<body.content> <block> <p>NEW YORK, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ — The law firm of Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP announces that a class action lawsuit was filed in theDistrict of New Jersey on September 23, 2003 on behalf of purchasers of the securities of the One Group family of funds (the “Funds”) owned and operated by Bank One Corp. , and its subsidiaries andaffiliates, between October 1, 1998 and July 3, 2003, inclusive, (the “Class Period”), seeking to pursue remedies under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Securities Act of 1933 and theInvestment Advisers Act of 1940. A copy of the complaint filed in this action is available from the Court, or can be viewed on Milberg Weiss’ website at:http://www.milberg.com/cases/onegroupfunds-nj/</p> <p>The Funds, and the symbols for the respective Funds named below, are as follows:</p> <p style=”pre” id=”pre1″> One GroupBalanced (Sym: OGASX, OAMAX, OAMBX, OGAFX)
One Group Diversified Equity (Sym: PAVGX, OVBGX, ODECX, OGVFX)
One Group Diversified International (Sym: PGIEX, ONIBX, OGDCX, WOIEX)
One Group Diversified Mid Cap (Sym: PECAX, ODMBX, ODMCX, WOOPX)
One Group Equity Income (Sym: OIEIX, OGIBX, OINCX, HLIEX)
One Group Equity Index (Sym: OGEAX, OGEIX, OEICX, HLEIX)
One Group Health Sciences (Sym: OHSAX, OHSBX, OHSCX, OHSIX)
One Group International Equity Index (Sym: OEIAX, OGEBX, OIICX, OIEAX)
One Group Investor Balanced (Sym: OGIAX, OGBBX, OGBCX, OIBFX)
One Group Investor Conservative Growth (Sym: OICAX, OICGX, OCGCX, ONCFX)
One Group Investor Growth & Income (Sym: ONGIX, ONEBX, ONECX, ONGFX)
One Group Investor Growth (Sym: ONGAX, OGIGX, OGGCX, ONIFX)
One Group Large Cap Growth (Sym: OLGAX, OGLGX, OLGCX)
One Group Large Cap Value (Sym: OLVAX, OLVBX, OLVCX, HLQVX)
One Group Market Expansion Index (Sym: OMEAX, OMEBX, OMECX, PGMIX)
One Group Mid Cap Growth (Sym: OSGIX, OGOBX, OMGCX, HLGEX)
One Group Mid Cap Value (Sym: OGDIX, OGDBX, OMVCX, HLDEX)
One Group Small Cap Growth (Sym: PGSGX, OGFBX, OSGCX, OGGFX)
One Group Small Cap Value (Sym: PSOAX, PSOBX, OSVCX, PSOPX)
One Group Technology (Sym: OGTAX, OGTBX, OGTCX, OGTIX)
One Group Arizona Municipal Bond (Sym: OAMAX, OAMBX, OGAFX)
One Group Kentucky Municipal Bond (Sym: OKYAX, ONKBX, TRKMX)
One Group Louisiana Municipal Bond (Sym: PGLAX, ONLBX, OGLFX)
One Group Michigan Municipal Bond (Sym: PEIAX, OMIBX, WOMBX)
One Group Ohio Municipal Bond (Sym: ONOHX, OOHBX, HLOMX)
One Group West Virginia Municipal Bond (Sym: OQWAX, OGWBX, OGWFX)
One Group Short-Term Municipal Bond (Sym: OSTAX, OSTBX, PGUIX)
One Group Municipal Income (Sym: OTBAX, OTBBX, OMICX, HLTAX)
One Group Intermediate Tax-Free (Sym: ONTAX, ONFBX, HLTIX)
One Group Tax-Free Bond (Sym: PMBAX, PUBBX, PRBIX)
One Group Bond (Sym: PGBOX, OBOBX, OBOCX , WOBDX)
One Group Government Bond (Sym: OGGAX, OGGBX, OGVCX, HLGAX)
One Group High Yield Bond (Sym: OHYAX, OGHBX, OGHCX, OHYFX)
One Group Income Bond (Sym: ONIAX, OINBX, OBDCX, HLIPX)
One Group Intermediate Bond (Sym: OGBAX, OBDBX, OIMCX, SEIFX)
One Group Mortgage-Backed Securities (Sym: OMBAX, OMBIX)
One Group Short-Term Bond (Sym: OGLVX, OVBXB, OSTCX HLLVX)
One Group Treasury & Agency Bond (Sym: OTABX, ONTBX, F001CQ, OGTFX)
One Group Ultra Short-Term Bond (Sym: ONUAX, ONUBX ,OGUCX, HLGFX)
