Standard & Poor's Announces Changes to S&P Index

Standard & Poor's Announces Changes to S&P Index 


NEW YORK, Sept. 29  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nara Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:NARA)
will replace Prime Hospitality Corp. (NYSE:PDQ) in the S&P SmallCap 600 after
the close of trading on Wednesday, October 6, 2004.  Prime Hospitality is being
acquired by The Blackstone Group, a private equity firm, in a transaction
expected to close on or about that date.  The deal is still subject to
shareholder approval.  Standard & Poor's will monitor this transaction, and
post any relevant updates on its website: http://www.standardandpoors.com/.

Nara is a banking association serving Korean communities and other customers in
California and the New York City area.  Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, the
company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 GICS (Global Industry
Classification Standard) Regional Banks Sub-Industry Index.

  Following is a summary of the change:

                 S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - October 6, 2004
              COMPANY             GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR    GICS SUB-INDUSTRY
  ADDED       Nara Bancorp        Financials              Regional Banks
  DELETED     Prime Hospitality   Consumer Discretionary  Hotels, Resorts &
                                                          Cruise Lines



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.

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DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's



CONTACT:  David M. Blitzer, Ph.D.

Managing Director & Chairman of the Index Committee

[phone]



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

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

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