Company Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - February 19, 2009) - Barclays Global Investors (BGI) announced today the appointment of John Longley as the new Head of National Accounts for the U.S. iShares Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Business. In his role, Mr. Longley will set the strategic direction and lead a team to expand iShares ETF distribution via key partnerships with national and regional banks and broker-dealers. Mr. Longley was formerly CEO of Citi Private Bank where he oversaw 24 offices in the U.S. and Canada, delivering investment, banking and wealth advisory services to ultra high net worth individuals. He will start in his new role in the spring and report to Joe Linhares, Head of iShares Sales.

"We are delighted to have someone of John's caliber and experience join us as we continue to reinforce our leadership position in the fund industry," said Michael Latham, CEO of U.S. iShares at BGI. "John's client-centered leadership and deep experience in the wealth management industry will be tremendous assets to iShares, our clients and fund investors."

Mr. Longley joins BGI after sixteen years at Smith Barney and Citi. A 20-year veteran of the financial services industry, he joined Smith Barney in 1993 and held the positions of Branch Manager, Regional Director and Divisional Director, working throughout the U.S. and internationally. In 2007, Mr. Longley was appointed CEO of Citi Private Bank for the U.S. and Canada. In early 2008, his purview expanded with the additional responsibilities of Citi Global Wealth Management's domestic lending services, Citi Trust, Citi Family Office and Citi Capital Strategies, Citi's middle-market investment banking division.

"I am very excited to be joining one of the fastest growing and leading organizations in the fund industry, and a company whose culture is deeply rooted in innovation," said John Longley. "I look forward to assisting iShares with building on its achievements and providing further market leadership in client service and product development."

About Barclays Global Investors

Barclays Global Investors is one of the world's largest asset managers and a leading global provider of investment management products and services with more than 3,000 institutional clients and $1.5 trillion of assets under management as of December 31, 2008. BGI transformed the investment industry by creating the first index strategy in 1971 and the first quantitative active strategy in 1979. BGI is the global product leader in exchange traded funds (iShares® exchange traded funds) with over 360 funds for institutions and individuals globally.