The Principal Financial Group Announces Jerry Patterson Named Senior Vice President14:30 EST Thursday, January 12, 2012 DES MOINES, Iowa (Business Wire) -- The Principal Financial Group® announces the promotion of Jerry Patterson to senior vice president of retirement investor services effective January 14, 2012. Patterson is responsible for leading the company's retail and institutional annuity business and retirement income management strategy. “This promotion is a reflection of Jerry's extensive background in the financial services industry and significant leadership experience,” said Daniel J. Houston, president of retirement, insurance and financial services at The Principal®. “We are pleased to have Jerry leading our successful annuity business and retirement income management strategy.” Patterson has over 20 years of experience in financial services with more than 12 years in executive leadership roles. He most recently served as chief operating officer at Nippon Life Benefits in New York as part of an executive rotation program between The Principal and Nippon. Prior to that, Patterson was chief marketing officer in the Life & Health Insurance segments at The Principal for seven years. Patterson holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a law degree from the Drake University Law School. *A high quality photo is available upon request. For more news and insights from The Principal, connect with us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ThePrincipal. About the Principal Financial GroupThe Principal Financial Group® (The Principal ®)1 is a global investment management leader including retirement services, insurance solutions and asset management. The Principal offers businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement, asset management and insurance through its diverse family of financial services companies. Founded in 1879 and a member of the FORTUNE 500®, the Principal Financial Group has $320.8 billion in assets under management2 and serves some 17.8 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 service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.2 As of September 30, 2011. Principal Financial GroupTerri Hale, 515-283-8858hale.terri@principal.comorJoelle Kirchhoff, 515-246-4907kirchhoff.joelle@principal.com