AEGiS-PRn: Providian Financial Announces $20,000 Grant to Support the Pediatric HIV Quality of Life Gift Fund

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Providian Financial Announces $20,000 Grant to Support the Pediatric HIV Quality of Life Gift Fund

PRNewswire - December 3, 1999

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Providian Financial Corporation (NYSE: PVN) today announced that it has granted $20,000 to the Pediatric HIV Quality of Life Gift Fund, a nonprofit program administered by the UC San Francisco Pediatric AIDS Treatment Center. Established five years ago, the Fund is dedicated to meeting the basic quality of life needs of the Center's pediatric HIV/AIDS patients and their families, many of whom live in poverty. Providian's donation, the largest single donation in the history of the Fund, ensures that patients will continue to receive gifts on their birthdays, school supplies for continued study, clothes, and other basic needs that promote a sense of normalcy in their lives. The Fund is also used to cover the cost of a family's transportation to and from appointments, meals and hotel expenses for overnight stays, rent, electricity and local telephone bills, other expenses necessary to meet basic quality of life standards, as well as funeral expenses.

Providian will present its $20,000 check to the UCSF Pediatric AIDS Treatment Center on Saturday, December 4, at the 7th annual party for the Pediatric AIDS Toy Drive. The party will run from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. at Club Universe, 177 Townsend, in San Francisco. This is the second year Providian has donated to the Fund.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to help ensure the continuation of this important program, which improves the quality of life for children struggling with HIV/AIDS," said Jim Wunderman, Providian Vice President of Corporate Affairs. "The UCSF Pediatric AIDS Treatment Center currently oversees the care of families from the San Francisco Bay Area, where Providian is headquartered, and from other parts of the world. Through our contribution, we hope to ease some of the financial and emotional stress patients and their families experience as they struggle with HIV/AIDS."

"Providian's generous support has provided us with the freedom and ability we need to establish the Fund as an ongoing program," said Lynn Goldman, Pediatric HIV Coordinator with the Center. Dr. Diane Wara, Director of the Pediatric Immunology Division at UCSF, added, "We have many wonderful donors who help us out especially during the holidays, and that is enormously important to our little patients. The advantage of a gift at this level is that we can guarantee our help and support of these families throughout the year. It allows us to plan ahead for special purchases, field trips, and family needs."

Providian Financial is the sixth largest bankcard issuer in the United States and also offers home equity loans, high yield money market deposit accounts, and certificates of deposit. For more than ten years, the Company has been an active charitable contributor in the San Francisco Bay Area, and this year alone has contributed to more than a dozen local HIV/AIDS organizations.

Locally, Providian employs more than 6,000 people at facilities in Pleasanton, Fairfield, Oakland, Sacramento and San Francisco. With a total of 10,000 employees nationwide and in the United Kingdom, Providian also has offices in Kentucky, New Hampshire, Utah, Texas, and London, England.

San Francisco-based Providian Financial Corporation (http://www.providian.com) is a leading provider of lending and deposit products to customers nationwide and also offers credit cards in the United Kingdom. Providian serves a broad, diversified market with loan products that include credit cards, home equity loans, secured cards and membership services.

With a commitment to 100% customer satisfaction, Providian's mission is to help its customers build or rebuild, protect and responsibly use credit by providing a quality borrowing experience that leads to active and lasting customer relationships. Providian has $20 billion in assets under management and over 11 million customers.

SOURCE Providian Financial Corp.

CONTACT: Laurie Cole of Providian Financial, 415-278-4844; or Janet Basu of UCSF's Pediatric AIDS Treatment Center, 415-476-2557/

Web Site: http://www.providian.com/
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