Liberty Life Insurance Co. Recertified by National Life Insurance Group Promoting Ethical Market Practices

Business Wire, Dec 19, 2001

Business Editors

GREENVILLE, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 2001

Liberty Life Insurance Co. today announced it has been re-certified as a member of the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association (IMSA), a national organization promoting high standards of ethical company behavior in the life insurance marketplace.

"We are proud to renew our membership in IMSA because it reflects Liberty's ongoing commitment to outstanding products and exceptional service," said Bob Evans, president and chief executive officer of Liberty Life. "While we have always promoted honesty, fairness and integrity in all customer contacts, earning re-certification demonstrates our continued adherence to rigorous, industry-established policies and procedures. IMSA membership can help increase the already high level of confidence our customers place in Liberty Life."

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., IMSA is an independent, voluntary association created by the life insurance industry to promote high standards of ethical market conduct in advertising, sales and service for individual life insurance and annuity products. IMSA members must demonstrate that they have met these standards by undergoing a self-assessment and then an outside assessment by an independent examiner qualified to evaluate compliance with IMSA's Principles and Code. To retain membership, companies must undergo a new IMSA certification every three years.

About Liberty Life Insurance Co.

Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Liberty Life Insurance Company has been providing Americans with reliable insurance protection since 1905. The company is licensed in 49 states and the District of Columbia, and currently has over $2 billion in assets and nearly $19 billion of insurance in force. Liberty Life's Agency division markets a broad range of traditional and interest-sensitive life insurance products, annuities, health insurance, and related personal financial security products through full-time career agents, mainly in the Southeast. Its direct marketing division primarily offers optional mortgage insurance products nationwide to customers of financial institutions.

Operating under the brand name RBC Liberty Insurance, Liberty Life is part of RBC Insurance, the insurance operation of RBC Financial Group, bringing travel, life, health, creditor, home, auto and reinsurance products to more than five million North American customers. For more information, visit www.libertylife.com.

About RBC Financial Group

RBC Financial Group is the brand name for Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY)(NYSE:RY) and its subsidiaries. Royal Bank is Canada's largest bank as measured by market capitalization and assets, and is one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies. It provides personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking, and transaction processing services on a global basis. The company employs more than 58,000 people who serve more than 12 million personal, business and public sector customers in North America and in some 30 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.royalbank.com.