ISITC Selects Securities Operations Forum to Develop and Deliver a Securities Operations Professional Credential Program

Executive Committee member and chairperson of the ISITC Education Committee, Denise Adams, said, "We did our homework by performing comprehensive market research a couple of years ago. Once we found out there was a demand for this type of education, we began our RFP process. We selected Securities Operations Forum over seven other firms after a rigorous year-long evaluation process. We feel that SOF's experience in developing and delivering Educational Programs, along with their leading position in the securities industry as an educational firm, makes them very well suited to work with us." The Credential will be based upon eLearning, and will be delivered via the Internet to anyone interested in becoming an Operations Expert. The Credential is available to both ISITC members and non-members.

Hal McIntyre, the Managing Partner of The Summit Group, the parent company of Securities Operations Forum, added, "We are very happy to be part of ISITC's educational initiatives. As the industry has become increasingly complex it has been critical to establish a baseline that can be used by professionals guide their continuing education and by employers to evaluate candidates. ISITC is the perfect organization to lead this effort."

For more information about the Certification Program, go to either the
ISITC website (www.isitc.org) or Securities Operations Forum
(www.soforum.com).

ABOUT ISITC

ISITC (International Securities Association for Institutional Trade Communication - International Operations Association) is a global working committee of securities operations professionals representing custodian banks, investment managers, brokers, and vendors. The group's mission is to foster alliances and advocate standards that promote straight through processing (STP) of securities transactions.

It is our members who craft the vision for the industry's future. The securities industry looks to the ISITC for direction and validation. ISITC members actively participate in and influence industry-wide initiatives that promote direct electronic processing and information flow among all industry participants, throughout the entire trade life cycle.

ABOUT SECURITIES OPERATIONS FORUM

Securities Operations Forum, a subsidiary of The Summit Group, publishes two on-line newsletters, Securities Operations Letter and Global Custody News, which are read by over 4,000 people worldwide; and provides open enrollment and custom training classes to over 2,000 securities professionals annually. SOF also hosts several conferences annually on a wide range of topics of interest to the financial services industry, and Summit Group Press publishes books of interest to the securities industry such as How the US Securities Industry Works, the Handbook of Fixed Income Technology and the Securities Operations Glossary.

The Summit Group, www.tsgc.com, with offices in New York, Boston and Singapore, has provided management consulting, market research and systems integration services to banks, brokers and investment managers for over twenty years. Customers include such leading financial services firms as Citibank, Deutsche Bank, State Street Global Advisors, Alliance Capital, AIG, DTCC, Thomson Financial Services and others.