EarthLink
to Acquire Sky Access Subscriber Base [June
1, 2004]
BOWLING
GREEN, Ohio, Jun 1, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/
-- Sky Financial Group (SKYF) announced today that its
subsidiary Sky Access, an Internet service provider,
will transition its subscriber base to EarthLink (ELNK)
, one of the nation's leading Internet service providers,
and its subsidiary PeoplePC, a leading provider of high-quality,
value-priced Internet services.
"EarthLink is well known for its
outstanding customer service and its suite of online
products and services," stated Les Starr, EVP of
Operations and Information Technology for Sky. "We
are confident that EarthLink will provide our clients
with the benefits of its award-winning Internet access.
For Sky, the transaction will allow us to devote our
full technology and operations resources to our core
business, which is providing banking, insurance and
wealth management services through our regional market
structure."
Sky Access dial-up clients will receive
a welcome kit from EarthLink or PeoplePC, based on the
customer's current service plan. With EarthLink's premium
dial-up service, consumers will receive fast, reliable
service with the most access numbers nationwide. They'll
also be able to use TotalAccess(R) 2004, which includes
such features as EarthLink spamBlocker, Pop-Up Blocker(SM),
Accelerator(TM) and Spyware Blocker -- tools that help
keep online interruptions to a minimum.
PeoplePC Online subscribers enjoy unlimited
nationwide access to more than 9,000 local dial-up numbers
as well as proprietary Smart Dialer technology that
automatically provides a number to the fastest, most
reliable and highest-quality Internet connection. They
will also receive Virus Blocker and Site Builder to
help them create their own Web sites with some PeoplePC
Online plans.
Sky Access commercial clients who use
its web hosting and other network services will also
have the opportunity to transfer these services to EarthLink.
The transition will be completed early in the third
quarter.
About Sky Financial Group, Inc.
Sky Financial Group is a $12.1 billion
diversified financial holding company with its headquarters
located in Bowling Green, Ohio. Sky's asset size places
it among the 50 largest publicly-held bank holding companies
in the nation. The company operates over 260 financial
centers and over 280 ATMs serving communities in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana and West Virginia. Sky's
financial service affiliates include: Sky Bank, commercial
and retail banking; Sky Trust, an asset management organization;
and Sky Insurance, retail and commercial insurance agency
services. Sky is located on the web at www.skyfi.com
.
SOURCE Sky Financial Group, Inc.
Curtis E. Shepherd, SVP/Marketing and
Product Management,
+1-419-254-6463, or Tim Dirrim, VP/Marketing Communications,
+1-419-327-6330,
both of Sky Financial Group, Inc.
http://www.skyfi.com
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