Former Head of Goldman Sachs & Co US Bank ResearchJoins National InterBank as Chief...

Business Editors

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 11, 2000

National InterBank(TM), the premier provider of private-label on-line banking, today announced that Robert B. Albertson, former Head of Goldman Sachs & Co (NYSE:GS) U.S. Bank Research, has been named chief strategist

In his role as Chief Strategist, Albertson will be responsible for National InterBank's long-term strategic direction. Additionally he will lead the bank's fund raising efforts, including, private placements and venture capital.

"Robert has long been regarded as the final word on banks in the U.S. and abroad," commented Richard R. Waterfield, Co-Chairman & CEO. "His insight and vision will forge the long-term strategic direction which will lead National InterBank to the top of the online banking industry."

Albertson previously served as head of US Bank Research at Goldman, Sachs & Co. In addition to directing U.S. bank research coverage, he initiated European bank research for Goldman Sachs and initiated coverage on several Latin American banks for the firm. Albertson was also Global Coordinator for financial services research worldwide for two years. He is also the founder and president of Pilot Financial, a long term global financial services performance fund, which he will continue to oversee.

Albertson frequently appears as a guest expert on banking and the financial service industry for CNN, CNBC, and Nightly Business, and regularly interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist and The American Banker. He is a Tau Beta Pi graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University and an MBA graduate of the Harvard Business School.

National InterBank, www.nationalinterbank.com, is the nation's premier provider of on-line private label banking for Internet businesses and Affinity Groups, supplying co-branded banking products & services. A federally chartered institution, National InterBank supplies its partners with valuable Web content through a customized Vertical Financial Services Portal. This content enables partners to offer a full-range of co-branded financial services directly to their users, greatly enhancing customer loyalty and time spent on the partner site. National InterBank requires no minimum balance or special circumstances to qualify for its high interest rates and no-fee banking. All accounts are insured through the FDIC, up to $100,000 per customer. National InterBank is a division of The First Bank of Mitchell. For more information, visit the company at www.nationalinterbank.com