Standard & Poor's Announces Changes to S&P U.S. Indices

Standard & Poor's Announces Changes to S&P U.S. Indices 


NEW YORK, March 25  /PRNewswire/ -- S&P MidCap 400 constituent E*TRADE Financial
Corp.  will replace FleetBoston Financial Corp.  in the S&P 500 after the close
of trading on Wednesday, March 31, 2004.  FleetBoston Financial is being
acquired by fellow S&P 500 constituent Banc of America Corp.  in a transaction
anticipated to close on or about that date.  S&P SmallCap 600 constituent Ryland
Group Inc.  will replace E*TRADE Financial in the S&PMidCap 400, while Sterling
Financial Corp. (NASD: STSA) will replace Ryland Group in the S&P SmallCap 600.
Standard & Poor's will monitor these transactions, and post any relevant updates
on its website:  http://www.standardandpoors.com/.

E*TRADE Financial is a provider of online discount brokerage services, including
automated order placement and portfolio tracking, and online banking services. 
The company, headquartered in New York, NY, will be added to the S&P 500 GICS
(Global Industry Classification Standard) Investment Banking & Brokerage
Sub-Industry Index.

The Ryland Group is a national homebuilder and mortgage-related financial
services firm.  The company, headquartered in Calabasas, CA, will be added to
the S&P MidCap 400 GICS Homebuilding Sub-Industry Index.

Sterling Financial Corp. is the parent company of Sterling Savings Bank, a
state-chartered, federally insured stock savings and loan association that
provides financial services to customers in rural and suburban communities of
Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.  The company, headquartered in Spokane,
WA, will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS Thrifts & Mortgage Finance
Sub-Industry Index.

  Following is a summary of the changes:

                      S&P 500 INDEX -March 31, 2004
                     COMPANY       GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR  GICS SUB-INDUSTRY
  ADDED         E*TRADE Financial       Financials     Investment Banking &
                                                             Brokerage
  DELETED     FleetBoston Financial     Financials       Diversified Banks


                      S&P MIDCAP 400 INDEX - March 31, 2004
                  COMPANY       GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR     GICS SUB-INDUSTRY
  ADDED      Ryland Group Inc. Consumer Discretionary   Homebuilding
  DELETED    E*TRADE Financial       Financials         Investment Banking &
                                                             Brokerage


                      S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - March 31, 2004
                  COMPANYGICS ECONOMIC SECTOR   GICS SUB-INDUSTRY
  ADDED  Sterling Financial Corp.      Financials         Thrifts & Mortgage
                                                               Finance
  DELETED    Ryland Group Inc.    Consumer Discretionary     Homebuilding





Additions to and deletions from an S&P equity index do not in any way reflect an
opinion on the investment merits of the companies concerned.

Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the
world'sforemost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk
evaluation, investment research, data and valuations.  With 5000 employees
located in 20 countries, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's
financial infrastructure, and has played a leading role for more than 140 years
in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more
confident about their investment and financial decisions.  For more information,
visit http://www.standardandpoors.com/.

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information
services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education
and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard &
Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The Corporation has more than
322 offices in 33 countries. Sales in 2003 were $4.8 billion. Additional
information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/. 

DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's



CONTACT:  David Blitzer

Managing Director, Quantitative Services

[phone]



Web site:  http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/ 

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

Copyright