Paul B. Cronin

First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Niagara Bank, N.A., provides a wide range of retail and commercial banking as well as other financial services to individuals, families and businesses across Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. It operates through two segments: Banking and Financial Services. The Banking segment includes all of its retail and commercial banking operations. The financial services segment offers a wide range of insurance products and consulting services to help both its retail and commercial customers achieve their financial goals. The company was founded in April 1998 and is headquartered in Buffalo, NY.

HSBC Bank USA NA engages in the provision of banking services. Its lines of business are Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Private Bank. The company is headquartered in McLean, VA.

ABN AMRO Bank NV, established in 1824, is an international bank based in Amsterdam ABN AMRO Bank NV, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABN AMRO Holding NV (XA: AABA; NYSE: ABN). The firm's investment banking business unit provides commercial clients in local markets as well as multinational corporations and financial institutions with advisory, financing and operational services. They have global expertise in the international capital markets and eco-markets, as well as for transaction banking, asset management and private equity.