Banknorth Group Inc. selects Sterling Commerce for Research, Fraud, and Currency Control Business Solutions.

Business & High Tech Editors

ADDISON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 5, 2001

Bank to save thousands, slash fraud, and identify

"surplus cash" by automating their Research, Fraud,

and Currency Management Departments

Sterling Commerce, a wholly owned subsidiary of SBC Communications, Inc. (NYSE:SBC) and a worldwide leading provider of business-to-business electronic commerce software, banking application products, and value-added services, announces the licensing of the VECTOR Research Business Solution, the VECTOR Fraud Business Solution, and the VECTOR Currency Control Solution by Banknorth Group, Inc. This $18.5 billion dollar Portland, Maine based banking and financial services company will realize greatly improved back office operating efficiencies, reduced exposure to bank fraud, and generate new interest income with the use of these advanced software tools.

Banknorth Group has selected the VECTOR Research Business Solution suite to automate the adjustment research, control, and handling of items across their 300 branch offices. The VECTOR Research Business Solution will also handle inquiries to identify depositors, obtain item destination information and verify deposits. In addition, the system will accommodate bank branches, internal departments, and bank customer's requests for check images, microfilm, photocopies, statement reconstruction, or research missing deposits or encoding errors. The VECTOR Fraud Business Solution will protect Banknorth Group's assets and prevent losses due to kiting, counterfeit and stolen checks, deposit fraud, and money laundering. The VECTOR Currency Control Solution is a Windows-based program that will assist Banknorth Group in meeting the two key challenges of cash: providing continual quality cash services and controlling the levels of excess cash. "The suite of solutions we purchased from Sterling Commerce will help us reduce costs, increase our competitive differentiation, increase our revenues, and enhance our customer service," said Joe Hanson, Executive Vice President, Banknorth Group Inc.

"The combination of the VECTOR Research, Fraud, and Currency Control Solutions will pay big dividends for Banknorth Group. VECTOR Research will improve Banknorth Group's productivity and customer services by providing around the clock accessibility to research requests. The VECTOR Fraud Business solution will strengthen Banknorth's relationship with their customers by protecting them from stolen, forged and counterfeit checks. At the same time Banknorth will reduce their losses and be able to monitor more customer activity with no increase in staff hours. VECTOR Currency Control will identify actual cash needs so potential interest income is never forfeited," said Tim Simeone, vice president, Sterling Commerce Banking Systems Division. "These solutions offer our banks improvements in productivity, loss prevention, and currency management that no one in the industry can match."

The VECTOR Research Business Solution allows banks to provide quick service and increased convenience to their customers. It is the ideal solution for processing monetary and non-monetary adjustments, and research items. Adjustment or microfilm requests are initiated easily and results are received quickly. Windows-based components allow for the electronic delivery of images embedded in notices via teleprocessing networks, corporate Intranets, Internet or fax. The Fraud Business Solution is an integrated suite of products and services designed to increase a bank's efficiency and save money. It protects assets and prevents losses in the areas of forged, stolen, and counterfeit checks as well as detecting problems with kiting, deposit fraud and money laundering. The Windows-based Currency Control Solution manages a bank's cash level requirements as well as identifies "surplus cash" - cash that is available for transfer to revenue generating areas, with the resultant increase in interest income.

Banks are continuously looking for ways to improve customer service, reduce losses, and generate new revenue.

About Banknorth Group

Banknorth Group, Inc., headquartered in Portland, Maine, is one of the country's 50 largest commercial banking companies with $18.2 billion in assets. The Company operates banking subsidiaries in Maine, Peoples Heritage Bank, NA, in New Hampshire, Bank of New Hampshire, NA, in Massachusetts, First Massachusetts Bank, NA, in Vermont, The Howard Bank, NA, Franklin Lamoille Bank, NA and First Vermont Bank, NA, and New York, Evergreen Bank, NA. In north central Connecticut, the Company's banking presence is GBT, a division of First Massachusetts Bank, NA.

The Company also operates a variety of insurance agencies in New England as subsidiaries of Morse, Payson & Noyes, Insurance, its lead agency, a money management firm, The Stratevest Group, NA, an investment subsidiary, Heritage Investment Planning Services, and a leasing company, Banknorth Leasing.

About Sterling Commerce

Sterling Commerce, a wholly owned subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC), is a worldwide leading provider of e-business solutions for businesses of all sizes. The company's Banking Systems Division is the leading provider of critical transaction processing solutions for major banks and other financial institutions. The business relationships for this division include over 85 of the top 100 U.S. banks and other major banks around the world by providing financial transaction processing, currency control, reconciliation, e-marketplace, e-business integration and e-business consulting solutions.

For more information, visit the Sterling Commerce Web site at www.sterlingcommerce.com.

All products or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners.