PJC Piper Jaffray Companies

Piper Jaffray Ranks Seventh on Scorecard of Top Financial Web Sites MINNEAPOLIS, May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Piper Jaffray & Co. was recently recognized among the best full service brokerage Web sites by Watchfire(R) GomezPro(TM), an independent Internet performance management and benchmarking company. The Piper Jaffray Web site ranked seventh on the Watchfire GomezPro Competitive Scorecard Analysis(TM) in a field dominated by large national investment firms. Only firms with online trading capabilities are considered for the bi-annual scorecard. The Piper Jaffray Web site was recognized for its re-design and enhancements that coincided with the firm's spin-off from U.S. Bancorp at the end of 2003. The review read, in part: "Among the competition this Scorecard period, Piper Jaffray's online offering represents the most significant undertaking." "We believe that the redesign of our Web sites have truly made a difference for our clients," said John Breon, director of branches for Private Client Services business at Piper Jaffray. "Our Client Online Services complement the high level of service that our clients get from their financial advisors, and we feel that with their input, we have created a site that truly adds value for them." Piper Jaffray continues to develop its Web site and has already added a branch administrative tool and homepage customization options since the review period. Other enhancements planned for 2004 include online options and mutual fund trading, electronic confirms, proxies and prospectuses and fund transfers both within and outside of Piper Jaffray accounts. The Watchfire GomezPro Competitive Scorecard Analysis provides insights into a firm's online offering in comparison with competitors or industry peers. The bi-annual analysis examines the effectiveness of business strategies and identifies and measures features that are critical to a Web site's success. Here are the Top 10 Scorecard rankings: 1. Smith Barney 2. UBS 3. Merrill Lynch 4. Wells Fargo Investments 5. DB Alex Brown 6. Morgan Stanley 7. Piper Jaffray 8. Wachovia 9. A.G. Edwards 10. McDonald Investments For this and other Scorecard rankings and Web site reviews, go to http://www.watchfire.com/ and select "Scorecards" under Gomezpro.com . Headquartered in Minneapolis, Piper Jaffray & Co., a subsidiary of Piper Jaffray Companies (NYSE:PJC), is a focused securities firm dedicated to delivering superior financial advice, investment products and transaction execution within selected sectors of the financial services marketplace. The company operates through two primary revenue-generating segments -- Capital Markets and Private Client Services. Investment Research, an independent group reporting to the CEO, supports clients of both segments. The firm serves corporations, government and non-profit entities, and institutional investors on a national basis and serves the financial advisory needs of private individuals predominantly across the western half of the United States. The firm has approximately 3,000 employees in 111 offices in 23 states across the country and in London, England. For more information about Piper Jaffray, visit us online at http://www.piperjaffray.com/ . Since 1895. Member SIPC and NYSE. DATASOURCE: Piper Jaffray & Co. CONTACT: Susan Beatty, Public Affairs and Media Relations of Piper Jaffray, +1-612-303-5680 Web site: http://www.piperjaffray.com/ http://www.watchfire.com/

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