Baker said, "It has been a supreme honor to work with the people of Wachovia and most recently it has been exciting and rewarding to be part of the merger integration, which has been flawless. I believe this will set the standard by which other combinations will be judged."
"Bud Baker has been an outstanding leader for Wachovia Corporation and will be greatly missed by the board and the entire Wachovia community," said Thompson.
Wachovia Corporation (NYSE:WB), created through the Sept. 1, 2001, merger of First Union and Wachovia, had assets of $342 billion and stockholders' equity of $32 billion at Dec. 31, 2002. Wachovia is a leading provider of financial services to retail, brokerage and corporate customers throughout the East Coast and the nation. The company operates full-service banking offices under the First Union and Wachovia names in 11 East Coast states and Washington, D.C., and offers full-service brokerage with offices in 48 of the 50 states. Global services are provided through more than 30 international offices. Online banking and brokerage products and services are available through www.wachovia.com.
