FIRST CITIZENS SELECTS CONCORD WEALTH CONSULTING FOR

ASSET ALLOCATION SERVICES

MATAWAN, New Jersey (April 2, 2007) – First Citizens Investor Services (“FCIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Citizens Bank in Raleigh, N.C., has selected Concord Wealth Consulting’s (“CWC”) investment platform to assist with asset allocation management.

“CWC provides us with a comprehensive and cost effective package of investment resources,” said Ramsey Jones, president of First Citizens Investor Services. “We can integrate CWC’s services to enhance our managed accounts programs and help build on our long-term client relationships.”

CWC’s consulting package merges investment research, education, investment and administration into a single system adapted to a client’s unique goals. The underlying premise in managing this system bridges back office investment tasks into modules designed to drive and strengthen investor relationships.

Kirk Loury, Concord’s Chief Investment Officer, said, “For growing wealth advisory firms, CWC’s vision of wealth consulting expands traditional investment functions such as research, portfolio construction, and due diligence as central elements of the relationship-building process. Much of our focus debunks myths, eliminates misconceptions, and removes complexity that hinders the delivery of investment advisory services today. This approach materially alters the market’s competitive dynamics.”

About First Citizens Investor Services

First Citizens Investor Services is a wholly-owned, NASD-registered brokerage subsidiary of First Citizens Bank. Founded in 1898, First Citizens Bank operates 340 branches in more than 200 cities and towns in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Maryland. The bank is a subsidiary of First Citizens BancShares, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCNCA) with $15.7 billion in assets.

About Concord Wealth Consulting

Concord Wealth Consulting is a division of Concord, an SEC registered investment advisor and a comprehensive provider of SMA open-architecture platform services to wealth management firms, particularly the bank trust and private bank market segments. CWC delivers a broad range of investment and marketing services under a consulting agreement with an annual retainer, which is often much less than the cost to replicate CWC’s services internally. Given that an advisor’s investment solution sits at the center of the client relationship, CWC believes that the chief investment officer role in a wealth management firm has evolved such that it is equally a marketing function and a behind-the-scenes investment operation.

Please visit www.concordwealthmanagement.com.

Kirk Loury

732-335-0800 x9726

Concord Wealth Consulting