In the universe of financial service companies, very few offer more than one fundamental strength in the marketplace. Some offer two. None offer three. Synovus historically has excelled in two areas: commercial banking and transaction processing. Now we are building a third pillar of strength, asset management. With the regulatory reforms adopted in 1999, we are now able to implement the whole spectrum of financial services "beyond banking" for our customers. When we reach this goal, no other company in the financial sector will compare to Synovus.

Our banking team is learning to identify customers' financial needs and connect them with the full range of our financial services - brokerage, money management, insurance, trust, private banking, mortgage, leasing and corporate finance, in addition to traditional commercial and consumer banking.

Financial Services Beyond Banking builds upon our banking foundation by integrating all financial services through a single, convenient point of service. It's the heart of what we offer: One Relationship. Every Service. Here's a broad look at the latest phases of the Financial Services Beyond Banking action plan.

We plan to establish a family of mutual funds, and ultimately offer other retirement planning products managed by Synovus Trust Company^® (www.synovus.com/stc), which now offers customers constant access to trust accounts through Synovus Trac^SM on its website. We are consolidating all estate and financial planning services within the Synovus family of companies to emphasize the role of financial planning and financial profiling.

We are broadening the role of private banking, where licensed and accredited representatives are preparing to offer financial analysis, financial planning and brokerage. The investment management division of Synovus Trust Company - one of the world's top 10 money managers, according to Pension & Investments annual "Performance Evaluation Report" for 1999 - will become part of Synovus Investment Advisors,^SM to manage mutual funds, trust funds, asset allocation models and other accounts for the family of companies. Synovus Investment Advisors will evaluate outside money managers for possible joint ventures or acquisition candidates.

At Synovus Securities, Inc.^®, alliance agreements give Synovus investors access to some of the finest private investment managers in the industry. The company offers ever expanding Internet services that link investors with timely information on their portfolios and securities research. The Synovus Securities web site (www.synovus.com/ssi) successfully launched online trading in a pilot that started in the first quarter of 2000.

Managers in each bank's local market will lead a unified sales effort, directed through Synovus Securities, that includes sales management, training and compliance for each product and service.