Unizan Bank Receives the Prestigious Community Impact Award for its SCOPP IDA Asset Management Program

Unizan Bank Receives the Prestigious Community Impact Award for
its SCOPP IDA Asset Management Program 


CANTON, Ohio, Nov. 15  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Unizan Bank, National
Association is honored to announce the organization's Stark County Out of
Poverty Partnership (SCOPP) IDA Asset Management Program has received the CRA
and Fair Lending Colloquium's annual Community Impact Award for banks with
assets over $1.5 billion.  Unizan will accept this nationally recognized award
on November 15, 2004 from a distinguished panel of bankers and consultants at
the 2004 CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium in Orlando, Florida.

The CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium is the premier compliance industry event,
where over 350 compliance professionals and regulatory experts gather to learn
compliance strategies to help actualize their goals and manage their resources.
The purpose of the Community Impact Award is threefold: to honor dedicated
compliance professionals and their institutions, to encourage innovative
community lending, and to provide the financial industry with examples of
programs that work. Any financial institution in the United States is eligible,
including banks, mortgage companies, and credit unions. One award is given to a
program from an institution with $1.5 billion or greater in assets, and one to
a program from an institution with less than $1.5 billion in assets.

Unizan designed its IDA Asset Management Program in cooperation with SCOPP as a
way to increase savings and investments for lower income families. This program
couples economic literacy training with a financial incentive to save for the
acquisition of an asset. Program participants learn about budgeting, savings
and investments, banking and credit. While they receive this training, they are
also saving for one of the following life goals: a down payment on a home,
small business capital or a college education. For every $1 they save, SCOPP
provides $4 in matching funds.

"We are pleased the SCOPP IDA Asset Management Program received this
recognition and accepting the Community Impact Award is quite a tribute to this
Program's purpose," said Monica Graves, Unizan Bank's assistant vice
president-CRA.  "It is even more rewarding to help our neighbors afford major
life goals like a better home, a new business or a college degree. Through the
IDA program, we are helping the working poor and welfare recipients to help
themselves," Graves concluded.

About Unizan

Unizan Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:UNIZ), a $2.6 billion holding company, is a
financial services organization headquartered in Canton, Ohio. The company
operates 43 full-service retail financial centers in five metropolitan markets
in Ohio -- Canton, Columbus, Dayton, Newark and Zanesville. Through Unizan
Financial Corp.'s subsidiaries, Unizan Bank, National Association; Unizan
Financial Services Group, National Association; Unizan Banc Financial Services,
Inc.; and Unizan Financial Advisors, Inc., the company offers its client base
corporate and retail banking, Internet banking and wealth management products
and services.  Additionally, the company operates government guaranteed loan
programs through its business lending centers in Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Columbus and Dayton, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Mt. Arlington, New Jersey and
Indianapolis, Indiana.  For more information on Unizan Financial Corp. and its
subsidiaries, visit the company on the Web at http://www.unizan.com/ . 

DATASOURCE: Unizan Bank, National Association



CONTACT: Sandy K. Upperman, Vice President, Corporate Communications of

Unizan Bank, National Association, [phone], or  



Web site:  http://www.unizanbank.com/ 

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