CTX Qwest Corp. 7.00% Notes Due 2052

Centex Homes Earns 'Most Admired Big Builder' Award From Peers for Second Consecutive Year Homebuilder Also Repeats Top Honors for Leadership, Management, Operational Excellence and Efficiency in Nationwide Industry Survey DALLAS, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Centex Homes' peers have named the residential construction company its industry's "Most Admired Big Builder" for a second straight year, according to a national survey. The Dallas-based national homebuilder earned this title and completed a near clean sweep of the 2004 APEX Awards, winning top honors among the nation's biggest homebuilding companies for: -- leadership and management, -- operational excellence and efficiency, -- delivering affordable housing, and -- providing employees with training and development programs. The APEX Awards are presented by Hanley Wood, the leading business-to- business media company serving the housing and construction industry. The awards are based on the results of an online survey of the residential construction industry's 100 largest companies. Andy Hannigan, chairman and chief executive officer of Centex Homes, said, "We are truly honored that our colleagues in residential construction have expressed such high esteem for us two years in a row. It is especially gratifying for our more than 7,000 U.S. employees to know that their work is regarded so highly by the people they compete with every day." The survey was conducted in September for Hanley Wood by a third-party survey organization. In the 2004 awards' only other category -- innovative product and design -- survey respondents placed Centex Homes second. In addition to being named "Most Admired Big Builder" last year -- the first time the awards were ever distributed -- Centex Homes also received top 2003 APEX Award honors for leadership and management and for operational excellence and efficiency. The APEX Awards were created to help elevate the homebuilding profession as an industry offering opportunities for talented business, financial, sales and marketing professionals. With their peers acting as judges, the APEX Awards recognize those companies that are seen as being the best in the business of building. About Centex Homes Dallas-based Centex Homes (http://www.centexhomes.com/ ) is one of the nation's leading homebuilders, operating in more than 90 U.S. markets in 26 states. Its brands include entry-level builder Fox & Jacobs Homes, on-your- lot builder Wayne Homes and resort/second home builder Centex Destination Properties. Centex Homes delivered 30,358 homes in the United States in its most recent fiscal year ended March 31, 2004. The company is a subsidiary of Centex Corporation (NYSE:CTX), a Fortune 250 company. Centex Corporation (http://www.centex.com/ ), founded in Dallas in 1950, is one of the nation's premier companies in homebuilding, financial services, home services and commercial contracting. About Hanley Wood Hanley Wood, LLC, is the premier media company serving housing and construction. Through five operating divisions, the company produces award- winning magazines and Web sites, marquee trade shows and events, rich data, and custom marketing solutions. The company also is North America's leading publisher of home plans. Founded in 1976, Hanley Wood is a $200 million company owned by VS&A Communications Partners III, LP, the private-equity affiliate of media industry merchant bank Veronis Suhler Stevenson. CPLBG DATASOURCE: Centex Homes CONTACT: Neil Devroy, VP, Communications & Public Affairs of Centex Homes, +1-214-981-6154, or mobile, +1-214-632-3950, or Web site: http://www.centexhomes.com/ http://www.centex.com/

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