COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 13, 2007 – Thomas E. Hoaglin, chairman and chief executive officer of Huntington Bancshares Inc., has been elected to American Electric Power’s (NYSE: AEP) board of directors, according to Michael G. Morris, AEP’s chairman, president and chief executive officer.

With the election of Hoaglin, AEP’s board now consists of 14, 13 of whom are outside directors. Morris is the only inside director.

“Tom Hoaglin´s experience at some of the larger U.S.-based banking organizations and the management and financial insight he can contribute make him a very valuable addition to our Board of Directors," Morris said. ”As a South Charleston, W.Va., native and long-time resident of Columbus, he also is very familiar with our company and many of the communities that we serve."

Hoaglin, 58, joined Huntington as president and chief executive officer in February 2001 and was named chairman later that year. Following Huntington’s acquisition of Sky Financial Group in July 2007, Hoaglin was named chairman and CEO. A banker for more than 33 years, Hoaglin worked for Bank One Corp. from 1973 to 1999 and for AmSouth Bancorporation during 2000.

Hoaglin has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Denison University and a master’s of business administration from Stanford University.

Hoaglin is chairman of the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. and Capitol South Community Urban Redevelopment Corp., Columbus Chamber of Commerce, and OhioHealth. He also serves on the boards of Denison University, The Jeffrey Co., The Gorman-Rupp Co., The Columbus Partnership and CompeteColumbus.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.