Credit Suisse First Boston Extends Internet Research Leadership; Analyst Chris Vroom Hired Adding to the Largest Internet Research Team on Wall Street.

Business Editors/Internet Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 11, 2000

Credit Suisse First Boston Technology Group is very pleased to announce that Chris Vroom has joined its group to cover E-tailing and selected business-to-business Internet commerce companies.

Chris joins the firm as a Managing Director from Thomas Weisel Partners where he was a partner and head of the firm's Electronic Commerce coverage. Before Weisel Partners, Chris was a Managing Director at Alex Brown & Sons for five years and head of that firm's Electronic Commerce coverage.

"The addition of Chris is yet another example of how the Credit Suisse First Boston Technology Group intends to have the deepest, broadest and most experienced Internet coverage in the industry," said Mike Kwatinetz, Global Director of Technology research. Elliott Rogers, Deputy Head of Technology research, added, "With the addition of Chris, we now have thirty-two senior research analysts worldwide, easily surpassing any other firm."

Chris joins a team of fourteen senior Internet analysts and thirty-six senior bankers worldwide focused exclusively on the Internet at CSFB. "We have, by far, the largest integrated banking and research team focused on Internet companies in the industry, with professionals based in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America," said Bill Brady, Head of Global Corporate Finance for the Credit Suisse First Boston Technology Group.

This team includes the bankers and analysts that helped take public such industry leading companies as Cisco Systems, Ascend Communications, Netscape, Amazon.com, CommerceOne, Phone.com, VA Linux, Liberate, Interwoven, e.Piphany, Freeserve, QXL Ltd. and El Sitio, among others, and who lead-managed more Internet IPO's in 1999 than any other firm on Wall Street.

Joining Chris from Thomas Weisel Partners are Ian Toll and John Byun. The team will be based in San Francisco.

Credit Suisse First Boston is a leading global investment banking firm, providing comprehensive financial advisory, capital raising, sales and trading, and financial products for users and suppliers of capital around the world. It operates in over 60 offices across more than 30 countries and has over 15,000 employees.

As of December 31, 1998, CSFB has $6.7 billion in revenues, $7.1 billion in equity and $291 billion in assets. The Firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group. For more information on Credit Suisse First Boston, please visit our website at http://www.csfb.com.

This press release is merely a synopsis of a Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation research report and neither is, nor intended to be a comprehensive summary of the report or recommendation. The report referred to herein should be read in its entirely prior to making a decision to invest in any of the companies mentioned therein. If you would like to obtain a copy of this reporter, please contact your CSFB sales representative.