Yancey To Retire From Synovus After 45 Years of Service; Will Retain Position as Chairman of the Board

Business Wire, Dec 7, 2004

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- Synovus (NYSE: SNV) today announced the retirement of James D. Yancey, as an executive employee, effective December 31, 2004. Yancey will continue to serve as a director and Chairman of the Board for Synovus.

In making the announcement, Synovus CEO James H. Blanchard stated, "Jimmy is a person who, throughout his entire career, has embraced, nurtured and lived the Synovus culture everyday. During his career he changed the face of this company by standing on his convictions and focusing on doing the right thing for our customers, shareholders, team members and our community. He is an icon in this company for what exceptional customer service is all about. He genuinely cares about the individuals around him and truly invests himself in helping others achieve their goals and dreams. Jimmy has been an incredible strength for our family of companies for 45 years, and we will continue to look to him for his guidance."

Jimmy Yancey, in his role as Chairman of Synovus' Board of Directors, will continue to manage Synovus' relationship with its board members, participate in customer relationship building, and provide guidance to both internal and external audiences on what he has learned about banking and customer service throughout his successful career.

Blanchard continued, "In October of 2003, we began implementing the first steps in a carefully developed, long-range succession planning process which has allowed us to add breadth and depth to our most senior executive leadership roster. As a result, we are prepared for Jimmy's retirement and the changes it brings. His continued involvement in this organization, along with that of our tremendous executive leadership team, will enable us to continue moving towards our ultimate vision of being the finest financial services company in the world."

Prior to Yancey's position as Chairman of the Board, he served for five years as President and COO. His service with Synovus began in 1959 when he joined the company as a teller for Columbus Bank and Trust, Synovus' Columbus, Georgia-based bank. He was promoted to President of CB&T in 1983 and later became Synovus Vice Chairman of the Board in 1992. In 1998, Yancey was elected President and Chief Operating Officer of Synovus and Chairman of the Board in 2003.

Yancey career highlights:

--When Yancey began his career with Synovus, total assets for the company were $38 million. Today Synovus has $25 billion in total assets.

--When Yancey began working at CB&T in 1959, the company had a total workforce of less than 100 team members. Today, Synovus employs more than 12,000 team members in five U.S. states and in three continents around the world.

--In 1995, Yancey helped develop Synovus' People Development Exponent (PDE) which brought incredible movement in the company's workplace environment and led to the launching of key leadership development programs, such as the Leadership Institute and Foundations of Leadership.

--In 2001, Yancey led the effort to codify our commitment to deliver exceptional customer service, resulting in Our Customer Covenant. It is Synovus' banner for the kind of customer service team members deliver each day.

For more information on Jimmy Yancey, please refer to the attached biography.

Synovus (NYSE: SNV) is a diversified financial services holding company with $25 billion in assets based in Columbus, Georgia. Synovus provides integrated financial services including banking, financial management, insurance, mortgage and leasing services through 40 banks and other Synovus offices in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee; and electronic payment processing through an 81-percent stake in TSYS (NYSE: TSS), the world's largest third-party processor of international payments. In 2004, FORTUNE magazine named Synovus as one of "America's Most Admired Companies" and also ranked Synovus No. 20 on its list of "The 100 Best Companies To Work For". See Synovus on the Web at www.synovus.com.

James D. Yancey

Chairman of the Board

Synovus

Experience:

Jimmy's service at Synovus began in 1959 when he joined the company as a teller for Columbus Bank and Trust Company, Synovus' Columbus, Georgia-based bank. He was promoted to President of CB&T in 1983 and Synovus Vice Chairman of the Board in 1992. He was elected President and Chief Operating Officer of Synovus in 1998 and Chairman of the Board in 2003.

Date of Birth:

July 12, 1941

Education:

A.S., Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia, 1964

LSU - School of Banking of the South

Rutgers University - Stonier School of Banking

Honorary Doctorate Degree, Columbus State University, 1997

Current Affiliations:

--Chairman of the Board, Synovus

--Chairman of the Board, Columbus Bank and Trust Company

--Director, TSYS

--Chairman, Columbus State University Capital Campaign

Summary:

Jimmy joined Columbus Bank and Trust in 1959. He was promoted to President of CB&T in 1983. He was first elected President of Synovus in 1990 and Vice Chairman of the Board in 1992. Jimmy reassumed his role as President and Chief Operating Officer of Synovus in 1998 and was elected Chairman of the Board of Columbus Bank and Trust Company in 1998. Jimmy was elected Synovus Chairman of the Board in 2003. He is Chairman of the Columbus State University Capital Campaign, serves on the board of directors of TSYS, and is a former Board of Regents member appointed by Governor Roy Barnes in 1999.