FALLS CHURCH, Va., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Catherine Doran has joined Capital One as European CIO, after serving as Head of Retail Information Systems at National Westminster Bank Plc, one of the U.K.'s largest retail banks. Doran will be responsible for Capital One's European information technology (IT) strategy, organization and staff. Doran, based in London, will report to Laura Olle, Senior VP Systems Development and Business Information Officer.

"Hiring a senior manager of Catherine Doran's caliber cements our reputation as a global technology leader, especially as we expand onto the European continent," said Laura Olle. "Catherine brings with her a wealth of experience; her background in retail systems development and support gives us the necessary expertise to develop a cohesive business strategy and IT structure across markets and on the Internet."

At NatWest, Doran managed 1,500 IT staff and an annual development budget of 110 million pounds sterling. She was responsible for major technology changes to support the NatWest Retail Transformation Programme, comprising business and systems process re-engineering, designed to alter fundamentally the bank's operating procedures. In addition, Doran created systems and implemented new architectures in e-commerce for NatWest OnLine, the bank's joint venture with Yahoo! Inc.

Capital One is ranked by Computerworld as one of the best places to work in IT and has received the CIO 100 award for two consecutive years (in 2000 for customer excellence). Capital One's leadership in applying technology to financial services has enabled it to become a recognized leader in employing, developing and retaining IT talent.

"At NatWest, Catherine merged five IT units into one and brought them in line with the business -- this is exactly compatible with our philosophy on IT-business synergy," commented Laura Olle. "Furthermore, her experience in full spectrum financial services systems, such as mortgage and insurance, broadens our expertise as we gear up to become a global financial powerhouse."

Headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, Capital One Financial Corporation (www.CapitalOne.com) is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries, Capital One Bank and Capital One, F.S.B., offer consumer lending products. Capital One's subsidiaries collectively had 27.1 million accounts and $21.9 billion in managed loans outstanding as of June 30, 2000. Capital One is one of the major financial service providers on the Internet, with online account decisioning, real-time account numbering, online retail deposits and a growing number of customers serviced online. Capital One is a FORTUNE 500 company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 500 index. SOURCE Capital One Financial Corporation

CONTACT: Mark Andrews of Capital One Financial Corporation, 804-934-5910 or mark.andrews@capitalone.com/