March 18, 2003

People's Bank Employees Address
Personal and Business Security Issues

BRIDGEPORT, CONN. - People's Bank employees were featured panelists at a breakfast hosted by the Fairfield County Chapter of Financial Women International on Tuesday, March 18, at the Holiday Inn in Bridgeport. The seminar dealt with business, national and personal security issues - some of which were raised after the events of 9/11. Among topics discussed were:

• What is Level Orange security?
• How safe am I at work?
• Should I worry about the safety of my Social Security number? and
• Is it safe to shop online?

"People's is very involved in the communities we serve," said Maryann Malinconcio, operations manager, Information Technology at People's, and a member of the FWI board. "I'm proud, not only of the support my co-workers lend to efforts such as this one, but also of the level of expertise and professionalism that they bring to the table."

Among the panelists was New Haven resident, Ed Gabrys, information technology principal at People's. He discussed cyber-crime, its evolution and effects on individuals and businesses, and what the future may hold in the cyber-security arena. Orange resident Kim Syrop, a compliance supervisor for People's Operations department, also spoke at the seminar. She presented an overview of the Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals.

About Ed Gabrys:
Ed Gabrys is an information technology principal at People's Bank. A 17-year People's veteran, Gabrys was in the bank's mortgage department and branch system before joining the information technology area. He served as help desk administrator, client services administrator and technical analyst before being named information security principal in 1998.

A New Haven resident, Gabrys is a member of both the Information Systems Security Association and the Connecticut Chapter of Infragard. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Specialist and holds a bachelor of arts degree in international studies from Fairfield University. He recently authored a chapter on international cyber-crime for the 4th edition of The Information Security Management Handbook, published by Auerbach Publishing.

About Kim Syrop:
Kim Syrop is supervisor, Bank Secrecy/Anti-Money Laundering unit in the compliance department at People's. Currently she is responsible for monitoring and reporting bank compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, Office of Foreign Assets Control and the USA PATRIOT Act regulations.

Syrop joined People's in 1997. Her experience with the bank includes working in People's branch system, Credit Card Customer Service and Telemarketing, where she was involved with recruiting, training, staff development and project management. Prior to joining People's, she managed two family-owned retail stores.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Syrop holds a bachelor of science degree in design and resource management. She and her husband, Jeffrey, live in Orange with their children, Jordan, Gabrielle, Sam and Halle.

People's Bank (peoples.com) is a diversified financial services company providing commercial, consumer, insurance and investment services. Founded in 1842, it is the largest state-chartered bank in Connecticut with managed assets of $13 billion, 155 branches and more than 230 ATMs. People's is a leader in consumer and commercial banking, residential lending, insurance sales, supermarket banking and is the nation's 19th-largest issuer of MasterCard and Visa credit cards. People's subsidiaries offer brokerage services, asset management, equipment financing and leasing, and insurance services.