CenterPoint Energy can trace its origins back more than 130 years, but only listed under the name in 2002, following Reliant Energy’s decision to spin off Reliant Resources and officially change its name to CenterPoint Energy. The Houston-based company is America’s third-largest combined power and gas distributor, with assets totalling $21bn and 2003 revenues of $9.76bn, serving nearly 5m customers, primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.