Curian Capital to Provide Managed Accounts Program to ICBA's Member Institutions; Nearly 4,700 Financial Institutions Comprise ICBA.

Business Editors

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 2003

Curian Capital, LLC announced today that it has formed a partnership with ICBA Financial Services Corporation, the broker dealer subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), to be a Managed Account program Preferred Provider for ICBA member institutions.

Curian will establish its Managed Account program at the institutions offering brokerage and investment advisory services through ICBA Financial Services. The ICBA is an industry trade organization of approximately 4,700 community and regional banking entities that is dedicated to enhancing the franchise value of the nation's community banks.

"Curian's Managed Account program allows ICBA's member banks to quickly offer a cutting-edge Managed Account program to its clients that contains the same professional money management expertise that many people believe is only available at large financial institutions," said A. Pierce Stone, chairman, president and CEO, Virginia Community Bank, and chairman, ICBA Financial Services. "Our member institutions will benefit tremendously from Curian's comprehensive, technology-driven platform because it makes us competitive with other financial institutions immediately without the massive and time-consuming investment in technology. With this partnership, ICBA Financial Services will be able to offer institutional class investment consulting services to community banking organizations further improving our customer-focused focus."

"Through this partnership, ICBA Financial Services will be able to offer institutional asset management capabilities across their national family of community banks," said Kevin Garrow, vice president, Business Development, Curian Capital. "ICBA member banks will continue to improve their ability to attract financial professionals who are looking for ways to scale their fee-based business. This program augments ICBA's solid product platform, and we're very proud to be chosen to serve their member institutions."

Some of the innovative features on the Curian platform include:

-- Custom Style Portfolios that combine suitability

questionnaires, asset allocation preferences, and

institutional asset management;

-- Customization tools to exclude individual securities or social

sectors, multiple rebalancing options, reinvestment 

preferences and customized tax lot selling preferences;

-- A scaleable platform that can serve the needs of retail

brokerage, private banking, or trust by offering these

services with an account minimum of $25,000;

-- A genuinely paperless, electronic platform that enables

financial professionals and institutions to run their

businesses more effectively and efficiently;

-- A fee-advance program that allows financial professionals to

make a seamless transition from a commission- to fee-based

business;

-- A new permissioning function that provides a client's other

trusted advisors with view-only accessibility to their

accounts. This functionality also facilitates a financial

professional becoming the center of their clients' wealth

management team;

-- An un-replicated advisory technology platform that can

facilitate proposing, account application, compliance approval

and funding an account in as short as 24 hours; and

-- Strong sales support, including comprehensive training on

Curian's vast technology platform.

"Curian is thrilled to be partnering with one of the most reputable professional organizations in the financial institution marketplace," said James Vitalie, executive vice president, Strategic Development, Curian Capital. "The ICBA has a heritage of delivering outstanding support to its member institutions. We believe the Curian program is very effective in the community bank environment because it combines Curian's efficient technology platform, strong sales support and training, and world-class money management with community banks' Main Street customer service. That is a powerful combination of core capabilities."

Through this agreement, ICBA member institutions will have a direct interface between each community bank network and Curian's existing platform, and ICBA Financial Services' registered advisers will be able to offer a fully diversified portfolio of securities to their clients. In addition to this advisory service, Curian's technology will allow ICBA Financial Services' advisers to serve investment management needs surrounding trust services, which many high-net-worth investors are increasingly demanding.

For more information about Curian's Managed Account program, financial institutions should contact Kevin Garrow, Vice President, Business Development, Curian Capital, at 800-358-4574, ext. 6455.

About Curian Capital

Curian Capital, LLC is an indirect subsidiary of the United Kingdom's Prudential plc, a major international financial services group with $250 billion of assets under management. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Curian is a registered investment advisor providing innovative fee-based managed accounts and investment products to financial professionals through a state-of-the-art technology platform.

About Independent Community Bankers of America

ICBA Financial Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America. Founded in 1993, ICBA Financial Services helps community banks provide customers with a range of retail investment services. ICBA, "The Nation's Leading Voice for Community Banks," represents nearly 4,700 institutions at more than 17,000 locations nationwide. Community banks are characterized by attention to customer service, lower fees and small business, agricultural and consumer lending. ICBA's members hold more than $526 billion in insured deposits, $728 billion in assets and more than $405 billion in loans for consumers, small businesses and farms. They employ more than 231,000 citizens in the communities they serve. For more information, visit www.icba.org.

The following cautionary statement is included to make applicable and take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. However, as with any projection or forecast, forward-looking statements are inherently susceptible to a number of risks and uncertainties and actual results and events could differ materially from those currently being anticipated as reflected in such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs or projections will result or be achieved or accomplished.