U.S. Bank Promotes Saving with S.T.A.R.T. During America Saves Week Feb. 21-28, 2010

U.S. Bank will turn up the flame on efforts to give consumers an easy, meaningful way to save, by promoting S.T.A.R.T. – Savings Today And Rewards Tomorrow^TM – during America Saves Week Feb. 21-28, 2010. S.T.A.R.T. will be one of the programs highlighted in a news conference with the Financial Services Roundtable and Consumer Federation of America at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 18.

In addition to outlining the savings programs of the nation’s major institutions, representatives at the news conference will release new Federal Reserve Board data on low- and moderate-income household saving and new data from a nationwide survey on consumer attitudes toward automatic saving.

Launched as a pilot in 2009 and in full roll-out in 2010, U.S. Bank’s S.T.A.R.T. program has already helped its customers generate millions of dollars in new savings as of Jan. 31, 2010. Approximately one-third of customers who open a new checking account are also enrolling in S.T.A.R.T.

"Americans are making a fundamental shift back to making saving a priority, and we’re seeing that reflected in the early success of our S.T.A.R.T. program and savings rates in general,” said Rick Hartnack, vice chairman and head of consumer banking at U.S. Bank. "Our goal is to support that trend and encourage a whole new generation of savers.”

S.T.A.R.T. is a simple and rewarding way for everyone to save. The program allows customers to regularly transfer money into a savings account and to earn rewards when they reach certain savings milestones. Customers choose how they want to contribute and how much they want save, whether it is a little every week, a little with every paycheck or a little with every debit or credit card purchase. To accelerate the savings, customers can also automatically sweep into their S.T.A.R.T. account the cash they earn through their FlexPerks rewards program.

Savers are congratulated with a $50 U.S. Bank Rewards Visa Card when savings balances build to $1,000, and if they maintain that balance for one year, they will earn another $50 Rewards Visa Card from U.S. Bank to use as they wish – no strings attached.

U.S. Bank is promoting S.T.A.R.T. with a full-scale advertising campaign on television, radio and in newspapers. Customers will also see S.T.A.R.T. in U.S. Bank branches and online at www.usbank.com/start, where they can also use the online calculator to determine their savings goals and the methods that will work best for them.

America Saves is a nationwide campaign in which nonprofit, corporate and government groups help individuals and families save and build wealth. U.S. Bank partners with America Saves throughout the year in a number of local programs that help those who wish to pay down debt, build an emergency fund, save for a home, save for an education or save for retirement. To learn more, visit www.americasaves.org.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $281 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2009, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 3,015 banking offices in 25 states and 5,148 ATMs and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at www.usbank.com.