Bruce Laning Named New President and CEO of FIRMCO.

Business Editors

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 16, 2000

Bruce Laning has been named president and chief executive officer of Firstar Investment Research & Management Company, LLC (FIRMCO). This announcement was made today by David M. Moffett, vice chairman of Firstar Corporation (NYSE:FSR), the parent company of FIRMCO.

Moffett commented, "Bruce has done an outstanding job at FIRMCO and will now take an even more important leadership role with the organization, overseeing a team of first-class investment professionals. Bruce is committed to ensuring that we continue to provide clients with the same high quality service and investment products that have made FIRMCO a nationally recognized investment adviser. At FIRMCO, just as with all of Firstar, we are building a better team and company for the future -- something our customers and shareholders deserve."

Laning joined Firstar in 1989 and has more than 15 years of investment management experience. He joined FIRMCO in 1993, following four years with Firstar's Trust Company of Illinois where he was a senior investment officer. Prior to joining Firstar, Laning was with Continental Bank of Chicago.

Up until October of 1999, Laning was responsible for the management of FIRMCO's Iowa operations. Most recently, he was senior vice president and senior portfolio manager in Milwaukee.

Laning is a member of the Association for Investment Management & Research and the Investment Analysts Society of Chicago. He has a bachelor's degree from Valparaiso University and a master's degree from the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Laning became a chartered financial analyst in 1992.

As the new president and chief executive officer of FIRMCO, Laning replaces Mary Ellen Stanek who has left the organization.

On January 25, 2000, Firstar Corporation announced the consolidation of FIRMCO and the Capital Management Division of Firstar Bank, N.A. This announcement followed the October decision to merge FIRMCO and Mississippi Valley Advisors (MVA), the former investment arm of Mercantile Bancorporation Inc., which is the result of the Firstar/Mercantile merger in September 1999. The combining of these three firms forms one of the strongest investment management firms in the country. The new FIRMCO gives Firstar the ability to offer a full complement of mutual funds in the core, value and growth equity styles, as well as an array of fixed-income options.

Once the teaming of the three investment units is completed later this year, FIRMCO will manage the Firstar Funds, Firstar Stellar Funds and Mercantile Funds. Additionally, FIRMCO has expertise within the national market as an equity and fixed-income manager for large institutional clients, including foundations, endowments and pension funds. FIRMCO's enhanced bond market approach is critically acclaimed on a national level, having most recently beaten its benchmark for the 14th consecutive year. Once the merging of the three groups is completed, Firstar will have approximately $60 billion in assets under management on behalf of trust and investment clients.

Firstar Corporation, the parent company of FIRMCO, is a regional bank holding company with approximately $73 billion in total assets. Firstar has nearly 1,200 full-service banking offices and more than 2,200 ATM locations in Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kansas, Arizona and Florida. Firstar offers a comprehensive line of consumer and commercial banking products and services, personal and commercial trust, investment management, insurance, securities brokerage, mortgage, credit card, cash management, international banking and other financial services. Firstar Corporation is the parent company of all Mercantile Banks in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois and Kentucky and all Firstar Banks. Visit Firstar on the web at www.firstar.com. Firstar was founded in 1853.