Two financial marketing research powerhouses join forces

CALABASAS, CALIFORNIA (November 18 2003) -Informa Research Services, Inc., today announced the acquisition of Barry Leeds and Associates, Inc., the leading provider of mystery shops for financial institutions.

“As the premier source of competitive intelligence for the financial industry, Informa Research Services and Barry Leeds share a great deal in common,” said Michael E. Adler, president and managing director of Informa Research Services, Inc. “Since 1977, Barry Leeds has pioneered advancements in marketing research, mystery shops, and compliance testing to the financial industry. There are great synergies between the two companies as well as the shared goal of providing our growing client base with the information they need at the highest level of service and accuracy.”

Barry Leeds and Associates is one of the most respected firms servicing the financial industry in fair lending testing and research, mystery shopping, customer satisfaction, sales practices monitoring, and investment product compliance. Paul Lubin, president of Barry Leeds and Associates, joined the company in 1991.

“It is a real privilege to have Paul Lubin and his talented and experienced staff join the Informa Family,” said Adler. “I have the utmost respect for the company and its people. This acquisition is beneficial for our clients, as it will combine the expertise, infrastructure, and talents of our two companies. We will bring an increased depth and range of market research and expert analysis to the financial community.“

“I am very excited about this acquisition,” said Paul Lubin. “Informa Research Services is a top-notch company with an experienced and established team of leaders. Our clients will see the benefit. We will continue to help financial institutions motivate and recognize employee sales and service performance, as well as ensure compliance with the law. Additionally, we now can help our clients better position their products and rate and fee structures. This is a winning situation for the financial industry and the employees at Barry Leeds and Associates.”

Mr. Lubin will be the Managing Director of Barry Leeds and Associates, Inc. He will manage the fulfillment end of the mystery shop and compliance testing as the two companies’ operations are integrated and will further become a Senior Vice President at Informa Research Services, Inc. Mr. Adler becomes the Chief Executive Officer of Barry Leeds and Associates, Inc.


About Informa Research Services, Inc.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Calabasas, CA, Informa Research Services, Inc., provides the financial industry's most extensive array of market research and decision-support information.

Conducting daily surveys of the retail and business products offered by more than 10,000 financial organizations nationwide, Informa Research Services, Inc., currently supports the product pricing decisions of more than 2,500 clients, representing all 50 states and including the top 25 financial institutions. This electronically transmitted competitive pricing intelligence effectively generates profitable responses to continual market changes, enables clients to effectively position deposit and loan products within local markets, maximizes interest income, and manages interest expense. Informa is the premier provider of fee and feature studies used to determine the competitiveness of fee-based services. In-depth studies are also available on cash management services, trust products, mystery shops, and other specialized services.

Informa Research Services, Inc., is a division of London-based Informa Group plc (LONDON:INF). Collectively, the business units of Informa Group plc sell to more than 121,000 delegates and 80,000 subscribers, generating annual revenues of over $283 million.


About Barry Leeds and Associates, Inc.

Founded in 1977 and headquartered in New York, NY, Barry Leeds and Associates, Inc., is a leading marketing research and consulting firm. As the leader in supplying mystery shop and compliance testing to the financial industry, Barry Leeds and Associates, Inc., developed many of the research techniques that have become indispensable management tools to major organizations. The firm has served over 1600 banks, mortgage companies, investment/brokerage firms, insurance companies, and credit card organizations. The marketing research services provided by Barry Leeds and Associates are used by a variety of companies that need information and intelligence to make decisions, change behavior, or motivate performance.

www.barryleeds.com