Each depositor insured to at least $250,000 per insured bank

Please be advised that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has recently discovered two entities unlawfully advertising FDIC insurance coverage on their respective Web sites. Globe Trust Financial, Inc., Toronto, Canada, and First Cayman Bank, George Town, Cayman Islands, represent on their Internet Web sites that they are insured by the FDIC. Specifically, they display a logo that states "MEMBER FDIC." The FDIC does not insure either of these entities nor any products or services offered to potential customers by them.

In addition, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (Canada) and the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (Cayman Islands) report that these entities are operating as financial institutions without appropriate licensing from or registration with these respective agencies. Additional information on these two entities can be viewed at http://www.osfi-bsif.gc.ca/osfi/index_e.aspx?ArticleID=166 and [link is no longer alive], respectively. Any proposed transactions involving these entities should be viewed with extreme caution.

Any information about these entities may be forwarded to the FDIC's Special Activities Section, 550 17th Street, NW, Room F-4040, Washington, DC 20429, or forwarded electronically to alert@fdic.gov.

For your reference, FDIC Special Alerts may be accessed from the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2003/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts, Financial Institution Letters and other announcements through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/news/news/announcements/index.html.

Distribution: FDIC-Supervised Banks (Commercial and Savings)