E*TRADE(R) to Sponsor Super Bowl XXXV Halftime Show for Second Consecutive Year

http://news.excite.com:80/news/pr/001102/ca-etrade-superbowl

E*TRADE’s Brand Awareness Increased to 96 Percent in February Following The Last Year’s Sporting Event According to Diagnostic Research, Inc.

MENLO PARK, CA /PRNewswire/ — E*TRADE Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGRP) today announced that it has signed an agreement with the National Football League (NFL) to be the title sponsor of the E*Trade Super Bowl Halftime Show for the second year in a row. The NFL’s championship game, annually the highest-rated TV program, will air on CBS from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL on Sunday, January 28, 2001. MTV: Music Television will produce the E*TRADE Super Bowl XXXV Halftime Show. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Following its successful advertising campaign and sponsorship of last year’s event, E*TRADE returns to Super Bowl XXXV, continuing to extend its brand awareness to an audience expected to exceed 800 million worldwide. E*TRADE’s previous participation in Super Bowl XXXIV earned the Company accolades for its advertising, including a Golden Lion for its commercial “Monkey” at the 2000 Cannes Advertising Awards. As well, Active Research reported on February 15, 2000 that E*TRADE’s advertisements had the highest recall overall of the Super Bowl XXXIV advertisements.

“E*TRADE experienced a 600 percent increase in net new accounts quarter over quarter, following the Company’s sponsorship of last year’s Super Bowl,” said Michael Sievert, chief sales and marketing officer, E*TRADE Group, Inc. “This venue provides a great opportunity for E*TRADE to reinforce its leadership role as the #1 global place to invest online. By supporting one of the most widely viewed sporting events today, E*TRADE is once again extending its brand and customer value proposition of financial empowerment to nearly one-sixth of the global population.”

“The Super Bowl provides the largest platform for advertisers to reach viewers and we welcome E*TRADE back as the sponsor of the Halftime Show,” said Jim Schwebel, the NFL’s senior vice president of corporate sponsorships. “With E*TRADE’s support, we can offer fans a memorable music and entertainment experience that they expect from the NFL and the Super Bowl.”

About E*TRADE

E*TRADE is a global leader in online personal financial services, offering value-added investing, banking and research features, premium customer service and a redundant, proprietary Stateless Architecture(SM) infrastructure. Lafferty Internet Ratings recently rated E*TRADE as the number one global online broker (9/00). In addition to the U.S., E*TRADE presently serves customers in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, and the U.K, through branded web sites. E*TRADE Securities, Inc. (Member NASD/SIPC), and its parent company, E*TRADE Group, Inc. have offices in Northern California and in other major business centers in the U.S. and worldwide. E*TRADE is a registered trademark of E*TRADE Securities, Inc.

Important Notice

E*TRADE, Destination E*TRADE and Stateless Architecture are registered trademarks or trademarks of E*TRADE Securities, Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners. The statements contained in this news release that are forward-looking are based on current expectations that are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, and actual results may differ materially. The uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, changes in market activity, market acceptance of the Destination E*TRADE web site, anticipated increases in the rate of new customer acquisition, the conversion of new visitors to the site to customers, seasonality, the development of new products and services, the enhancement of existing products and services, competitive pressures (including price competition), system failures, economic and political conditions, changes in consumer behavior and the introduction of competing products having technological and/or other advantages. Further information about these risks and uncertainties can be found in the information included in the annual report filed by the company with the SEC on Form 10-K (including information under the caption “Risk Factors”) and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

System response and account access time may vary due to market conditions, trading volume, system performance and other factors.

CONTACT: Erin Kuhn of E*TRADE Group, Inc., 650-331-6068, or ekuhn@etrade.com.

Contact: Erin Kuhn of E*TRADE Group, Inc., 650-331-6068, or ekuhn@etrade.com