The Nationwide Financial Services<br /> Inc. (NYSE:   NFS) Board of Directors has elected Mark R. Thresher Senior Vice<br /> President-Chief Financial Officer, effective Nov. 18, 2002. As Chief Financial<br /> Officer, Thresher will be responsible for the organization's financial<br /> operations and reporting, including necessary certifications of the company's<br /> filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. He succeeds Robert A.<br /> Oakley, who announced his retirement on Sept. 17, in the CFO role.<br />     Thresher is currently senior vice president-finance, a position he has<br /> held since 1999. He will continue to be responsible for planning, resource<br /> allocation, capital management, financial reporting, subsidiary coordination,<br /> mergers and acquisitions, and investor relations.<br />     "Mark is an invaluable leader for this organization, as he has been since<br /> our initial public offering in 1997," said Joseph J. Gasper, president and<br /> chief operating officer of Nationwide Financial. "NFS has built an outstanding<br /> reputation in the investment community for financial transparency and<br /> disclosure - and the credit goes to Mark.  NFS and its shareholders are well<br /> served by Mark's skill, experience and integrity."<br />     Thresher joined Nationwide in 1996 as vice president and treasurer of<br /> Nationwide and was subsequently named vice president and controller of<br /> Nationwide Life Insurance Company. In 1997 he was appointed vice president-<br /> finance and treasurer of Nationwide Financial, which he held before being<br /> named senior vice president-finance.   Prior to joining Nationwide, Thresher<br /> spent 18 years with KPMG LLP. During the last eight of those years, he served<br /> as the lead engagement partner on a number of insurance organizations<br /> throughout the country.<br />     Thresher graduated from Otterbein College in 1978 with a bachelor of arts<br /> degree in accounting. He is a member of the Ohio Society of Certified Public<br /> Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.<br /> Thresher is on the board of trustees of Otterbein College, where he serves on<br /> the investment and audit committees.<br />     Nationwide Financial, based in Columbus, is a leading provider of<br /> annuities, life insurance, retirement plans, and other financial services for<br /> individuals and institutional clients. The major operating subsidiary of NFS<br /> is Nationwide Life Insurance Company, the country's seventh-largest life<br /> insurer(1).<br />     With assets under management of more than $113 billion in 2001, Nationwide<br /> Financial is the retirement savings and income operation of Nationwide, a<br /> leading provider of diversified insurance and financial services. The parent<br /> company is ranked No. 136 on the Fortune 500 based on revenue. For more<br /> information about Nationwide Financial visit www.nationwidefinancial.com .