DALLAS, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Centex (NYSE: CTX), one of the nation's largest and most admired home builders, has received the 2007 J.D. Power and Associates Platinum Award for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction among the nation's largest home builders, and earned special honors for its mortgage-lending operations as well.

Centex received the highest overall average score among the largest home-building corporations included in the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 New Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study(SM) announced today. In addition to the Platinum Award, Centex ranked highest in 14 out of 30 study markets in which Centex operates, and also ranked among the top five in all of the 30 markets where Centex is represented.

Qualification for the Platinum Award depends on several requirements. The builder must operate in at least half of the markets surveyed by J.D. Power and Associates. Every division in every market must achieve above market- average scores, with an average index score that exceeds the 90th percentile of the study average. Upon fulfilling these criteria, the Platinum Award is presented to the builder with the highest weighted average of scores in the study.

"I'm proud to be associated with the people of Centex. They aspire to be the best and build the best in every city where we do business," said Timothy R. Eller, chairman and chief executive officer of Centex. "The people of Centex set high goals and reach them. Doing what's right for our customers is part of the fabric of our company, and we're grateful for the trust and confidence that our customers have given us, especially in the midst of such a difficult business cycle."

This is the first time Centex has received the Platinum Award, which has not been conferred on a home builder in more than two years. America's new homeowners also rank Centex highest in quality in one or more markets in the inaugural New-Home Quality Study. In this year's study, Centex achieved 14 top rankings, nine No. 2 rankings and five No. 3 rankings. The company's home- building operations exceeded most competitors in every study market in which it operates.

Centex ranked highest in the following markets (listed alphabetically):

• Austin, Texas (tie)
• Bakersfield, Calif.
• Charleston, S.C.
• Columbus, Ohio
• Inland Empire, Calif.
• Las Vegas
• Minneapolis, Minn.
• Myrtle Beach, S.C.
• Nashville, Tenn.
• Phoenix
• Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
• San Antonio, Texas
• San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.
• Tampa, Fla.

In addition, Centex ranked among the top five home builders in the following markets (listed alphabetically, followed by local ranking):

• Albuquerque, N.M. (2, tie)
• Atlanta, Ga. (2)
• Charlotte, N.C. (3)
• Chicago (5, tie)
• Dallas/Fort Worth (Fox & Jacobs, 2; Centex Homes, 3)
• Denver, Colo. (2)
• Fort Myers/Naples, Fla. (3)
• Fresno, Calif. (2)
• Houston (3)
• Jacksonville, Fla. (4)
• Los Angeles/Ventura (2)
• Orlando, Fla. (2)
• Palm Beach, Fla. (3)
• Sacramento, Calif. (2)
• San Diego, Calif. (4)
• Washington, D.C. (2)

The study's rankings are compiled from responses of new-home buyers who have lived in their homes an average of four to 18 months. From the index, nine factors drive overall customer satisfaction with home builders (listed in order of importance): builder's warranty and customer service (16 percent); construction manager (15 percent); builder's sales staff (13 percent); home readiness (13 percent); price and value (12 percent); workmanship and materials (10 percent); recreational facilities (8 percent); builder's design center (7 percent); and location (5 percent). (Percentages do not add to 100 percent because of rounding.)

CTX Mortgage, the affiliated mortgage-lending company owned by Centex Corp., ranked highest in 12 of 15 markets in which it was evaluated for mortgage originations. CTX Mortgage ranked No. 2 in two markets, and No. 4 in one market nationwide.

For more information, see http://www.centex.com or http://www.jdpower.com/homes.

About Centex

Dallas-based Centex (http://www.centex.com), founded in 1950, is one of the nation's leading home-building companies. Centex operates in major U.S. markets in 25 states and delivered more than 35,000 homes in the United States in its most recent fiscal year ended March 31, 2007. Its leading brands include Centex Homes, Fox & Jacobs Homes, CityHomes and Centex Destination Properties.

In addition to its home-building operations, Centex's related business lines include mortgage, title and insurance services and integrated pest- defense systems. These businesses provide operational or financial support to home-building operations and are leaders in their respective industries. Centex ranks No. 1 in its industry on FORTUNE magazine's list of "America's Most Admired Companies."

About J.D. Power and Associates

Based in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information-services firm operating in key business sectors, including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

SOURCE: Centex

CONTACT: Eric S. Bruner, Director of Public Relations for Centex,
+1-214-981-6623, eric.bruner@centex.com
Web site: http://www.centex.com
http://www.jdpower.com/homes