Kathryn Kretschmer-Weyland
February 20, 2006

Recent security breaches in the financial industry have revealed a paper-thin wall between personal and public information, which is leaving consumers to worry about the safety of their most important possession - their identity. The United States Conference of Mayors Platinum Member Nationwide Retirement Solutions (NRS) has identified this problem, and is a leader in the prevention of such security breaches. Nationwide has a long'standing tradition of investing in technology and privacy protection, which has been widely recognized and lauded. NRS and its parent company have received numerous awards and recognitions for its commitment to technology, including a top ten ranking for privacy. Participants in the joint Conference of Mayors and NRS deferred compensation program can rest assured that all possible efforts are being exhausted in protecting their personal information.

The awards and accolades that Nationwide has received come from a wide variety of sources. As of January 2005, Nationwide ranked among the top ten most trusted companies in the United States for privacy protection. The ranking comes from TRUSTe, an online privacy organization, and the Ponemon Institute, a privacy research and education think tank. Nationwide Financial, the parent company of Nationwide Retirement Solutions has also been identified as one of the top 100 workplaces for IT professionals by Computerworld, as well as gaining a number one rating for systems and technology support by Operations Manager Roundtable (OMR). OMR compared the systems and technology capabilities of 15 brokers/dealers that distribute annuity and life products.

According to the Ponemon Institute, 75 percent of companies surveyed in the past twelve months have reported serious breaches in security, resulting in stolen data. Nationwide has worked to develop internal programs and effective privacy policies. These technological advances have not only culminated in NRS’s ability to keep client information private, but have also improved client interactions. Improved technology allows for increased customization for each customer interaction, convenience with advanced website capabilities and monitoring, efficient workflow analysis and support tools that streamline processes, and innovations allowing Nationwide to develop and test new products and services. Nationwide values its customers and respects their rights to privacy. NRS is committed to protecting information by investing in physical and technical protection. Participants in the Conference of Mayors and NRS deferred compensation program can depend on NRS to continue investing in technology. That investment will help municipal employees by providing better information, faster processing times, improved service, innovative products, individual attention and confidence that personal information is safe.

For more information regarding how the public employees in your city can benefit from the Conference of Mayors/Nationwide Retirement Services deferred compensation program, contact Katie Logisz with the Conference at 202-841-0775 or send e-mail to klogisz@usmayors.org. You may also contact Kathryn Kretschmer-Weyland with the Conference at 301-460-5251 or send e-mail to kweyland@usmayors.org. Further information is available online at usmayors.org and www.nrsforu.com.