MAY 2, 2001

People's, 'Call SoNo Home'
Honored by U.S. Attorney

NEW HAVEN, CONN.
Five People's Bank executives were included in a group honored by U.S. Attorney Stephen C. Robinson for participating in an innovative homeownership program.

In a ceremony at City Hall yesterday, Robinson cited "Call SoNo Home,"? a partnership between People's, the U.S. Justice Department, Norwalk Weed & Seed, the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency and Fannie Mae, a unique program designed to help residents learn the home buying process and overcome the barriers to buying a home. The partnership provided affordable mortgages and down payment assistance to people who purchased homes in a targeted neighborhood.

People's officials honored for their roles in developing and running Call SoNo Home were:
-- Waldo Emerson Williams, vice president, Residential Lending, a New Haven resident;
-- Carlos Luis Teran, assistant vice president, Affordable Lending, a Norwalk resident;
-- Caren A. Ruocco, mortgage marketing officer, Residential Lending, a Wolcott resident;
-- Deborah P. MacDonnell, manager, External Communications, a Niantic resident;
-- Daniel Resto, assistant vice president, Affordable Lending, a Stratford resident.

Also honored were Bob Kantor, director, and Sharon Gowen, senior deputy director, Connecticut Partnership Office, Fannie Mae;Darlene Young, coordinator, Norwalk Weed & Seed, City of Norwalk;and Alanna Kabel, development manager, Norwalk Redevelopment Agency, City of Norwalk.

“Our mission is to make people’s lives better, and part of that is to try to and help figure out ways to make communities whole, and it takes partnerships and people like you to move that further along,” Robinson told the honorees. “We’re trying to make communities safe, and once there’s a significant population of homeowners the community is safer.”

People’s (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 $14 billion, 142 branches and approximately 220 ATMs. People’s is a leader in consumer and commercial banking, residential lending, insurance sales and supermarket banking. A leading credit card issuer, it ranks 16th nationally as an issuer of MasterCard and Visa credit cards. People’s subsidiaries offer brokerage services, asset management, equipment financing and leasing, and insurance services.