NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        

January 15, 2008                                            

Contacts: 

Kathleen Reardon              Sherry Nannis                          

Vice President                    Director of Marketing               

Citizens Bank                     WMUR-TV                   

 (603) 634-7232                (603) 641-9074          

NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester named 2008

Champion in Action in area of affordable housing

Citizens Bank and WMUR-TV to provide $25,000 grant, PR and volunteer support

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Citizens Bank New Hampshire and WMUR-TV have named NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester as its 2008 first quarter Champion in Action^® in the area of affordable housing. As part of the award, NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support for its dedication to affordable housing in greater Manchester.

“Citizens Bank is pleased to join WMUR-TV in naming NeighborWorks® as its newest Champion in Action,” said Cathleen A. Schmidt, President, Citizens Bank, New Hampshire. “By providing financial, marketing and volunteer support, we can assist this Champion in taking a big step forward in advancing its programs and services. NeighborWorks® helps hundreds of people each year by providing access to quality housing services, revitalizing neighborhoods, and supporting opportunities for personal empowerment. We are proud to recognize its efforts and help the agency grow.”

The Champions in Action^® program is designed to recognize and support nonprofit organizations for their contributions to New Hampshire communities. A new Champion in Action is selected each quarter among a range of social service areas.

“We continue to be extremely proud to share in this initiative with Citizens Bank," said Jeff Bartlett, General Manager of WMUR-TV. “We are very pleased to help out organizations across the state which demonstrate such a strong community commitment, and make a difference in the lives of so many New Hampshire residents. They truly are champions.”

NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester is being recognized for:

·         Enhancing the lives of more than 4,700 low income individuals and families living in the Manchester region. NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester has helped these families improve their financial stability through either home ownership or providing quality affordable rental housing.

·         Offering a variety of free group educational programs to help underserved families understand critical components of home ownership, including its financial responsibilities, maintenance and repair. Additionally, NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester provides individual homeownership counseling and guidance in the loan

            process. More than 400 individuals have received home ownership or financial      education with 600 of these families becoming first-time home buyers.

·         Revitalizing Manchester’s Center City neighborhoods. NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester has stabilized nearly 250 units of affordable housing. Taking vacant or neglected properties and redeveloping them into safe attractive places for people to live.

As a Champion in Action, NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester will receive:

·         A $25,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from the Citizens Bank Foundation.

·         Media coverage from WMUR-TV, including public service announcements and television profiles.

·         Volunteer support from Citizens and WMUR-TV employees.

·         Extensive public relations support.

·         Promotional support, highlighting the current “Champion in Action” in all Citizens Bank branches and on its ATMs.

·         Exposure on both Citizens Bank and WMUR-TV Web sites.

“We are honored to be recognized by Citizens Bank and WMUR-TV as a Champion in Action,” said Robert Tourigny, Executive Director of NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester. “With the support of WMUR and Citizens Bank, we will be able to respond to the need for more affordable housing in Greater Manchester. The financial contribution will help us provide the necessary resources to continue exploring affordable housing development options and opportunities in surrounding communities. We also believe the significant public exposure will help people become more aware of our role in the community, and how we can help those in need of quality  housing.”

A nonprofit organization supporting workforce/economic development will be named for the second quarter Champion in Action in April 2008.  

For more information about the Champions in Action program, visit www.citizensbank.com or www.TheWMURChannel.com. To learn more about NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester visit www.nwgm.org or call (603) 626-4663. NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester is located at 20 Merrimack Street, Manchester NH 03101.

About Citizens Bank New Hampshire

Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 78 branches and 164 ATMs in New Hampshire.

RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $159 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG’s two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 13-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. It is one of the 10 largest commercial banking companies in the United States ranked by assets and deposits. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). CFG’s Web site is citizensbank.com.  

About WMUR-TV

WMUR-TV is the leading source of television news in New Hampshire, reaching more than one million people, and is the largest commercial television station in the state. WMUR.com is the most viewed New Hampshire web site for local news. An ABC affiliate, WMUR is owned by Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. 

Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. owns 26 television stations, and manages an additional three television and two radio stations, in geographically diverse U.S. markets. The company's television stations reach approximately 18 percent of U.S. TV households, making it one of America's largest television station groups. Hearst-Argyle owns 12 ABC-affiliated stations, and manages an additional ABC station owned by Hearst Corporation, and is the largest ABC affiliate group. The company also owns 10 NBC affiliates, is the second-largest NBC affiliate owner and owns two CBS affiliates. Hearst-Argyle also is a leader in the convergence of local broadcast television and the Internet through its partnership with Internet  Broadcasting, and in the application of digital broadcast spectrum for new local informational services through its Weather Plus partnership with NBC and various NBC affiliate groups. Hearst-Argyle Series A common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "HTV." HTV debt is rated investment grade by Moody's (Baa3), Standard & Poor's (BBB-) and Fitch (BBB-), each with a stable outlook. The company's Web address is www.hearstargyle.com.

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