</p> <p>The action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey against defendants Bank One Corp.; Banc One Investment Advisers; One Group (R) Mutual Funds; Canary Capital Partners, LLC; Canary Investment Management, LLC; Canary Capital Partners, Ltd; each of the Funds; and John Does 1-100.</p> <p>The Complaint alleges that defendants violated Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933; Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder; and Section 206 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The Complaint charges that, throughout the Class Period, defendants failed to disclose that they improperly allowed certain hedge funds, such as Canary, to engage in “late trading” and “timing” of the Funds’ securities. Late trades are trades received after 4:00 p.m. EST that are filled based on that day’s net asset value, as opposed to being filled based on the next day’s net asset value, which is the proper procedure under SEC regulations. Late trading allows favored investors to make use of market-moving information that only becomes available after 4:00 p.m. and has been compared to betting on a horse race that already has been run. Timing is excessive, arbitrage trading undertaken to turn a quick profit and which ordinary investors are told that the funds police. Late trading and timing injure ordinary mutual fund investors — who are not allowed to engage in such practices — and are acknowledged as improper practices by the Funds. In return for receiving extra fees from Canary and other favored investors, Bank One Corp. and its subsidiaries allowed and facilitated Canary’s timing and late trading activities, to the detriment of class members, who paid, dollar for dollar, for Canary’s improper profits. These practices were undisclosed in the prospectuses of the Funds, which falsely represented that the Funds actively police against timing and represented that post-4:00 p.m. EST trades will be priced based on the next day’s net asset value and that premature redemptions will be assessed a charge.</p> <p>If you bought the securities of any of the Funds between October 1, 1998 and July 3, 2003 and sustained damages, you may, no later than November 4, 2003, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member’s claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Under certain circumstances, one or more class members may together serve as “lead plaintiff.” Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. You may retain Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP, or other counsel of your choice, to serve as your counsel in this action.</p> <p>Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP (<a>http://www.milberg.com/</a>) is a 190-lawyer firm with offices in New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boca Raton, Philadelphia and Seattle, and is active in major litigations pending in federal and state courts throughout the United States. Milberg Weiss has taken a leading role in many important actions on behalf of defrauded investors, consumers, and others, and has been responsible for more than $20 billion in aggregate recoveries. Please contact the Milberg Weiss website for more information about the firm. If you wish to discuss this action with us, or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights and interests with regard to the case, please contact the following attorneys:</p> <p style=”pre” id=”pre2″> Steven G. Schulman
Peter E. Seidman
Andrei V. Rado
One Pennsylvania Plaza, 49th fl.
New York, NY, 10119-0165
Phone number: (800) 320-5081
Email: <virtloc idsrc=”dummy” value=”dummy”>[email protected]</virtloc>
Website: <a>http://www.milberg.com/</a> </p> <datasource>Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP</datasource> </block> <block class=”contact”> <p>CONTACT: Steven G. Schulman, Peter E. Seidman, or Andrei V. Rado, all of<br/>Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP, 1-800-320-5081,<br/><virtloc idsrc=”dummy” value=”dummy”>[email protected]</virtloc> </p> </block> <block class=”website”> <p>Web site: <a>http://www.milberg.com/</a><br/><a>http://www.milberg.com/cases/onegroupfunds-nj</a> </p> </block> </body.content>
