Bankinfo.com Accepting Nominations of Financial Institution Web Sites for 1999 Mercury Awards.

SKOKIE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 22, 1999--

Bankinfo.com (www.bankinfo.com), Thomson Financial Publishing's daily on-line magazine, issued today a call for nominations for the 1999 Mercury awards, which recognize financial institutions whose Web sites demonstrate outstanding function, form and user-friendliness. Individuals may nominate any bank, credit union or savings association Web site by completing the on-line entry form at http://www.bankinfo.com/mercform.html by September 1, 1999.

A panel of judges comprising Web and financial services experts will select winners by rating each site in six categories: content, design, innovation, creativity in marketing, functionality and overall "wow." The awards, named for the Olympian messenger and god of commerce, will be given in four asset-based divisions and one international division. Web sites are eligible regardless whether or not they enable customers to make on-line transactions.

"Financial institutions have dedicated tremendous resources toward developing their on-line presence," said Mary Beth Guard, TFP's executive vice president, specialized services. "We established the Mercury to set a standard of excellence for this relatively new, yet invaluable, customer service."

The winners, which will be announced September 15, 1999, earn the right to post the Mercury logo on their Web site, a distinctive Mercury plaque, and mention in a press release that will be sent to industry media outlets and the winners' hometown newspapers. In addition, the winners will be announced and discussed in follow-up articles on the acclaimed Bankinfo.com Web site.

For more information, visit at http://www.bankinfo.com/mercury.html or contact Mary Beth Guard via e-mail at [e-mail]. For information regarding corporate sponsorship opportunities, contact Tobi Chunowitz at [phone] or [e-mail].

Rated a perfect "10" for content by the Dow Jones Business Directory, Bankinfo.com contains over 40 sections spanning topics of interest to banking professionals, including year-2000 preparedness, regulatory compliance, marketing and electronic commerce.

"Bankinfo.com truly offers something for everyone within the banking industry every day, regardless of one's position, experience or interest," Guard explained. "We tap experts from a variety of fields so visitors can learn from the best and the brightest."

Thomson Financial Publishing (TFP), part of Thomson Financial's Banking Group, develops and distributes highly specialized information and applications for the banking and financial services sectors. TFP's 200,000 clients in nearly 200 countries use the information to expedite payments processing and compliance, streamline research and analysis, enhance electronic commerce, and market their products and services. Visit TFP on the Internet at www.tfp.com.

Thomson Financial is a US$1 billion provider of information services and work solutions to the worldwide financial community. Through the widest range of products and services in the industry, Thomson Financial helps clients in more than 70 countries make better decisions, be more productive and achieve superior results. Thomson Financial is part of The Thomson Corporation (TTC), one of the world's leading information companies. TTC, with annual revenues of more than US$6 billion, has interests in specialized information and newspaper publishing. TTC's common shares are traded on the Toronto, Montreal and London stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.thomsonfinancial.com.