PRESS RELEASES

"We are extremely pleased that UNC has chosen Wachovia to help extend the features and convenience of the UNC One Card," said Beverly B. Wells, executive in charge of Wachovia’s Retail Financial Services Division.

With the new UNC One Card, students and employees will be able to access Wachovia accounts at automated teller machines, including those on-campus, and at merchant locations to make purchases. Wachovia also plans to open a sales center on campus.

"This is an important step for Wachovia’s campus card program," Wells said. "Wachovia for many years has enjoyed a business relationship with UNC and now can build relationships with the 24,000 students and 11,000 employees using the UNC One Card. It also brings to more than 100,000 the number of students, faculty and staff members who will have access to Wachovia through campus card programs in the Southeast."

Wachovia also will introduce campus card programs at Georgia Perimeter College in metropolitan Atlanta and Mercer University in Macon, Ga., this summer. Early next year, a program will begin at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., is scheduled to introduce its program in the fall of 2000. Wachovia already has campus card relationships with Clayton College & State University in Morrow, Ga., and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

"Our approach is to help the schools simplify the lives of their cardholders," Wells said. "Colleges have been extending the utility of their identification cards to serve purposes such as the purchase of meals and supplies, book or equipment checkout and building entry. Wachovia is responding to consumers’ desires to have banking services available to them where they spend most of their time. Enhancing the capabilities of a card that is already a critical tool in consumers’ busy lives provides added convenience."

The expansion of the UNC One Card to include banking services came in response to student feedback on additional services they would like to receive.

"Adding banking services access to the card has been a high priority for students, and we, of course, wanted to be responsive to student input," said Carolyn W. Elfland, associate vice chancellor for auxiliary services. "Wachovia’s proposal went beyond just adding ATM access to the UNC One Card. Wachovia is making available special packages of services for students and employees – as well as offering seminars on how to bank and how to handle credit responsibly."

Students may open a Wachovia College Account, and employees can enjoy the benefits of Worksite Services. These packages of financial services are designed to meet the specific needs of each group and include accounts with discounted or no monthly fees.

Wachovia Bank, N.A. is the principal subsidiary of Wachovia Corporation, an interstate bank holding company with assets of $67 billion as of June 30. Wachovia Bank has more than 700 offices and 1,300 ATMs in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Wachovia is the sponsor of the Wachovia World of Women’s Sports at UNC, a program to promote women’s sports and the achievements of women athletes.