FleetBoston Financial 'Opening Day Blitz' Sets Record; 1,800 Fleet Bankers Make 8,000 Sales Calls For Largest One-Day Calling Effort

Business Wire, April 11, 2000

Business/Technology Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 11, 2000

More than 1,800 calling officers from FleetBoston Financial fanned out across New York, New Jersey and New England today to meet with 8,000 customers and prospects in the largest one-day sales-calling effort on record.

Yankee great Graig Nettles and Fleet calling officers handed out baseball caps to morning commuters in Times Square while Hall-of-Famer-elect Carlton Fisk of the Red Sox rallied calling officers in Boston to launch the "Opening Day Blitz" covering seven states. Fleet, a national sponsor of Major League Baseball, timed the blitz to home-opener games at both Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park.

"In the business world, we think Opening Day in baseball is a great time to build new relationships, and strengthen old ones. Let us begin this new season together and find a way to all come out ahead," said Richard Silverman, Vice Chairman of Fleet Bank N.A. in New York. "Fleet is now better positioned than ever to provide the broad range of services that our customers need to stay on top, and this unprecedented sales-calling blitz shows how eager we are to serve those customers."

Fleet's foray covered New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Rhode Island, and its 1,800 calling officers visiting 8,000 customers and prospects far exceeded totals for one-day blitzes in the past by other banks. In keeping with the spirit of Opening Day, Fleet calling officers provided customers with official Fleet Major League Baseball caps and boxes of Crackerjacks on each call.

Fleet's effort involved calling officers from multiple business lines, including middle-market commercial banking, small business and retail banking, commercial real estate, corporate finance, Fleet Capital, Fleet Leasing and FLeet Private Clients Group. "With its size and scope of offerings, the 'Opening Day Blitz' drives home the benefits of last year's merger of two great financial institutions, Fleet Financial Group and BankBoston," Fleet President and Chief Operating Officer Chad Gifford said.

The merger formed the nation's eighth-largest bank holding company and a national financial powerhouse. Fleet has more than 5,000 locations, a larger presence than any other financial institution in the region. And with 200 branches in foreign countries, Fleet has the resources, capital and breadth of products and services to help its customers compete on a global scale.

Fleet last year also became a national sponsor of Major League Baseball, giving the Boston-based company a presence in from of baseball's growing number of fans. The sponsorship reflects Fleet's national customer base, reaching beyond the geographic boundaries that once defined regional banking institutions. Fleet has arranged $600 million in financing for Major League Baseball, used by participating clubs to refinance debt and for general corporate purposes. In addition to its relationships with 15 Major League Baseball teams, including the Yankees, Fleet has corporate banking relationships with major sports-related vendors who manufacture equipment, build stadiums and provide concessions.

As part of its Major League Baseball sponsorship, Fleet brings a traveling baseball clinic to communities throughout New York, New Jersey and New England. Major League Baseball Alumni help teach kids the fundamental skills and life lessons of baseball. Fleet All-Stars, a program started in 1996 to inspire and reward kids for volunteering in community service projects throughout the Northeast, will also return this summer with Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez and other players as celebrity spokesmen.

FleetBoston Financial is the eighth-largest financial holding company in the United States. A $190 billion diversified financial services company, it offers a comprehensive array of innovative financial solutions to 20 million customers in some 20 countries. Among the company's key lines of business are: retail banking, with over 1,500 branches in the Northeast; commercial banking, including capital markets/investment banking and commercial finance; investment services, including discount brokerage; and full-service banking through more than 250 offices in Latin America. FleetBoston Financial is headquartered in Boston and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:FBF).