CEO David Branch to retire at year's end; Mintz to take helm at Thomson's American Banker/Bond Buyer unit.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 1996--David Branch, President and Chief Executive Officer of American Banker/Bond Buyer (ABBB) has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this year. Thomson Financial Services (TFS) Senior Vice President Gerald Mintz has been appointed to replace Branch, effective October 1, 1996. ABBB is a division of TFS.

Branch joined TFS in 1992 as Chief Executive Officer of American Banker/Bond Buyer. Under his direction, ABBB has enhanced its leadership position in the marketplace and has reached an all-time high in revenue and profits. Prior to joining TFS, Branch was senior vice president of Fairchild Publications.

Branch's successor, Gerry Mintz, joined TFS in 1993 as President of the Asset Backed Securities Group (ABSG), a position which he held until September of last year when he was appointed Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Development, reporting to TFS President Mason Slaine.

"I am very excited about this opportunity at ABBB," said Mintz. "The changes occurring in the industry are redefining the roles of traditional financial institutions and are creating opportunities to expand our franchise. Coupled with the tremendous distribution and segmentation possibilities presented by the Internet, I cannot think of a more exciting time to be leading this organization. I feel very fortunate to be working with the great team that David Branch has put together."

Prior to joining TFS, Mintz was a Senior Vice President at EJV Partners responsible for sales, marketing, and customer support. Before that, he spent six years at Telerate in several senior positions, including Vice President of Marketing for the Americas Group and General Manager of Telerate Canada. Mintz holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto.

New York-based American Banker Bond Buyer (ABBB) is owned by Thomson Financial Services. ABBB publishes American Banker, the daily paper of record for the banking and financial services industries; The Bond Buyer, the only daily newspaper serving the municipal bond community; several financial industry newsletters; and the recently acquired Securities Industries News, a weekly securities operations newspaper. In addition, ABBB runs a series of conferences covering the banking, municipal bond, and securities operations sectors.

Thomson Financial Services (TFS) is a leading provider of quality financial information, research, analysis and software products to the global investment and corporate communities. Part of The Thomson Corporation, a $7.5-billion company based in Toronto, TFS employs more than 4,500 people in 40 offices around the world.

CONTACT: Karen Witham, 617/856-2208