CSFBdirect's Japan Operation Earns Top Ratings From Gomez and Kabuko.net.

Business & Technology Editors

JERSEY CITY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 2001

DLJdirect SFG Takes Top Spot In Second Straight

Gomez(TM) Scorecard(TM) Rankings and Fourth Straight

Kabuko.Net Survey

CSFBdirect (NYSE: DIR), the online brokerage service of Credit Suisse First Boston, today announced that its online Japanese presence, DLJdirect SFG, has been ranked #1 Overall in the Gomez Japan Winter 2000 Internet Brokers Scorecard and for the First Quarter 2001 Ranking by Kabuko.net. The Japan operation previously ranked #1 in the August 2000 Scorecard and this is the fourth consecutive win in the Kabuko.net survey.

Gomez recognized that DLJdirect SFG's services and quality are consistently on the upswing, noting that DLJdirect SFG has been battling at the front lines in order to broaden the possibilities of online trading. The review noted that, "Services that DLJ has been cultivating since last season are coming to fruition even as more developments are being added."

"We are gratified that our efforts are satisfying customers," said Rosemary McFadden, Managing Director of Global Business Development for CSFBdirect. "The recognition we have received in Japan is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to provide serious, self-directed investors with the most dependable service and a complete selection of resources to manage their finances."

Gomez recognized the following features of the DLJdirect SFG site:

-- The expansion of the real-time information application, MarketSpeed(TM) to
include covered warrants, US stocks, and real-time display of charts and the
three latest quotes

-- "I-Appli" I-mode applications, which provide charts and other real-time
information

-- Japan's first-ever after-hours trading system for private investors

-- Reuters real-time news, Jiji Tsushin and Nikkei Telecom news, E-Research
reports, "Sawakami Economics Class" reports, macro class reports, plus reports
from analysts and economists

-- The new program, where 90% of investment trust purchase commissions are
converted into points that can be used for shopping at participating Web sites

"We are pleased to accept accolades such as this," said Atsushi Kunishige, President of DLJdirect SFG. "DLJdirect SFG has invested considerable effort to make our online investing site the best. We look forward to even more improvements as we build our business."

DLJdirect SFG also ranked first in the Gomez "Hyper-Active Trader" customer profile category and second for "Investors Who Value Information." Kabuko also ranked DLJdirect SFG first in the "Customer Support" and "Investment Information" categories.

About CSFBdirect

CSFBdirect is one of the world's premier online brokerage firms offering a diversified range of investment products and services to sophisticated, self-directed investors. As of December 31, 2000, CSFBdirect had over one million worldwide customer accounts, representing nearly $23 billion in assets.

CSFBdirect has received numerous honors over the past year, including number one for "Transaction Performance and Transaction Success Rate" in December 2000 by Keynote Systems, Inc.; "Best for Site Reliability" in August 2000 by TheStreet.com's Online Broker Survey; "Top Online Broker" by the 2000 Readers' Choice Awards, Worth magazine; "Best of the Web" in August 2000 by Forbes.com; "Best Bet, Feature Rich" in May 2000 by PC World magazine; and a "4-Star Rating" in Spring 2001 by Barron's magazine.

Headquartered in Jersey City, NJ with offices in Parsippany, NJ, Charlotte, NC, Delray Beach, FL, Sandy City, UT, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Dubai, CSFBdirect employs more than 1,800 people. CSFBdirect trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "DIR" as a tracking stock of Credit Suisse First Boston (USA), Inc. For more information on CSFBdirect, visit the company's Web site at www.CSFBdirect.com.

About Credit Suisse First Boston

Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) is a leading global investment banking firm serving institutional, corporate, government and individual clients. CSFB's businesses include securities underwriting, sales and trading, investment and merchant banking, financial advisory services, investment research, venture capital, correspondent brokerage services and online brokerage services. It operates in over 76 locations across more than 37 countries and 6 continents, and has some 28,000 staff worldwide. The Firm is a business unit of the Zurich based Credit Suisse Group, a leading global financial services company.

Gomez, Gomez.com, and Internet Brokers Scorecard are trademarks of Gomez, Inc. All other trademarks, products and brand names are property of their respective owners.