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2) Open Record - VERIBANC, Inc. is also unique in that we are the only bank rating firm that discloses its rating criteria and its track record. Not surprisingly, our system performs very well. For example, from 1991 through 2005 there have been 335 banks that have failed. Over 99 percent of all these failures were rated in one of our lower rating categories. 3) Used to Insure Deposits - In addition, our company is the only rating agency whose assessments were used as the principal underwriting basis for issuing excess FDIC deposit insurance policies. The DEPOSITSURE® program ran from 1993 until 2000 and was backed by General RE, one of the nation's largest insurers. Since 2000 we have had several insurance companies audit and approve our methodology to resurrect this product. Unfortunately, other insurance factors have prevented this from happening. 4) The First Rating Service - VERIBANC began rating the safety and soundness of banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, and bank holding companies in 1981. No one else, at that time, provided the general public with information on the financial condition of these institutions. Twenty-one banks and thrifts had failed in 1980; over two thousand have failed in the two and one-half decades since. Leveraging this rich set of failure data we constantly stress our ratings model. Our actuarial based approach is in sharp contrast to many of our competitors that use peer grouping as the basis for their ratings. The problem with peer grouping is in "poor banking times" - "good banks" (the high end of the peer group) may not be. VERIBANC's rating system has proven its effectiveness over the past twenty-five years. Through the good and the challenging banking cycles, our 99 percent efficiency in predicting bank failure has consistently been published. No other rating system can offer you this success and longevity. How will you know if any other rating system can stand up to a poor banking cycle? With VERIBANC's success you already know! Leading Source - VERIBANC's research is recognized as a leading source in alerting the public to changes in the banking industry. As early as 1982, we noted that thrift "industry problems are more severe than at any other time since the 1929 depression." 5) Completely Independent - VERIBANC's ratings, research, and analysis have always been 100 percent independent of those financial institutions being rated. We offer no so-called "free" or "sponsored" ratings (i.e., paid for by the financial institutions being rated), and VERIBANC has never accepted advertising income from banks. Consumers and bankers pay the same fee for the same service. VERIBANC has no conflicts of interest and we pride ourselves for providing trustworthy, unbiased information to our customers. 6) Monthly Ratings - only VERIBANC publishes ratings on a monthly basis for those institutions whose ratings have suffered a degradation due to a management and/or operational deficiency. 7, 8, & 9) - Bank, Thrift, and Credit Union Ratings - Only VERIBANC has rated all Commercial Banks, Savings Banks, Savings Associations (Thrifts or S&Ls), and Credit Unions continuously since our beginning in 1981. 10) Timeliness - With our singular focus on Banking Safety and Soundness, when new quarterly, call report data on all banks are released by the Federal Reserve Board, VERIBANC is the first organization (often by several weeks or more) to make this information, our analysis and our updated ratings available to the public.