Company Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO--Charles Schwab, a marketplace leader of ETFs, today announced it offers the new Schwab U.S. REIT ETF™ (SCHH) and the new Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF™ (SCHM), expanding its existing proprietary offering to 13 equity and fixed income ETFs. Like all other Schwab ETFs, they can be bought and sold commission-free* online in Schwab accounts and have among the lowest operating expense ratios (OERs) in the industry.

“Individual investors, traders and advisors continue to demand ETFs at a low cost that can function as building blocks in their portfolios.”

The Schwab U.S. REIT ETF and Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF began trading on Thursday, January 13, 2011.

“Individual investors, traders and advisors continue to demand ETFs at a low cost that can function as building blocks in their portfolios,” said Tamara Bohlig, vice president of product management at Schwab. “Our newest ETFs are part of Schwab’s ongoing commitment to offering broad exposure to core market segments at a compelling value.”

The Schwab U.S. REIT ETF and Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF seek to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the total return of the Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Index and the Dow Jones U.S. Mid-Cap Total Stock Market Index. As of December 31, 2010, Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Index had 82 securities and the Dow Jones U.S. Mid-Cap Total Stock Market Index had 495 securities.

The Schwab U.S. REIT ETF (SCHH) may be appropriate for investors seeking to add exposure to both the commercial and residential U.S. real estate markets, providing greater sector diversification than by investing directly in real estate. The Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (SCHM) can offer long term growth potential and access to the mid- cap segment of the U.S. equity market, giving investors diversified exposure representative of the broader U.S. stock market.

Charles Schwab is a leader in the ETF market, with more than $110 billion in total ETF assets custodied on their platform as of year-end 2010. Schwab’s suite of 11 ETFs had $2.7billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2010, and all Schwab ETFs™ ended the 2010 tax year without any capital gains.

Schwab ETF Fund symbol & expense ratio comparison1 NEW ETFs Schwab Vanguard iShares SPDRs

Schwab U.S. REIT ETF™ SCHH 0.13%
VNQ 0.13%
IYR 0.47%
RWR 0.25%

Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF™ SCHM 0.13%
VO 0.14%
IJH 0.22%
MDY 0.25%

Domestic Equity ETFs Schwab Vanguard iShares SPDRs

Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF™ SCHB 0.06%
VTI 0.07%
IWV 0.21%
TMW 0.20%

Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF™ SCHX 0.08%
VV 0.12%
IVV 0.09%
SPY 0.09%

Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF™ SCHG 0.13%
VUG 0.14%
IVW 0.18%
SPYG 0.20%

Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF™ SCHV 0.13%
VTV 0.14%
IVE 0.18%
SPYV 0.20%

Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF™ SCHA 0.13%
VB 0.14%
IJR 0.20%
SLY 0.20%

International Equity ETFs Schwab Vanguard iShares SPDRs

Schwab International Equity ETF™ SCHF 0.13%
VEA 0.15%
EFA 0.35%
CWI 0.34%

Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF™ SCHC 0.35%
VSS 0.40%
SCZ 0.40%
GWX 0.59%

Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF™ SCHE 0.25%
VWO 0.27%
EEM 0.69% GMM 0.59%

Bond ETFs Schwab Vanguard iShares SPDRs

Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF™ SCHP 0.14%
N/A
TIP 0.20%
IPE 0.18%

Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF™ SCHO 0.12%
N/A
SHY 0.15%
N/A

Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF™ SCHR 0.12%
N/A
IEI 0.15%
ITE 0.13%

1 Expense comparison data was obtained from the funds' prospectuses as of 1/1/11. Comparisons are made between each Schwab ETF and ETFs in the same Morningstar asset class from the three largest ETF providers. ETFs in the same asset class may track different indexes, have differences in holdings, and show different performance. Expense ratios are subject to change.

In addition to offering investors impressive value through its own Schwab ETFs, Schwab continues to expand its resources to help clients learn about and choose ETFs that may best serve their investment needs. This includes tutorials, research and tools via the online ETF Center, as well as live client events in local Schwab branches.

Commission-free* online trading of Schwab ETFs is available to individual investors at Schwab, to the more than 6,000 independent investment advisors firms who use Schwab’s custodial services through Schwab Advisor Services, and through Schwab retirement accounts that permit trading of ETFs. Schwab ETFs are immediately marginable by Schwab clients and have no minimum required holding period in order to be eligible for commission-free online trading. Schwab ETFs are listed on NYSE Arca and can be traded on other exchanges.

About Charles Schwab Investment Management

Founded in 1989, Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., a subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation, is one of the nation's largest asset management companies with $200 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2010. It is among the country's largest money market fund managers and is the third-largest provider of retail index funds. In addition to managing Schwab ETFs™ and Schwab Funds®, CSIM is investment adviser for the institutional-style, sub-advised Laudus Fund family. CSIM currently manages more than 70 mutual funds, 13 exchange traded funds, and four separate account model portfolios.

About Charles Schwab

The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) is a leading provider of financial services, with more than 300 offices and 8.0 million client brokerage accounts, 1.5 million corporate retirement plan participants, 690,000 banking accounts, and $1.57 trillion in client assets. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides a full range of securities brokerage, banking, money management and financial advisory services to individual investors and independent investment advisors. Its broker- dealer subsidiary, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC, www.sipc.org), and affiliates offer a complete range of investment services and products including an extensive selection of mutual funds; financial planning and investment advice; retirement plan and equity compensation plan services; referrals to independent fee- based investment advisors; and custodial, operational and trading support for independent, fee-based investment advisors through its Advisor Services division. Its banking subsidiary, Charles Schwab Bank (member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender), provides banking and mortgage services and products. More information is available at www.schwab.com and www.aboutschwab.com. (0111-0436)

Investors should consider carefully information contained in the prospectus, including investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. You can request a prospectus by calling Schwab at 1-800-435-4000. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Investment returns will fluctuate and are subject to market volatility, so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Unlike mutual funds, shares of ETFs are not individually redeemable directly with the ETF.

Diversification does not eliminate the risk of market loss.

There is no guarantee that capital gains distributions will not be made in the future.

*Restrictions Apply: Online trades of Schwab ETFs™ are commission-free at The Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Member SIPC), while trades of 3rd-party ETFs are subject to commissions. Broker-Assisted and Automated Phone trades are subject to service charges. Minimum $1,000 deposit is required to open most Schwab brokerage accounts. Waivers may apply. See the Charles Schwab Pricing Guide for more details. All ETFs are subject to management fees and expenses.

An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Investing in REITs may pose additional risks such as real estate industry risk, interest rate risk and liquidity risk. Schwab REIT ETF is not diversified and may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. As a result, the fund may experience increased volatility.

Dow Jones®, and the names identifying the Dow Jones Indexes underlying Schwab’s Domestic ETFs are trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings, LLC (“Dow Jones”), have been licensed to CME Group Index Services LLC (“CME Indexes”) and sublicensed for use for certain purposes by Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM). The Dow Jones Total Stock Market Indexes are a product of Dow Jones Indexes, a licensed service mark of CME Indexes, and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by CSIM.

The Schwab Exchange-Traded Funds™ (Schwab ETFs) are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Co. (SIDCO). Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM) serves as the registered investment adviser to Schwab ETFs. CSIM and Charles Schwab & Co, Inc. are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Charles Schwab Corporation, none of which is affiliated with SIDCO. Neither SIDCO nor CSIM, nor any of their affiliates, are affiliated with the companies listed above.




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