First Citizens Bank Recognizes Employees' Community Involvement

February 11, 2002

RALEIGH, N.C. - First Citizens Bank recognized five Wake County employees for their outstanding community involvement during 2001 at an annual awards ceremony. The awards acknowledge contributions by both corporate headquarters staff employees as well as those by sales associates in the Wake area.

Bill White, senior vice president of general services, received the bank's highest honor, the First Citizen Award. White was a recipient of the 2001 Wake County Human Services Volunteer award, which is selected and presented by the county commissioners. White serves as first vice president and chairs the special events committee for Wake Enterprises Inc., a Wake County community agency dedicated to providing training skills to people with disabilities. He chaired the bank's United Way campaign for 2001 and participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life fundraiser. White also organized volunteers and worked at the recent Raleigh Marathon.

The bank's outstanding community leadership awards were presented to Steve Phillips and Michael Shaw.

Phillips is a senior vice president and regional credit standards officer in Raleigh. He was honored for his leadership role with the Boy Scouts in Wake County. Phillips served as the 2001 first assistant for the two-week Boy Scouts National Jamboree that was held in Virginia. He is working to earn his Wood badge, the highest level of adult leader training in Boy Scouts that involves advanced leadership training around 11 specific leadership skills. Phillips is also a member of the Fuquay-Varina High School Band Boosters.

Shaw is a senior vice president and market executive in Raleigh. He has recently been elected to a two-year term on the Triangle Board of Directors for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Shaw, a charter member of the Crabtree Kiwanis Club, has managed the annual golf tournament benefiting Wake County foster children for the past six years. He has also been a board member of the American Heart Association for seven years and during that time served as the silent auction committee chairman for the 2001gala.

The outstanding community volunteer awards went to Linda McLamb and Pamela Sutterfield. Both were honored for their participation in community activities.

McLamb is the financial services manager in the branch located at 120 Aversboro Road in Garner. She is a charter member of the Mid-Day Chapter of the Rotary in Garner. Through her Rotary activities, McLamb works with the annual plant sale and coordinates the Santa Shopping Spree each year, a highlight for residents at the Laurels of Forest Glen Rest Home. In 2001, she was a co-captain for two American Cancer Society's Relay for Life teams and participated in the Autism Ribbon Run in October.

Sutterfield, an administrative assistant in the corporate education department, worked 190 hours last year as a volunteer in the community. Sutterfield has served as a volunteer for American Red Cross blood drives, the Autism Red Ribbon Run, the Raleigh Marathon, Adopt a Highway, Kids Voting, Relay for Life, the United Way and Raleigh Nursery School.

First Citizens' community focus areas are education; health and human services; community and economic development; and arts and culture.

Founded in 1898, First Citizens operates 348 branches in 203 cities and towns in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Headquartered in Raleigh, the bank has $11.86 billion in assets. First Citizens Bank is committed to providing superior financial services to individual customers and small to mid-sized businesses. For more information about First Citizens and its services, call toll free 1-888-FC DIRECT (1-888-323-4732) or visit the bank's Internet site, firstcitizens.com.

For more information, contact:
Meredith L. Best
(919) 716-7458
First Citizens BancShares