Commercial Federal Appoints Frederick R. Kulikowski, President & Chief Operating Officer.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Commercial Federal Corporation (NYSE:CFB) today announced the appointment of Frederick R. Kulikowski as president and chief operating officer, as well as a member of its Board of Directors.

Mr. Kulikowski, 46, joins Commercial Federal from M&T Bank Corporation, headquartered in Buffalo, New York, where he served as senior vice president in charge of Business Banking. Mr. Kulikowski's prior responsibilities included running M&T's consumer banking operation across the company's extensive branch network. With more than $52 billion in assets, M&T Bank is one of the 20 largest bank holding companies in the U.S. Previously, Mr. Kulikowski was president and chief executive officer of Citibank (New York State), a $6-billion commercial and retail bank subsidiary of Citicorp.

In announcing the appointment, William A. Fitzgerald, Commercial Federal's chairman and chief executive officer, said, "Fred will play a vital role in leading Commercial Federal to the next step of our strategic evolution from a thrift to a commercial bank. His outstanding executive management experience in commercial banking, as well as his leadership of a large, successful retail branch network, make him an ideal fit for our company."

Mr. Fitzgerald concluded, "Today's appointment enhances an already strong management team. Fred's proven skills will further enhance our ability to maximize returns on behalf of our shareholders."

"I am pleased to join Commercial Federal during its exciting progression to a more innovative product and service mix," said Mr. Kulikowski. "I look forward to building on the strong platform already in place, and increasing the momentum of the franchise in its core markets."

Mr. Kulikowski earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Simon School at the University of Rochester.

Commercial Federal Corporation is the parent company of Commercial Federal Bank, an $11.4 billion federal savings bank that operates branches located in Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arizona. In addition to full-service retail banking, Commercial Federal offers a broad array of financial services and products including commercial banking services, commercial and industrial lending, small business banking, construction lending, cash management, insurance and investment services, mortgage origination and servicing, and Internet banking.