Union Bank of California Launches Online Banking Through Women.com; UBOC Delivers Latest in Banking Technology Right to Customers' Favorite Web Site

Business Wire, Oct 20, 1998

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 1998--Union Bank of California (UBOC), one of the nation's leading commercial banks and a pioneer in online banking, today announced its latest high-tech venture -- UBOC now brings online banking directly to its critical female market through Women.com(R), the leading destination for women on the Web.

"Women are a critical market for our company. In the household, women tend to manage family finances and make many important financial decisions. UBOC wants to empower women by providing easy, immediate access to accounts and financial information. By providing online banking through Women.com, we make it convenient for women to manage their finances from their favorite Web site," said Heather Robinson, vice president and manager of Interactive Markets for UBOC.

Visitors to Women.com can link to UBOC's "Bank@Home(R) on the Web" online banking service from UBOC's "Home Banking Essentials" page on Women.com (www.women.com/onlinebank). Once connected to Bank@Home on the Web, women will be able to easily apply for and manage their UBOC accounts through a highly secure, state-of-the-art, 128-bit encryption connection.

They will also have access to information about UBOC's Internet and PC banking products and services, online investment services, in-branch services, as well as information on how to effectively manage their finances.

"Women.com has successfully captured the women's market by providing the resources and tools that make their lives easier. Union Bank of California provides the caliber of high-quality, secure, customer-oriented service that Women.com strives to provide its audience," said Marleen McDaniel, president and CEO of Women.com Networks.

Women.com, formed in 1992, was the first company to create content specifically for women. Its first site, Women's Wire, was an overwhelming success, winning awards and establishing advertising partnerships with Fortune 500 companies. Women.com has garnered strategic relationships with Crayola, Bloomberg L.P., and Prevention.

UBOC has a history of deploying banking services through the innovative use of technology. It teamed with e-commerce expert IBM to design UBOC's Web site, deploying Lotus Notes(R) and Domino(R) server technologies to create a highly secure site (www.uboc.com) and online banking transaction pages.

UBOC was one of the first to partner with Intuit(R) and Microsoft(R) in the launches of their personal financial management softwares, Quicken(R) and Money(R), respectively. In 1996, UBOC joined America Online(R)'s Banking Center as a charter member. UBOC also partnered with Sony to develop the first interactive video banking application of its kind on the West Coast.

About Women.com Networks

Women.com Networks (www.women.com and AOL keyword: women.com) was the first online company to recognize the potential of women on the Web. Today, Women.com is the number one resource for women on the Web, attracting 2.3 million visitors each month. Since the 1995 launch of flagship site Women's Wire, the company has grown into a network of commerce, content and community sites, serving women at different life stages and with diverse interests.

Women.com has strategic alliances with major communication companies such as Media One, Rodale Press, Hallmark and Bloomberg, LP. The company produces Women's Wire (www.womenswire.com), the Women.com Store (www.women.com/store), Beatrice's Web Guide (www.bguide.com), Stork Site (www.storksite.com), Prevention's Healthy Ideas (www.healthyideas.com), MoneyMode (www.moneymode.com) and Crayola FamilyPlay (www.familyplay.com). The company's headquarters are in San Mateo, Calif.

About Union Bank of California

Based in San Francisco, UnionBanCal Corporation (NNM/UNBC) is the holding company of Union Bank of California, N.A., the third-largest commercial bank in California with $30.9 billion in assets at June 30, l998. It has over 240 branches in California, six offices in Oregon and Washington and 18 international facilities, primarily along the Pacific Rim.

Note to Editors: Women.com, Lotus Notes, Domino, Intuit, Microsoft, Quicken, Money and America Online are U.S. registered trademarks of their respective owners. Bank@Home is a registered trademark of Union Bank of California.