MaSSSoftech

DES MOINES, Iowa--(Business Wire)--
For the 12th consecutive year, the Principal Financial Group®
has taken a top spot on the InformationWeek 500, a prestigious list of the
most innovative users of technology in the United States. This year The
Principal® ranked 33rd out of 500 innovative companies.

"The Principal is honored to be recognized again for technology innovation. We
attribute this success to our world class employees, and their application of
creativity, initiative, skills and knowledge of technology to our business in a
meaningful way," said Gary Scholten, senior vice president and chief information
officer of the Principal Financial Group.

Contributing to the company`s most recent InformationWeek recognition is the
development of the Geo-Business Impact Tool (G-BIT), which was conceived and
custom-developed by the Principal Financial Group. A leading-edge application in
the financial services industry, G-BIT is a Web application that links a
geographical information system, enabling the user to select any area on a map
and access a spreadsheet or report for that location. This includes details such
as the number of employees in a particular location, and customer account data
for that specific area across all lines of business.

Key benefits of the implemented system were realized immediately. During the
Midwest floods of 2008, G-BIT was used to obtain a comprehensive list of company
locations, employees and customers in affected areas so The Principal could
quickly reach out with offers of assistance. G-BIT was also used in advance of
Hurricane Ike and during wildfires in California.

"Year after year, InformationWeek 500 companies harness technology to improve
efficiency, boost productivity, drive revenue and establish a competitive
advantage," said Rob Preston, editor-in-chief of InformationWeek. We applaud
this year`s winners, and the CIOs and other executives whose ingenuity and risk
taking are at the center of business technology innovation."

2009 tech-savvy tools: iGoogle and text messaging

This latest accolade comes soon after the launch of two new technologies which
allow retirement plan participants the option to receive certain account
information via email or text messages and their personal iGoogle home pages.

First available in mid-May, the use of these technologies is exceeding goals.
Within the first three months of the launch, nearly 14,000 participants added
the gadget to their iGoogle home page. And nearly 8,500 participants had signed
up to receive e-mail or text messages from The Principal.

"We`re reaching out to our participants on their terms, and hoping to cut
through the clutter by doing so," said Danelle Kronmiller, assistant director of
marketing for The Principal. "This is a true example of how technology is
helping to meet an emerging business need, with measurable results."

About the InformationWeek 500

InformationWeek identifies and honors the nation`s most innovative users of
information technology with its annual 500 listing, now in its 21st year, and
also tracks the technology, strategies, investments and administrative practices
of America`s best-known companies. Top winners have included: Conway, National
Semiconductor, Kimberly-Clark, Hilton Hotels and Unum. The InformationWeek 500
rankings are unique among corporate rankings as it spotlights the power of
innovation in information technology, rather than simply identifying the biggest
IT spenders.

About the Principal Financial Group

The Principal Financial Group® (The Principal ®)1 is a leader in offering
businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial
products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and
health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services
companies. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $257.7
billion in assets under management2 and serves some 18.8 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 June 30, 2009



The Principal Financial Group
Rhonda Clark, 515-247-6634
clark.rhonda@principal.com