CLEVELAND, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- There are many important measures of a company's strength, but perhaps most the important measure for National City (NYSE: NCC) is the strong and loyal relationships it has with its customers, relationships built over 163 years of service.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030428/NATIONALCITYLOGO )

That's one reason the company has continued to gain market share, even in these tumultuous times, and has risen from the 11th to the seventh largest bank in the country by deposits according to the FDIC.

"We have extraordinarily loyal customers who have stayed with us throughout the market fluctuations, and in many cases expanded their relationships," said National City Chairman, President and CEO Peter E. Raskind. "We earn that loyalty from them every day in the personal service our employees provide, from simply knowing our customers by name to going the extra mile to exceed their expectations."

To showcase the strength of its customer relationships and to give people a taste of what it's like to be a National City customer, the company has launched a new Web site (NationalCity.com/RealStories) featuring real customers telling their personal stories about why they are so loyal to National City.

The stories were collected as part of research National City recently conducted, in which the company interviewed more than 5,000 customers to better understand the dynamics of their loyalty. A common theme emerged: Nearly every story centered on a National City employee who went out of his or her way to help a particular customer overcome an obstacle or work through some financial situation.

"What's often lost in discussions about the relative strength of banks these days is that behind the numbers, there's an important human element that's contributing to customer retention and acquisition," said Raskind. "In our case, customer loyalty has provided us with a strong deposit base and foundation for future growth, and it's one of the reasons we continue to be optimistic about our future."

The site will be promoted by advertisements placed in more than 160 regional publications throughout National City's nine-state footprint today. New stories will debut on the site every few weeks, and each is complemented by a series of integrated pop-up facts that give visitors a behind-the-scenes peek into how each story developed.

About National City

National City Corporation (NYSE: NCC), headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is one of the nation's largest financial holding companies. The company operates through an extensive banking network primarily in Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and also serves customers in selected markets nationally. Its core businesses include corporate and retail banking, mortgage financing and servicing, consumer finance and asset management. For more information about National City, visit the company's Web site at www.nationalcity.com.

SOURCE National City Corporation