$150 Million and Counting; U.S. Bancorp's Grants to Mi Casa Resource Center for Women and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver Mark Milestone in Giving.

Business Editors

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2000

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) announced today that its recent grants to Mi Casa Resource Center for Women and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver helped mark a major milestone in its contributions program.

The grants, for $12,500 and $10,000, respectively, were two of 12 grants that increased the bank's total cash contributions over the past ten years to more than $150 million.

&uot;U.S. Bancorp is one of the nation's largest corporate donors,&uot; said Daniel Yohannes, chief executive officer of U.S. Bank in Colorado. &uot;We are, and have always been, committed to improving the communities where we do business. Mi Casa and the Boys and Girls Clubs have been our partners in community improvement for years. It's very fitting that two of the grants that mark this milestone in our giving are two of our longtime partners who are doing such great work for the Denver community.&uot;

Over the past eight years, U.S. Bancorp has helped Mi Casa Resource Center for Women to establish and grow the U.S. Bank Microenterprise Program. Designed to allow women, minorities and low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs to obtain business loans and to finance new or expanding enterprises, the program is a collaboration of four microenterprise organizations and U.S. Bank. Committed to helping to increase the likelihood of success for these businesses, key elements of the program include business skill training, technical assistance, group support, and access to credit.

&uot;Thanks to U.S. Bancorp's support over the past eight years, we have helped many women and minorities establish and operate successful businesses,&uot; said Agnes Talamantez-Carroll, director of the business centers, Mi Casa Resource Center for Women. &uot;The U.S. Bank Microenterprise Program is a unique model of a community and a bank working together to offer an innovative borrowing approach that allows many small businesses that don't fit into traditional lending models to obtain capital.&uot;

In addition to its work with Mi Casa, U.S. Bancorp supports the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver's Friday Afternoon Program. A collaboration between the Denver Public Schools and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, the program provides a place for children to get homework help, talk with adults, learn important physical and emotional skills, and interact with friends in a structured environment.

&uot;Many children aren't receiving the support and encouragement they need,&uot; said John Arigoni, president, Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. &uot;By offering activities and incentives, we provide a safe, fun outlet for young people. Thanks to the contribution from U.S. Bancorp, we are working together to help make young people, and the community, stronger and healthier.&uot;

In addition to Mi Casa Resource Center for Women and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, 10 other grants made throughout the company's 16-state territory were identified as helping to push the bank's cash-giving above the $150 million milestone.

Those grants were to:

- Billings: Habitat for Humanity of Mid-Yellowstone Valley,

$5,000

- Boise: Idaho Council on Economics, $35,000

- Fargo: Dakota Certified Development Corporation, $15,000

- Great Falls, MT: High Plains Development Authority, $5,000

- Minneapolis: Family Housing Fund of Minneapolis and St. Paul,

$24,000

- Omaha: New Community Development Corporation, $12,000

- Portland: Oregon Children's Foundation, $70,000

- Reno: The Theater Coalition, $10,000

- Sacramento: S.T.A.R.T., $10,000

- Seattle: Books for Kids, $15,000

U.S. Bancorp contributed more than $22 million in cash grants to its communities in 1999, in areas including affordable housing, economic development, K-12 education, artistic &cultural enrichment and United Way. Including other community support such as loan assistance, in-kind donations, sponsorships of non-profits and employee volunteer time, U.S. Bancorp's 1999 contributions totaled more than $45 million. The company's employees donated thousands of volunteer hours and contributed personal cash gifts to non-profit organizations for which U.S. Bancorp provided more than $1 million in matching gifts. For further information, please see the company's web site at www.usbank.com.