RBC And Ipsos Announce Partnership To Publish Consumer Attitudes Index

Washington, DC -- RBC Financial Group (RBC) and Ipsos Public Affairs today announced an agreement to publish the RBC CASH Index (Consumer Attitudes and Spending by Household). The CASH Index is a monthly national survey of consumer attitudes on the current and future state of local economies, personal financial situations, savings and confidence to make large investments.

RBC will immediately assume sponsorship of the index, which has been in existence since 2002, and the first RBC CASH Index numbers to be published in June 2005.

"Ipsos Public Affairs is happy to partner with RBC to provide this information on consumer attitudes. RBC will bring timely and relevant economic and financial market analysis to the CASH Index, making it an even more compelling market indicator," said Darrell Bricker, president of Ipsos Public Affairs in North America.

The RBC CASH Index will be released at the end of the first, full week of each month. In addition to the Overall RBC CASH Index, RBC and Ipsos will publish four indices calculated and comprised from specific questions within the CASH Index Survey. These additional indexes include the Current Consumer Index, the Consumer Expectations Index, the Jobs & Employment Index, and the Purchasing & Investing Index.

"Over the years, Canadians have come to rely on RBC as providing insightful commentary on many aspects of the economy and personal finance," said Craig Wright, chief economist, RBC Financial Group. "By teaming with Ipsos and our colleagues in the United States, we hope to bring this knowledge to a wider audience."

The interviews are conducted the first, full week of every month, as part of the Ipsos weekly telephone omnibus polling service. The RBC CASH study includes 1,000 respondents per wave, with a quarterly sample of 3,000 respondents. It is a real time barometer of consumer attitudes, publishing results within 36 hours of coming out of the field.

For more information on this press release, please contact: Brian R. Scanlon Ipsos Public Affairs Washington, DC 202.463.2146

Dan Callahan RBC 612.313.1234

About Ipsos Public Affairs Ipsos, founded in 1975, is the only independent, publicly listed survey-based research company that is managed by research professionals. The organization is headquartered in Paris and has operations in more than 40 countries. Ipsos Public Affairs, which operates from Washington, D.C., has been conducting national polls in the United States since 2001.

To learn more, visit: www.ipsos-na.com/pa/us/

About RBC Financial Group Royal Bank of Canada (TSX, NYSE: RY) uses the initials RBC as a prefix for its businesses and operating subsidiaries, which operate under the master brand name of RBC Financial Group. Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank as measured by assets, and is one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies. It provides personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking, and transaction processing services on a global basis. The company employs approximately 60,000 people who serve more than 12 million personal, business and public sector clients through offices in North America and some 30 countries around the world.

For more information, please visit: www.rbc.com