Regions Financial Corp. is a member of the S&P 100 Index and one of the nation's full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, trust, securities brokerage, mortgage and insurance products and services.

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Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV) is one of the oldest investment management firms in the United States, with a history dating back to 1924. Eaton Vance and its affiliates managed $157.0 billion in assets as of September 30, 2009, offering individuals and institutions a broad array of investment products and wealth management solutions. The Company's long record of providing exemplary service and attractive returns through a variety of market conditions has made Eaton Vance the investment manager of choice for many of today's most discerning investors. For more information about Eaton Vance, visit www.eatonvance.com.

SOURCE Eaton Vance Corp.

http://www.eatonvance.com

As a result of the decision to hold deposits at BANA-RI, Fitch has affirmed all existing ratings and the Stable Outlook, and has also assigned long-term and short-term deposit ratings to this subsidiary. Ratings of BANA-RI reflect its position as an operating entity in the BAC family. The long-term and short-term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) and the deposit and support floor/support ratings all reflect Fitch's view that there is an extremely high probability that this entity, along with other core BAC subsidiaries, would receive support in a crisis scenario. The Stable Rating Outlook is also derived from government support. BANA-RI's individual rating is linked to that of BAC and reflects the consolidated company's weakened earnings and asset quality profile.

Separately, Fitch has withdrawn all issue and issuer ratings of ML-FSB, since this company no longer exists as a separate entity.

Fitch has assigned the following ratings:

Bank of America Rhode Island, N.A.

--Long-term deposits `AA-';

--Short-term deposits `F1+'.

Fitch has affirmed the following ratings with a Stable Outlook:

Bank of America Rhode Island, N.A.

--Long-term IDR at `A+';

--Short-term IDR at `F1+';

--Individual at `D';

--Support at `1';

--Support Floor at `A+'.

Fitch has withdrawn the following ratings:

Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust Co. FSB

--Long-term IDR `A+';

--Short-term IDR `F1+';

--Long-term deposits `AA-';

--Short-term deposits `F1+';

--Individual `D';

--Support `1';

--Support Floor `A+'.

Additional information is available at www.fitchratings.com.

ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE.

SOURCE: Fitch Ratings

Fitch Ratings 
David Spring, +1-312-368-3194 (Chicago) 
Sharon Haas, +1-212-908-0368 (New York) 
Brian Bertsch, +1-212-908-0549 (Media Relations, New York) 
brian.bertsch@fitchratings.com

-- William H. Glenn, president, Global Merchant Services, will present at the Janney Montgomery Scott Electronic Payments Summit 2009 on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. (ET). He will review the company's network, acquirer/processor, client management and marketing capabilities.

The live audio webcast and presentation slides of both conferences will be made available to the general public on the American Express Investor Relations Web site at http://ir.americanexpress.com. Audio replays of both presentations will also be available after each event at the same Web site address.

American Express Company is a leading global payments and travel company founded in 1850. For more information, visit www.americanexpress.com.

SOURCE: American Express Company

Media: 
Joanna Lambert, 212-640-9668 
joanna.g.lambert@aexp.com 
or 
Michael O'Neill, 212-640-5951 
mike.o'neill@aexp.com 
or 
Investors/Analysts: 
Toby Willard, 212-640-1958 
sherwood.s.willardjr@aexp.com 
or 
Ron Stovall, 212-640-5574 
ronald.stovall@aexp.com