Contact: Eileen Rivera
703.284.5674

American Bankers Association and Pearson Performance Solutions Develop Innovative Simulation-based Assessment for Wealth Advisors

Chicago, IL , February 22, 2006—Pearson Performance Solutions (Pearson PS), a leading provider of strategic workforce solutions, and the American Bankers Association (ABA), an industry leading provider of educational solutions to the banking industry, today announced the launch of a new ABA Case Study for Wealth Advisors: The Corporate Executive. The highly interactive simulation allows wealth advisors and business line managers to test their personal or employee’s skills and knowledge in providing high-net-worth clients with fully integrative financial solutions, tailored to the client’s specific needs and financial goals. The Corporate Executive is a web-based prescriptive assessment that indicates individual strengths and weaknesses and serves as a planning aid for additional training, education, and mentoring.

“The ABA prides itself on bringing relevant and dynamic learning content to the banking industry. We feel The Corporate Executive Case Study is a very innovative offering that will help financial institutions ensure they are meeting high wealth client needs as well as their own financial performance objectives,” said Doug Adamson, Executive Director of ABA’s Professional Development Group. “Pearson Performance Solutions brought creativity and strong instructional design capabilities to bear on this product, and we are very pleased with the end result.”

Key features of the program include:

• Content coverage for Financial Planning, Tax Planning, Estate Planning, and Retirement Planning
• Employees practice and learn in a “safe” environment, before putting skills to work in actual client situations
• Realistic client scenarios, providing a high-impact learning experience with immediate feedback
• Web-based delivery maximizes user access and provides for consistency in material across multiple branches of the organization

“The ABA is a very well-respected organization that has always been on the forefront of educational excellence for the financial services community. We feel that The Corporate Executive web simulation is a very unique offering that will help financial institutions assess and hone the sales and customer relationship skills of their wealth advisors,” said David Fabianski, President of Pearson Performance Solutions.

About Pearson Performance Solutions

Pearson Performance Solutions is one of the largest, most respected strategic workforce solutions companies in the United States. Through world-class products and services, thousands of clients have successfully improved the development, performance, and talent management of their workforce. From automated recruitment and selection, to mission critical learning and organizational development, Pearson PS helps clients achieve the greatest return from their human capital.

About The American Bankers Association

The American Bankers Association, on behalf of the more than two million men and women who work in the nation's banks, brings together all categories of banking institutions to best represent the interests of this rapidly changing industry. Its membership-which includes community, regional and money center banks and holding companies, as well as savings associations, trust companies and savings banks-makes ABA the largest banking trade association in the country. ABA can be found on the Internet at www.aba.com.