Excuse Me, But is This Your Wallet? GE Financial Network 'Loses' 5,000 Wallets in Summer Campaign

Business Wire, July 10, 2000

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000

Imagine walking down a sidewalk or sitting in a hotel lobby, you look over and there's a wallet. You glance around. There's no one there. You pick it up, open it, and find that your mortgage has just been paid for the next year. Could it happen? For some people, it will!

On July 10, GE Financial Network (www.gefn.com) will launch its four-week "Tossed & Found" campaign. The campaign will feature prize giveaways such as a $100,000 GE Funds' Investment Account established through gefn.com, an easy-to-use, comprehensive financial services center designed to help consumers manage their personal financial needs.

During the campaign, GEFN will drop wallets daily in locations such as hotels, restaurants, convention centers, office buildings, sporting arenas and parks. In total, 5,000 wallets will be "lost." And, they'll be waiting to be found by people in metropolitan areas including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Boston, Atlanta, Washington D. C., Richmond, VA, Stamford, CT and Philadelphia.

One out of five wallets will be a winner. Prizes include:

- two grand prizes of a $100,000 GE Funds' Investment Account

- five first prizes of $12,000 towards a residential mortgage

from GE Mortgage

- five second prizes of a $10,000 GE Funds' Investment Account

- five third prizes of $5,000 in a CompuBank online banking

account opened through gefn.com

- 15 fourth prizes of $500 in a CompuBank online banking account

opened through gefn.com

- 1,210 fifth prizes of a gefn.com T-shirt

"Our goal is for GEFN to be the best and most complete financial services resource for consumers - both in terms of products and education," said Bill Goings, Senior Vice President of e-Business and Leader of GE Financial Network. "We encourage people to visit our site, learn more about personal finance topics, and access information on the products and services that will help them manage their financial affairs."

The campaign will be supported by online, radio and outdoor (bus and rail) advertising. There will also be a link to a special "Tossed & Found" site on gefn.com. The site will feature clues as to where the wallets will be dropped, prize redemption information, and stories on winners. Radio station promotions in select local markets will also give listeners an opportunity to participate in the campaign.

Chris Matthews, Senior Vice President of e-Marketing for the GE Financial Network, said, "Tossed & Found is a fun and exciting way for GE to raise awareness on how people can take control of their finances. Through GEFN, we want people to find that financial planning can be a pleasant, non-intimidating experience."

GE Financial Network has one of the broadest consumer financial product menus available on the Internet, including: home mortgages; mutual funds; long term care insurance; stock investments; life insurance; annuities; home and auto insurance; and life style enhancement products ranging from automobile clubs to dental plans.

About GE Financial Network

GE Financial Network (gefn.com) is a comprehensive, web-based financial services resource center, designed to help consumers manage their financial affairs. It offers personal assessment and innovative education tools, quality customer service and a knowledgeable team of licensed professionals.

From mortgages to mutual funds, gefn.com enables consumers to make the most educated financial choices on their own terms and at their own pace, whether it be via the Internet, by phone or in person. GE Financial Network is a business unit of GE Financial Assurance Holdings, Inc.