SunTrust Wins Nine Greenwich Excellence Awards for Outstanding Service in Small Business and Middle Market Banking

ATLANTA, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SunTrust Banks, Inc. (NYSE: STI) has won nine national Greenwich Excellence Awards for distinguished service in small business banking and middle market banking in 2009.

With five awards in the Small Business Banking category and four in Middle Market Banking (complete list below), SunTrust is among an elite group to be recognized.  Less than five percent of financial institutions were selected for awards out of more than 750 eligible providers.

SunTrust's nine Greenwich Excellence Awards include:

Small Business Banking  

• Overall Satisfaction
• Relationship Manager Performance
• Financial Stability
• Treasury Management - Overall Satisfaction
• Treasury Management - Product Capabilities

Middle Market Banking

• Overall Satisfaction
• Relationship Manager Performance
• Treasury Management - Overall Satisfaction
• Treasury Management - Accuracy of Operations

"SunTrust is proud of these prestigious Greenwich Excellence Awards, which are a direct reflection of our continuous efforts to provide our small and mid-size business clients with innovative solutions to help them be successful," said Tom Kuntz, SunTrust commercial line of business executive.  "We recognize that businesses need a financial partner who understands their needs – from enhancing cash flow to financing their business. We are committed to delivering the best quality service to our clients, whose business and trust we greatly value."

As part of its ongoing commitment to building solid relationships across business segments, SunTrust continues to deliver valuable insights and resources such as the recently launched Cash Management Evaluator (available at www.bizsolutionscentral.com) which helps small businesses learn more about where they have the best opportunities to improve cash flow along with actions they can take to keep their business on solid ground.      

Sponsored by Greenwich Associates, a leading international research-based consulting firm in institutional financial services, Excellence Awards were based on the percentage of "excellent" ratings a bank received from more than 17,000 business banking executives interviewed at more than 13,000 U.S. companies.

SunTrust was selected based on its scores across a series of qualitative metrics, including Relationship Managers' performance/knowledge of treasury management services, willingness to lend, flexible terms and conditions, responsiveness and pricing.

For more information on SunTrust's business solutions, visit a branch, suntrust.com or call 800.450.1529 to talk to a SunTrust banker.

About Greenwich Associates

Greenwich Associates is the leading international research-based consulting firm in institutional financial services. Greenwich Associates' studies provide benefits to the buyers and sellers of financial services in the form of benchmark information on best practices and market intelligence on overall trends. Based in Stamford, Connecticut, with additional offices in London, Toronto, Tokyo, and Singapore, the firm offers over 100 research-based consulting programs to more than 250 global financial-services companies.  Please contact us for further information or to arrange an interview with one of our consultants.  You can visit our website, www.greenwich.com, for more information.

About SunTrust Banks, Inc.

SunTrust Banks, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the nation's largest banking organizations, serving a broad range of consumer, commercial, corporate and institutional clients.  As of December 31, 2009, SunTrust had total assets of $174.2 billion and total deposits of $121.9 billion.  The Company operates an extensive branch and ATM network throughout the high-growth Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and a full array of technology-based, 24-hour delivery channels.  The Company also serves clients in selected markets nationally.  Its primary businesses include deposit, credit, trust and investment services.  Through various subsidiaries the Company provides mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, investment management, equipment leasing and capital markets services.  SunTrust's Internet address is SunTrust.com.

SOURCE SunTrust Banks, Inc.