HIB Hibernia Corp Cla

Here is the latest storm-related update for Hibernia (NYSE:HIB) customers and employees in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. -- The bank continues to provide full-service at 240 offices and 208 ATMs in its Louisiana and Texas footprint and is reopening others as soon as it can in the Greater New Orleans area. -- Hibernia has 54 branches open in the area affected by Katrina. Sixty-six (66) branches remain closed. Many of these have minimal damage and only require electricity to reopen. The company is opening more branches every day. -- Hibernia has 590 ATMs. To augment its network, the company is deploying 25 mobile ATMs to markets where many evacuees are currently staying. -- The company's online banking service is running, allowing customers to conduct banking needs over the Internet. -- Hibernia is making emergency assistance available to its employees. -- The company's executive management team is now working from Baton Rouge. -- Power to the New Orleans Central Business District, where Hibernia's headquarters and operations center are located, is projected to be fully restored soon. In greater New Orleans, power has been restored to 630,000 of approximately 1.1 million customers impacted. -- Levee breeches in New Orleans are being repaired, and dewatering is under way. -- Water is flowing again in Orleans Parish sufficient for firefighting and waste removal. "Despite challenging circumstances, Hibernia is making good progress in restoring its operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and our communities are starting to come back as well," said Hibernia President and CEO Herb Boydstun. "Hibernia has hundreds of employees, both from impacted and unaffected areas, who are working tirelessly to get everything fully back on track. They are doing a great job of getting our systems back to full-speed and serving customers who have evacuated to other markets where we have a presence. In the meantime, our company remains strong, with $1.5 billion in capital and well-insured for storm-related damage." Employees can find details regarding the company's emergency assistance by calling an employee hotline. That number is 1-800-707-0489. Or go to Hibernia.com. Hibernia is Louisiana's largest and oldest bank with $22.1 billion in assets and 321 locations covering 34 Louisiana parishes and 36 Texas counties.