Regions 'Drafts' Athletes for Fall 2005 Small Business Salutes

Business Wire, July 27, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Regions Bank (part of Regions Financial Corporation, (NYSE:RF)) has drafted its third class of Southeastern Conference entrepreneur-athletes for the bank's now-annual fall "Small Business Salute" advertising campaign.

Regions has a long-time relationship with the Southeastern Conference as a proud corporate partner and the Official Bank of the SEC. The campaign - which highlights former Southeastern Conference athletes who are now successful small business owners - also showcases Regions' consistent annual ranking by the U.S. Small Business Administration as one of the nation's top small business-friendly financial services providers.

"At Regions, we admire the qualities of athletes who strive to become champions, and we recognize that small business is the lifeblood of American commerce," said Regions Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Rosen. "That is why our fall 'Small Business Salutes' are so important.

"We designed the campaign to honor athletes for having the confidence to achieve success in both sports and the business world, and to communicate the Regions focus on small business to our customers and communities," Rosen said.

One candidate from each SEC school is represented in this year's class of honorees, which consists of: Bob Baumhower, football, The University of Alabama, Wings Sports Grill; Jim Grizzle, football, The University of Arkansas, Jim Grizzle Tire Company; Charles Rogers Trotman, football, Auburn University, The Trotman Company; Scott Trimble, football, The University of Florida, Trimble Logistics Companies Inc.; Mitch Frix, football, The University of Georgia, Associates in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine; Art Still, football, The University of Kentucky, ABS Support Services/ABS Construction Services; Willie Teal, football, Louisiana State University, Teal Office Products Inc.; Sean Tuohy, basketball, The University of Mississippi, RGT Management; Artie Cosby, football, Mississippi State University, Cemco Inc.; Ryan Brewer, football, The University of South Carolina, Ryan Brewer Enterprises; Darwin Walker, football, The University of Tennessee, Progressive Engineering Group LLC; and father and son John Rich and Tate Rich, baseball (John) and football (both), Vanderbilt University, Delta Coals.

The campaign is scheduled to run during the televised broadcasts of the Jefferson Pilot Sports Network SEC Game of the Week each Saturday this fall; it will also air in Top 50 radio markets across the South throughout the college football season. The ads will be presented in a 20-second video format designed to simulate the look of a broadcast on a Jumbo-Tron in a collegiate football stadium. Images of the honorees will play on the screen as voice-overs recount their achievements in SEC sports and salute them for their continuing successes in the business world.

In addition to this year's class, Regions will also recognize past Small Business Salute honorees in the "Regions Small Business Salute Hall of Fame." The Small Business Salute Classes of 2003 and 2004 will be featured on the Regions sports partnership Web page at www.regions.com as the fall football season progresses. This site also offers information on Regions' other sports marketing efforts, including athletic sponsorships with the Sun Belt Conference and several individual universities across the bank's 15-state footprint in the South, Midwest and Texas.

Regions also supports Southeastern Conference fans with the SEC Football Travel Planner. If football fans are not content to sit home and watch the big game on television, they can visit www.secroadtripplanner.com before hitting the road to their SEC destination. The Web site, featured during the Jefferson Pilot SEC Game of the Week broadcast, features information about each of the conference's 12 school towns and football venues. Information on the site includes directions to the town, a map of the stadium and a list and map of all nearby Regions Bank branch and ATM locations, as well as other local information. The planner will be available at the beginning of the 2005 football season at www.secroadtriplanner.com.

About Regions Bank

A community-focused bank with local leadership in the markets it serves, Regions Bank currently offers full-service commercial and retail banking from more than 1,400 offices and a 1,700-ATM network across 15 states throughout the South, Midwest and Texas. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the bank, a part of Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE: RF), draws on the resources of its parent company's other affiliates, including Morgan Keegan, to ensure that both business and retail customers can avail themselves of a full range of financial products and services in the areas of mortgage banking, securities brokerage and insurance. Additional information about Regions Bank (currently still doing business in some locations as Union Planters Bank) and Regions Financial Corporation - a member of both the Forbes and Fortune 500 and one of the nation's Top 15 financial services providers - can be found at www.regions.com.