Blue-Ribbon Judging Panel Announced for The Principal 10 Best Companies

April 4, 2007 (Des Moines, Iowa) — Eight distinguished professionals in employee benefits and human resources have been selected to judge The Principal^® 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security—2007. The independent panel of experts along with the respected market research firm of Matthew Greenwald & Associates - will evaluate and select winners from a rapidly growing field of entrants. Companies can enter The Principal 10 Best Companies—2007 at www.principal.com through May 1, 2007.

Now in its sixth year and sponsored by the Principal Financial Group^®, the program honors growing companies (five to 1,000 employees) for their commitment to their employees' financial security. Winners are showcased nationally as role models and receive extensive recognition and publicity—including being featured in a nationally distributed Best Practices Guide. Winners also receive a donation to the charity of their choice and are able to include the recognition title in their marketing materials.

"We consider this to be a great honor and we are using the recognition in our efforts to recruit new employees," said Dennis Murdock, CEO of Central Iowa Power Co-operative, one of The Principal 10 Best Companies—2006.

Judges of The Principal 10 Best Companies—2007 include:

Nevin Adams, editor-in-chief, PLANSPONSOR Magazine and PLANSPONSOR.com
Debbie Jaudon, director of Human Resources, Argon ST, one of The Principal 10 Best Companies—2006
Dan McCarthy, consulting actuary, Milliman, Inc.
CJ McKoy, director of Human Resources and Corporate Learning, ITAGroup, Inc., one of The Principal 10 Best Companies—2006
Corey Rosen, executive director & founder, National Center for Employee Ownership
Dallas Salisbury, president and CEO, Employee Benefit Research Institute
Timothy A Welsh, director, McKinsey & Company
David L. Wray, president, The Profit Sharing/401k Council of America (PSCA)

"This outstanding group of judges brings a tremendous amount of experience, education and wisdom in the realm of employee benefits and long term financial security," says Renee Schaaf, vice president, The Principal^®. "We appreciate their time and dedication, and we look forward to learning who they'll select as The Principal 10 Best in 2007."

Judges will choose the winning companies based on criteria such as the breadth of financial benefits offered, the depth of financial benefits offered and the level of commitment by the company to its employees' financial security. Winners will be announced in the fall of 2007.

About The Principal 10 Best Companies Program

The Principal 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security is a nationwide program that searches for and recognizes small and medium-size companies that excel in providing for employee financial security. Entries for the 2007 search will be accepted from February 1, 2007, through May 1, 2007. The program is open to any company with between five to 1,000 employees. To qualify, all entrants must have been based in the United States and have provided a broad range of employee benefits for at least five years. Qualifying companies must have, at a minimum, offered "traditional" employee benefits, such as those relating to retirement, health, life or disability. No entry fee is required, and companies owned by employees of The Principal are not eligible to enter. For more information, visit www.principal.com/theprincipal10best/index.htm.

About the Principal Financial Group

The Principal Financial Group^® (The Principal^®)¹ is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies and national network of financial professionals. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $256.9 billion in assets under management² and serves some 17.6 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

1) "The Principal Financial Group" and "The Principal" are registered trademarks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.
2) As of December 31, 2006.