FBF Fleetboston Financial Corp

Standard & Poor's Announces Changes to S&P U.S. Indices NEW YORK, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P MidCap 400 constituent E*TRADE Financial Corp. will replace FleetBoston Financial Corp. in the S&P 500 after the close of trading on Wednesday, March 31, 2004. FleetBoston Financial is being acquired by fellow S&P 500 constituent Banc of America Corp. in a transaction anticipated to close on or about that date. S&P SmallCap 600 constituent Ryland Group Inc. will replace E*TRADE Financial in the S&PMidCap 400, while Sterling Financial Corp. (NASD: STSA) will replace Ryland Group in the S&P SmallCap 600. Standard & Poor's will monitor these transactions, and post any relevant updates on its website: http://www.standardandpoors.com/. E*TRADE Financial is a provider of online discount brokerage services, including automated order placement and portfolio tracking, and online banking services. The company, headquartered in New York, NY, will be added to the S&P 500 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Investment Banking & Brokerage Sub-Industry Index. The Ryland Group is a national homebuilder and mortgage-related financial services firm. The company, headquartered in Calabasas, CA, will be added to the S&P MidCap 400 GICS Homebuilding Sub-Industry Index. Sterling Financial Corp. is the parent company of Sterling Savings Bank, a state-chartered, federally insured stock savings and loan association that provides financial services to customers in rural and suburban communities of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. The company, headquartered in Spokane, WA, will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS Thrifts & Mortgage Finance Sub-Industry Index. Following is a summary of the changes: S&P 500 INDEX -March 31, 2004 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED E*TRADE Financial Financials Investment Banking & Brokerage DELETED FleetBoston Financial Financials Diversified Banks S&P MIDCAP 400 INDEX - March 31, 2004 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED Ryland Group Inc. Consumer Discretionary Homebuilding DELETED E*TRADE Financial Financials Investment Banking & Brokerage S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - March 31, 2004 COMPANYGICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED Sterling Financial Corp. Financials Thrifts & Mortgage Finance DELETED Ryland Group Inc. Consumer Discretionary Homebuilding Additions to and deletions from an S&P equity index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the companies concerned. Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world'sforemost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research, data and valuations. With 5000 employees located in 20 countries, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure, and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com/. Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The Corporation has more than 322 offices in 33 countries. Sales in 2003 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/. DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's CONTACT: David Blitzer Managing Director, Quantitative Services +1-212-438-3907 Web site: http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/ Web site: http://www.standardandpoors.com/

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