2003 Annual Report: Raising the Bar for Consumers (Page 4 of 5)

New Ways to Serve Hispanic Customers

Hispanics are projected to account for 60% of the population growth in our franchise over the next decade, and we are adapting quickly to make it easier than ever for members of this population group to do business with Bank of America.

For Spanish-speaking customers, we have established a Spanish-language Web site, expanded our multilingual telephone banking capability and aggressively recruited associates with second-language skills. In 2003, nearly half of our new banking center associates were bilingual, with more than two-thirds of them fluent in Spanish as well as English.

We also have accelerated product and service innovations to raise the bar in serving Hispanic customers. Examples include:

• Our international ATM transfer card, SafeSend™, which enables customers to send money to loved ones in Mexico via secure telephone and electronic channels;
• Easy access to banking centers, ATMs and business-to-business services for customers on both sides of the border through our relationship with one of the leading banks in Mexico, Santander Serfin;
• The Nuevo Futuro™ account, the Spanish-language version of MyAccess Checking®, which features a low opening deposit of $25 and, with direct deposit, free unlimited check writing, ATM access and online banking;