Avantrust Appoints Rick Leander CEO; E-Commerce and Technology Leader Brings Global Business Expertise to Senior Management Team.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 13, 2001

Avantrust, LLC, a joint venture formed by American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) and Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB), today announced the appointment of Rick Leander to the position of Chief Executive Officer.

In this position, Mr. Leander will be responsible for achieving overall business objectives, developing strategic business alliances, and leading the company's e-commerce initiatives.

Mr. Leander joins Avantrust with more than 20 years of e-commerce, business management, and product development experience. He most recently served as the Director of e-commerce at Mellon Financial Corporation. In that role, Mr. Leander managed all facets of e-commerce strategy and oversaw the development of an enterprise wide e-commerce technology infrastructure. Under his leadership, the division successfully helped key business lines streamline their distribution processes and lower their acquisition, implementation and service costs using Internet technologies.

"Rick is a strong leader with a distinguished track record in management and transaction-orientated business," said Gretchen Hayes, Divisional President of AIG eBusiness Risk Solutions. "Having worked successfully in general management and product development roles, Rick offers a unique blend of strategic insight and hands-on implementation skills. His appointment demonstrates our continued commitment to building a team that will make Avantrust the leader in B2B financial and risk management solutions."

"Rick is a great addition to the Avantrust team. His leadership experience and business background will be instrumental in driving the adoption of Avantrust products and services," said Larry Kutscher, President D&B B2B e-commerce.

Prior to joining Mellon Financial, Mr. Leander served as Managing Director of Strategic Alliances and Investments at Bank of America, where he was responsible for developing and implementing strategic alliances, partnerships, and investments. At Bank of America, he also managed a team of professionals that created a bank-wide e-commerce delivery strategy involving distributed architecture.

From 1986 to 1995, Mr. Leander worked at CitiCorp, most recently in the role of Senior Product Director for Corporate Electronic Delivery Services, where he managed product development of customer delivery systems for the Cash Management, Trade Finance, and Global Custody businesses. He also served as CitiCorp's Senior Director of Transaction Banking in Tokyo.

Mr. Leander is a past Chairman of EDIBanx and sits on the advisory board of Lockstar. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and finance from the University of Texas.

For more information on Avantrust, please visit www.avantrust.com.

Avantrust (pronounced ah-vahn TRUST) empowers companies to buy and sell more online by reducing the risks and frictions inherent in eCommerce. Announced in October 2000 by American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) and Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE: DNB), Avantrust offers an integrated suite of insurance products, risk management services, technology and information offerings. Leveraging the two founding firms' trusted leadership in insurance, financial services, and business information, Avantrust provides innovative solutions for sellers, buyers and marketplaces. For more information, visit our Web site at www.avantrust.com.

AIG is the leading U.S.-based international insurance and financial services organization and the largest underwriter of commercial and industrial insurance in the United States. Its member companies write a wide range of commercial, personal and life insurance products through a variety of distribution channels in approximately 130 countries and jurisdictions throughout the world. AIG's global businesses also include financial services and asset management, including aircraft leasing, financial products, trading and market making, consumer finance, institutional, retail and direct investment fund asset management, real estate investment management, and retirement savings products. American International Group, Inc.'s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, as well as the stock exchanges in London, Paris, Switzerland and Tokyo. For more information, please visit www.aig.com.

Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB), the world's leading provider of business information, has been enabling business-to-business commerce for 160 years. D&B's information and technology solutions help businesses reduce credit risk, find profitable customers and manage vendors efficiently. Businesses also use D&B's information and technology to authenticate and verify potential trading partners online, increasing their trust and confidence in e-commerce transactions. That's why so many companies -- including over 90 percent of the Business Week Global 1000 -- rely on D&B as the most trusted source for information they need to make their business a success. For more information, please visit www.dnb.com.

- Insurance coverages are underwritten by AIG member companies. Products and service may not be available in all states. Issuance of insurance coverage is subject to underwriting. Please see the policy for a complete description of its scope and limitations of coverage.