ONE OneSmart International Education Group Limited

Bank One Named SBA's Michigan 504 Lender of the Year DETROIT, April 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bank One provided the best overall support for the U.S. Small Business Administration's 504 loan program in Michigan during fiscal year 2003, earning 504 Lender of the Year honors from the SBA's Michigan District office. This is the second consecutive year that the SBA has recognized Bank One for its leadership in Michigan. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030116/NYTH053LOGO ) Considered long-term financing tools for economic development, 504 loans are used to buy, improve or renovate property, facilities or machinery. Last year, Bank One completed 16 loans in Michigan worth more than $15 million through the 504 loan program. "Bank One supports small business because it's an important economic engine in Michigan," said John O'Brien, Bank One's regional manager for Business Banking. "We have added additional bankers so we can provide the capital, investments and cash management services that small businesses in Michigan need to keep the engine running smoothly." Small businesses employ more than half of the private workforce in the United States and provide about 75 percent of the net new jobs added to the economy nationally, according to the SBA. Historically, Bank One has supported the SBA 504 program both as a lender and by encouraging bankers to serve on community development corporation boards throughout Michigan. "We are true believers in the 504 program, which is critical to the growth and development of small business," said O'Brien, who chairs the Oakland County Business Finance Corp., which facilitates 504 loans in Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and other Southeastern Michigan counties. The SBA recognized Bank One in 2002 as Lender of the Year and New Markets Lender of the Year, citing programs like the bank's ongoing Black Business Expo that help market SBA programs to small-business owners. This year, Bank One will sponsor the third Black Business Expo on May 11 at Greater Grace Temple, Detroit, along with the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the SBA. Small-business owners can obtain more information about Bank One's products and services by calling (800) 404-4111. In Michigan, Bank One operates a network of 240 branches and 370 ATMs. Bank One Corporation (NYSE:ONE) ( http://www.bankone.com/ ) is the nation's sixth- largest bank holding company, with assets of more than $325 billion. Bank One currently has more than 50 million credit cards issued, nearly 7 million retail households, and approximately 20,000 middle market customers. It also manages more than $185 billion of clients' investment assets. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030116/NYTH053LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Bank One Corporation CONTACT: Mary Kay Bean of Bank One Corporation, +1-313-225-2831, Web site: http://www.bankone.com/

Copyright