STATE STREET RESEARCH EARNS DALBAR KEY HONORS AWARDS FOR THE FIFTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

DALBAR Service Quality Measurement Awards are presented to firms that have proven their commitment to financial intermediaries and/or shareholders by consistently providing quality service. Firms that participate in this evaluation are tested by DALBAR's rigorous service evaluations of their telephone operations and marketing areas. Firms are evaluated on all transactions relative to the typical relationship a company has with its customers. State Street Research was first recognized in 1995, when it won DALBAR's Quality Tested Service Seal.

"These awards reflect the high-level of service provided by our knowledgeable and dedicated staff of service center representatives," said Kevin Wilkins, Executive Vice President, Head of Retail Marketing and Client Services Group. "This was truly a team effort that afforded us the opportunity to be recognized by DALBAR as a firm committed to quality. It shows that this operation will take the extra steps to not only meet our clients' expectations, but to exceed them."

DALBAR, Inc., a Boston-based firm with offices in the United States and Canada, has a long history of creating an awareness of excellence in the financial industry by evaluating, rating and ranking industry efforts. "In a service oriented business environment, many firms boast of a commitment to service quality without evidence to demonstrate that commitment," said Louis Harvey, President, DALBAR, Inc. "Firms receiving Key Honors have the credibility behind their claims. State Street Research continues in a tradition of high quality service, having been recognized by DALBAR for 5 consecutive years."

State Street Research & Management Company, with a history dating back to 1924, is one of the nation's first investment management organizations. The Boston-based company actively manages stock, bond and balanced portfolios for both institutional and individual investors. As of December 31, 2000, State Street Research managed $53 billion in assets, of which $34 billion represented institutional clients and $19 billion represented mutual fund and variable annuity portfolios. The firm manages money for 10 of the 15 largest U.S. corporate pension plans, public employee pension plans, union programs, individually managed accounts for affluent investors, and mutual funds for over 530,000 shareholder accounts. The firm's Web site address is www.ssrfunds.com.

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The DALBAR awards recognize quality shareholder service and should not be considered a rating of fund performance. The survey included mutual fund complexes that volunteered or were otherwise selected to participate and was not industry-wide.