Junior Achievement and Capital One Drive Home Importance of Financial Literacy with Mobile Finance Park in Houston

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--During February and March, Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas and Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) will bring a mobile financial education program to Houston which will teach basic money-management skills to more than 1,000 middle-school students from Houston Independent School District (HISD).

“Basic money-management skills are crucial building blocks to economic self-sufficiency, and research shows that many students are unable to effectively manage their finances when they graduate from high school”

Capital One/Junior Achievement Finance Park^TM is a miniature city developed to help seventh- and eighth-graders gain a realistic understanding of financial issues. Finance Park is located at the headquarters of the HISD Police Department, 4425 North Shepherd Drive.

This special and unique curriculum starts with four weeks of in-classroom lessons developed by Junior Achievement; students will then visit Capital One/Junior Achievement Mobile Finance Park. Once on-site, the students apply the lessons they’ve learned in the classroom to develop and use a personal budget for a month in the life of an adult. Each student is assigned a “life situation,” including a job, a monthly income, family situation – and taxes. Students then begin to work on their budget, making decisions about housing, furnishings, investments, food, entertainment, phone, cable, saving and charitable contributions – all of the decisions they will ultimately make upon entering adulthood.

“Basic money-management skills are crucial building blocks to economic self-sufficiency, and research shows that many students are unable to effectively manage their finances when they graduate from high school,” said Rick Franke, president of Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas. “The hands-on financial education provided at Finance Park helps students succeed now and as adults by giving them practical money management skills. We are thrilled to have Finance Park in Houston.”

“Our investment in Capital One/Junior Achievement Finance Park^TM is more than just doing the right thing; it teaches students important skills that they can use for the rest of their lives,” said Paul Davidson, Houston City President for Capital One Bank, which operates 46 full-service branches in the metropolitan area. “Our associates who volunteer in Finance Park are able to play a key role in encouraging financial literacy and economic opportunity. This is a unique and creative way to help youngsters become financially literate.”

Please contact Steven Thorpe at 504-533-2753 for more information or to schedule a tour.

WHEN:		February 11 through March 28

WHERE:		Headquarters of the Houston Independent School District Police Department
		4425 North Shepherd Drive
		Houston, TX 77018

Other Texas Locations and Dates in 2008:

Finance Park will be in San Antonio from May 1 through June 3, and in Dallas from September 29 through October 24.

About Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas

Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas (JA) reaches 195,000 K-12 students in the Houston area with work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy programs delivered by 9,500 community volunteers. JA’s board is comprised of local leaders in both business and education who are actively involved in providing resources and leadership which help JA and our kids succeed.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries collectively had $83.0 billion in deposits and $151.4 billion in managed loans outstanding as of December 31, 2007. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Capital One has 742 locations in Texas, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It is a diversified financial services company whose principal subsidiaries, Capital One, N.A., Capital One Bank, and Capital One Auto Finance, Inc., offer a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

About JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement)

JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA Worldwide offers educational programs that focus on three key content areas: entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy. Today, 140 individual area operations reach approximately four million students in the United States, with an additional 4.3 million students served by operations in 114 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.