time Provident has attained the Quality-Control Designation CINCINNATI, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Provident Bank's Retail Lockbox team, responsible for processing consumer payments for corporate customers, has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification. This marks the first time a Retail Lockbox department at any U.S. bank has achieved the classification. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030424/PFGLOGO ) This is the second time in 12 months The Provident Bank announced receiving ISO certification. In December 2002 the bank's commercial loan operations group, known as CLASS, also was the first of its kind to earn the designation. "Provident Bank is the type of client we are proud to be associated with," said Kevan P. Lawlor, President and Chief Executive Officer of NSF International. NSF-ISR, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NSF International, is the registrar that recommended the certification. "The fact that there are few competitors of Provident that are ISO certified demonstrates that top management has a clear vision of where Provident needs to be in the future." The ISO certification is coveted by many manufacturers but rarely utilized in the banking industry. The certification provides a systematic way for repeating successes and eliminating failures by employing tools and techniques that can change over time. "ISO certification is tangible evidence of our commitment to our customers," said Rodger Davis, Executive Vice President of Commercial Banking at The Provident Bank. "We continue to further implement an operational model our competitors have yet to pursue." ISO 9001:2000 was developed by the International Organization for Standardization to facilitate international business by standardizing processes and specifications. It is adopted in more than 100 countries. ISO is not a one-time certification. Auditors from NSF-ISR will return annually to ensure Retail Lockbox is adhering to all practices and requirements. After three years the team must go through a re-certification process. The certification is part of a broad Provident initiative to implement quality management practices throughout the company. The company plans to continue striving for ISO certification in other areas of operations and beyond. "ISO certification shows that the focus of the Retail Lockbox team, and Provident in general, is squarely on the needs of the customer," Davis said. About NSF-ISR NSF-ISR, an accredited registrar, is a global leader in management systems registrations. In addition to ISO 9001:2000, NSF-ISR offers ISO 14001, QS-9000, AS9100, ISO/TS 16949 and TE Supplement registrations. NSF-ISR is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NSF International. NSF, a not-for-profit, non- governmental organization, is the leading global provider public health and safety risk management solutions. Serving companies in 81 countries, NSF was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. About The Provident Bank The Provident Bank is the main subsidiary of Provident Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFGI), a bank holding company located in Cincinnati. The Provident Bank provides a diverse line of banking and financial products, services and solutions through retail banking offices located in Southwestern Ohio and Northern Kentucky, and through commercial lending offices located throughout Ohio and surrounding states. Customers have access to banking services 24-hours a day through Provident's extensive network of ATMs, Telebank, a telephone customer service center, and the internet at http://www.providentbank.com/ . At September 30, 2003, Provident Financial Group had $9.0 billion in loans outstanding, $10.8 billion in deposits, and assets of $17.6 billion. Provident has served the financial needs of its customers for 100 years, and currently 3,400 Provident associates serve approximately 500,000 customers. For further information, please contact: Chris Kemper Public Relations Manager 513.579.2248 http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030424/PFGLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Provident Financial Group, Inc. CONTACT: Chris Kemper, Public Relations Manager of Provident Bank, +1-513-579-2248, or Web site: http://www.providentbank.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/721925.html

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