07/06/09

Jim Brown, managing director of Public and Institutional Banking for RBC Bank, and Verna Graff-Gessaman, senior manager of Community and Economic Development for RBC Bank, will participated in the celebration of the efforts of Community Service 2009 by ringing closing bell at NASDAQ. Brown and Gessaman are active participants of the Financial Services Roundtable and its Community Service 2009 project, which works to improve the communities in which its companies serve through financial education. RBC Bank has been a part of community service outreach with Financial Services Roundtable for the past four years. RBC Bank is a national partner for Community Service 2009. These activities are in support of RBC Bank’s strategy for community service and outreach.

Washington, D.C.—July 1, 2009— The Financial Services Roundtable joined with nine non-profit partners, financial services executives, and Representatives Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Steve Israel (D-NY), Scott Murphy (D-NY) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) to celebrate the efforts of Community Service 2009 (CS09) by ringing the closing bell at NASDAQ. We applaud the leadership of all participants on this important effort.

“The NASDAQ ceremony celebrates the integration of the financial services industry, non-profit organizations and the government sector in giving back to the communities in which we live and work,” said Don McGrath, Chairman, BancWest Corporation and CS09 Co-Chair. “Although we may be competitors in the marketplace, the industry comes together for cooperation in communities.”

In the first quarter of 2009, CS09 has completed 2,497 community service projects that helped over 100,000 individuals; 1,208 were financial literacy programs. To date, 152 members of Congress serve on the CS09 Honorary Congressional Host Committee and have attended or lent their names to a community service event.

“One of the greatest strengths our industry has in community service is financial literacy initiatives,” said Steve Bartlett, President and CEO, The Financial Services Roundtable. “In the first quarter of 2009, Roundtable member companies have volunteered in over 1,000 financial literacy programs alone.”

The Roundtable's community service initiative is in its eighth year and has grown exponentially since its beginning in 2002. Community Service 2009 unites Roundtable member companies' efforts to improve the communities in which they work, and strengthens partnerships with non-profit partners and public policymakers. The focus of Community Service 2009 is on financial education, with increased visibility of financial education programs in communities.

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.

Roundtable member companies provide fuel for America's economic engine, accounting directly for $85.2 trillion in managed assets, $980 billion in revenue, and 2.3 million jobs.