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

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. CT on Thursday, March 26, 2009. Hosted in conjunction with The University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), 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.

BBVA Compass’ second U.S. Regional Watch teleconference and webinar will take place from the campus of The University of Alabama. The presentation will be conducted by Nathaniel Karp, BBVA Compass Chief U.S. Economist with supporting commentary from Jorge Sicilia, BBVA Bancomer Chief North American Economist and Samuel Addy, CBER Director. A live question and answer session will follow the presentation.

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' web site at www.compassbank.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 (foreign), conference ID 90423279. 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 replay of the teleconference will be available through BBVA Compass’ web site and by telephone at 800-642-1687 for domestic calls and 706-645-9291 for foreign calls (conference ID 90423279) until midnight on April 9, 2009.

ABOUT BBVA COMPASS

BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 583 branches including 311 in Texas, 92 in Alabama, 78 in Arizona, 45 in Florida, 35 in Colorado and 22 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass is among the top 25 largest banks in the U.S. based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Texas (4th) and Alabama (3rd).

BBVA Compass is a subsidiary of Compass Bancshares, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBV) (MAD: BBVA). BBVA is a financial services group with more than $750 billion in total assets, 48 million clients, 8,000 branches and approximately 109,000 employees in more than 30 countries. BBVA ranks among the top seven largest financial institutions in the world based on market capitalization and 13th 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 THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA CBER

The Center for Business and Economic Research is Alabama's source for business, economic, and demographic research and data. Since its creation in 1930, CBER has engaged in research programs to promote economic development in the state, while continuously expanding and refining its broad base of socioeconomic information. To forecast the level of activity in Alabama, CBER developed an econometric model of the state. Beginning in 1980, output from the model has been published in the annual Alabama Economic Outlook series.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.

Editor's Note:

BBVA Compass is the brand of Compass Bank and is a trademark of Compass Bancshares, Inc.