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

• Flexible loan underwriting guidelines that take into account multiple incomes in households applying for home mortgages;
• Accepting "Matricula Consular" cards as identification and using our banking centers for financial literacy training; and
• Aggressive sales efforts with our Small Business Banking teammates to serve the needs of neighborhood businesses in our ethnically diverse markets.

We also have significantly increased our multicultural outreach efforts. This includes partnering with Spanish-language radio stations so that our bankers can talk on the air from shopping malls and other venues, answer questions and sign up new customers.

As a result of these and other innovations, we grew our Hispanic customer base by more than 275,000 households in 2003.

It's a key market for us. Hispanics in the United States represent an aggregate purchasing power of more than half a trillion dollars and comprise the nation's fastest growing ethnic group, with a wealth accumulation rate that's double the national average.