COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 28, 1998 -- Stockholders of Central and South West Corp. (NYSE: CSR) today approved the company's proposed merger with American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP). The merger was approved by 82 percent of CSW's outstanding common shares in a vote at Central and South West's annual meeting in Dallas. "This combination of our two companies is just a great fit, and I believe we are going to do very, very well together," E. Linn Draper Jr., AEP's chairman, president and chief executive officer, told CSW stockholders during the meeting. On Wednesday, AEP shareholders voted to approve actions necessary to complete the proposed merger: 71 percent of shares eligible to vote approved increasing the number of authorized shares of AEP common stock from 300 million to 600 million; 97 percent of shares voted approved the use of the new shares to complete the transaction. The proposal to increase the number of authorized shares required an affirmative majority of the total shares outstanding, while the proposal to use the new shares to complete the transaction required an affirmative majority of the total shares that were voted; 135.3 million shares voted to increase the number of authorized shares; 136.6 million shares voted to use the new shares to complete the transaction. On Dec. 22, 1997, AEP announced a definitive merger agreement for a tax-free, stock-for-stock transaction with Central and South West. The merger must still receive approvals of federal and state regulatory agencies before it can be completed. Central and South West Corp. is a global, diversified public utility holding company based in Dallas. CSW owns four electric operating subsidiaries serving 1.7 million customers in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas; a regional electricity company in the United Kingdom; other international energy operations and non-utility subsidiaries involved in energy-related investments, telecommunications, energy efficiency and financial transactions. AEP, a global energy company, is one of the United States' largest investor-owned utilities, providing energy to 3 million customers in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. AEP has holdings in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Australia. Wholly owned subsidiaries provide power engineering, energy consulting and energy management services around the world. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio.