Firstar Paves Way for St. Paul's Riverfront Revitalization.

ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 1999--

As a symbol of its commitment to St. Paul's downtown revitalization, Firstar (NYSE:FSR) today sold its downtown Fifth and St. Peter property to the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation. The transaction was made possible under Firstar's "Adopt-A-Block" program, which provides loans and funding as well as brings public and private partners together to make a visual impact and improve the quality of the community. Mary Ann Sudeith, Firstar's St. Paul community development director, will work with the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation, whose mission is to lead the city's efforts to reclaim its connection to the riverfront.

Jerry Grundhofer, president and chief executive officer of Firstar Corporation said, "As this property is a key element to creating a corridor to the riverfront, we are very excited about partnering with the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation to create a new community asset. We will actively participate in the redevelopment of this area by offering the time and talents of our employees and the resources of our corporation."

For the convenience of Firstar customers, Firstar will relocate its current location just across the street later this year to the first floor of the Lawson Building. The new branch will have a 24-hour ATM, night depository access, and will offer a full range of financial products and services backed by Firstar's unique five-star service guarantee. There will be no disruption of service as a result of the move, and customers will be receiving additional information about the branch relocation in the near future.

Jim Clifford, Chairman of Firstar Minnesota said, "This is great news for our customers because they will not only witness the revitalization of the area, but will take advantage of an enhanced, state-of-the art branch located in the new Lawson Building, which will also be connected to the skyway system in the near future. We also enjoyed working with Lawson Software and Frauenshuh to relocate this branch to the best location in downtown St. Paul."

St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman said, "Saint Paul is in the midst of a renaissance, stimulated in no small measure by our vision of reconnecting the downtown and nearby neighborhoods to the Mississippi. Already, a great deal of progress has been made toward realizing our plan, Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework. The new Wabasha Street Bridge, Science Museum of Minnesota, Minnesota Wild (NHL hockey), Lawson Software and improvements to Harriet Island are but a few of the public and private investments that have already, or are currently being made. We are deeply appreciative of Firstar's flexibility and support in making our vision a reality."

Patrick Seeb, executive director of the Riverfront Corporation said, "Firstar is not just selling their building, but it is helping us to realize our dreams. We consider the purchase of this building as the first step towards creating a corridor to the riverfront and to the overall success of our revitalization efforts."

Seeb said that the Firstar property at Fifth and St. Peter is surrounded by the city's only four-star hotel; one of the nation's premier urban parks; the restored federal courts building and the historic Hamm Building; and the world headquarters of two major corporations, the St. Paul Companies and Lawson Software. Further, the property is strategically located in its relationship to the newly emerging entertainment district at the west end of Rice Park and the downtown retail core, including St. Peter and Wabasha Streets.

Firstar Corporation, with assets of more than $74 billion, is the 14th largest bank holding company in the United States. Firstar has 2,000 ATMs and 1,200 full-service offices throughout the Midwest which provide consumer and commercial banking, trust and investment management services to more than 5 million customers. Firstar offers a five-star service guarantee which assures customs of accuracy and service efficiency or Firstar will pay them for their inconvenience. Firstar is the parent company of Firstar Finance, a consumer finance company, and Firstar Investment Research & Management Company, LLC (FIRMCO), an investment advisory firm. Visit Firstar on the web at www.firstar.com. Firstar was founded in 1853.