Get Charged up with United Way

 (Bridgeport, CT) June 7, 2006 - RBS National Bank will host the second annual Community Campaign Kick-Off Breakfast on Thursday, June 15, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. on behalf of United Way of Eastern Fairfield County.  This year’s theme is “Get Charged Up with United Way.”  RBS National Bank President and CEO, Joe Hoffman and former NBA star and 2006 United Way Community Campaign Chair, Charles Smith are the featured speakers at this celebration that honors campaign and corporate volunteers.

The Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority’s United Way campaign manager, Dennis Dalton will accompany volunteers and other community representatives to the “Get Charged Up with United Way” Breakfast on board GBTA's replica turn-of-the-century trolley. The trolley will depart the commuter parking lot on Penny Avenue in Trumbull at 8:30 a.m. and will head toward RBS National Bank’s downtown Bridgeport headquarters.  GBTA has participated in the United Way campaign for over nine years.

The trolley is a replica of a turn-of-the-century street car built for the Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority by Chance Coach, Inc. It can comfortably seat up to 26 riders on hand-finished hard wood seats with brass spiral stanchions and leather straps for those who prefer to stand. 

While the trolley has all of the appeal of a turn-of-the-century streetcar, GBTA has added a few modern amenities, including climate control and the latest safety features. The Trolley is fully accessible to riders with disabilities and has secured locations for two wheelchairs.

United Way of Eastern Fairfield County is in the business of building a stronger, more caring community across Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull.  Our focus is on what matters. Research and experience tell us that the best way to help the most people is to focus on the root causes of the most serious problems.  It takes the whole community, working together, to make this happen.  So we bring people together from all across the community ─ from government, business, faith groups, non-profit organizations, and ordinary citizens ─ to tackle the issues that matter most.  United Way is committed to bottom line results:  the lives we change and the communities we shape.  Find out more at www.thewaytocare.org. 

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group ("RBS Group") is one of the world's leading financial services companies providing a range of retail and corporate banking, financial markets, consumer finance, insurance, wealth management and other finance-related activities.  RBS Group had a market capitalization of $108 billion at December 31st, 2004, making it the fifth largest bank in the world.  For 2004, RBS Group posted total revenue of $42.8 billion and operating profit before tax, goodwill amortization and integration costs of $14.4 billion. RBS Group serves more than 35 million customers world-wide and employs more than 140,000 people, including nearly 30,000 in the US.

In the US, RBS Group owns Citizens Financial Group Inc. (CFG) (retail bank, credit card and merchant acquiring businesses), the RBS National Bank credit card business and Lynk Systems, a merchant acquirer. Following the acquisition of Charter One Bank in September 2004, CFG is now the eighth largest commercial banking company in the US ranked by deposits with a presence in 13 states stretching from New England through the Mid Atlantic to the Mid West. Corporate Banking and Financial Markets business based in New York is a leading provider of financing solutions to corporate and institutional clients. RBS Greenwich Capital tailors debt capital market solutions to institutions worldwide and has a leading position in US treasuries and asset backed securities.

RBS National Bank credit card business manages more than 1.4 million US customer accounts and sells credit cards across the US. Headquartered in Bridgeport, Conn., the US credit card arm employs more than 500 people.