BBVA Compass to Host First Quarter U.S. Regional Watch Economic Teleconference and Webcast

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BBVA Compass today announced that it will hold a teleconference and webcast to discuss economic results from its recently completed first quarter U.S. Regional Watch at 11:00 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Hosted in conjunction with the IC2 Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, the presentation will discuss economic data and analysis from the BBVA Compass U.S. Regional Watch, a quarterly publication that offers a detailed look at key issues that impact the U.S. economy and the economies of the Sunbelt Region.

"As expected the U.S. economy continues a slower recovery than in previous post-recession periods," said Nathaniel Karp, BBVA Compass U.S. chief economist. "Exports and business investments are expected to provide fuel for the economic recovery, but consumer spending will be essential in determining at what pace the recovery takes place. At the Regional level, the BBVA Compass state monthly activity indexes continue to improve confirming that output levels are beginning to increase. Yet, the strength of the recovery is not homogeneous and performance in some states is likely to lag the overall economy."

The first quarter U.S. Regional Watch also provides timely information on a number of subjects including:

• Global Outlook
• U.S. Economic Outlook
• Regional Economic Outlook – Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Texas
• Economic Impact of Unsung Heroes: Volunteerism in America
• Forecasting Key Banking Indicators: Net Interest Margin
• Fact Sheet
  • How do Americans spend their time
  • State snack and soda sales tax data
  • Well-being data and index
• Forecasts (various economic data)

In addition, this quarter's publication includes an article on "Pollution Abatement Costs and Expenditures (PACE)" written by university partner IC2 Institute, The University of Texas, and an article titled "Recession Challenged Alabama's Automotive Industry" written by The University of Alabama Center for Business & Economic Research.

BBVA Compass' first quarter U.S. Regional Watch teleconference and webcast will take place from the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. The presentation will be conducted by Nathaniel Karp, BBVA Compass U.S. chief economist with supporting commentary from Bruce Kellison, Associate Director, Bureau of Business Research, of the IC2 Institute.

Interested parties may access the call via either the Internet or telephone. Internet access to the call and to the supporting slide presentation will be available through BBVA Compass' website at www.bbvacompass.com. Click on the link labeled U.S. Regional Watch to access the webcast and slide presentation.  For telephone access, dial 877-833-0673 (domestic) or 706-758-5063 (international), conference ID 63157924. Telephone participants are requested to dial in 10 minutes prior to the start of the call to allow time for all participants to log in.

A live question and answer session will follow the presentation. Questions can also be submitted by e-mail to [email protected].

A replay of the teleconference will be available through BBVA Compass' website and by telephone at 800-642-1687 or 706-645-9291 (conference ID 63157924) until midnight on April 6, 2009.

ABOUT BBVA COMPASS

BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 724 branches including 387 in Texas, 92 in Alabama, 65 in California, 77 in Arizona, 45 in Florida, 36 in Colorado and 22 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass is the 15th largest U.S. commercial bank based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Texas (4th), Alabama (3rd) and Arizona (5th). Additional information concerning BBVA Compass can be found on our website www.bbvacompass.com.

BBVA Compass is a subsidiary of Compass Bancshares, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) (MAD: BBVA). BBVA is a financial services group with more than $785 billion in total assets, 48 million clients, 7,600 branches and approximately 104,000 employees in more than 30 countries. BBVA ranks among the top 20 largest financial institutions in the world based on market capitalization and 20th in Global Finance magazine's list of the "World's 50 Safest Banks" for 2009. BBVA provides its customers around the world with a full range of financial services, including commercial and wholesale banking, retail banking services, consumer loans, mortgages, credit cards, securities brokerage, wealth management, pension plan management and insurance. The BBVA Group maintains a leadership position in Spain, Mexico, Latin America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States as well as operations in China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

ABOUT IC2 INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

The Institute for Innovation, Creativity, and Capital (IC2) at The University of Texas at Austin is an international transdisciplinary "Think and Do" tank devoted to solving unstructured problems to accelerate wealth and job creation and shared prosperity at home and abroad. As a research unit, IC2 is focused on knowledge exploration, dissemination, and application across a broad range of academic and applied areas. See the IC2 website at www.ic2.utexas.edu for more information.

Editor's note: BBVA Compass is the brand name of Compass Bank and is a trademark of Compass Bancshares, Inc.

SOURCE BBVA Compass