WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — ITT Corp. announced that its board of directors has approved the distribution to its shareholders of all the outstanding shares of Exelis Inc., its Defense and Information Solutions business, which will also be known as ITT Exelis, and Xylem Inc., its Water Technology and Services business, which will result in three distinct, publicly traded companies. The separation of the companies will be completed on Oct. 31.

Each ITT shareholder of record as of the close of business on Oct. 17, 2011, the record date for the distribution, will receive on the distribution date one share of ITT Exelis common stock and one share of Xylem common stock for each share of ITT common stock held as of the record date. The ITT board also approved a 1:2 reverse stock split for ITT, which will become effective after market close on Oct. 31, 2011, the distribution date for the spinoffs.

Steve Loranger, chairman, president and chief executive officer of ITT, said, “By operating as three independent companies, we believe the new ITT, Xylem, and ITT Exelis will each be able to leverage our shared history of innovation while being better positioned to capitalize on new opportunities in their respective markets. We believe this transaction will allow all three companies to drive growth and deliver significant value to all of our shareholders. I would like to thank our dedicated employees who have worked hard to make this important transaction a reality. We look forward to completing the final steps in this process and embarking on new and exciting chapters for the new ITT, Xylem, and ITT Exelis.”