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Vancouver, Wednesday, December 17, 2003 Credential Direct skyrockets to Number 2 online brokerage Credit union owned service achieves second place on Gomez Canada Scorecard In an industry-shaking move, Credential Direct®, an online brokerage service for credit unions, their members, and the investing public, skyrocketed to second place overall in Gomez Canada's latest ranking of Canadian online brokerage firms. Credential Direct quietly vaulted over other self-managed brokerage heavyweights such as E-Trade, TD Waterhouse and Q-Trade. Gomez Canada, a leading financial services consulting firm, released its Scorecard ranking Canadian on-line brokerages, according to over 250 criteria and polls of more than 4,000 investors in different profiles. The Scorecard assists consumers who want to conduct business on the Internet by helping them identify firms with the products and services that best meet their needs. "Credential Direct's results are a testimonial to a small firm's ability, relative to the size of its competition, to develop industry leading offerings with the right financing and direction," said Sam Cukierman, managing director of Gomez Canada. Credential Direct earned 8 Gomez Canada honours, ranking number 1 in the Scorecard's Serious Investor Profile and in the customer confidence category, while achieving an overall ranking of number 2 out of 13 national providers ranked. The company's scoring reflects its efficient customer service via telephone and electronic interaction, improved and effective site map capabilities and focus on improving the overall online trading experience. Credential Direct also appeals to active traders who benefit from commissions starting at $25 for web-based equity market orders and capped at $250 maximum, plus an active trader monthly rebate program. "We're thrilled Gomez Canada has recognized our strategy of providing a comprehensive on-line investment offering," said Lothar Fabian, Vice President of Operations for Credential Direct. "Placing Credential Direct among the industry leaders in Canadian on-line trading shows our dedication to the credit union tradition of delivering excellent customer-centric solutions." Credential Direct moved up from a number 10 ranking in the previous Gomez Scorecard as a result of an energetic quarter of development. It recently enhanced its offering for self-directed investors, integrating web-based options trading and short selling, expanded research and added new analytical, screening, portfolio and financial planning tools. It added fundamental research from Desjardins Securities Inc., expanded financial software and content from Stockgroup including fundamental data from Bell Globemedia Interactive and Zacks, added technical events, screener and alerts from Recognia and enhanced mutual funds screening using Morningstar Data. About Credential Direct Credential Direct is an on-line brokerage service that provides credit union members and independent investors with access to self-managed investment services. Credential Direct is part of a family of comprehensive wealth management product and investment services Credential offers to credit unions. Launched in 2000, Credential Direct offers investors at over 150 credit unions across Canada access to powerful on-line trading tools and investment research directly at www.credentialdirect.com, through their credit union's Internet portal, or by speaking with a qualified Investment Representative. Credential Direct is a division of Credential Securities Inc. About Gomez Canada Gomez Canada Financial Services provides Internet Channel Effectiveness research tools, techniques, products and services to the brokerage, banking, mutual funds and insurance verticals within financial services. Gomez Scorecards bi-annually measure the quality of e-commerce offerings, with a predominant focus on the Internet channel and a secondary focus on auxiliary channels and measures. Scorecards rank all firms in an industry that meet minimum standards of service (typically in terms of depth and breadth of product and national availability), and provide a snapshot of how industry players compare and contrast across user profiles and usage categories. For more information contact: President and CEO Credential Financial Inc.& The Ethical Funds Company Tel: 604.714.3800 Fax: 604.714.3864 mediarelations@credential.com Brokerage services are offered through Credential Direct® a division of Credential Securities Inc. operating as a separate business unit. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Unless otherwise stated, mutual funds and other securities are not insured nor guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Credential Securities Inc. is a Member-CIPF. ®Credential & Design and Credential Direct & Design are registered marks owned by Ethical Funds Inc. and are used under licence. Gomez, Gomez.com and Gomez Scorecards are trademarks and/or service marks of Gomez, Inc. |
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Carol Boutin Manager, Marketing Communications t: 604.714.3997 f: 604.714.3861 e: cboutin@credential.com |